THE EXHIBITION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 14234, 3 December 1906, Page 7

THE EXHIBITION.

SATURDAY’S ATTENDANCE 14,307,

AGGREGATE 374,367

DAILY AVERAGE 13,865

Saturday’s splendid weather attracted a largo attendance to the Exhibition. In the evening, cspociallv visitors passed through the gates in large numbers, and the side shows wore largely patronised. The performances of the Natives were amongst the principal attractions in the afternoon, and the dances and songs were greatly admired. The turnstiles recorded an attendance of 14,367, making the total 374,367, and the daily average 13,865. Mr , Munro ' believes, that when_ the gates are finally closed in April an attendance of over 2,060,000 will have been recorded. MR MUNRO’S EXPERIENCES. WILL BE EMBODIED IN A BOON. Mr Munro assured a reporter _ last evening that he has decided to write a book dealing with the Exhibition. Its title will be “A History of, the New Zealand International Exhibition, and Two Years in Christchurch.” It will be historical in character) and it will show how the proposal originated, how the scheme developed, and how the undertaking has been carried out. There will be full details of all the important events since Mr Munro came tt> Christchurch to take the position of Executive Commissioner, _ and there will be many suggestions in .regard to the best methods of conducting largo exhibitions. Mr Munro■deels that lie will be able to produce an interesting work. Ho intends to have it published in‘England.

THE MAORIS AT PLAY

BELLA’S POI-DANGERS,

A POPULAR-ENTERTAINMENT.

The most interesting feature of Saturday’s events at the Exhibition was the performance at the pa. There the Aiwa and "Wanganui Maoris met in the old manner, and extended greetings and exchanged good wishes. _ It was the first time the combined tribes had held a haka, and the scheme of the proceedings represented the arrival of a visiting .tribe at an ancient pa. The Wanganui men appeared'on tiie scene first, while the Arawas waited in hiding behind some of the dwellings. The p.a tribe sent out its emissary, who pranced up to within a few yards of the waiting warriors, and yelled and grimaced at them, and "then ran back to his own 'men. ’ After that the visiting “tana” came into view, rushing into the open between two houses, ami met the other tribe face to- face. The scene that ensued was typical of 'the ancient customs. The ground shook under the thuds of heavy fect ; as the warriors stamped and. sprang into the air and came down to the ground again; and the air was filled with barkings and snarlings. Mitataupopoki, for the visitors, expressed their pleasure at having been invited to attend the Exhibition, _ and Neko Kapua, whose words were interpreted by Dr Buck, gave a treble welcome to the strangers. “Wo have been carrying out the works of the Government.” he said; “ we are glad that you have come to see what we have done, and that you will help us in these

When the warriors had subsided to the ground after giving finfil cries, of welcome, a long line of handsome Maori maidens streamed out of a large house. There were about thirty _ of them. They formed up in single lino in front of the spectators. They were Bella’s famous poi-dancers. Bella held a position in the centre, and directed their movements,igiving them a word of command when the motions in the dance wore changed. The dancers presented a picturesque appearance. They . wore red blouses and white ekirts, -and over their -skirts piu-piue, made from coloured reeds. Their hair had been tastefully dressed, in most cases hanging down the backs." Each girl wore in her hair a feather of the huia bird, black with a white tip, and a feather of the sacred white heron, pure white. This contrasted with rod bows in their jet black hair. They had neither boots nor stockings. Some of the dancers are more than handsome. Their features are finely chiselled and refined, their figures are slight and graceful, and they have an air of charming demurenees. They kept excellent time with the poi-balls, which they very dexterously twirled to a time on a concertina. The girls’ efforts were highly appreciated by the spectators, who numbered over one thousand, and each item in the performance was applauded. The Cook Islanders were present, and took part in the afterncon’e performance. Before the programme was finished, Rawhili said that the Maoris were gratified at the large attendance, and Tuba Niboniho thanked the Europeans. He added that the Maoris, as well as the Europeans, desired to make the Exhibition a very groat success. Hakas and poi-danccs were given again in the evening, and there was another large attendance of the public. Arrangements have been made to provide forms for future performances. These will be given up entirely to ladies, and those who come first will have the first choice.

