THE EXHIBITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12464, 25 May 1911, Page 5

THE EXHIBITION.

OPENED BY HON. J. CARROLL

UT/.miOUK WEATHER

(Per Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, this day. The Coronation Industrial Exhibition was opened yesterday afternoon m glori ous weather by the Hon. ,1. Carroll. Acting-Premier. The Exhibition is being held m the J and A; harbor sheds, the former 26tfi by 74ft.;, and the .latter 240 ft by 93ft. These two sheds give a floor sjiwce ol 76,492 sfluare feet, or 31,000 ft moit than that available at last exhibition held here m 1679. The exhibits, ex i cepting for working machinery ami. pianos, are confined to products oi manufactures of New Zealand: Tin real object of the exhibition being to advertise the wonderful resources of tin land. , EiXHIjBITS WARMLY PRAISED. "Many - experienced commercial men avowed that the 'Exhibition comprised the finest collection of New Zealand m dustries ever shown m the Dominion. Exhibits are forthcoming from, nearly every place of importance between Auckland and Invercargill. and from along both coasts. The exhibits are ranged on the ground floor down the whole length of each side of , the sheds and down, the centre, there being about 140 stalls. Upstairs there are a large number of other displays, comprising an ar( gallery, the Government Railway and Agricultural Departments' exhibits. «md a comprehensive display of work of the pupils of the public and technical schools, and school art. the space between the two sheds being utilised by ths erection of a spacious staircase lead ing to the stadium, which measures 240 ft by 88ft, and has seating accommo dation alone for over 10C0 people. Here will be held sports, aiid when these are not m progress the floor will be used for skating and a bowling green-, for all of which it appears to be admirably adapted. At one end of the buildings is a concert hall, .with seating accommodation for 800. Side shoivs, are numerous and varied, and should reap a harvest of stray small coins. A feature of the Exhibition will be the lighting, as local rival illurriinant suppliers »are keenly competing against one another. One shed will be completely lighted by municipally-supplied electricity, .and others by the Gas Co. The former is exhibiting, .various electrical cooking and other 'appliance's, and the Gas Co. is exhibiting .their wares on an equally lavish scale. The exhibition is thus providing an excellent opportunity'for the public to decide the merits of these twd illuminanta. ! 'Shere are two , notable displays of works of aft in/ the Exhibition. ' One comprises over 2CQ pictures lent by Wellington citizens, and is very varied m character. The other comprises scenic -works m oil. and water by Mr W. G. Baker, who has views on exhibition of almost every notable scene m the Dominion. The Railway Department's exhibit is of photos of various New Zealand made locomotives, and specimens of work done at the railway work shops. The Agricultural Department contri butes exhibits from the State farms, and the Tourist Department has a number "of stags' heads, scenic views, etc. The business exhibits are innumerable, and practically every New Zealand natural or manufactured article is on view m some part of the building. The . working display is also numerous, one which attracts considerable attention being that of a- steam laundry where shirts, collars, etc, were washed and ironed expeditiously and thoroughly m the frill 'view of the public. Electrical and steam machinery is also m full working order m various parts of the building. A number of models are shown, including one of Dawson's suspension' bridge, complete m everr detail. Among the Union Co's exhibit* is n model valued at £600. The home industries section of the Exhibition is very extensively represented. In the Exhibition there will be a post and telegraph office, a- telegraph bureau, and a branch of the Savings Bank. The Exhibition will remain open until July 29th. THE OPENING CEREMONY. At the opening ceremony speeches were made by the, Hon. J. Carroll, Mr Ballinger (chairman of the Exhibition). Mr Wilford (Mayor), Mr Fletcher (chair man of the Harbor Board)., and Mr Tewsby (chairman of the Chamber of Commerce).. Musical items were rendered by a string band and the Lieder tafel. ■•■••■*-.