EXHIBITION NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8642, 4 November 1889, Page 3

EXHIBITION NOTES.

Mr Robert S. M'Vickar hai been entrusted with the furnishing of the dinner, luncheon, dessert, tea, breakfast, aud glass services, with all tho " ceramic " aud other household requisites for the vice-regal residence.

Tho members of tho Presbyterian Synod visited tho exhibition buildings on Saturday afternoon. Arrangements have been made for the Otago Sunday School Union to rehearse in the music hall on the 6th, 13th, and 20th inst. for the choral nnd floral feitival. Similar permission has b;en granted to the Konwii Catholic schools, the rehearsals being fixed for the 7tb, 14tb, and 21st iust. The misunderstanding that ha 3 arisen between the executive of the exhibition and the commissioner for New South Wales is still unsettled, i aud Mr Moyer oo Saturday paid off the bands j employed by him. Tho executive have addressed the following letter to him:— ■ 2nd November I*B9. Oscar Meyer, Esq., Commissioner for Mew South

Waits Sir,—The executive learn with regret that you have ordered the etoppoge of tho work in the New South Wales court owing to some minuudorstauding that has arisen. We are sorry tlmtyou hnveresortrd to such an extreme step without personal enmmuni cation with us, and will be glad if you will meet us on Monday morning at half-past 10 for the purpose j of explaining your grievance. j If we are not then able to arrive at a mutually satisfactory understanding, we shall be quite rejdy to refer all the matters in dispute to impartial arbitration.—l am, &c, John HOBERT3, President.

A cable reached the general manager last evening from Albany (\V.A.) stating that the Messageries' steamer Yarra had arrived there in a disabled condition. Monsieur Laruelle is a passenger on baard, and is iv charge of a large shipment of French exhibits for the New Zea-

land Exhibition, which he fears will not reach Melbourne in time to catch the U S.S. steamer next week—still it is probable that the delay whilst retarding the transhipment will not preveat the opening of the French sourt—which promiees to be an attractive one. Monsieur Laruellc is an experienced exhibition band, who has often proved that he can cope with difficulties. It may therefore be hoped that this slight, delay will be overcome by an effort to meet the contretemps. Mr James Elder Brown, of Elderlee, Milton, is forwarding a model of the first threshing machine erected in Otago. The circumstances under which the original machine was made in 1852 are these: —About a year and a half previous to that date the late Rev. Thomas Burns, D.D, and his son, Mr A. J. Burns, agreed with Mr A. Duthie, Mr Edward Martiu, and Mr Thomas Brookes (ill now dead) to fell and burn about 5U acres of bush at Grant's Braes, opposite to Duncdin. Of this, 40 acres wete sown in

wheat and produced a good crop. A difficulty then appeared as to how this could be threshed by hand, as it was by far the largest field that had then been grown in the settlement. As it was known that Mr George Brown had knowledge of machinery, he was consulted as to the practicability of erecting a threshing machine with such materials as were procurable, and he agreed to erect one of wood, having arranged that Mr R. Cramond, the blacksmith, should furnish gudgeons, hoop's and bolts of iron, no castings /of any kind being obtainable. Mr Brown was assisted in his task by his 6ons George and James Elder, and the last named gentleman has now reproduced the machine in a model, which adheres as nearly as po3sible to the form and method of the original materials and workmanship. Mr Brown has forwarded the model to Mr J. L. Gillies, pending the placing of it in the exhibition,

The Fiji correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes on October 7:—" The Agricultural Association having apparently collapsed, effort is being made outside to secure a representative collection of produce for show at the Duuedin Exhibition, and au influential cammittee, with the Hon. the Chief Justice as chairman, has been formed to take the matter in hand. Some really good work in furtherance of the objects aimed at has been done dnring the past week, and I learn that the representative producers of our staple exports—sugar, copra, tea, and fruits—have pledged themselves to forward exhibits. It is somewhat late now to commence gathering; but as the date of receiving has besn extended to December, it is possible that our colony may yet be well represented at the colonial show. The U.SS. Company have arranged for the steamship Wainui, in extension of her Tongan «rip, calling at Fijian ports on the 6th and 7th proximo, to pick up all packages of exhibits in readiness for shipment, which are to carried free of charge.