PROPOSED EXHIBITION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18875, 30 May 1923, Page 3

PROPOSED EXHIBITION.

QUESTION OE SITE, ETC. THE OPINION OF THE HON. M. COHEN. The Hera. Mark Cohen freely expressed his views yesterday with regard to several matters connected with the proposed Exhibition, but spoke more particularly as to the site to be selected. Mr Cohen in the course of his observations said that when he lay in bed the project had not so far advanced as to indicate the scope of the Exhibition nor the locality in which the necessary buildings were to be erected, and having had some experience in international exhibitions, and having attended three of them and been hon. commissioner for New Zealand at the great Panama-Pacific Exhibition, held at San Francisco in 1915, he thought the results of his observations might be of assistance. He had written to the ex-Mayor (Mr Douglas) setting forth what he thought should be done, in the first instance, to determine the scope and site of the Exhibition. At that time there were only four sites in the public view—Lake Logan, the Oval, the Caledonian Ground, with a portion of the foreshore behind the petrol stores, and Tahuna Park, Ho readily admitted that the Oval possessed very great advantages. It was central and accessible. But the area, having regard to the scope of the Exhibition, and necessarily the accommodation that would have to be provided for exhibitors, etc., made it very questionable whether the Oval could supply the necessary ground. Moreover, two patent objections had to be considered. The Oval was now recognised as the home of the adolescence of the city, and apart from cricket jn summer time on Wednesdays and Saturdays and for making those familiar with various other outdoor sports indulged in, there was an objection that must be recognised, in as much as it was a public reserve controlled by the City Council, and the Public Reserves Act of the General Assembly, so far as he read, forbade a City Council using any public reserve, except with the expressed leave of Parliament, for such -purposes as proposed. It might be, as he had heard, that the young ’ people if appealed to would be willing to forgo their rights for a year or two. But this estimate of the time for wmch the Oval would be needed for an exhibition was ridiculous. It would take many months before the ground could be handed over to the Exhibition contractors, whoever they might be. Then it was estimated, that the Exhibition would last from October till Easter of next year. Then the removal of the buildings would take time, and there would be further time—a year or _ two —to reinstate the ground and place it in the cona.aon it was to-day. in the interval what were our young people going to do for Wednesday and Saturday games, when there was an outcry on the score of the present grounds being inadequate? He had every respect for the opinion of the gentleman who suggested the linking up of the Drill Shed at Kensington through an overbridge from the Oval, but he thought that any unbiassed person would admit that there were insuperable difficulties in the way of carrying out that scheme. For the purpose of linking up either a subway under (he railway, which he doubted very much whether the railway authorities would permit, or an overbridge of great height would he necessary. Another suggestion was to buy out certain properties between Park street and Grosvenor street which would give access to the Drill Shod,, but he was afraid that that proposal was as impracticable as the others. Therefore _he was forced to dismiss the Oval project from consideration. The Caledonian /Society, in a spirit of public service which ho very muon admired, had offered to hand over its freehold on certain conditions. Here again the smallness of the area, apart fiom every other consideration, must negative the proposal, to say nothing of the unsuitability and impracticability of the proposal of the foreshore reservation. He now came to the last two sites, each of which had very high claims. In respect to Lake Logan he spoke with a certain degree of reservation, as he entertained a very high opinion of the judgment of the Executive Committee, the chairman of which was the Mayor of St. Kiida. Lake Logan would have a strong backing, for behind it stood the united forces of the University Council and the Harbour Board. Both these bodies, it must bo-.plainly stated, hud much to gain by the selection of, this site. In the .first place the University would obtain a couple of years earlier than it otherwise would the possession of 20 acres of this reclamation that had been promised it for a sports ground. But on the other hand the Harbour Board had a large area ready for amusement, and when it became known that the Exhibition was to be erected on Lake. Logan there would surely "arise a considerable demand that this land should be leased for business and residential purposes; wherefore the board would be promptly placed in the possession .of considerable revenue. Then in the roseate picture drawn up by the committee was included a highway from the main railway station to the ground, new tramway lines, and an omamental lake the latter having been knocked out by the harbour engineer, who had drawn attention; to the fact that Opoho Creek could only be carried to sea in one direction. Then there was the foot that could not he gainsaiyed, that Lake Logan did not serve the bulk of the city’s population which resided north of the Octagon. Another disadvantage was that the high ground" surrounding the lake would be used by those disinclined to pay Is for the right of admission.- Why he expressed an opinion in favour of Tahuna Park was because the Agricultural and Pastoral Society was about to spend a large sum of money in effecting permanent improvements to the ground, etc. It occurred to him that this would give a favourable opportunity to help the organisation in that direction. A great want in Dunedin was a stadium capable of holding from 8000 to 10.000 spectators. If this were built, say, at the side of the park, it would give accommodation to a large concourse of people. The Park authorities had asked the Domaih Board, and he understood that the application had been favourably received, for permission to extend their ground up to Lawyers’ Head road, comprising a little over four acres, and, speaking, of the seaside, there was another area of six acres, which would make over 30 acres in all. If, with the consent of the Domain Board that level stretch of country from St. Kiida Council pavilion to the immediate vicinity of the Central Battery were procured for Exhibition purposes, another 121 acres of perfectly level country could be added to the 30 acres. The advantage of this 12i acres was that it-could be earmarked for amusement purposes. Then on the- seaward side there was a vast extent of country in which swimming pools and other kinds of amusement so dear to the juvenile heart could be placed. . He might add that this 12i acres was capable of expansion. There was a kind of road between this 12£ acres and the band stand, but he was not aware whether it had ever been dedicated to the public. If not the Domain Board could cleai with it as it pleased; if otherwise a parliamentary sanction would be required for its temporary use. It hardly required to be said that the pbsition of the railway line leading to the park, and the two existing tram lines would provide for the carriage of visitors to the Exhibition. He warmly approved of the attitude of the last meeting on the question of the scope of the Exhibition, and hoped sincerely that that attitude would not be departed from. When he had been in America in 1915 he had had an opportunity of addressing boards of trade and chambers of commerce on the desirability of establishing closer relations between this dominion and the United States, and wherever ho had spoken ho had hinted at the possibility, of New Zealand at an early date going in for an International Exhibition, and he had been assured that if such a project were put forward that the Government of this dominion would receive hearty support from all concerned in business in the States. This much should not be forgotten: That, our Allies—France, Japan, Italy, the peoples of South America—were trying to establish trade relations with us, and would certainly be exhibitors if proper to promptly bring under their notice the scope and purpose of the Exhibition. So far as England and the Continent were concerned Sir James Allen and tire New Zealanders resident in England for the time being could be depended upon to do all that was necessary. So far as America and South American Republics were concerned it would require a small commission to be despatched to these countries to urge them to be represented at the Exhibition. Then there were the steamboat companies and the railway companies to he interviewed with the object of securing their co-opera-tion in obtaining largely reduced fares during the time the Exhibition was in full swing. Adequate provision must be made for the accommodation of the thousands of visitors that would come to Dunedin during the time the Exhibition was open. It •would never do to invite visitors from afar that on their arrival they should ho fared with the difficulty of obtaining accommodation for themselves *-•*!' l^uilies.