Where the Crowds Resort

Evening Star, Issue 19197, 13 March 1926, Page 4

Where the Crowds Resort

Towards Third Million

First Fifty Thousand Completed Yesterday’s Quota, 14,811 A Quiet Friday As one has now t come to expect, yesterday, being Friday, was a quiet day at the “ Big Show.” The attendance was 14,811 only; but, nevertheless, the first 50,000 towards the third million was not only completed, but considerably exceeded, the Exhibition grand total now standing at 2,058,535. The second contingent of 600 Christchurch school children left for home in the morning, and their places will be taken on Monday next by a contingent of upwards of 700 from the Timaru district, including forty children from the Timaru Technical School. , On the whole the weather was good yesterday, except for a cold wind and some showers of rain in the afternoon and early evening—not sufficient to spoil the good record put up by the clerk of the weather during the past fortnight or so. The Exhibition Orchestra submitted an excellent concert programme in the New Zealand Secondary Industries Pavilion, and both the afternoon and the evening concerts by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders’ Band took place in the Festival Hall.

OLO -ENGLISH PRINTS DISPLAY IN BRITISH PAVILION COMMODORE WARDLE ENTHUSIASTIC NAVAL, MILITARY, AND OTHER PICTURES. Some very fine old English prints, both colored and otherwise, are displayed in the several courts of the British Government Pavilion. Many or them are of considerable value, some .being worth upwards of £3O apiece. * In the great entrance hall appears & particularly flue colored print dated J 784, a most lifelike portrait of Captain Cook. There is also a view of Auckland city (dated 1852), taken from the Britomart Barracks. This should be contrasted with the great up-to-date wall painting of tho city in the Auckland Provincial Court. In the Military Court is exhibited a. large and beautifully colored series ot Blints8 lints showing the uniforms in use in tie British Army about 100 years ago. There is to be seen, too, a very large and varied series of prints, both plain and colored, from the well-known and unique collection of Mr A. G. H. Manpherson. One set of these prints comprises all the old famous clipper-built ships; another includes pictures of many world-famed warships and historic naval battles; and there is also a fine set of old sailing yachts and a series of the early steamships. The last named includes the ‘ Launch of the Great Britain at Bristol in 1843.’ One fine colored print, ‘ The Glorious First of June,’ particularly admired by Commodore Wardle, of H.M.A.S. Sydney, depicts the terrific battle between the Veigour and the Brunswick on Juno 1, 1794. There are two prints of tho famous sea duel—.a ship battle fought tm a challenge—between the Shannon and the Chesapeake on June 1 (another ‘Glorious First of June’), 1813. The first print allows tho two vessels firing into one another at very close quarters, and the second the final boarding and capture of the Chesapeake by the Shannon. Another interesting print is that of the ‘ Great Harry,’ built for the Royal Navy in the reign of Henry VTII. A beautiful wood-engraving from West’s well-known portrait picture, ‘ Tho Death of Lord Nelson,’ is also shown, together with a key picture to the different portraits included in it. A big print shows the action between the English fleet and the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar; and there is a specially good print of the Victory after the light with her fore-topmast and the whole of her aftermast gone, and her sails all torn by the shot. There is a very quaint ‘Perspective View of the Harbor, Castles, and Town of Porto Bello,’ dated 1740, and another print shows H.M.S. Royal George at the bottom ot the Solent and the divers at work on her. _ A great portrait series of British admirals includes particularly flue portraits of Sir George Cockburn, G.C.8., Lord Duncan, and Lord Howe; while there is also a very interesting print depicting the great siege of Gibraltar. . Views of the Thames and of the '.Thames Mouth, collected by the Port of London Authority, havo been lent tq the British Government for exhibition, and one very interesting print shows the old London Bridge, with shops and houses on it. 'Other specially fine prints have been lent by the House of Lords and by tho Guild Hall Museum respectively. One shows the old St. Paul’s Cathedral with the spire, and another the new St. Paul’s, with old Southwark Bridge and its shops and houses: while a third shows the beautifully timbered roof of .Westminster Hall. ■ There is a fine colored print of the Tower, and a quaint bird’s-eye view (dated 1607) of Windsor Castle.

