THE New Zealannd Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7862, 3 February 1887, Page 4

THE New Zealannd Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.

THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 3, ISB7. It is no disparagement to Sir Julius Vogel's scheme of an International Maritime Exhibition at Auckland, that the members of the Chamber of Commerce viewed it cautiously. It is the part of advanced thinkers to plan in general outline, and of practical men to till in the details ; and as it is only the closest attention to details that can ensure success, it is as reasonable as it is right that practical men should pause and carefully consider before committing themselves to a proposal so novel and complex, and entirely speculative. There is probably no one in Auckland buc would desire to see a Maritime Exhibition in our harbour and on our shores, that would draw exhibitors of ships and shipping requisites from every part of the globe, and make our city and harbour for the time the centre of attraction to the whole world. So earnestly, indeed, and so rightly, would every Aucklander desire such a consummation, that very considerable sacrifice would be made for such a thing; and, if the solitary item of finance can only be placed on a satisfactory footing, everyone should go in for it with a will.

It is entirely a work of supererogation to advance an argument as to the advantages of such an enterprise. Even without the conjunction of three such important events as the jubilee of the colony, the completion of the Trunk line of railway, and the opening of the great highway through Central America, the time is sufficiently opportune, although these incidents would lend greater eclat to the event. It is the age of Exhibitions ; and not only has every place of any pretensions an Exhibition of its own, but the ingenuity of invention is nearly exhausted in finding some new form or novel attraction to a system which is becoming somewhat threadbare. To say nothing of the frequent and ever-varying Exhibitions in the mother country, on the Continent of Europe, and in America, all the cities of the sister colonies have had, and seem determined to continue having, their Exhibitions, seeking out excuses for what has been proved to be an enterprise not only of interest but practical utility. In our own colony we have had Exhibitions at Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington ; while Auckland, which has alone stood aloof, cannot be regarded as guilty of intrusion iE she claim that her time has come, and that she, too, should have an Exhibition. To Sir Julius Yogel we willingly give the credit of having discovered the novel attraction, which seems the indispensable requisite; for, so far as our knowledge goes, the idea of a Maritime Exhibition has not hitherto been realised among all the many Exhibitions which have been launched during the last six-and thirty years. The appropriateness of such an Exhibition in the Waitemata would, we think, be questioned by no one ; for, without derogating in the slightest degree from the claims of other harbours for commercial purposes, we do not hesitate to say that for the purposes of an Exhibition of steam and sailing craft of every kind, there is no city in the southern hemisphere that could present more aptitude than is found in the waters of the Waitemata itself, in the Ilauraki Gulf, and in the easy yet sheltered approaches to our harbour. So that although there might at first sight seem undue presumption in the expectation that Auckland might be made a trysting place and arena of competition for the marine of the world, the presumption is not unjustified in the fact that our harbour is unique, and that in all the Southern Seas no other place could be found in most respects more suited for the purposes of a marine display. Sir Juliua Vogel, in suggesting that this should be the distinctive character of the Exhibition, very properly showed that it might be made inclusive of everything that had any bearing on maritime pursuits; and though there might be some difficulty in classing agricultural implements among maritime exhibits, as suggested by Sir Julius, there would be no great exercise of ingenuity in forming a conjoint Exhibition in no way diminishing the distinctive character of the Exhibition, while at the same time affording an opportunity for displaying, for the instruction of visitors to the city, everything that is commonly shown at a world's fair.

As to the appropriateness, the attractiveness, and the exceedingly beneficial character of the proposed Exhibition, there can hardly be a doubt expressed, and for this the proposal made by Sir Julius Vogel is deserving of the most attentive consideration. There is just the one ever-obtrusive but ever-important question of finance, and it would be folly to ignore the fact that in such an Exhibition as that proposed the question is more irrepressibly obtrusive than in relation to any ordinary Exhibition. It is needless to say that we cannot throw a ring fence around the harbour, or charge gate money at Rangitoto Reef, and it is very well known that funds so raised constitute a very large part of the moneys that go to free the guarantors from their responsibility. Of course, there will be an Exhibition on shore of everything bearing on maritime affairs, and, as suggested, of all kinds of things besides, and, as these would be subject to the ordinary rules of Exhibition buildings, the funds so raised might possibly bo adequate to the purpose.

•But it is obvious that that portion of the Exhibition which would bo the most distinctive and the moat attractive of all—namely, the Exhibition of marine architecture, and of the capabilities of steamers and sailing craft, must necessarily be public and gratuitous. In such circumstances it might be suggested that, as the city of Auckland would derive immense advantages from such a concourse, the people might be regarded as admitted to the show, for which they might pay by special taxation; while a charge as for admission to the Exhibition might be made on all arrivals for the time being in the harbour. Such a form of contribution would be in keeping with the greatness of the scheme, and its very exceptional character, but we question if it would meet with general acceptance. Under any circumstances the financial features of the proposal are those that imperatively demand the most careful and exhaustive treatment, for if the matter can in any way be placed on a fairly sound financial basis, the enterprise is one that should command the warmest interest from every citizen of Auckland.