ADVERTISING FIJI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19027, 26 May 1925, Page 11

ADVERTISING FIJI.

COURT AT EXHIBITION. A DISTINCTIVE DISPLAY. ALL PRODUCTS OF THE GROUP. *« Fiji is to have a striking court at the Now Zealand and South Seas Exhibition to bo opened at Dunedin in November next, and although there will bo no displays by tho famous firewalkers of Beqa as was done at the Christclmrch Exhibition, the court will introduce sufficient of the native customs to make the display distinctive. A special committee lias been set up by tho Government of Fiji to mako all the,necessary arrangements for tho establishment of the court, and one of the members of tho committee, Mr. T. Home, a prominent business man of Suva, arrived by tho Niagara yesterday. Mr. Ilorne is at present bound for Sydney but will return to Wellington, and will take the opportunity of consulting with the exhibition authorities. Mr. Home stated yeterday that the building to house the Fiji display would bo constructed entirely of Fiji woods, and a special party of expert joiners would bo engaged, so that the timbers would be displayed to their best advantage and their commercial possibilities shown. A feature was to be made of the fruit products of the group, said Mr. Home, and special measures were to bo taken to land tho fruits in perfect order. It was intended that the very best bananas should bo picked by Government officers, and whole bunches packed on tho plantation in octagon-shaped cases with a covering of dried leaves to prevent bruising. By this means the bananas would not ho touched by hand from the time they left the plantation until they were unpacked at Dunedin. Under the present method tho bananas were handled many times and suffered seriously during transport. From the experiment to be made it would be possible to see whether this plan cannot bo adopted for tho commercial export of bananas. Fiji was awarded the first prize at the British Empire Exhibition for rice arid it is prooosed to put this fine product up in packages and sell it af, cost price, so that New Zealand housewives may become acquainted with its qualities. Peanuts and othor commodities will be treated in the same way. Tho Fiji court is to be the largest of the South Sea Island displays, and will have m attendance a number of selected native Fijians. One of the features will be a huge cannibal war drum, which will bo sounded each day at 11 a.m. to invite visitors to the historic kava-drinking ceremony. It is also proposed to bring a war canoe, which is to bo used on the lake. Among other goods manufactured in Fiji which will be on view will bo lengths of tapa cloth, bead work, mats, etc., and the produce of the land will bo shown in sugat, tea, tobacco, pines, wool, butter, coioanuts and copra, cocoa, coffee, citton, fibres, maize, citrus fruits, rubber and many others.