can be seen by those interested on application to Captain Mooro (Secre-tary-General to the British Commission) . GIGANTIC PAGEANT WONDERFUL SCENES IN PREPARATION For a week —from March 22 to 27, excepting the ifriday—the scenes at night on the Sports Ground will resemble the latest super-production of the screen. Guns and horses and hundreds of people will take part in tiie most wonderful pageant ever prepared for the entertainment of the public in Now Zealand—the Grand Historical Pageant and Torchlight Tattoo. It will commence with a senes of tableaux depicting incidents in the early history of New Zealand. The first shows Ngaliui, of Rarotonga, telling his countrymen of his discovery of Now Zealand. Then comes the voyage of Kupe, whom some historians regard as tne first iciuiy authentic discoverer of New Zealand; and the third tableau completes the story of the early days before the pakeha arrived, with a vivid representation of the arrival of the Maori canoes. There is a brief glimpse of Tasman sighting New Zealand, and picturesque scenes show the lauding of Captain Cook and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Maori wars follow’, 'these tableaux include the historic scene in which Hone Heke cuts down tho flagstaff ; but at last there is peace between the Maori and flic pakeha. Then comes tho twentieth century, which seems like a different world from that of our grandfathers; and this change from the old world to tho new is symbolised by a spectacular “ changing of tho guard,” after which follows the torchlight tattoo. The tattoo will open with the First Post sounded by the Cadet Bugle Baud. Then the bands, accompanied by lan-tern-bearers, will march into position, followed by the pipe bands and their lantern-bearers. These massed bands, under the baton of Mr F. J. Ricketts (conductor of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders’ Band), will then render Tchaikowsky’s famous ‘ 1812 ’ overture, with full effects of bells, musketry, and lights. After this famous battle music the spectators will bo prepared for the next item —a thrilling artillery drive by thirty-seven horses and eight guns. The Cadets will then give a display of marching with lights to - lowed bv an exhibition of drill. Now the strains of Scottish music will be hoard, and the Exhibition Choir of 400 voices, augmented by the choirs of the local Scottish societies, wih sing Scottish songs, while the; fiery cross passes from elan to clan in the darkness summoning all the clansmen and their womenfolk, who will ru-‘Ti forworn with flaring torches and gatner round the camp fire, where exhilarating duneing will ho featured in an elaborate Scottish scena. All parties will then mass for the final picture, the East Post being sounded by the buglers. ‘ Abide With Me ’ will be played first by the bands, then snug by everybody together, and lastly played by tho echo on tho hillside as all lights go out except those in the tents on the hill. Then the buglers will sound ‘ Lights Out,’ and the dim lights in the tents will vanish.

EXHIBITION BALL EMPIRE PAGEANT FEATURE Many people were shut out of the first ball at the Exhibition under the auspices of the Women’s Section because they left the purchasing of their tickets to the last possible moment, which, as it turned out, was just a little too late. And there are not many days left now' during which those who wish to attend the poster and fancy dress .hall on Wednesday next can procure their tickets. _ The Festival Hall has a perfect dancing floor, and ns the music will be supplied by the Exhibition and the Dixie Orchestras dancers will realise what a delightful night lies ahead of them. But it is not only those who dance who will enjoy themselves in the Festival Hall on Wednesday night. Spectators will find plenty to entertain them. The poster dance, which was such a successful innovation on the first occasion, will'be repeated (the posters, of course, will all he new) , and the judging by the onlookers of the posters and fancy dresses should be very interesting. A new feature on this occasion will be a big Empire pageant, in which all the official Government courts are joining.' Nobody need worry about catching the last iVam home, as arrangements hare been concluded with the corporation to run buses until 1.30 a.m.

Many prints and photogravures of great historical interest—of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and .Westminster Abhev—are shown in the vestibule of the British Government Pavilion. There .are also two original sketches—one by Nash (1802) and the other by John Carter (1780)—of the interior of Westminster Hall, and a beautiful original water color, painting by T. Whichillo of the Painted Chamber, Westminster. Commodore Wardle, of the Sydney, and the captain of the French sloop Cassiopee, both of whom are experts in these matters, were most enthusiastic about the very fine show of prints - r while a number of New Zealand, collectors have already purchased some of the British Army prints and the Maopherson prints for their collections. The Port of London, House of Lords, and Guild Hall Museum loan collections, of course, are not for sale. There are many more fine prints from the Macpherson collection, for which hanging space could not be forpiad, hut these-

