Golden Gate Exposition Opened

Northern Advocate, 20 February 1939, Page 7

Golden Gate Exposition Opened

SAN FRANCISCO, February 18. One hundred thousand people witnessed the ceremony of the opening of the Golden Gate Exposition today. President Roosevelt, in wishing the Exposition every success by radio, commented: “It is an instrument of international goodwill, as well as an expression of the material and cultural progress of our west and our Pacific Ocean neighbours.” l Forty thousand people to-day visited the Australian pavilion, one of the few • national exhibits completed in time for the Opening ceremony. A successful feature was a huge 'map Of the Pacific, showing the lines of communication with Australia, actioned by flashing light which synchronised with a recorded talk and a series of national colour photographs which changed every 10 seconds. ') Thex Australian movies also drew crowds. - Hie director of the pavilion, Mr iArthur O’Conncuv has four Australian assistants, ;V An ! earlier i message said that the Golden Gate International Exposition; on its 400-acre site on Treasure Island; broke into a blaze of glory tonight, when a ray from the noon SUn pver Bombay set off a radio signal; and turned on the 1,500,000-dollar lighting, system. This was the climax to a - week’s Wild West festival, in which citizens wpre Spanish or pioneer costumes, and hundreds of men grew; beards to lend realism to the scene. This 50,000,000-dollar rival to the

New York World’s Fair will run until , December 2, and it is expected that -.22,000,000 people will attend.