Saturday's proceedings at the pa were on a larger scale than.ever .before, and the spirit with which thei natives enter into the amusement shows that the popularity of the pa will increase. Visitors, specially, are interested in the dances. The poi-dancers have established themselves as prime favourites with the public, and the grace and dexterity with which they perform their parts is the subject of much adadmiration. THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG. DESCRIBED BY AN EYE-WITNESS. MR RACE’S IMPRESSIONS OF.. THE GREAT FIGHT. A reporter who went into the Cyclorama at-the Exhibition on Friday afternoon, to spend a few minutes there, was surprised to find Mr T. H. Race, the Canadian Commissioner,' speaking to the proprietor of tho picture with a degree of confidence that disclosed a very close acquaintance with the incidents of the -day. Mr Race, in fact, had informed tho proprietor that he was actually present at the battle;-and when ho was found by the Pressman he v/ae,' endeavouring to get tho bearinns of the picture and pick out the snot where he had been stationed. In a few minutes he was abli to do thin, and ho then went around the canvas, pointing out tho movements of tho soldiers and the manoeuvres that took place. . In the co-u-so of tho conversation, he stated that when the battle was fought, on July 3. ISB3, ho was eighteen years of age. After leaving the- University, ho joined a Volunteer infantry corps, and' later on became a cavalry man. Like many other young men m America, he was attracted to- the war more for the sake of adventure' than for anything else, and when General Meade was drawing supplies for his troops, Mr Race found an cpnortunity to go with the commissariat. The party he was with came from tho North, along the Baltimore Ivoivd, and arrived at Getty> burg on the third day of the battle, when Pickett’s Southerners made their disastrous charge, and were hurled

back by Meade’s men. Mr Race was I stationed on a ridge of hills running off Hound Top and Little Round Top, : with the valley in which most of the ■ fighting took place in front of him, and he saw the valiant charge made by the Southern men, and *the dreadful ; slaughter that took place. He de- J scribes the fight as a dreadful one. Men fell to the ground like corn under | the reaper, and the din and roar of the battle were deafening. Some of the ; accounts given in American histories are greatly exaggerated, ho says, but, really, there is no need for exaggeration, as the events of the day were sufficiently appalling to satisfy the desires of the most graphic writers. - It was about one o’clock- when Lee opened the attack- on Cemetery Hill, where large numbers of Meade’s soldiers stood, and, according to one historian, “ for two hours the air was alive with shells.” When the cannonade lulled, the Southern battle line, over a mile in length, preceded by a 1 lino of skirmishers, and with wings on each side, swept out of the woods. A | thrill of admiration ran through the' Northern ranks, as, silently, antj. with : disciplined steadiness, that column of eighteen thousand men moved up the slope, with its red battle flags flying and the sun playing on its burnished bayonets. One hundred guns opened fire upon it a quarter of a mile away. “Great gaps were torn in the front, but the men closed up and steadily moved on. The ‘quick timek became ‘double time,’ and they dashed forward on the run. Infantry volleys struck their . ranks. Their line j was broken, and their supports were scattered to the wind. Pickett’s veteran Virginians, however, still pushed forward. They bayoneted the cannoneers at the guns, and planted the flags on the breastworks. Beyond, however, on the crest of the hill, there was a second and a stronger line. As they dashed ahead to,charge this, the Federal line smote them full in the face and on each flank. The whole column seemed to break into pieces and to disappear at once. Many surrendered, while the wreck , fled from the field, leaving the ground strewn with the wounded and dead. Lee had. staked all on that splendid charge, and. he retreated from the field.”

'Mr Race was too much occupied to make particular note as 'to the progress of the battle,' but he ’ states that one of the most vivid impressions remaining in his mind is the extreme youth of the soldiers of the Northern Army. They were mostly young men and boys. Comparatively few of them had ever been under fire before, and the nerve and intrepidity with which they faced the veterans from the South were astonishing. On the other hand, he eays that the Southerners, who were tired out, and were in an utterly unfit condition to go into battle, showed extraordinary determination and courage,' The Southerners, indeed, made a most glorious fight. After it was over, he walked across the field whore Pickett’s charge had taken place. The ground was strewn with bodies, and it seemed hard to walk without treading upon some of the unfortunate men who had i been wounded or killed. The figures given by the authorities show that about 160,000 men took part in the battle, Meade having 78,093 and Lee between 70,000 and 77,000. The losses are given as follow : NORTHERNERR Killed . . . . . 3 072 Wounded . . . . 14,497 Missing . . . , . 5,434 Total . . . 23,003 SOUTHERNERS. Killed . . . . . 2 502 Wounded 1 . « . . 12,709 Missing . .. , . . 5,150 Total . . . . 20,451 " There were eight young men-in Mr Race’s party; three of them were left on the field. The most pathetic incident that came under his notice was when he stooped down to help a bright young. Northerner who ■ had been shot; and had only a few minutes to live. Mr Race asked if he could do anything for him, and in reply he whispered a message to his , mother and-sister. He evidently had something to eay, but, apparently, did not like to say it. Mr Race asked him if it was a message to hie sweetheart. He nodded his head, and pointed to his breast pocket, and. expired. His ; pccket contained a photograph and letters, which showed that the sweetheart lived in the same town as the young fellow’s mother and eister. In delivering the message, Mr Race found the three ladies together. Ho say? that the scene was a most affecting one. He was compelled to tell them over and over again how the soldier died, how he boro himself on the field, and how he uttered his last words for them. , ,

