CHRISTCHURCH EXHIBITION

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11534, 20 November 1900, Page 6

CHRISTCHURCH EXHIBITION

INTERVIEW WITH MR. B. KENT. Mr B. Kent, who was president of the recent Auckland Industrial and Mining Exhibition, has just returned from Christchurch, where he attended the opening of the Cbristchurch Exhibition, and spent & fortnight at the various jubilee celebrations, including the Exhibition. He gave a Herald reporter some of his impressions of. the Exhibition, and as he speaks with some considerable experience of the successful management of. exhibitions, his views and opinions are of more than ordinary interest. Questioned first as to how the opening ceremony was conducted. Mr. Kent said it was distinctly good. The speeches were all happy and short. His Excellency was quite to the point in his remarks, although he looked rather jaded after his long and difficult journey to the Islands. The Premier was at a disadvantage, as he was requested to confine his remarks to 10 minutes. He made herculean efforts to keep to this, but could not close under 18 minutes. At the same time his speech was distinctly good and full of power. He considered the Jubilee Ode, both words (by Mr. 0. T. J. Alpers) and music (by Mr. Maughan Bar. nett), distinctly good, and its rendering hy a choir and orchestra, some 250 strong, under Mr. F. M. Wallace, was a most creditable performance. The soloist, Mr. John Prouse, who was at the opening of the Auckland Exhibition, was in splendid voice. The ode was performed at the opening ceremony in the afternoon, and was repeated with even greater success in the evening. Mendelssohn's " Hymn of Praise" wat also performed in the evening of the opening day. It was, Mr. Kent thought, an excellent performance, but too long. The soloists were only moderate, but the chorus and orchestra were excellent, and the leader of the orchestra (Miss Packer) was very good indeed. Asked for his impressions with regard to the Exhibition itself, Mr. Kent said: " The Exhibition as a whole is very good indeed, but I think some exhibits could be better arranged. Too much space has been allotted to soft goods, but the quality of these reflects the greatest credit on the colony. The art gallery is very successful, the chairman of the Art Committee (Mr. Seager) deserving great praise. The home industries court is ons of the, very best courts of its kind I have ever seen, and is a splendid tribute to the skill and industry of everyone connected with it. The Industrial Association's permanent buildings are very large and handsome, and would be a credit to any colony. The concert hall seats some 2500 people. Some improvement could be made in its acoustic properties, and there bcuijr no organ in the building is a great drawback. The machinery court is small. The wool and grain exhibits are of a very high class, but are not so extensive as I expected to find in such an eminently prosperous agricultural and pastoral district. The exhibits of locally-made furniture are most choice." " How," asked our reporter, " does the Exhibition compare with the Auckland Exhibition?"

"It is," replied Mr. Kent, " much smaller than the Auckland Exhibition, and less representative of the manufactures and industries of the colony. In saying that, Ido not wish to detract from the value of the Christchurch Exhibition at all, but sirue you ask for a comparison, I must say that there is nothing in the Christchurch Exhibition that will bear comparison for a moment with our mining and machinery courts. Our Exhibition was altogether more varied, the exhibits more' numerous, and the appointments; of the Exhibition generally more complete." In answer to further questions, Mr. Kent said the attendance at the Exhibition had been splendid, largely owing to the carnival — whole week's splendid racing and the agricultural show, attracting great numbers to the city. In view of this and of th 9 coming jubilee, combined with the Christmas and New Year festivities, the financial success of the Exhibition should be quite assured. Generally, the Exhibition reflected very great credit to everyone connected with it. It was an extreme pleasure to him. to attend it, "as having so recently been somewhat identified with a similar and superior Exhibition held in this city. There was no sports ground, and this, he was sure, would be badly missed later on, when the Exhibition had been visited by the people a number of times. The band rotunda wanted smartening up a good deal ; it was unattractive at present. The lighting of the Exhibition was chiefly arc lamps, and the light was unsteady. It would have been better to have had Swan Edison lamps and incandescent gas. The temporary buildings were good enough for their purpose, but far behind the Auckland Exhibition buildings, which were almost too good. As a whole, nothing but praise could be given to the president and his executive for tho general excellence of the Exhibition. The Government, with the very generous treatment given to all exhibitions held in the colony, had done their duty well, both in financial aid and in exhibits.