THE EXHIBITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13812, 28 January 1907, Page 5

THE EXHIBITION

THE ATTENDANCE rASSES A AUU'IOX. (F«OH Ouu SnciAli COBEXSPONDMT.) OHRISTOHUROH, January 27. IV attendance at the. Exhibition has now IWnsml 1,000,000, and tho general manager nopes that. ii Jho latcs arc very auspioiom n may touch Iho second million Lrloio tlic conclusion of \!it> great fair. Jltich excitement w«s ciuiwil on Saturday alterimon by tho prospect of seeing tho millionth person receive a reward, or of -being that lucky jJCKOii, and th© event was a considerable attraction m it.-cjf. When tho Exhibition was opewd in tho morning t>l92 poreoiu werostill required to complete tjio million, and it was nnticipaied that tho quota would !lw iiuulo m> either late in tho afternoon or early in tho evening. Shortly after o'clock i-agtu- crowds began to gamer, both insido unit ouisnio fche main cmiunco in anticipation of the event. About 20 minutes to o all tho mam entrances wore closed, and' iho sti-ciim <>[ visitors concentiatetl on one IKJinl. An official count of tho number of admissions showed that 251 .pei-jons wore Mill required, and a rar cful tally was then taken ot tin... people as they passed (hroim-h l'l-etautioiu wero also taken to prevent season ticket holder* gaining an unfair advantage 'by repeatedly going in and out. % the time when only nvo moro visitors wore jiooiled-to complete tho million tho exeiwnient ,|iad reaolied a hiirli piloh among the crowd, which had .increased to verv large proportions. Alost of ilwso entering wero by line time season tickc-t holders. Miss Alice .loiiniiigs, a OlirisWuircli girl, proved' to lio tho millionth patron, and as sii« luul had no such expectations she was much surprised ar. being pouucetl upon by ouicials and iiiiulo lit onceainiblieeharaeler. •She had como out to «;« tito crowd moro than anything ek>, and hml been pushed away from tho turnstile, several times before she could effect an entrance. Sim will bo prt'sontod with a. gold watch by tho Exhibition authorities as a memento of the. occasion.

I'lio total attendance fur Saturday was 15,57 V, mating an aggrcgalo of 1,1)09.185 for the 11 weeks ami two days that tlio Exhibition 'has been open. It is interesting lo compare lliis record with the attendance- at other Exhibitions. The Sydney Exhibition of 1879-80, which was open for practically seven months, returned a total attendanceof 1,117,536: tho Molbourno Exhibition ot 1880, 1,309,486; 1-lio Mclboiiruo Exhibition of 1888 (open for six months), 1,963,436; tlio Dtmoilm and South Seas Kxhi'bition o£ 1890 (open for five months), 670,000. I'hc- Now Zealand Athletic Union's sports meeting was concluded on tlio sports ground l oh Saturday, when eome. good sport was witnessed. Tlio .Sheffield handicap, of 135 yards, had a. specially exciting finish, 'lho iivo competitors in the final kept remarkably clrae together throughout the Kite, and finished almost abreast oE each other. Tlio judges had to declare a dead heat for first place, and another dead heat for third place.

Jintire satisfaction is expressed with the financial result of this Besses o , th . Barn Band's first season at tlio Exhibition. The 'band will commence ila second season of lii days on February 28.

Those people who did not sec t.ho earlier events and functions of the Kxhibition will be aiblo to witness a faithful and active representation of them by visiting West's Pictures, now being shown in tho Concert Hall. The opening ceremony, tho vcoeption ■by tho Maoris to riir John Gorst, the axemen's carnival, and other events were all cmemalograplicd when they took place, and West's mo now showing to crowded attendances excellent moving pictures of. these functions. Largo entries are- being received for tho New Zealand Amateur Athletio Association's championship meeting, to tab place on tho sports ground on February 21 and 25.

Many of the Now Zealand kinds that have entered for tho international band l contest aro stated to ho in capital form at .present, and tho conteet ie expected to eclipse previous ones in every detail.

RAILWAY EXCURSIONS. Mr A. R, Barclay, M.H.1!., has received tho following telegram from the Minister of Railways: — " Tho chenp excursion rates proposed in connection with tlio Cliristclmreh Exhibition will apply to a special trip arranged between certain points on a date that, will be advertised, but passengers from every station will have an opportunity to visit Cliristehinch by an excursion train ct the low rates arranged. .It is not intended that the cheap excursion rates should supersede tho holiday excursion rates which have been. in .opration since tho Kxhibition opened, and which will contimio during tho whole Exhibition period. In the event of the tirst series of clieup excursions being a success it may bo possible to run a. second series. The cheap excursion rates, however, cannot under any circumstances be made applicable to every-iky travel to the Exhibition. Full information regarding tho dates of excursion from Otago stations can bo obtained from tho Traflio_ Superintendent at Dunedin on application."