Speaking of the weapons in use, Mr Race said that all kinds of weapons were in the hands of the soldiers. The old “ Brown Beas ” was well represented, and amongst other types were the rim-fire, the Minie, arid a kind of Enfield. A strange fact, which is referred to in the official accounts of the battle, shows that many of the soldiers were carried away by the excitement to such an extent as to lose their salf-pcrases-sion. Of the 24,000 loaded muskets picked up at random on the field, only one-fourth were properly loaded. 12,000 contained double charges,’ and many from three to ten chargee. In some there were six halls to a single charge of powder; others contained six cartridges, one on top of the other, none having been opened; a few had twenty-three complete charges regularly inserted, a fact ; which is accounted for by the supposition that in the din of battle the soldiers could not hear the reports of their guns; and in the barrel of a .single musket there were found jumbled together 23 balls, 62 buck-shot, and a quantity of powder hi proportion. Mr Race saw nothing of .“John Burns of Gettysburg,” the citizen soldier who has been made tlie hero, of Bret Harte’s poem. He did not hear anything to lead him to believe that such a man took part in the battle, and he thinks that the poet must have created his hero. TIMBER EXHIBITS. "y. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. INTERVIEW WITH MR G. A. JULIUS, B.Sc., M.E. Near the Victorian Court there is tho email section of the Exhibition which is allocated to Western Australia, and in manv ways this is one of tn© most interesting exhibits in the whole building, not so much for what it contains as for what it suggests. From various colonies over the sea and from our own districts wo have exhibits of sacks of flour and bales of wool, piles of dried fruit and tinned meat, fabrics and furniture, and all the products of a young and vigorous civilisation in free and fertile lands; and yet, somehow; or other, all these seem dwarfed and cramped in comparison with tho concrete suggeirtivenevss of tho Western Australian exhibit. About tinned meat and woollen goods there is a hopelessly unromahtic air of middle-class comfort and respectability. About an exhibit of jarrah and wandoo and tuart there is the breath of a

virgin forest and . the romance and virility of an unknown and undovelop-; ed country, large beyond the eye of the imagination and wealthy, beyond the dreams of country with hillis that nobody has climbed, plains that nobody has fenced,. forests whose dark and mysterious silence has never been broken save by the ring of the woodman’s axe and tne driving homo of the surveyor’s peg. 'And even these sounds are heard only oh its outer confines. The hearts of these-virgin forests, massive with centuries of un; noticed and unceasing growth, have never been save by the indefatigable explorer and the wandering black.

