THE EXHIBITION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 305, 14 November 1906, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

■ - ■.. (Unite'tt VtX&s AssVciati&n.i ' ' Sir John Gorst entertainerf J Maoris and Uook Islanders at the Exhibition Pah at luncheon "to^iay. The natives, Iliad previously entertained him,, and he has returned their kindness; Sir John uorst presided, and amongst those , present were Captain- Atkdn, the British Commissioner, Miss Gorst, Mr A.vH*nil(tOtt (the designer of the tgfi)/-. Dr. McGregor (superintendent of ~ .the pah), find Mrs McGregor. Sir/ John Gorst delivered air g*l■dress in Maori, and lie proposed the" toast of the King. This was heartily responded to, and several chiefs replied to the toast. At the conclusion, Sir John Gorst and daughter presented each man with a Pipe, and each womon with a work-box, and each child with a box of sweets. ' _ Mr Hall-Jones arrived this morning, and has taken charge of Lithe Exhibition duties as tie (Resident Minister. Lieut.-Colonel Bauchop has received a telegram from the Governor expressing Ms satisfaction with ifco W&y in which the oenemony of tr'ooping of the colours was performed on tha opening day of the BxltMtjSh}; „ „ Tarahalu aid fiat cr6wa its court with exhibits, bui,.by* insto?, photos, and models, resolving to acquaint the visitors to the Exhibition with the agricultural and pastoral, mineral, •and timber resources of the district, as well as with the scenic beauties, in which it is so prolific, and the excellent sport to be obtained there by the .'tourist. At the back of the court are two interesting and valuable maps showing the geography, the geology, resources, and even the history of the. district. These maps al'e eight feet square, and one map Shows' by ,the aid of coloured sec'tlohg the formation of the country, thg quality of the taM, and Its suitability ,foT . various industries, Stid Bther such useful information. The .other' ihafi, wfii,ch is also coloured, intiicates. -tfie localities (H ttie different branches of the ■dairying ijidTtstfc, .paitle # . rttisipg, .as well as wool and (mipieral^products. The third map", w'ttifn ii of sriwcller dimensions, makes the visitor acquainted with the Tourist afctrac 1 ' tions of Taranakr, and a fourth shows- the location of the different Maori pahs. Two large panels point .out the value of the different industries in the district for the past 25 years, as well as the value of the various classes of in[^Wstri^i lana, TUe side \r n iis m- e cftvy^a with a flao collection of ph&tograpis depiellfig Moynt Egmont and . other pWees 9f titt-tuf al beauty; wincfe are amongst we | tourist resor,ts of . the NOrth Is- i land, &s Well fIS ,t>he fishing facilities aHprded. Affticles . manufac;t«red from irbnsand are shown, afitt [fiiere are models representing the j output . ,of butter, also the J?etro-Lloum~;bpreiiat-.M<)turoa., whjeh it tfle in Ne^ ■ Zealand. Other products of the Uistribt, such^as wool, meat, timber, and minerals are also brought before the visitor's eye.

The Ashburton Court makes a very.- striking display of its chief assets, grain and Svool, The section is girt with pillars of Mount Seiners stOne, and presents a <iofideffly jMttfelaflttotl iappeara*ce. Four' heavy ilillfirs support an a^cK cjf grain 1 iii sticks, wmle above tHe grain. 'are bales of wool. There stre twB handsomely dressed columns. Of „the .same stone., fronting twd roufeli BBokM 6*,.# cfiilsiderable height. Around the walls, are hung photographs of Ashburton s beauty spots, as well as photos of champion stock raised in the county. There are several exhibits of i.wool of different; classes in cgses; Afi ariiji flf miniature grain sheaves encased some specimens of trb'ut, frcta the, Asßburtoii rivers. Wool is worked into €he decorations 1 ,., aijd the iiame of the court is done In. wool, on. & blue, grbund. . $outal^id. -and. Stewart. Island occupy a neat, unpretentious cqilrt. Trtie limits ,;of the court are indicate cd by J signboards, bearing on the ootsi-da the names of the , centres, and on the. inside statistics relat-ing-to tHe ! several ((j localities. . The principal display in 'the GoyH-t is that .of pastoral and dairying pursuits. There are boxes of cheese and a stack of tinned condensed milk, for the preparation of which Southland possesses the only factory in- the colony. There are also tasteful exhibits of flax, grain and Seeds ; while wheat -and oats enter totS tfie aecbrtftioas: filling produce is also conspicuous, dnd ■. a large share of the spaoe is devoted to minerals. There is a block of the Nißhtcaps coal, building stone of different varieties, and sandbrick's. The timber resources are represented by some nicely polished planks of rimu. The show cases di^Splay specimens of some of tHe rarer minerals, notably crystalline from Stewart Island, as well as Samples of gold and gold ore. T&ere is also an exhibit of Ore-■p-ukl oil sttale, 'and also a credit■aiile display Of agricultural implements tif the latest patterns. • ■ An exceptionally fine display is that made in- the West Coast Court, where gold, tiiflßer; anS coal looni .largely. At the entrance stands a. golden arch representing twenty-six million pounds worthT of auriferous metal officially kno*n to have been taken from the sands, gravel, and quartz of the Coast. This does not embrace the total out^ put, as in the early days many prospectors removed their gold in bulk. The court is diyjded into two sections, one devoted to the counties of the Buller and the Inangahua, and. the other to the Grey and Westland. On the Boiler and the Inangahua side the mineral display comes first. The36 are masses of quartz from the Bcefton mines, and bins showing various auriferous sands, gravels, and cements. A pillar of golden brioks represents the £100,000 worth of gold obtained from the' "Keep-it-Dark" mine at Reef ton. The 'rodeveloped mineral resources of this brollfie region are represented by sampfe o£ copper' ore". Slum, shale, molybdenite, .inicai tin tire, . and silver quartz, as well as a fine display of granites. These are in excellent display. The timber exhibits include red, white, yellow, and black pine, black and red birch, totara, and rata. Coal is represented by samples from 16 seams in various parts of the district. The Westport Coalbfookdale Company ex-

Westport hibits a full-sized model of the working- facer of a coal seam, v with all the appliances for the interior working of a •mine. The Grey and Westland side shows -samples of auriferous gravels, conglomerates, sands, and cements, with typ.es of different minerals produced by the two counties. These include rock crystal, silver ore, antimony, soapstone, molybdenite, copper, platinum, hematite, iron ore, coarse graphite, greenstone, slates, bog iron ore, and lithographic" limestone.- The specimen of platinum ore found at Arahura was the only known specimen on the Coast until Drr-Bell's recent geographical survey was ' instrumental in discovering other deposits. , There is also a small display of. petroleum, representing the operations of two companies engaged in boring naer Lake Brunner. Samples of coal are shown from the State mine, as /well as from mines of private companies. There is also a display of cordials and ales, gold-saving machines, canned whitebait, furniture, and other classes of industrial life. The scenic beautiw of the districts are depicted mhighc.iss pantings and photographs, and the tourist resorts are brought before the visitor_by a display of stags' heads, stuffed fishT and birds.