THE EXHIBITION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 3 April 1907, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

7 7. (By Telegraph— Special Service.) .- :; ?'.;V ; *, ; .'--vCHittIBTCHIJBCH, Tuesday. 7The-E_hJbiti6n has been well attended again to.day, and tha numbars ara ■"." ..."expected to remain high .till ths , conclusion on the 15th inst. Mr T.Faulkner, blind organist, of Christcliurch,7 gave .an organ recital thia afternoon -before a large audience, and the Orchestral Concert was well attended in tha evening, When Mis E. Buckeridge (nee; Maud Hewson) and Mra E.- Davis '(nee" Marion Mitchell), two popular ex-meinbers "of Pollaid's Opera Company,' arid Mr John Prouse were the vocalists. In answer to a anestion regarding tbe financial results of the Exhibition, tho Acting-Premier stated yesterday thathe thought hia original estimate cf one shilling per head of the population -would cove? the cost of_ the Exhibition to the Colony, that would mean a nominal loss of about -_5i7 ,000. The increase in tho Customs revenue from Christchurch alone would -more than balance tueir loss for the seven mon ths ending Febrnary. . There had bepn an increase of about 4601000 in Christchurch Customs receipts asaga'nst tbe corresponding period of the previons year. The increase was due largely to ; imports in connection with the Exhibition, and there. : we're increases on a smaller stale iat 7.ot_er porta of the Colony. The Customs revenue would probably beuefit'to the' extent of quito twice the loss of tbe Exhibition. In addition, the railway revenue for the year would show 'a greater increase tban the revenue for the previous year, than had beei; the case at any other period in the : history of the Colony. Thia again was largoly due to the Exhibition. The extra postal and telegraph revenue would amount to a v ery considerable sum, so that the' Colony '■'■'■■■ had every reason -to be' satisfied with-the result _E the Exhibition from 8 financial standpoint. ■--'.'.■' ■? -Between seven, hundred and eight hundred chickens have been reared' to date from incubators in tho Agricultural Department's Court: 7 '. No less than twenty thousanfl pennies were dropped into, the -lot machines at » oue Pike yesterday, which speaks eloquently of tho attendance. • Mr Pollard, Director of Entertainments," estimated that the astnal number of visitors, yesterday must have been close on one third larger than on 7 the King's Birthday, when a record number of admissions was chronicled. The crowd on that day weut and returned, their admissions being recorded ' more than qnce; but /yesterday _ the swarming multitude, /t-eing vitttois from other parts of the Colony, remained withiri the precincts of the Exhibition all'day long to see as much 'as possible during ' their brief stay. Oyer six hundred attendants' passes have also been withdrawn between the two dates. The nioney. .ti^ken at. the gates yesterday- wm cansidernbly in excess of the King's Birtbday receipts. The General Manager-states that the aggregate money - from admissions daring the Exhibition period promises to fulfil the most* sanguine expecta"B?anc_e Arral, 'thei '.-famous- French soprano, will appear, in conjunction - with the Exhibition on Wednesday and Friday next. The attendance to-day was_ 14,266.