THE EXHIBITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 8956, 21 November 1889, Page 5

THE EXHIBITION.

[Per Press Association.] DUNEDIN, Nov. 20. Exhibitions,, as a rule, in the main, much, the same features to the casual observer; but in some important points the Dunedin Exhibition will differ materially from those which have preceded it in New Zealand. Not alone in its size, but also in its specialities will the novelty be found. Prominent among these are the Early History and; South Sea Islands See-, fcions, the Educational and Armament ,'Courts, the Fisheries, the Aquaria, and the ■Art Gallery. In a less degree the fernery and the Mineral Courts will be specialities; not that nothing of the kind has ever been seen, but that they have not approached the dimeueions they attain in the present show. The Early History Court, tinder the care of Dr Hocken, whose hobby research into the ethnology of these islands has long been, will present a museum on a small .scale. The Armament Court, which is a Government department, promises to be particularly attractive. The big cannon are already in position, and present a formidable appearance, surrounded by the smaller but even more deadly weapons of destruction, such as the Maxim and Nordenfeldt guns. The Permanent Militiamen are busy getting the trophies of small arms ready, painting up the artillery, arranging the mines, &c. It is intended to give at intervals a display of the working of the six-inch disappearing gun; and as; very few of the [public have ever seen those weapons, much , lew* witnessed ''the method of manipulate ing their apparently unwieldly weight, the sight is sure to prove eminently attractive. The aquaria ate constructed of concrete and glass, and must prove & source ofrendless enjoyment to the juvenile visitors. The fernery occupies a large space, and being the coolest place in the edifice,;apart from its scenic beauty, will: becomes much frequented nook; It will be lit by 'electricity. Beyond two large search lights, the fernery will be almost the only place where the. electric light will,, be made use of. Another small speciality is the Tourists’ Bureau, where the principal display will be maps, &0., relating to'the natural beauties of the Colony. In the other special courts mentioned ;*ao little has been done, that no idea can be obtained of what they will eventually be lilce. The Art Gallery isdivided into six sections, each connecting with its neighbour by an archway, the whole building being 110 ft square. About 600 pictures are now hung, andra large number are to be placed in the iron,annexe. Of those sent in, a good proportion have been rejected, and will not find a place. This, section will be quits ready by Tuesday ; in fact, the catalogue as in the printers’ hands. Besides the Art wGalleryproper, there are small collections of pictures in some of the courts. Both New South Wales and Victoria have several bays £ull,.and the Canterbury and Wellington Schools of Arts are also represented. The latter sends the only specimens of modelling at present to be seen in the building, as well as a special picture collection. Victoria and New 'Sooth Wales also have'small ferneries of their own.

The Concert Hall is an extremely large building, with an organ built by Mr A. J. 'White, of Christchurch, and a stage for I performers at one end and a gallery at the other. It appears capable of nolding some thousands of people with ease. Utility ratherthan beauty is the main thing aimed at by the designer, andlromthe exigencies of position, there has been no chance of adorning it with any bold or striking features, such as the handsome faqada which greeted the visitors on approaching the mam hall at the Christchurch Exhibition. The regulations with regard to the sale of goods provide that articles manufactured on the premises may be sold on payment of a small license fee, and it is understood that any exhibits maybe sold subject to tbe provision that the goods shall not be taken away till the close of the Exhibition: these regulations are similar to those of the Christchurch Exhibition, but visitors to that place will probably 'smile at the recollection of the manner in which they were honoured in the breach rather than the observance. A communication has been received from the French Government, expressing their regret that they were not earlier made aware of the nature and scope of the Exhibition ; had this been done, they say, care would have been taken to have France and her Colonies adequately represented, and several menrof-war would have been sent downier tbe opening. The painters, furnishers, etc. »of. Dunedin, are having quite a gala time. Independent of the great demand at the Exhibition itselfthe buamessplaces arebeingfurbished up in all directions, and the hotels are making especial calls on labour of the kind. ■ There will not be a great display of British.and foreign goods at the Exhibition • at least, not great in comparison with the size of the place. Looking at the plan, the enormous space occupied by the Colonies at ohce strikes the eye, and a wn.lv round tho building mak©a tno dis« parity still more evident. It is preeminently a Colonial Exhibition. Thewhole of the four great avenues are given Up to the Colonies, and the special courts and a portion of the main traverse is devoted to them as well. The foreign exhibitors are content with a section of the traverse, and one or two nooks about the building. The reason of the apathy shown by outriders has been explained in the case of }fcaaoe, who nevertheless sends a fair quantity of goods, amongst which Wine is largely represented. About one hundred exhibitors have contributed pQ the seloopreside

exhibits ia acco mated for by a most u fortunate misunderstanding between fch agent appointed by the Executive and the Commission. Between the two stools the whole thing pretty well fell to the ground, and the Executive have in consequence to deplore the absence of anything like a proper representation of Great Britain. Messrs Day and Dicks preside over this section. The American collection will consist almost solely of tobacco. Germany will have a small show, and there will be a bay or two of Japanese goods and a Ceylon tea kiosk, attended to by Cingalese in Native garb. This io about the wnoie of the foreign exhibits, and united they will not take up a very large space. On the other hand, Victoria and New South Wales have almost the whole of one avenue to themselves, besides a good share of the traverse. Of the two. New South Wales seems the most forward, which is rather curious seeing how cheerfully' the Victorians threw themselves Into the arms of Mr Twopeny, whilst the sister Colony was inclined to h-<ng back. The difficulty between Messrs Oscar Meyer and Joubert does not seem to have interfered much with the work of the Court. Her mineral section has been decorated with gay banners bearing the names of the mining districts, and blue hangings fringed with yellow tassels set it oft capitally. The Victorians have a special art gallery of quite respectable dimensions, containing several hundred pictures. The New South Wales picture court is smaller, but as neither are finished yet a comparison at this stage would be hardly fair. The fernery is almost finished, and a large Maori house from Napier is now being put together in the gardens. The faqade of a smaller one has been set up in the South Seas Court. The dome U not altogether ah attractive object. It was originally proposed to place it in the centre of the Exhibition, and make it 40ft higher; but economic considerations caused its removal 1 to the front. The lower part is covered ’with zinc, and the upper with bright yellow oilcloth. The combination is not a thing of beauty. Unless the approaches to the Exhibition are improved there will be loud complaints; one half the street' is loose metal, the rest dust. All the Corporation has done at present is to lay down, a decent pathway. They are supposed to intend to smooth the roadway, but it cannot be done to any extent by Tuesday. 1 ' '