WEMBLEY OUTDONE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 September 1924, Page 7

WEMBLEY OUTDONE

TORONTO'S WORLD FAIR.

f The eminence which has been attained by the Canadian National Exhibition at Toronto, as an annual world’s fair, now. in its. 46th year, may be ( judged by comparison with the Great British Empire Exhibition, which this year is attracting' visitors from all over the world to London. In its 13 days’ duration, last year, the Canadian National. Exhibition had 1,493,000 visitors. It took Wembley a Whole month to reach this figure. Wembley covers 216 acres of space; the Canadian National Exhibition covers 264 acres. Wembley has only two buildings larger than the Canadian National’s largest buildings. The Can.

adian Exhibition has no fewer than 80 permanent buildings handsomely constructed of stone, brick, and concrete, in addition to 300 temporary structures. One of these is known as the Coliseum, and is the largest building ever erected on a. permanent fair ground. It has eight and a half acres under one roof, and in addition _to other features has a judging ring COO feet long and an amphitheatre capable of seating 8000 people. There is no institution anywhere in the world quite like the annual Canadian National Exhibition. There have been greater single world’s fairs m celebration of some specific historic event or purpose. But while they left precious memories they were mushroom growths and often left their localities exhausted. The Canadian National Exhibition is a. permanent growth, deeply-rooted, ever-expand-ing. The entire plant is owned by the City of Toronto. There are no private profits. If there is a surplus it goes to the city treasury, but the city has been and is no miser in this matter, and surpluses are promptly reinvested in additional equipment. A Government grant of 40 acres and £24,000 worth of buildings away

back jn 1878 was the foundation on which has been built the immense institution of to-day, with an expanse of almost 300 acre's of beautiful park land, which in its late summer setting is a vision of beauty. The land is valued at £1,000,000, and the buildings at £1,200,000. There are many points which explain the exhibition’s prosperity. One is the public spirit of the citizens' of Toronto, and the efficiency; of the many public and semi-public bodies which co-operate in the management and administration of the institution. This is done through a board of directors, with a small executive committee, and a permanent staff. Another factor in its success is its ideal location on the shores of Lake Ontario. The grounds have a mile of beach front practically in the heart of the city. Each year the exhibition is becoming more and more an international • function. Last year both Great Britain and France inaugurated permanent national exhibits. This year, also, Sweden and Czecho-Slovakia appear for the first time with national exhibits. They are expected to remain permanently. Scores of United States exhibitors have space in the grounds, but so far there has been no nationally organised building devoted exclusively to United States products. Plans for the future developments include the erection of several international buildings. Great Britain will probably erect her own in the near future.