THE MELBOURNE EXHIBITION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1912, 13 July 1888, Page 21

THE MELBOURNE EXHIBITION.

[Feom Oub Special Corbespondent.]

Melbourne, July 4.

As the days draw near for the opening of the Centennial International Exhibition matters become more lively. The scene at the great building grows more animated. There is a perfect army of workmen, and Mr Lavater, the secretary, has a staff of clerks and assistants that would almost stock a London banking chamber. A visit to the building and a ramble through the vast annexes to see the decorations, the arranging of exhibits, the erection of trophies and so forth in progress, are already recognised as one of the shows of the city. Shoals of applications are made for passes, without which entrance cannot be secured. So great a nuisance has this become that the commissioners at one of their recent meetings have been considering how to put a stop to it. When parties of ladies and gentlemen present themselves before the gatekeepers on workmen's passes, or as assistants in some of the foreign courts, the abuse is apparent enough, but it is not very safe to turn them back, for they may be commissioners' friends in disguise. r l he fact that such means are resorted to, however, will show you how eager the public are to get a peep at what is going on while yet the show is free.

Melbourne — "marvellous Melbourne" — is going to be very gay at the opening time, which will extend over a whole fortnight. One day's gaiety will by no means suffice for such an event. To put it in the sober language of the newspaper reporter : — " The opening of the Centennial International Exhibition is to be made the occasion of a series of festivities that are to extend over a fortnight." The actual opening ceremonial will be a brilliant affair. All the Governors of the neighbouring colonies will visit us to assist Sir Henry Loch and enliven the event by their presence. The neighbouring Parliaments will adjourn in honour of the day, and all the legislative wealth and grace of Australia — including even, we may suppose, the pugilistic Mr M'Elhone, from New South Wales, and the irrepressible Mr Seddon, from New Zealand, will flock to Melbourne. All the vessels of the British fleet in Australian waters will make Hobson's Bay their assembling place, and their gallant captains, from the rear-admiral downwards, will bo present on the day. All our own legislators, leading citizens, trade societies, brass bands, | &c, &c, will be on view. An immense procession will be formed ; through the grand Avenue of Nations, all decorated with flags and ferns, it will march to the great hall, where from a platform, surrounded by viceregal visitors, naval and military big guns, the Judges in their ermine, the Speakers in their gorgeous silks, and a magnificent array of all kinds of swells, his Excellency Sir Henry Loch will do the opening. After the brass bands have done their part, Mr Cowen and his orchestra and choir will begin, and the Rev. Allan's opening cantata, with its harmonic lines concerning ;the warrigal and the dingo, will delight the ears of the music loving. That evening his Excellency will give a dinner in the noble ballroom of Government House. This will bring opening day No. 1 to a close; but a full fortnight's programme of festivity has been prepared. Everybody is going to vie with everybody else in welcoming the guests and astonishing the natives. The initial day will be Wednesday. Thursday's attraction will be an evening concert in the exhibition, to which admission will be by invitation ofthe president and his fellow commissioners. Mr Cowen will have his first grand opportunity of showing: Melbourne what he can do with his choir of 800 voices, and his orchestra of 66 performers. The great hall will hold 3000 people for this event, and it may safely be said that no more brilliant audience has ever assembled in Melbourne or in Australia than will that evening. On Friday, August 3, a second dinner will be given by his Excellency the Governor at Government House. On Saturday, the President of the Legislative Council (Sir James Macßain) and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (Mr M. H. Davies), on behalf of Parliament, are to entertain a large company at a banquet in the concert hall at the Exhibition building. This will bring the first week to a glorious conclusion, but the following week will be merely a ditto repeato. The event of Monday is a dinner by invitation of the Mayor of Melbourne (Alderman Benjamin) in the Town Hall. Tuesday is to be marked by a ball, which is to be given by his Excellency the Governor and Lady Loch at Government House. On Wednesday there is to be a banquet, by invitation of the president and commissioners, in the concert hall at the Exhibition building. A concert, by invitation of the President of the Legislative Council and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, is to be held on Thursday ; and finally on Friday, August 10, his Excellency the Governor and Lady Loch are to give another ball at Government House. These will be the entertainments for the famous guests and upper ten ; and the hosts are making their preparations already. The Governor may be trusted to do the thing handsomely ; Sir James Macßain and Mr M. H. Davies will spare none of their wealth ; and his Worship the Mayor (Mr Benjamin) is determined that the Christians will not have the laugh over the son of Israel. Mr Skinner and his fellow caterers are brimfull of orders ; waiters are asking double rate of pay ; and the poulterers and fruiterers are in a seventh heaven of delight. Truly there will be " scenes of sights and sights of scenes," as old Captain Bany used to say in his lecture. In addition to these official celebrations, a programme of events is being arranged with the view of providing for the amusement of the general public. The principal of these will be concerts in the Exhibition building, which will be made as varied and attractive as possible.