Whether it be duo to the dark colour or dense texture of the timber, one cannot tell; but about the very appearance of jarrah there hangs all. the unswerving endurance and resistless strength of oriental teak. It is an insult to the timber to use it for a temporary hut; houses built of jarrah should be built for all time. They cannot be put upon the ground, they be-, come part of the landscape as soon as they are erected. Doubtless this is largely due to the fact that its predominant tones are those we have been accustomed to see in the warm--red of the iron earths, the hiematites in which the brown of the earth and . the yellow of the sun are so closely intermingled that somehow all feel more comfortable if the walls and roofs are stained with their tints. • But.in jarrah there is no need for this artificial staining; nature has don© the work for us. Through ; and through the _timber is steeped with the warmest, dyes of the earth, arid, rough or polished, its fibres glow with the stored sunshine or a semi-tropical sky. • , T . In the . Western . Australian exhibit are some instructive specimens, of jarrah weather-boarding and ' internal walling which cannot fail to be of interest to New ‘Zealanders,; whilst the rich beauty of the timber is shown, by the polished, and carved interior sections. But perhaps the . most valuable and interesting portions'of the exhibit, are the sleepers and piles of jarrah ' which have been in use for-twenty, thirty and ’ even. forty years under the most trying conditions. One sleeper has been ; in use on a Western Australian .railway, for .twenty years, rained on in torrents' fdr t\yo months in each, year and hlisterecLwith a tropical sun through the other" ten. There 'are - also bolsters which have been token from the bogie railway ' Waggons in a. situation, where teak is frequently used, and lasts but eight to ten years; American oak, five to seven years; and this; West Aus- ! traliau tuart mis been in service tor ■ twelve years, and is now as sound as t ever, completely untouched; with any j sign of deteay. Another object of in--1 tercet is a tuart jinker or wmm wheel | which has been in us© for. seventeen | years in a situation where ' hardwood I wheels last only, six or eight years— I hauling timber to the mills oyer a '■ hilly and roadless country. Two j an ah piles shown have been under water .m the Bunbury River for thirty years and yet are now perfectly sound;" ana j samples of the piles drawn from .the j Swan River after seventy-three ’ years ; service are unflawed, and perfect m fibre. A sample is also shown of wandoo bridge'decking’after being in use for twenty-five yeaiG.'- ■' : ' Mr G. A. 'Julius,. B.Sc. M.E., is the : Western Australian Government’s representative,. and informed a reporter that since going to Western Australia ho had been absolutely amazed at the quality of the timber grown in that State. . ■ ■ , . ‘ “ Jarrah,” . said Mr Julius; ‘ • is something like a, red;..rag., to a bull with , some New Zealand people; they cannot say anything bad enough about it ;, but that is rca*," due to the confusion of * the two timbers, jarrah and karri, .a confusion-for which Western Australia-is not wholly guiltless. These timbers are very much alike in colour and, texture, but their i qualities are absolutely ■' different. ; Karri will last for ever above ground, but it is somewhat prone to. ret-and decay under water, and should j never be used 'for "the piles of _ wharves, and bridge piers, and such purposes. Jarrah, -on the other hand, will last an extraordinary number, of years in,these positions. Its decay does not seem.to bo ip the least hastened by the action j of water. The late Mr C. Y. O’Connor, ’ i the distinguished New Zealand ;engi--1 ncor, who was until recently engmeer-ih-chief for the West Australian Govi eminent, stated that for durability and j general construction of work 1 of all ; classes jarrah i is undoubtedly one‘ of ; the best tinibeis, and that for wharves j and jetties is is unequalled. “ Karri, on the other hand,** oon- ' tinned Mr Julius, “has a tendency to ; develop dry rot, and jt is, therefore, not a suitable timber to use for underground and under-water work. it possesses exceptional strength, and is ot ‘ tne greatest value for rolling stock con- - i struction and structural work above • ground. Karri is really stronger tuan ■ ; jarrah, but the latter is much more durable. “Apart from its hardness, strength and imperviousne&s to damp and in- r sects, the most valuable quality jarrah possesses is its resistance to fire. In the great lire at the- Victoria Docks London in 1902, the jarrah bore the brunt of the fire, hut comparatively, little damage was done to it. 1 he T wood is so that it is practically firoPl “°ln 1904 the Indian Government sent out Mr Adam, F.C.H. A.M.1.C.K., Junior Consulting Engineer for Railways to the Government of India, to make inquiries with regard to the Australian timbers. Up to that time fmv Australian States had made any thorough and reliable tests of their timbers, but, the visit of Mr Adam has inspired not only Western Australia but come of the other States to thoroughly investigate the strength and capabilities of the various timbers. On behalf of cue Western Australian Government 1 have been testing, physically, and chemically, the whole of the, timbers of that State. In all some 17,0C0 tests have been made, and the nature of these tests is vastly "beyond anything that has ever been/ attempted in Australasia. The. information thus derived, has been made as conclusive and authoritative as possible, and the. results have been prepared in such a form as to make them especially useful for engineering works.. On my return I hope to conduct similar investigations with, regard to the timbers of Eastern Australia. . .. • “ Hitherto the information available respecting the strength .and- capabilities of Western Australian timbers has been somewhat contradictory,. various tests having been made at different times ly different persons, but in no case has any attempt been made by any one of such persons to clearly demonstrate the relative strength of the timbers under varying conditions of moisture and reasoning. These two factors, of course, bear very largely upon the strength and life of timbers.- Hence the present tests have been ’ma.de > specially com- ! pleto in connection, with determining | the relationship between moisture per- | centage and strength. ..The average rej suits are very much higher than thesa previously obtained by other engineers I on a smaller number of tests, and eonie- : times with very pcor specimens, and i they show clearly that the Western I Australian timber compares favourably j with that obtained,from any other part j of Australia, or indeed of the world, not excepting the. celebrated ironbark. “In ray next interview I will endeavour to give some idea of the result of these, investigations, and some information with regard to the various tim- ' ber areas of Western Australia. In a matter dike tins there should be no question of rivalry between the different'countries. The qualities of the timbers produced by the different conn- ' tries of the world should be tested im-

