STATE ACTIVITIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 103, 28 October 1939, Page 6

STATE ACTIVITIES

EXCELLENT COURT

EXHIBITION ATTRACTION

All the people Avho have been associated with the creation of the large NeAv Zealand Government Court at the Exhibition, each in his or her special field, have produced a display which visitors already have declared is equal to anything of its kind they have seen in overseas exhibitions. The objective aimed at. was to display the activities of the various Departments of State 'ip harmonious surroundings and generally, in keeping with Centennial year, to trace by various methods the development of many of these Departments. In both directions great success has been achieved. The court is. so large ano! it houses so much- —26 different Departments are represented—that it is impossible to deal adequately. with it as a comprehensive whole in short compass, but there are certain features of the court itself, apart from the nature' of the separate departmental displays, which attract notice. The first is that the lay-but is such that if the visitor is in a hurry a very good impression can be gained of the many and varied activities performed by the State Departments by merely walking through the court, o'r> on the other hand, if time is not of such great moment, the visitor can actually "get in" among the exhibits and see and learn a very great deal. COLOUR AND LIGHT EFFECTS. Among other general features are the artistic murals, the tone colourings and the lighting .effects. As might be expected, the new colour shades and finishes and modern lighting artistry have been employed to. great purpose arid with splendid results. To utilise lighting effects to the full in the Government Court the ceiling is stepped. These lighting effects embrace the use of the .decorative fluorescent' tubing and, in addition to the white lights, colour lighting that will flash evenly completely* over the court, the colours being red, then gold, and with green in the centre. The form of lighting and the type of floor covering have been selected to harmonise with the general decorative scheme. The ventilation of the court, which is completely enclosed, is another special feature. A very Up-to-date system of. pressure ventilation has been installed. Fresh air is drawn from above the roof and is circulated at a comfortable breathing level throughout the court, and foul air is expelled, in some places through floor gratings and^at others by suction, up or down. ■'■'.-.. These are some of the special features of this big court. There is also a very fine Hall of, Progress and this, together with the pavilions which have been: grouped to the right of it from the; main entrance, typifies the development that has taken place in land and agricultural matters. Still another feature of the court is the picture theatre, at the southern end. Here again good use has been made of lighting effects; the interior decoration of the theatre as a whole makes it a most attractive unit. It will seat 280 people and doubtless it will '■ be well patronised. Most of the . departments represented' in the court, have a fair amount of film available, such as,, for example, the Tourist Department, the Defence Services, and Health Department. ■ ">-:- y" ! SPECTACULAR DISPLAYS. | The daily activities of some Departments—the Public Works Department, Railway Department, and the three arms, of the Defence. Department, for instance—make possible displays of a highly spectacular nature, but even Departments whose functions do not in the popular estimation measure up to these from the point of view of catching the eye have succeeded in putting on outstanding displays. It is remarkable just what some of them have accomplished. The Railway Department exhibit' (more a show by itself than an exhibit) will be sure to capture the -popular imagination, and the great interest taken in aviation will.find a splendid outlet in the display by the Air Department which includes the latest type of aero engines (huge in their dimensions and sectioned to show how they separate) and models of various types o°f aircraft. But there Is also much of great interest in the other pavilions. The Marine Department's pavilion includes a large-size model of the chart room of a ship; complete with modern navigating instruments, and in the big. section devoted to the NationaT Broadcasting Service there is a group of modern broadcasting studios which are absolutely soundproof. The studios are to be used to broadcast programmes from the Exhibition and visitors will be able to see just how it is done.

. These and many other features, too numerous to mention here, go to make up a court in which at each successive visit something new will be found to arrest ■ attention. In brie' the more one sees of the court, the greater will be the impression that is created of a first-class show.