THE WAIRARAPA EXHIBITION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 852, 29 June 1888, Page 12

THE WAIRARAPA EXHIBITION.

(rnoai OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) is VMasterton, June 21. The Wafrarapa Exhibition - was opened to-day with g&a« eclat; Sir George Grey and Mr G. Beetham were met at the railway station by the Reception Committee, consisting of the Mayor and leading residents, the Volunteers,{and the Volunteer Band, and were driven to town in procession. Having rested at the Club Hotel they were invited to partake of lunch at the Temperance Hall. Everything here had been prepared by the ladies, entirely at their own expense, there being a liberal, supply of a., large numbey of delicacies. ?The ladies jffsq ,aff,eqdpd jo.the requirements pf 'all whq sat down. At 2 o ! clock sharp an address was presented tq Sir‘G.'‘G r oy by the Rev W. Reuse, wplcem, ing him tq Masterton'. Sjr Q. Gvoy replied in felicitous terms, mentioning among other things that the whole qf the Wairarapa had been acquired from the Natives on peaceful terms, a continuation of which was vouched for by the fact that they now saw Europeans and Maoris combining to inake the present exhibition » Success. He declared -the exliibitioil duly' opened. Mr G. Beetham spoke, expressing pleasure at spe.iqg tho exhibition SO thoroughly successful, In com oluSlon, three hearty cheers were given for Sir George Grey, The DriUshed was crowded during the ceremony, an d the number of visitors this evening was also large. ' The interior of the building -presents a - moat picturesque appeaiaiiee. There is" not much d<Sne in the way of dcQOiS.tion,' exSqpt out-, side, where threo handsome deoked with evergreens,- lead ’to the entrance j but the display of a largo ‘ variety of articles makeS up for the deficiency in the groundwork. Theie is but little in the way of local industries; an endeavor to''giyo, preference to shriwy articles and, qqrios beWg

I evidently predominant. Among colonial manufactures a large exhibit of materials from the Wellington' Woolleri Mills ; is shown by Messrs L. J. Hooper and Co., and takes ajprominent place. The Drapery Company have a similar display of goods from the Roslyn mills. Caselberg and Co. show a variety of boots and shoses from W. and J. Staples’ factory; E. Dixon, a buggy; and T. Jago and Whitt, drawingroom furuiture ; J. Godber, wedding-cake. Ashcroft and Company intended giving a display of electric light, but the engine got broken in trausit, and at present there is only a small display from jars. There is only one exhibit of cereals. : No attempt 1 has been made to classify the exhibits, and comparison is therefore difficult to make. A considerable number of old books are shown, some nearly 300 years old. Mr W. Everett has quite an historic collection of newspapers printed in the Colony, also the original edition of the Constitution Act, early history, almanacs, and a portion of the press the first Wellington paper was printed on. The Colonial Museum haß furnished geological maps, samples of wood, photos, &c. The display of pictures is the best thing in the hall. The oil paintings entered represent, among others, Miss A. H. Holmes, Mrs Brodie, R. Beetham, and wafcercolors by Radclyffe, E. Brandon, and H. E. Rawson. The total number of exhibits exceeds 2000. A good musical programme is arranged for each of the three evenings. 5 June 22.

, Referring again to the exhibits, I notice that several interesting additions have been made. The moat prominent among these is a spray engine, invented, by Dr W. H. Hosking, which should prove invaluable to all who are troubled with insect pests in their gardens or orchards. It consists of a chamber made of copper, capable of holding about eight or ten gallons of liquid, to which an air pump and a piece of rubber hose with a cyclone nozzle are attached. To work (he engine the holder is filled Wjth the prepared liquid’. Air “is ’’ ttjen' pumped .in. - when' sufficient pressure fra? obtained tfre operator may tqin q tqp, an’4 walk “ all ’round'a frrec and direct the spray wfiereyer' he/ Ijlces. ’ Whe.nl ever the’ liquid has been releasee!, ajl Jfrat' fre aeeds to do Is to give a few strokes on the pump and it is ''restored. The engine has attracted a great deal of interest, and I expect that it will oomo into general use as soon as it is put into the market. The Rev W. E. Paige has a very fine miscellaneous collection, which includes many articles of interest from the West Indies, and books and silver-ware that would delight an antiquary. Among the former is a Latin version of some of the ancient Greek classics, printed in 1546. Those who delight in things that savour of blood have an opportunity to perusd the written confession bf - Kelly, ’tme'pf tlTf? Mauhgatkpu m'urderers. ’ This is exhibited ny Mr. T. C, Williams:' "Amoiagthfe vWfrks of arc other than jiaintfngs, ii small 'iyo'ry cabinet exhibite'ej” by ! Captaip Holmw°b4 % prorfrinent plfrce)' It is «f ’Qhjnese wurktaUU?> ship) qnd aq faithfully and exactly ace all the, details that, nqe wonders wk.at spyt of tqols could have heen used, and vyhethep the who o was not the work of a lifetime. Messrs Caselberg have added to the industrial section a collection of boots and shoes from the factory of Messrs W. and J. Staples, of Wellington. Several pieces of native wood are shown by Mr G. H. Sbute, among them being elab3 of ake ake (Dodonea viscosa), some of them being polished and others in the rough. The wQQd, is one of the heaviest and toughest in the world, and as the blaok and yellow bands which alternate in it are exceedingly pretty, the display may bring it into notioe for use by cabinet-makers. It is rather strange that the Museum collections do not contain a sample of it. Several pines of titoki (Alectryon excelsum), shown by Mr J. Jones, of Eketahuna, also proved that this wood has an economic value other than for firewood. ■ Nearly ?alt tha ladies’ work shown consists of-inany (urtijo! that would form a.- useful *dditjcn ’tq any bed-ut this- time bf tfre year, but there are soape'very delicate fabrics, The attendance last night exceeded all anticipations, and I am afraid that the visitors- saw very little of the exhibits, except those that happened to be placed in elevated positions. It was impossible to walk around the tables, and those who came in early had, in many cases, to content themeelveq WAfei [stopping in the one plqq? for perh'ffjaaVafs [hour. The promenade 'lcburt was*,a great? ! success, all the items, being capitally .ren* dered. The programme included. glees and. choruses, ivocal solos,-and several selections! rendered by -Pearsonis Band and the Vqlijqv teer Band. .'>•*.? - *■ * . . Masterton, June 23 •

About a thousand ’ persons attended the exhibition yesterday. This afternoon the attendance was moderate—chiefly country people. An excellent oil painting, a moonlight scene, by Latham, a local artist, was added to-day. It was decided to keep the exhibition open on Monday for the benefit of the hospital. C t

(?,ER ERttSci. ASSOCIATION.) i> » June 21, ”/ r

Abo,ut 50Q people received Sir George Grey ut the Railway Station. The Mayors of Greytown, Carterton and Masterton wero present, and a oompanyof Volunteers under Captain Donald. The Rev T. W. Rouse read au address of welcome. Sir George declared the Exhibition open. It is a great success, the building being crowded. The weather is splendid. Sir? Geprgq • G*ey ceeeds to to-mto^rqw He witt qii'routei ’ r ,! ” ' 1 I ’■ ””