THE EXHIBITION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18867, 21 May 1923, Page 8

THE EXHIBITION.

TO THE EDITOR. , Sm,—l read with interest your report of the meeting in connection with the proposed Exhibition, and sincerely trust that those citizens who have this project in hand will take a broad outlook and make it the biggest thing in Exhibitions yet held in the Southern Hemisphere. This is th© day of big ideas, and nothing appeals to the average man or woman so much as ” bigness.” The successful showman aims at having the biggest attraction yet presented to the public, the successful business man’s aims are the same—to have something bigger than any of his competitors, and so on', and if our Exhibition is to be the success we all wish it, then we must aim at something big. To make our Exhibition big we must have th© proper site to attain this object, and, 10 my mind, thefe is only one site, and that is Lake Eogun, There wo have the natural facilities that would bo hard to beat in any part of the dominion. One argument used against this site is that it is too far out of the town, but if wo have the tram facilities for getting there what difference does it make to a resident of St. Hilda, St. Clair, Anderson’s Lay, or North-East Valley once ho has boarded bis car? He will bo landed right at the spot, and the only difference is (hat He will be a few minutes longer in the car than might otherwise bo the case, fhe council will, of course,, have to see that it has sufficient cars to be able to run them, in abundance from every terminus direct to the Exhibition.

, Do the people .find Forbury Park too far away when there is a trotting meeting there? Surely we are going to make our Exhibition an , even greater attraction than a race meeting. When the Rugby Union took over Carisbrook the pessimist said the public would not go away out there, but it has been proved that if the attraction is provided the public will attend. When Messrs Fullers (Limited) turned the Agricultural Hall into His Majesty’s Theatre the same croakers, said that it was too far out of the way and that the people would not go down th© back streets,” but still when there is a star attraction we find hundreds being turned away from His Majesty's. As the Yankee says: "deliver the goods and you will get the custom.” Since the 1889-90 Exhibition times have changed. While the citizens were content then to visit the Exhibition mainly to inspect the exhibits, I think something more will be required for 1925. There must bo abundance of attractions to attract the people to the Exhibition regularly. Arrangements .must be made for holding monster attractions. For instance, if an up-to-date, sports grounds were laid out in connection with the Exhibition, a monster band contest, fire brigades’ demonstration, fireworks displays, etc., could be held. Arrangements might be made with the Otago Cricket Association to arrange all its representative matches for Exhibition year, and these matches could be played on the Exhibition grounds. The Athletic Association might arrange for the New Zealand championship meeting being held there; arrangements could be mad© for laying down a dozen up-to-date lawn tennis courts; and arrangements could be made for the holding of the Now Zealand championship tournament in connection with the Exhibition; whil© the local association could also hold its annual tourney on these courts. The Rugby Union might arrange for some Eugby attractions, and as the grounds would be illuminated, we' could have several of these : functions held in the evening. What an attraction a good football match would b 0 played under electric light conditions! Bake Logan, being so beautifully sheltered from our prevailing north-east winds, makes an ideal site for all these arrangements, whil© the other sites proposed are exposed to th© prevailing winds.

Tiicn wo would require a cabaret, where the latest dances could be carried on to the delight of the dancers, incidentally providing a great attraction for the non-dancers. There would also be ample room for water chutes and all manner of side-shows which, to my mind, will be the magnet that will draw the crowds to the Exhibition. If a strong Amusement Committee is appointed 1 feel confident that some real star attraction could be arranged for each week.’ i think it would also be possible to arrange a swimming pool where our swimming friends could also hold all manner of carnivals.

I trust that our citizens will get hold of the big idea. If the citizens want a glorified Winter Show, then the Oval or some such site will do, but if you want tbe big idea, then let us on© and all pull together and go for the big scheme, and one and all work to make it the success that it can. be made. It has been proved time and again that the way to make a success of anything in the way of an attraction is to go for tho big idea, and I maintain the same principle will hold in connection with our Exhibition, xho Daily Times this morning stresses a very important point, and that is the question of accommodation. If we wish to attract thousands of visitors, then wo must have th© accommodation to offer them. This is a very important feature, and a strong committee should be sot up immediately to deal with it. The only fly in the ointment at present appears to be tbe question whether the Lake Logan ground can be reclaimed in time, but I have sufficient confidence in our harbour engineer to feel that, if he has the necessary backing and gets the neces. sary assistance, bo will curry out Ida part in time for tho Exhibition.

Then, finally look how our city is going to benefit! The north end, which has never had a decent recreation ground, will have one of the finest in the dominion where there will bo room for all branches of sport. The University students have no area where they can indulge in sport anywhere near the University, and this area will be available for them. What a difference it is going to make to our city in the way of improved accommodation, etc! At present Dunedin mioses a great deal of tho tourist traffic through lack of accommodation, and when we have any big attraction in our city,' wo are very hard put to accommodate visitors. The Exhibition will be the means of overcoming all these difficulties. Dunedin has always obtained the reputation of being able to run anything well. Tho committees that controlled the recent Band Contest and the Fire Bridges’ Demonstration were told by visitors that these functions were better managed than anything seen in Australasia. The Rugby Union was given the credit of having managed the test match against the Springboks in Dunedin better than was done in any of the other centres, and the same has been said of all manner of functions arranged by Dunedin committees. Therefore, I am .confident that Dunedin can show Australasia the way to run an Exhibition. Let us, one and all, set out to make a name for Dunedin and do it on a big scale.—l am, etc., E, S. Wilson.