■ The attendance was very large, and the opening function was m every way most successful. , • Among those present were : Hon. I).] Buddo and Hon. GV towlds, Messrs McLaren, Luke, Hogg, Fisher, and Wriaht, M.P.'s, and, Hon. Loughnan and Mills. M.L.C.'s. also a number of consuls, and Messrs Hercus and Ford, president and •3fccretary respectively of thje Christchurch Industrial Association. Mr Ballinger read apologies from the Chief Justice and Mr . Herdtman, the latter stating that the movement deserved, the warmest support of every citizen, 'and that he thoroughly appreciated the effort to stir up the industrial spirit of the city. . FOSTERING ; LOCAL INDUSTRY. Mr Ballinger said it was to be regretted that Lord Islington, who was patron, was unable to be present. The holding of the Exhibition was a matter or very ■ considerable importance to the whole of the Dominion, m fact .it. was a matter of. importance to -all the colonies and Homeland. It was the! largest New Zealand Industrial Exhibition yet held m, th%- Dominion. It would be seen tftat^TO&nrifaHtirer'fe from; all parts of New Zealand: werfc exhibit- 1 ing, and practically every industry of any importance u>a* represented. : -Thej Wellington Prpvmctat', As | sbciatibn was eitaiuisifea m September, 1895. Its object was well known, and he elaif&eH that the fostering of local! industry was one which .should appeal; to all who had the welfare lof New 3'e«j land at he%t, and who wished to seeNeV 1 Zealand become a self-supporting! country. He did not wish to" coiivfcrt! his "address into a political speech, bu t he^' deemed iit his duty to touch upon' Boiftk. mattery bordering closely on politics; Here we had one of the finest, countries m the world; and one of the most richfy . endowed with mineral wealth. Yet" we could not claim to be anything like^ "serf-B ( uppbtt|rtg." \'.Jtnportalions oc.fcujned by far too great a part . Ip New- Zealand's trade. Personally ' (and therq were doubtless many holding similar views) he had a very strong leaning towards manufacturing. It was gratifying to manufacturers' to be able to skilled l&bbr, arid assist in 1 the development of th« country. This being so, legislation should surely tepd fn $fie. flirection: of assisting mhfnifacturertf, arfct m providing ah 1 opportunity for such employment. There was- something : wrong with a yoiing country like this wheh a falling .away m industrial life was shown, Last year the increase m the number of factories was only 262. whereas for the preceding nine years the average increase of factories was 622. Owing to representations made, the Government hnd appointed Mr Cameron to visit all the principal cities and towns m the Domini6rr' to inquire into the condition of the iron: trade, which is reported to be m a languishing condition. In inspecting the manufactures displayed it was hoped that visitors would be convinced thftt New Zealand goods were certainly equal to, if not better than, those imported. He also hoped that legislators who visited the exhibition would realise the necessity and the great impoitaii'-e of doing .ill m their power to generally promote, foster, and encourage our productive, industries. As they preached self-reliance they also practised lit. No Government subsidy hid been asked for. On the contrary, free v space had been pi yen to' several departmental exhibits. The undertaking had been eheerfullv guaranteed by some public-sniritod citizens. Nothing had been left undone to provide arnuseinent for visitors. The stadium, vHiere all kinds of sports were to be conducted, should prove very attractive. For the first time on record a tennis championship would be held under, cover. After alluding to other sections of the exhibition, he thanked