The recital of all these preparations for enjoyment and entertainment ought to fill all readers -with a longing to be members of the party. But the probability is that most New Zealand visitors will be content to read afar off the accounts of all the festivities, and will prefer to wait till things are quieter, till all the exhibits are in their proper places, the courts all in order, and the exhibition has put on its every-day habit and appearance. And there will be many who will take a double joy in one— kill two

birds with one stone, — see the exhibition and all its wonders, and at the same time the Melbourne Cup and all its glories. It is the convenience of these that the Union Steamship Company has had in view in making arrangements for an excursion trip by the Mararoa. This magnificent steamer is to be turned into a floating hotel in Melbourne in the Cup time. The passengers are to be saved all the worry of engaging rooms in the city by being allowed to eat and sleep on board. The Mararoa will lie here for no less than 10 days, so that the round trip from Dunedin will take about three weeks. Sho will of course be a full boat. The passengers ought to requisition the captain not to keep his boat in the Yarra, for life upon its noisome borders is not an entrancing delight. If she could lie off St. Kilda pier, for instance, their lot would be enviable indeed ; but next to that, which is impossible unless she brings the Harbour Board dredge with her, then the passengers ought to bargain for Port Mcl« bourne.

The New Zealand court is among the most advanced for the opening. It has a somewhat heavy and solid look, which is the effect of the great timber trophies, but when the fernery is constructed with its pretty grotto, and the lighter exhibits get into position, this aspect of solidity will be lessened. Sir James Hector, the executive commissioner, has enclosed his court, and has posted at the front of it the injunction, " No admittance except on business." There is very little to be seen from outside, but on entering one finds that rapid progress is being made with the court. The floor of the court stands 17ft from the ground. It had therefore to be strengthened for some of the heavier exhibits. This was a cause of delay and annoyance, but now all preliminary difficulties have been settled. Excellent offices have been provided, the court has been enclosed on two sides by a partition, and the decorations are shortly to be commenced. It was intended that the fernery should be placed in an open space, between the annexes and the main building, but Sir James Hector has now decided to place it in his court. He will use the carved front of a Maori storehouse as a centre. He proposes to construct under the arch of it a picturesque grotto, with water, and to distribute around it the fine collection of ferns which he has already received from New Zealand. There are to be sundry trophies in the court. Tall wooden frameworks are now being put together to carry the trophies of wool and grain. These rise to a height of over 30ft. The wool trophy will consist of a pyramid of wool in red, blue, and white, surmounted by a stuffed Romney Marsh ram, and bearing on its front a table of statistics. At the bottom of the grain trophy there will be bins of grain ; above these will come statistics, then sheaves of wheat, barley, and oats, and on the top a representation of flour. The design of the flax trophy has not yet been determined. The massive trophy of the Midland Railway Company is in course of erection. It consists of an arch formed of two huge logs as supports, mounted with iron cages containing coal and coke, and a framework of polished sections of timber, with logs cut and polished on the top arranged around. The whole of the material used in the trophy was obtained from the Midland Railway Company's estate in New Zealand. There are to be a number of fine models in the court, which are the work of Sir James Hector, including large topographical and geological models in relief of New Zealand. The arrangement of the court is admirable, and Sir James Hector and Mr Callis have evidently profited by their previous experience of exhibitions. The design of the art section is unique. It is divided into a series of saloons, with the partitions placed at angles, and it gives much more wall space than could otherwise be obtained. It is evident from a glance through the court that in the month still remaining Sir James will have ample time to make everything spick and span for the Ist of August.