THE EXHIBITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 14169, 18 September 1906, Page 7

THE EXHIBITION.

THE PRICE OF TICKETS. THE ORCHESTRA. [From Otte CoimEsroxriENT.] WELLINGTON, September 17. The Cabinet has decided to reduce Exhibition season tickets from two guineas to thirty shillings for men, ladies one guinea, young jnen and women (from fifteen years to twentyone years) one guinea, boys and girls (under fifteen years) half a guinea. Th© orchestra has been, fixed at fiftysix performers, THE PICTURES. Some misunderstanding appear® to exist in regard to imported pictures exhibited in the Art Gallery. On those that are for sale the authorities will receive a commission of 10 per cent, which is included in the price fixed, and which is devoted to paying the transport expense® and insurance of the pictures, and also the expense of returning those which are not sold. With regard to .the duty on pictures, if any of the imported pictures are sold to individual purchasers, these will require to pay the regular duty of 20 per cent, but if any pictures are purchased by public galleries within the colony, they will be exempt from duty. THE MANAWATU COURT. It has been an open secret in Palmerston North for some time past that the proposal to establish th© Maltawatu Court in connection with the Exhibition has not met with that cordial support which th© objects of the project merited at the hands of business people generally. The “Manawatu Daily Times” expresses the opinion of many people when it says that it is a pity that antipathy should have been shown towards the scheme. The question, however, was fully discussed at a meeting of the local Executive, when a definite lino of action was agreed upon, to bo submitted to a general meeting of the committee this week. The Executive. requires £l5O more to enable the court to be established, but the lack of and sympathy has placed the Executive in an awkward position. The chairman stated at the meeting that he was afraid the whole thing would end in “smoke/’ and that thi deposit paid to the Exhibition Commissioners would be forfeited. Mr P. C. Freeth stated that he and other members of the Executive had spent a great deal of time and some money in travelling through the district interviewing local bodies and trying to work up interest. Th© response had been quite inadequate. The people of Palmerston North seemed to be tired of having the hat carried round , to them. They were now faced with the position that if they did not pull up, the members of the Executive, four or five in number, would have to meet a responsibility of at least £l5O. It was decided,, to call a meeting of the original committee and of exhibitors, to consider the . abandonment of th© Manawatu Court, the forfeiting of the deposit to the Commissioners, the refunding to local, bodies of sums allocated, and the return of deposits to exhibitors, NOTES. The Maori Committee met at the pa on Saturday afternoon, and decided upon a scheme for drainage and other improvements at the pa. It has been decided that visitors to the pa must obtain tickets from members of the Maori Committee.! It is expected that the result of the visit to Wellington of Messrs Frosticfc, Kaye and Booth will be known, to-' day. The Cabinet discussed the.matters brought before it by the deputation yesterday. Mr T. H. Race, joint-Oommissioner for Canada with Mr Burns, Mr R. L. Broadbent, the Dominion mineralogist at the Exhibition, and Mr H. C. Kowlton, fruit expert, have arrived in Christchurch, and attended at the Exhibition buildings yesterday afternoon. The authorities are advised that a collection of maps, books and casts, arranged by the Palestine Exploration Fund, is being forwarded to Christchurch, and this collection will, be included in the British Government’s, exhibit at the exhibition. . Arrangements have'been made for holding th© third New Zealand Dental Conference in Christchurch during the Exhibition. Th© exact dates fixed are from February 12 to 15. The chairman of the Executive Commissioners wishes to point out that there is no misunderstanding whatever as regards the arrangements with the Fire Brigades Demonstration Committee. Air Munro deprecates the publishing of thoughtless statements of this nature, which, he says, are calculated to discredit th© general arrangements of the Exhibition. A further shipment of pictures and glass for the Art Gallery is duo by the Knmara, which arrived at Wellington on Saturday. The shipment consists of some sixty cases, and contains pictures and glass to the value of - upwards of £30,000. The same steamer also contains a shipment of two cases,_ which 1 contain a model of H.M.S. Swiftsure, and the stand, and forty-three cases containing other stores for the general section of th© British Government exhibit. Air S. H. Meredith, of Apia, Samoa, is arranging to bring a troup of Samoan native danders. This troup will he run on the lines of a side show, and suitable accommodation _ for performances will be provided within the Exhibition grounds. Alessrs Huddart, Parker and Co., and th© Union Steamship Company have arranged the following rates of passage money from Hobart to Lyttelton during the currency of th© Exhibition:—Hobart to Lyttelton, return— Saloon £lO, steerage £5 10s; Hobart to Sydney, via Cook Straits, round fare?— Saloon £lO IQs, steer age, £6 16s. The managing director of the Union Company advises the authorities that the question of reducing the passenger rates from Fiji and South Sea Islands to Lyttelton is under consideration, and that an announcement will shortly be made with regard thereto. The authorities have received a bill of lading for 103 packages of shields and flags, shipped_ by the Kumara by Alessrs James Pain and Sons. Tine shipment is due at the buildings early next week, and the shields and flag< will be used for decorative purposes. By the s.s. Kumara, due here next week, Alessrs Pilkington Bros., of St Helens, England, have shipped- an exhibit of propagating glasses and other horticultural articles, comprising fern shades, bee glasses, cucumber glassy and fish globes. These exhibits hav<! been shipped at the request of. and under an arrangement with, Air T. W. Kirk, Government Biologist. The Akaroa Committee is busy get* ting the exhibits ready. The photo* graphic section has decided to exhibit a dozen large photographs of Peninsulascenery.