THE PHOTOGRAPHS [By iho Rev. H. 0. Fenton*, F.R.P.S.] No. IK. Coming to Hanoi 3, the first picture, No. 56, ft a bromide by T. Blake (of Now York), entitled ‘Highway Improvements.’ The pictorial value of steam and smoke is hardly shown here at its best. However, the picture might well bo presented to the Bruce County Council, with a view of affording them hints as to the treatment of the Main Highway, especially at Milton. No. 57 is an ordinary sunset, perhalf loss underexposed than many of this type. Nos. 58 and. 59 are by Bertram Cox, of London. Mr Cox can do much better work than ‘ Late Evening,’ with its overdark foreground and mackerel sky. But ‘ Arundel,’ a valley scene, has a most delicious curve, and the composition could not be improved. The next two are by Mr Treloar, of Hamilton, a very keen New Zealand craftsman. No. 60, was hung recently in one of the great Lon don exhibitions. It is a clever verondah scene of pleasing tone and design. ‘ Miss Innocence ’ is hardly so successful, the three lines, two made by the hair and one by the ribbon, are ratlior distracting. No. 62, ‘ Summer Sunshine and Summer Shade,’ is by T. H. IL Scott, the president of Hie Royal ■Photographic Society. Mr Scott is an architect, and his pictures not unnaturally show evidence of caretul planning and pattern. They are generally on the strong side, and this picture is perhaps a trifle heavy, hut it is nevertheless a picture to bo carefully examined. From (V.echn-Slovakia, Mr Jan Kornevs sends a panel, No. 62a, a street scene, which is distinctly pleasant. Nos 63. to 69 are by W. T. Owen, of London. No 63, ‘Tickled to Death,’ inevitably raises a smile on the lace ol every beholder. Mr Owen has caught most ad-, mirablv the expression of delight on the face of an infant who is crowing at something that pleases him. This picture has been exhibited recently in England, and a lantern slide from the negative has just been given a premier award, In No. 64, ‘ Vigilant Sentinels ’ the firs are somewhat centrally placed. The rather curious color of the picture is pleasing. No. 66, ‘ Limehonso,’ a study of the Thames at low water, has wonderful tonal quality, and its sky is remarkable for the absence of definite cloud forms. ‘ India in the West ’_ has wonderful quality, but the composition might bo better. This print and the two next, ‘Evening Sunshine’ and ‘6 p.m .on the Embankment,’ arc made by the Carbro process, a process that has been demonstrated before the Dunedin Photographic Society, and one that is a vast improvement on ozobromc. Carbro itself has lately been greatly simplified, and its use will doubtless became very common, for it gives prints in carbon, with all its beauty and delicacy, without the need of an enlarged negative. Nos. 63 and 69 required a good deal of getting, because of the extreme range of light and shade. J. Vandorpant (of British Columbia) lias made a name for himself in recent years. His ‘ Cobbles ’ (No. 70) is a striking example of front lighting. No 71 ‘ The Last Innings’ is so atmospheric that it requires the' help of its title to decipher it. It may be unpictorial, but it would certainly be a practical question to ask whether cricket is possible in a wood in the gloaming, [n other words, has not the negative been over-manipulated? T. B. Eaton, of Victoi in, is always a welcome bitor. His three pictures, Nos. 72 to 74, arc extremely atmospheric, the first and last being mostly sky-scrapers, sir Eaton has'a very happy facility in the rendering of pastoral scenes and cloud forms. J. Dudlov Johnston, who, more than any man alive, has popularised lantern - slides, and standardised their production. Inis contributed but one picture, i Wo should have liked halt a dozen. ‘Towards the Furka,’ No. /5, proclaims that its maker has mastered Jthat very difficult problem of exposure on snow. And not only is the textuie of the snow most beautifully rendered, but the lines of the picture arc a perfect joy. The print is made on chloride paper, which seems to he coming into favor with amateurs a,s well as professionals. No. 76, R.. H. Lawton’s view of Steinway Wedd, seems to lack decision. . (To he continued)