aartially and scientifically, and the , Quantities estimated. The world’s tim Ber damply is one of the world’s assets !The time has gone by when it shouk be regarded as 1 plunder, national oi Individual. Rather each country shouk set its forests in. order, not only foi Itself, but for posterity; and see hm it can best use for the benefit of mankind in general as well as of itself the timber resources with which Nature has endowed it. . "The New Zealand timbers are perhaps the most beautiful in the world, Certainly there is nothing in Australian timbers to equal the exquisite beautv of the mottled and figured kauri, totara and puriri; but the quantity of these timbers in the islands oi New Zealand is exceedingly small now in comparison with the almost limitless forest* of the' western portion oi the huge continent of Australia, and they are not suitable for many of the purposes for which Western Australian timber can he used.. Western Australia imports from New Zealand large quantities of kauri and other woods for furniture making and such like purposes; and if New Zealand is wise she will conserve her forests for ouch purposes as this, and draw on the virgin resources of Western Australia for hei constructive works. Already New Zealand’s forests of totara, silver pine, rimu, kauri and so forth, are fast disappearing before the axe and the fire, »nd if a wise and economic use is not made of the reserve supply before very 1 many years New Zealand will not only be unable to meet her own wants, hut will find that her export trade _ is / dwindling down in a most alarming manner. . „ “The following figures will give ■ome idea of the timber resources of • Western Australia The area of the State is 976,000 square miles, or 624 600,000 acre®, of which 98,0C0,00C *oreo aro wooded. At the present time we have something like 20,400,00 C acres of matured timber, ready for export. That 20,400,000 acres are made up chiefly as follows: — * Acres. Jarrell, with Blackball and Bed - Gum interspersed . . • . • . , TT.-n-i ... . . • • 1,203,003 Tuart . ‘ . . . . 200.033 !W*ndoo, Salmon Gum and Morrell 7,000,000 York Gum, Yale, Sandalwood and Jamwood ..... 4,000,000 ’ Making a Total o£ . . 20,(03,033 of which only 994,000 acres have, so far, been leased by the Government. “ On this country it is estimated that there are forty million loads of jar rah, fifteen million loads of karri, 300,000 load* of tuart, seven million loads of wandoo, york gum, yate and blackbutt. As an estimate or matured timber 1 should say that was very much under the mark. . . . “In 1904 Western- Australia cut 143.600,000 square feet, and exported timber valued at £655,000; and for the Wiod of ten years ending 1904, the /value of the exported timber was over i four million pounds. i “These figures will show, concludied Mr Julius, “that Western Australia in future years will undoubtedly be one of the largest timber producing coun"trie* in. the world.” ' PHYSICAL CULTURE AND THE FIJIANS. 1 At the back of the British section there is an ironmonger’s stall, a por-tion-of which has been turned-over to the physical culturists, in charge of Mr G. E. Sollitt (the 1906 winner of, the open championship at Mr F. A. Hormbrook’s school of physical culture) and Mr H. Parry, another medallist-. This stall haa a great fascination for the Fijians, particularly, for one of thennumber named Levi. Levi was the discoverer of the stall at the beginning of last week, and he promptly went his way and brought back of his brethren to worship at the shrine of muscular development, and- night after night they now attend to learn from the white man the secret of his “ hard arms.” Even the chief of the Fijians ha« been converted, and has requested Mt Sollftt to instruct his men every night in 'the Sandow exercises. Tins evening at 6.30 the first lesson is -to be given in the Fijian camp. Levi has already had two lessons, on Friday and Saturday nights, at the physical culture stall, and ‘ regards his tuition as a most serious and solemn affair.' The crowd of onlookers may laugh and stare as they will, but Levi keeps- his eyes firmly riveted on Mr Sollitt, and follows his every movement with a pair of spring-grip dumb bells in his ooa}-black -hands. The breathing bothers Levi the most, and he is obviously disappointed- when his instructor breathes longer and louder than he can do himself. Towards the end of the evening -he seemed to have grasped the method of lung expansion and contraction, and was hugely delighted when he could send the air whistling out of his parted lips. The spirometer amused him for a considerable time, but a little over 200 c. in was his top register, and his face fell when, he was made to understand that for his height he should have blown 280 c. in. He was more than mollified, however, when informed that he was just the right weight. At present Levi is somewhat ■hampered by his semi-civilised clothing, but Mr Sollitt hopes to get him a more suitable costume during the week. Perhaps not less interesting to the general public than the actual doings of the Fijian, -was the vivid contrast he. made w-ith his instructor. Mr Sollitfc is a typical specimen of the physically developed colonial, fair-haired, blue-eyed, and -well-knit, and, as he stands side by side with the stiff-haired and dusky Fijian, ho seems a very epitome of the ages of civilisation that stand between his position in the development of mankind and that of his dusky pupil. WIRELESS TELEGR APHY. ITS PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. No matter in what department of practical science an excursion is made into the not remote past, the investigator surely comes upon a period when the people, however rational, and however liberal they were in their expectations, would not on the data available to them have admitted the possibility of things that aro now not only actualities, hut also such everyday facts that their removal from the commercial world would involve an intolerable sense of loss. The steam engine, the telegraph, even the bicycle, all come plainly in this category, and the more intricate devices by which commerce has received the aid of science still more plainly do so. Who, a quarter ! of a century ago, could have realised, or would have credited, the possibility of wireless telegraphy? That anyone should drop a pebble into a still pool, and, pointing to the ripples that in concentric rings -ran swiftly to the shores, say that by means closely allied to • that phenomenon man- should talk to man through airy distances, would have out-Shiptoned Mother Shipton, and his prophecy would simply have been disregarded as the ravings of a deranged brain. Yet that has happened. A man tickles the placidity of, not water, not air, but the imponderable ether, and its waves fly away in all directions, spreading regularly, and like the ripples of the pond, losing none of their order as they go. By, and by they come under the cognisance of another man, who has . given, himself an. electric eye to see the ripples, and ho sees, not only that the ether is being tickled, but exactly how, and if he knows, as he of course does know, the code of the message, ho learns why. And the