the Ua'ilw'iiy Department for assisting the project by conveying exhibits to ami from the exhibition, and the steam shipping companies for the free carriage "1 exhibits on the return journey.

After the exhibition had been declared open, a telegram would be despatched to his Majesty the King from the exhibition telegraph office.

"During the term of llu j exhibition." Mr Ballinger' concluded, "his liracio.i: Majesty King George V. n ill be crowned. May lie, under Almighty God's protection, have a long, prosperous, ant; peaceful reign, ;md may the old ami new land prosper." (Applause.) PROGRIvSS OF WELLINGTON.

Mr WilfoVd * congratulated the chair man and executive committee on the ex cellence of tlie arrangements, remarking that the exhibition as a whole would b. found to be the most complete of tin kind ever held m the Dominion. "li industry is fortune's right hand," i-aki Mr Wilford, "then the display here ol produce of such' industry must indeed create a substantial high way to com mercial prosperity. Do nut imagine that this is » dry-as-dust show. All classes are catered for. The thrifty housewife will find new" ideas, introducing economic reforms. The exhibi tion of children's work will show the vast strides made m technical education m this country, while the sporting por tion of the public are catered for a* they have never been catered for previously. As Mayor of the city." con tinned Mr Wilford, '"1 presume I must say something of Wellington. Our progress during the hist few years has been remarkable, for it may be said J that wood paving of streets, installing of electric' trams, street widening, a new water supply storage reservoirs for high levels, abattoirs, 'purchase of elec trie lighting, etc.. etc., are quicklygrowing and strongly-rooted plants of tertile and productive subsoil. Carry your mind back for ten years only, and remember the horse trams as against our present up-to-date system. The very building m which -the exhibition stands is a sign that we have passed the knickerbocker stage, and have now reached full and healthy manhood. Civic responsibility is being understood and appreciated, while the relation of the individual to the city authorities is under a. broadened franchise, harmon iously co-operating. HEALTHIEST CITY IN AUSTRALASIA. '"Wellington, is, the healthiest city m Australasia. That is no boast, but n fact incontrovertible. Geographically, it is a. centraj rpart of distribution for the Dominion. Commercially, it is sound and prosperous. I have just received the statistics of Melbourne, with its huge expenditure on sewerage, drainage, etc. In comparison with Wellington m the matter of health, the statistics of Melbourne suffer. The citizen?' of Wellington should remember, and assert and claim until all. know even beyond our confines, that Wellington is the healthiest city m" Australasia. Our capital value has increased from £9.581,000 m 1903 to ..£1^,627,000 to-day. These figures, speak eloquently. In conclusion, I would say, 'self-reliance is our watchword, sturdy independence our motto,' and with publicrSpirited citizens and « healthy interest m civic affairs, Wellington need not fear the future." (Applause.) ACTING-PREMIER'S SPEFCH. The Hon. J. Carroll, Mho met with a cordial reception, then formally declared the exhibition open. We lived, he said, m an age of industrial developments, land exhibitions were .a means of drawing people together, and encouraging friendly rivalry m trade. They constituted. lin factj a kind of stocktaking of the I produce and products of the commercial world. The leading citizens of Wellington were to be congratulated on the manner m which they had succeeded m demonstrating by means of the exhibition what industries and what departments of trade might be. cultivated « in the interests of the Dominion. The exhibition formed a fine illustration of the ability of our people to' rival those m other countries, m producing and manufacturing up to the highest .standard of quality and excellence. It was a kind of industrial census which enabled us to compare our conditions and works with those of other countries, ;ind showhow we Aland m the great industrial campaign. There were on view at the exhibition various specimens of productsand manufactures of our country which iave a fitting answer, and were m every way creditable to those responsible for them. (Applause.) A BRIGHT OUTLOOK. The Acting-Premier went on to refer to the growth of New Zealand iudus?. tries as the result of .the employment of skilled' labor and up-to-date methods, and then gave some interesting detaila ; During the', year ending. 31st March. 1900, there were m Wellington 550 workrooms, m which were engaged 5908 per--B,oiik. For the year ending March 31. 1910. the numbtirs'.'had increased to 1074 work-rooms and 8728 hands; There was, he remarked,: only one thing U\ affect 'the growth of our manufacturing' industries, and that was the dearth of suitable laboi 1 . The position was, he knew, becoming acute, but . they might rely ori the question receiving the earnest consideration of the Government.' Again, during the period from 1907 to i.910, the number of shops m Wellington had increased from 1186 to 1538. The number of persons employed m (hem had increased from 3317 to 4C65. and the wages naid had increased from £186,449 to £238.680. The outlook from an employment point of view, 1 he added, as far as Wellington was concerned, appeared at present to compare iioat favorably with any previous period. During the past four years, not only had Wellington provided fairly regular employment for its skilled tradesmen and unskilled laborers during {he last twelve months, but hundreds of hew arrivals had been quickly and easily absorbed m the city and district. The 'approaching winter promised to.be sV favorable one, and although there was bound to be lost time, owinij to weather conditions, he ..had eyery reason to believe thftt tho outlook for the Dominion generally was brighter and better than it hnd * been lor the past two years. (Applause.) Over 5000 persons attended the exhibition to-day.