FORT MANCHESTER WONDERS OF SHIP CANAL GREAT OPENING FOR Hi. PRODUCE BIGGER POPULATION THAN LONDON TO BE SERVED. Illustrated by beautiful film pictures of the wonderful Manchester Ship Canal, a most interesting and informative address on the great opening lor New Zealand produce presented by the huge population in and around Manchester was given in the Government Cinema Hall at the Exhibition last night by Captain Win. J. V ado, M.8.E., the representative of the Manchester Ship Canal Company at present touring the dominion. The mission of Captain Wade, whose headquarters are at Sydney, is to promote the development of direct trade relations between Australia, New Zealand,, and Manchester, the great inland port in the heart of one ol the most densely populated industrial areas in the world, offering an almost unlimited field for the distribution and consumption of primary products of ail lands. FOURTH LARGEST PORT IN BRITAIN. Thirty years ago, stated Captain Wade, Manchester was an inland town, but it is now the fourth largest port in the United Kingdom. It is the centre of the world’s greatest industrial and most densely _ populated area. Within twenty-live miles of the centre of tlie city there are 4,.>00.000 people; within a radius of fifty miles there arc 10,000,000; and within a radius of seventy-live miles there are 14,000.000 people, which is 1,000,000 more than there arc within a similar radius of London. Manchester is, one of tho world’s greatest distributing centres. It had been made into a groat port by the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, which was some thirtyseven miles long, and much ol it dug out of solid rock. Tho canal had a minimum depth of 28ft, and could float steamers up to 15,000 tons burden; while at Manchester there were docks of no less than 400 acres in extent. The canal and docks were led by eighty-five miles of railway owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Company, and the docks were tho most efficiently appointed in the United Kingdom.

LIVERPOOL A ROBBER BARON. Forty years ago, .stated Captain Wade, Manchester was in danger of becoming derelict, and shops and houses were unused. f I he rateable value of the city was decreasing alarmingly, and the outlook was very gloomy. The reason for this was that the outlet and inlet for Manchester was Liverpool, through which all its trade had to pass, and the port authorities and railway companies of Liverpool,had placed a stranglehold on the progress of Manchester. They extorted taxes to the limit of forbearance on all goods passing through, until at length they passed the limit of human endurance, and there was the inevitable revolt. Manchester was made its own port, despite tho hitter and powerful opposition of vested interests, and its progress had been wonderful ever since. The idea of putting a canal through from the Mersey River (on which Liverpool was built) to Manchester was no now idea, but it had never hitherto been considered to he practical. Tho iorcsight and public spirit" of one man, a Manchester citizen named Daniel Adamson, however, led tho idea not only to the realm of practicability, hut to achievement in actual tact.

This tv as not done without a very great deal of trouble. There were tremendous engineering difficulties to overcome, and the sanction of Parliament to bo. obtained. It took four rears of strenuous effort to secure parliamentary authority, and even then the conditions wore so stringent that it was a doubtful victory. Seven million pounds wore required to finance the proposal, and Parliament decreed that £600.000 of this should ho in hand in hard- cash by a certain date before the final authority was given—-a condition with which compliance seemed impossible. The citizens of Manchester, however, were not to be scared by the con* ditions of Parliament, and other means failing they made the project a popular ono throughout the whole of the district. In every mill, in every factory, and every shop people put their weekly savings away to buy shares in the company, with the result that ono day before the due date the £600,000 was in hand, ami the scheme went on.

‘THE REBEL MAID' FIRST PERFORMANCE AT FESTIVAL HALL To-night the concert version of ‘ The Rebel Maid ’ will be performed for the first time in New Zealand ui the Festiyal Hall by the .Exhibition Choir. This opera was produced first in London, and has been staged many times in Australia, always with marked success. Its forthcoming production this evening has therefore aroused very widespread interest. Only two performances will ho given—to-night and on Monday—and intending patrons should not lose a single moment in making their booking arrangements, as some latecomers must inevitably bo sbut out owing to the rush for seats at the last two concerts to be given by the Exhibition Choir and Mr Arthur Jordan. Mr Jordan, in addition to singing tim tenor role in * The Rebel Maid, will contribute a special group of songs, with violin obbligato by Mr Farnsworth Hall, and this opportunity of being present at the last appearance of the great English tenor should alone be sufficient to fill the commodious auditorinro . „ . The story of the opera is full ot interesting action, the period being the stirring times of 1688, on the eve of the landing of William, Prince of Orange, afterwards crowned William HI., and the opera contains many fascinating solo numbers and spirited choruses.