i surprising thing is that this marve • s this impossibility, this thing ir.crcdihl to our grandfathers, has come so easilj ! and the people are so used to the con ■ quests of science that they will stan . round a “wireless” instrument an- • express surprise, not at the wonder c it all, not at the, fact that message can be sent at all, but that it should i if it happens to be a little in need o , adjustment, have been allowed to g wrong. The wireless telegraphy system i generally called after the name of th clever young Italian inventor who ha done so much to bring it into commei cial usefulness. It was founded upo; the discovery, not much above twont; years ago, by another youn" investiga tor, Hertz, that waves could be mad in me ether by electricity. Hertz’s an paratus was simple. An ordinary spark mg coil, with an insulated plate of eom area attached to each sparking ball sufficed. At each discharge between th balls, the balance of the electrical con dition of the large and highly-chargei wings was disturbed in great degree and" the upsetting of the balance re suited in the sending off from their sur faces of waves. Hertz detected tnesi waves by a “ resonator,” simply an in complete circle of wire, w-ith the endi terminated by balls a little way apart \vheu this was held in the right posi tion, the waves reaching it so upset tin balance within the wire that a sparl would cross between the balls to re store it, the gap being a quicker wai for the current to get from end to enc than the circuit of the wire. Better de tectors than the resonator were invent ed by various workers, including Pro fessor Branly, who invented what haf since been improved into the coherei that is mostly used in actual wirelese work. This consists of a little glass tube, in which , are two little mota; plugs within a short distance of one another. The space between them h about half-filled with very fine nlcke. and silver filings, and the tube if horizontally supported so that tne filings aro in contact with both plugs. The action of this is remarkable. Ir their normal state me resistance to a small current passing through the filings from plug to plug is extremely high, but it the coherer is placed in a circuit that is in the path of the electrical disturbances caused by a sending apparatus, the filings “cohere,” and the resistance is lessened very greatly. Consequently the coherer acts as a relay, and can be used to switch in a , working current whenever an impulse ’ is felt by it. In the Marconi receiver, I a little tapper is attached that automatically taps the tube of the cohere! ! and breaks up the new state of the filings as soon as it is formed, so that ■ they are ready- to receive a fresh impulse. Marconi’s efforts altered the sender materially, too. Instead oi the two large wings of the Hertz wavesender, -he need a long vertical airwire, or antenna, which is alw-ays a feature in the appearance oi a wireless station. This was attached to one ball of the sparking gap, and the other was connected by a wire tc the earth. Just as in the Hertz experiment, it was necessary that the spark-gap of the -resonator should be parallel to that of the sparking coil, st the receiver of the Marconi must he parallel to the sender. The vertical wire, therefore, serves for both purposes, and a simple switch cuts out the sender from the antenna, for the purpose of receiving. The antenna is attached to one end of the coherer, and the other end is earthed. To one end is also connected one wire from a battery, and the other end is connected to the other battery-wire, which includes in its circuit also a very delicate relay, adjustable very finely. Tht operation of sending and receiving e message by this: By means of a key like that of an ordinary telegraph instrument the operator' sends intermittent current through the primary current of the induction coil, which makee a stream of sparks in dots and dashes according to the Morse code. The antenna or air-wire sends the waves in.tc the surrounding ether, and they are picked up by any receiving wire within their- range, which varies with the height of the antenna and the strength of the current from a few miles to the width of the Atlantic. The tiny impulse coheres the filings in the tube, a current from the battery passes and closes the relay, a stronger current flows through the relay’s contacts, and actuates a Morse tape-recording instrument of the ordinary form, and a dot or a dash is imprinted on the travelling tape. At the same time a bell is as a call, in case the tape machine is not' operating. The tapper works, and breaks the coherence, the relay opens, and the operation goes on again. As many as thirty wordis, a minute can be sent by a good operator with good instruments. Dr J. A. Fleming, writing to the London “ Times ” in 1899, said : —“ . . . The apparatus is ridiculously simple and not costly. With the exception of the flagstaff and 150 ft of vertical wire at each end, he can place on a email kitchen table the appliances, costing not more than £IOO in all, for communicating across 30 or even 100 miles of channel.” At) is well known, later improvements in the practice of wireless telegraphy have been in the direction of making it syntonic, so that the messages can be kept private, and the efforts have been quite successful. The question is, however, a moot one whether, in moot cases, especially those of use by the mercantile marine, the syntonisin of the system is desirable. Against the value of privacy has been set the desirableness of ready access by, all to all, in the interests of humanity and in consideration of the convenience of the wireless apparatus in sending messages of distress, and there is in many quarters a strong feeling in favour of the I opener form of signalling. | There la a complete set of wireless I telegraphy apparatus at the Exhibition, ! sent out by the Marconi International •Marino Communication Company, in charge of Captain Walker, who- has with him also Mr Doivcett, one of the company’s engineers. The set has been put into the court of the Post and Telegraph Department, near the i Machinery Hall, and its mast, about j seventy feet high, erected just outside , it. There is another set at Islington, I and the two have been worked daily. I At present the demonstrations are irj regular, owing to there not bring an j officer permanently stationed at Islmgi ton, but another is coming shortly, and 1 there will bo regular daily demonstra- ■ tion® of the working of the apparatus, j Captain Walker told a “Times” reporter that he ia in the colony largely to present the views of his company to , the right quarters to get the system ■ adopted by the Government It has made, he said, tremendous strides in international use, and now it is aimi cult to name a country of any importance that does not use it. New Zealand alone now, he said, had not adopted it, but it soon would. At present, he said there was daily communication between England and America, Canada used the system laigely. _ was possible to talk froni England t Suez, and steps were being taken to join that point up with Aden. Another step would bring Singapore into wireless touch with Australia, and Auetralia with. New Zealand, and there would be the whole British Empire in simple communication from end to end, absolutely independent, if necessary, of all cables and wires. The actual extent of the use of riie Marconi system it is impossible to state. But it has now become a means, and a very important one, of international marine communication, and all the principal steamers of at least sixteen of the leading European shipping lines are fitted with the apparatus. The shore stations open for regular commercial business are_ numbered by dozens, and lie all over tho tmsy world. There

