AUCKLAND EXHIBITION.

Patea Mail, Volume XXXVIII, 1 December 1913, Page 2

AUCKLAND EXHIBITION.

OPENED BY LORD LIVERPOOL. A BRILLIANT GATHERING. By Telegraph—Special to Pnass, Auckland, To-day. < With the opening of the exhibition this morning the work and schemes of the last IS months were consummated. The opening ceremony took place at 11 o’clock in the magnificent Concert Chamber when short and appropriate speeches were delivered by His Excellency the Governor, The Prime Mmistsr, the Hon. W, F. Massey, Messrs G. Elliot, president of the Exhibition Committee, B; Buttle, vice president and 0, J. Parr, mayor, immediately after which the Hsllejnah chorus was rendered by the Choral Society and Royal Artillery Band grouped at the main entrance to the palace of industries. While this was proceeding the guests' crossed from the Concert Chamber and after the *' Old Hundredth ” had been snog and the National Anthem played, His Excellency formerly unlocked the door and declared the Exhibition open. Golden keys were presented to the Governor and Mr Massey as souvenirs of the occasion. Occupying as they do a splendid position and commanding magnificient views of the city and harbour, the Exhibition building and grounds are worthy of the great object which they are intended to accomplish. All the buildings are painted whiteand make a most attractive scene, especially at night when thousands of electric lights will transform them into a fairy world. The Exhibition may be seen long before one reaches it, the twin towers of the main building showing up visably among the green trees. Behind them the huge structures of Wonderland are plainly seen suggesting something at once mysterious and colossal. The main gates are designed to accommodate big crowds. The main gateway admits the visitors to a kind of shallow basin, the rim of which is crowned with white and red roofed buildings partly concealed by the luxur ant foliage of English trees, The basin is split into lawns and gardens by winding pathways of pink coloured scoria leading in all directions and the, wonderfully harmonised colours of the flower beds catch and gladden the eye. Everywhere the visitor turns, constantly from one pleasing combination of colour to another, here a prettily arranged tea kiosk peeps out from among the foliage of oak trees which spring from among beds of beautiful and seasonable flowers, there a red roof showing enticingly over the luxuriant verdure which surrounds the ponds. The ponds themselves have been cleaned up and re-arranged and made gorgeous with water lilies and artisMo with rustic bridges ornamental shrubs, the main building drowning the slope immediately in front of the principal entrance and clearly distinguished by reason of its towers. The building covers no lees than three and two-fifths acres and has no less than two miles of stalls under- its roof. These latter are more than half the Exhibition and from the managerial and other offices which it contains the whole elaborate machinery of the Exhibition is controlled. Another row of buildings includes the Government courts, the Fijian North Auckland and Southland courts, the aqaarium and the alligator bouse upon the bill. At the back are the very instructive experimental garden plots for which the Department of Agriculture is responsible. There are three special features of the exhibition which arc worth mentioning. The first is the presence of the band of the Royal Artillery, which has been brought to Auckland by the exhibition authorities at a cost of about £7OOO. The total strength of the band is 45. Ths second feature is the splendid collection of over 600 paintings which have been brought out to Auckland by Mr John Baillie and which aca on view in the exhibition art gallery, they represent some of the best works of the leading modern painters of Britain, and some very fine examples of the work of the olden masters are also shown. The third speaiai feature of the exhibition it the Fairy Fountain, the basin of which has a diameter of 60ft is situated in front of the Palace of Industries. Thirty pipes send columns of water to a height of 70ft and powerful lamps let into the bottom of the basin display coloured lights upon the fountain. The effect which of course is obtained at night when the grounds and buildings are lit up with thousands of lamps can be better imagined than described. The cost of such an installation has been considerable, but the expenses has been more than justified by the result. Wonderland park covering 16 acres lies along the back of the exhibition proper and is the playground of the exhibition, and will prove an irresistable attraction to the large majority of visitors not simply because it provides a medium for enjoyment to people who are on pleasure beut. but on account of the excellence and novelty of its manifold amusements. It is one of the most remarkable places of amusement that have yet been arranged in New Zealand and is therefore certain to attract many thousands of the laughter loving people of the Dominion.