As to the engineering difficulties encountered, in the first place Manchester was 70ft above sen. level. “Engineers,” said a leading newspaper of Liverpool, which was. naturally, bitterly opposed to Manchester beingits own port, “ can do many strange tilings, but they cannot make water run uphill.” They managed, however, to'achieve even that task, with the result that to-day some of the leading brokers of Liverpool were forsaking that city for Manchester in order to carry on business. So had, indeed, was Liverpool’s treatment of Manchester at that date that ‘ The Times ’ likened the Liverpool P.ort Authority to a hand of medieval barons extorting dues from the industrial area.

MANCHESTER'S HUGE TRADE. Making water run uphill was only one of the difficulties to ho faced. There were railways crossing the site of the canal and other canals on different levels. To overcome these difficulties the railroads had to ho raised 80ft and more, necessitating the construction of embankments miles-long. Dealing with tire markets of Manchester and its advantages as a distributing centre, Captain Wade mentioned that whereas forty years ago the city was in danger of becoming derelict, its docks now ’handled annually 6,000,000 tons of commerce, and its annual bank clearings and financial turnover were greater than those of Birmingham, Hull, Liverpool, and Ncwcastle-on-Tyne combined. In 1923-24 the increase in tonnage dealt with was over 1,000,000, as compared with the previous year. One had only to look at a map of England to see that Manchester was the heart of its greatest manufacturing area—Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bolton. Bradford, Leicester, Nottingham, Huddersfield, Stockport, Stafford, Stoke, and a host of other manufacturing cities were nearer 'to Manchester than to any other port. What a great market lay at Manchester’s door! The nearer produce was landed to its market the lower would be the cost of distribution, and so the greater would be the profit to the exporter. Canada, the United States, Mediterranean countries, Argentina, Brazil, and many other countries had been quick to realise this; but to their own loss Tasmania, the Australian mainland, and New Zealand had ns yet not done so. LONDON’S MOVOPOLU CHALLENGED. For three generations London had had a virtual monopoly of their trade. Tlint was all very well so far as the

The box plans for the two concerts are at The Bristol, where seats may be reserved at popular prices. THE CABARET Friday night is always a bright evening at the Exhibition Cabaret, for it means that another" week has sped by, and the time for _ entertainment has come round again. There are not many more weeks to go before the close ol ihe Exhibition, and this, perhaps, is one of the reasons why the dance-lov-ing public are taking full advantage of their opportunities. The bright musio of Manuel Hyman’s Orchestra, is undoubtedly the brightest feature, but. there are countless other attractions almost as good. A good floor is essential to dancing, and'in this respect the cabaret meets all demands. The surroundings are bright, and altogether it is one of the best dance halls in Dunedin

markets were concerned which London could best servo, but there were other and even larger markets which, could be much more efficiently served Irom other places. For instance, there was the great market of Lancashire, Cheshire, West Yorkshire, and the Midlands, which could he served with much greater efficiency from Manchester than from London.

Vast quantities of butter, frozen meat, am! imported fruit wore consumed there annually. Ho did not remember seeing New Zealand butter sold as such in Manchester. Nearly all the butter going to the North of England was blended. Now was the time, and Manchester the means, to turn to great advantage the publicity given by .the Wembley Exhibition and the shopping weeks. He hoped that such opportunity would bo taken advantage of. It was unnecessary, added Captain Wade, to explain that by shipping direct to Manchester transhipment charges and deterioration by double, treble, and quadruple handling, could bo avoided. Transport and handling charges all worked back to the shipper and Hie grower. The only charges to he met in addition to freight direct to Manchester were the costs of hauling from the quayside warehouses to the shops in the city and surrounding area, whereas from London railroad charges had to he met and very large handling costs, ft was estimated recently that about £317,000 per annum was expended in transport charges on frozen meat consumed in the Greater Manchester area, but shipped via London and Liverpool. A SWING-BRIDGE CANAL LOCK. The film showed very clearly the immense engineering difficulties overcome in the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal—how roads and railways had to be carried across the canal cither on massive swing bridges or on permanent bridges with great embankment approaches built up 70ft or 8011 above the canal so as to clear the masts and funnels of the steamers going through it. In one case even a canal, the big Bridgewater Canal, bad to bo carried over the Ship Canal by means of a huge swing bridge, which really constituted an aqueduct, nr lock, on the Bridgewater Canal, The movin'! picture also showed huge heavily-laden liners being towed no the canal to Manchester. passing through the locks, under bridges, and discharging all and every kind of cargo in the Manchester docks. Judging by the film, Ibe docks of Manchester must be perfect models of efficiency and speed. Electric cranes, worked by a man standing over the batch aboard the ships, discharge and load everything, so that nothing can lie damaged by careless handling. Bulk grain can bo discharged direct to a silo a mile away at the same time as general cargo, and ninny other wonderful things arc done every day._ The steamers tied up to the onays with their topmasts struck and the tops of their funnels lowered look peculiarly squat.