1, j are affiliated with tho work of the In ( j tern-ational Company, companies ii ■, America, Canada, Franco and Belgium - and these aro not only employed in the 4 application of the system for which the' 4 have acquired the patents, _ but they f also- co-operate for ■ international pur B poses. i Much has been done in conquering f long distances by means of wirelese o telegraphy. In 1900, 200 miles were successfully bridged. Up to that thin s the current for use in the coils hac 0 been generated by batteries, and smal 8 coils only had been used. Then a nor " departure was made, and power sta 1 t-ions were designed to create enormous f electrical disturbances. The antenna were suspended from tall, permanent 3 towers. Towards the. end of 1901 Mr " Marconi went to Newfoundland, and " thence made communication with London. Since then permanent stations ’ have been erected at Poldhu, Cornwall. Cape Cod and Cape Breton. The dis--1 fiancee travelled by the messages were up to 3000 miles, over an arc of 4odeg of the earth’s surface. Incredible as . it may seem, the sending of the tre--3 mendously powerful messages from - these big stations has no effect at all > in interfering with the despatch and • receipt of ordinary messages over short ■ distances in the vicinity of the sta- > tions. From Poldhu messages have : been sent to Gibraltar, and oven to ' vessels at Suez. It is now a recognised ! part of a steamer’s routine that her passengers shall receive each morning, ’ damp from the ship’s printing press, a little newspaper containing tho j world’s news telegraphed to the ship ■ by the nearest or most interested wirei less station. This is one of the least i of tho works of the system, and the man who, in the days of a generai tion ago, would have railed at tho ■ pond simile, would have to acknowledge his defeat at every turn if at the 1 present time he persisted in his disbelief. THE FIJIANS. After the Maoris had concluded their programme tTTo Fijians gave a number of war dances in their enclosure. There was a good attendance of tho public, and those present evidently highly appreciated the Fijians’ efforts to amuse them. The Fijians will not be welcomed by the Maoris at the pa to-day, as pre--1 viously announced. The function has been postponed to a later date. notes’ 1 Considerable interest is being taken in the special competitions! arranged by the Home Industries Committee, which will take place in the main corridor of the Exhibition on Thursday and Friday, December 13 and 14. In the laundry work competition twelve classes have been provided, and, in addition, arrangements are being made to hold a demonstration of laundry work by professional laundresses during the oven- ‘ ings of the days mentioned. In the cooking competition there are thirty--1 eight classes, which provide ample 1 scope for those interested in competi--1 tions of this nature. The classes also 1 take in a collection of conserves, preserves, bottled fruits, pickles, sauces, chutney®, wines and syrups. A spe--1 cial cooking demonstration will be conducted by Mr® Gard’ner, Principal ■ of the School of Domestic Instruction, assisted by her staff and pupils, on the evening of Friday, December 13. The ■ Christchurch Gas Company has con- . sented to provide gas and cooking- ■ ranges for this demonstration. The ■ committee has arranged to award i prize® to exhibits sent in by school classes. Tho conditions for these - school classes provide that an assort- ■ ment of scones, cakes and home-made . sweets shall constitute the exhibit. A special competition has been arranged i for luncheon and tea-tables. The tables must be set complete for not less than six persons. Competitors may , uso any decoration, and the necessary cutlery, glass' and china will be provided free of charge by Messrs Minscn and Co. Two classes are provided for floral table decorations. The dairy and farm produce competition provides classes for butter, cheese, honey and dressed poultry. Entries for these competitions will close on Tuesday, December 11. Full particulars can be obtained upon application at the Exhibition offices. , Entries for the first Exhibition flower show, which will take place on December 5 and 6, are being received by tho secretary of the Horticultural Society. Entries will finally close on Monday, December 3. It is understood that the Second Battalion of Wanganui Cadets will hold a camp in the Exhibition grounds during Christmas week. Tho model Geyt’erland ha® grown unexpectedly. One of the steam-pipes leading from the boiler-house, and used to supply the activity of the thermal phenomena, has developed a leak, and a small mud-volcano, with all the gurgling characteristics of the natural “ por-ridge-pot” has sprung up in the footway outside the Geyeerland fence. CONCERT HALL. It is difficult to cater to suit all tastes, and even- the programme set down for Saturday’s popular conceit failed to attract a largo audience, the Hall being only partially filled. The Orchestra played for the premier item Rossini’s overture to “ Semivamide ” very well, though it was uneven at times. Mr R. "f. Foster, jun., who possesses a very good tenor voice, was warmly applauded for his rendering of Blumenthal’s pretty “ My. Queen.” In “ Gipsy Life,” a descriptive fantasia by Le Thiere, the Orchestra pleased their audience, but there was a lack of solidity in the playing. In Lardofs “To-night” Mrs Emily Marks was not heard to advantage, and in the concluding bare, especially the tone was palpably flat. Ihe “ Graceful Dance,” by Sullivan, was not gracefully played, although some very pleasant work was done by the strings. Mr Foster sang “ I’ll Sing Thee Songs of Araby ” creditably, and was encored. The "final item was the finale to Haydon’s peculiar “Farewell Symphony.” Tho symphony is very pretty, and was well played. WONDERLAND. Wonderland was crowded on Saturday, and in the evening the toboggan turnstile was only passed with difficulty. An improvement would be effected if the approach were fashioned similar to that at the water-chute. Tho crowd was good natnred and patronised tho various wonders with liberality and an evident desire to spend the time cheerfully. The guinea prize for the best solution of the query “ Why did Wonder Land?” has'been awarded to Mr D. Williams, of Upper Riccarton, who wrote twenty-two lines of verse. Two consolation prizes were awarded. THE PIKE. Probably nearly as many persons passed through tho Pike on Saturday as through tho entrance turnstiles to tho Exhibition. At all events the Pike seemed to bo always crowded, and its various side exhibits and slot machines were apparently in high public favour. CYCLORAM A. The Battle of Gettysburg, as presented at the Cyclorama on Saturday, claimed very large attendances all day. The progress of the engagement was

vividly depicted on the enormous canvas, and the periodic efforts of a descriptive lecturer added interest to tho spectacle. There were realistic storm effects, and many of the accompaniments of real war, all combining to present a sensational show. WEST’S PICTURES. Good houses were again the rule at West’s Picture entertainment on Saturday. The programmes were varied and up-to-date, and the pictures of great merit, and the films in the very best order. O’NEILL’S BUCK JUMPERS. A large house greeted the performance of O’Neill’s Buckjumpers at the arena on Saturday evening. The event of the evening was the undertaking of Mies Button to ride one of the horses. She was thrown in the first attempt, but pluckily remounted and rode the horse to a standstill. Miss Button, it is stated, intends to ride again at an early date. The performances of Messrs Syd and Vin O’Neill were very clever, and elicited rounds of applause. PARAGRAPH ANNOUNCEMENTS. Business paragraphs intended for insertion in this column must be arranged for with the advertising department. STRAWBERRIES. Fresh strawberries of excellent flavour are to be had with cream for sixpence at tho Atlas Confectionery Stall in the main front avenue. Fruit salad with cream, or biscuits with a cup of milk, can be bought at the same price. Fruit and biscuits may bo purchased at any of the five Atlas stalls in the Exhibition at ordinary town prices. Visitors should not forget this.