WELL TREATED CHRISTCHURCH CHILDREN BACK. HOME. (SI’KCIAL TO THE ‘StAU.’] CHRISTCHURCH. March Id. Six hundred school children returned hy special train from the Dunedin Exhibition yesterday after spending a very happy time, Mr H. E. Penlington. who accompanied the children, stated that no trouble was too great for those in charge in making the children’s stay an enjoyable and instructive one; and no hitch had occurred in the arrangements. All departments of the big show, and especially the Amusement Park, wore well patronised, and the trip was enjoyed by all. The conduct of the children had been excellent throughout the entire length of their slay, and this was very favorably commented on hy many visitors to the Exhibition. GOVERNMENT CINEMA

Beautiful moving pictures of the “big show” are included in the film ‘ Romantic New Zealand,' winch is being screened to-day at the G wornmom Cinema. The supporting dims include ‘The Farming Train.’ illustrating the great innovation in agricultural instruction inaugurated some time* ago by the Victoria Department oi Agriculture, ‘.High Life in Hawaii,' ant! * Napier, Capital of Hawke’s Bar Province.’ THE GREAT CANS) YESTERDAY’S ENJOYABLE COP’D!: RTS ' Two most enjoyable concert programmes wore submitted by the Argyn and Sutherland Highlanders’ Band yesterday under the able director,ship ol Bandmaster F. J. Ricketts. The favorite items in the afternoon were undoubtedly Wagner’s spinning chorus, from ‘The .Flying Dutchman.’ Tschaikowsky’s ‘ Slave March,’ and Donizetti’s' beautiful sestet from ‘ Lucia d: Lauunenuoor.’ Donizetti was almost a Scotsman. His grandfather, Donald izett, from Perthshire, sot out to seek his fortune as a soldier, and crowned an adventurous career by marriage with an Italian lady of rank; honco the Italianised name of our composer. No fewer than sixty-three operas bear his autograph, many of them works of the first rank. ‘ Lucia,’ ‘La Favorita,’ ‘The Daughter of the Regiment,’ etc., arc all melodious and pleasing. Shaun Hart’s ‘Celtic Idyll and Brahms's ‘ Hungarian Dances,’ Nos. 5 and 6, were also greatly enjoyed. Wagner’s ‘ Kaiscrmarsch,’ composed at the close of tiro Franco-German War in honor of King William of Prussia, was the opening band number at the evening concert, and there followed, all rendered with great brilliance and expression, such varied numbers a.s the adagio from Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata,’ Flotow’s ‘Martha’ overture, ‘No, No, Nanette’ (Youm-ans), and Bogan’s ‘ Grand Military Tattoo,’ conchiding with the Imim ‘ Abide With Me.’ The selections by the pipers, the Highland dancing by the members of the band, and the Scottish suites by the combined pipers and band were much appreciated, both afternoon and evening.

TECHNICAL COLLEGE DISPLAYS YOUNG WELLINGTON EXHIBITOR DROWNED AT ISLAND BAY. A correspondent writes:—‘' As a recent visitor to tlie Exhibition, it appears to me that sufficient public interest is not being taken in the Education Court, which shows most creditable exhibits from all branches of our public schools. There is much displayed that proves what good instruction is being given in our primary, secondary, and technical schools, and warrants the closest inspection. In the technical branch many examples of good and clever work are on view, showing that the instruction is on the right lines. Amongst the exhibits there is one to which is attached a pathetic memorial card setting forth the fact that the maker of the exhibit (a beautiful model spiral staircase in. kauri) had been drowned in a boat accident at Island Bay, Wellington, since the exhibit was placed in position. A very promisisg craftsman has thus been lost to the dominion.” . . The following is the inscription referred to:—-“From the Wellington Technical College.—A tribale to the meniorv of their late follow-student, Peter Brown, who was drowned at Island Bar, Wellington, January JO, 1926.”