IMPERIAL INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4581, 1 March 1893, Page 3

IMPERIAL INSTITUTE.

Sip Walter Buller Interviewed.

[Special to the ' r Stab."J WELLINGTON, Feb. 28. The Imperial Institute was the subject of an interview with Sir Walter Buller, who goes Home on Thursday from Lyttelton, to act as one of the Governors on the Imperial Institute, published this morning in the Times. Sir Walter, who is to act with the Agent-General, gave a complete account of the preparations. He takes Home his Maori collection, the best extant, and some three hundred photographic negatives of scenery, homesteads, public works, &c. That for the attractive part— for the useful portion this is what Sir Walter said to his interviewer, and what the interviewer said to Sir Walter :—

What exhibits have you? They are as follow: — (1) Timbers useful and ornamental; (2) building stones and marbles; (3) coals, hydrous and an* hydrous j (4) gold, silver and other ores j (5) wools of all varieties grown; (6) Native flax or hemp; (7) agricultural products.

Have you a good representation for each P As to the first and second, nothing could be better. ■ .

Apropros of which statement Sir Walter tells me how the Public Works Department sent to the Dunedin Exhibition of 1889 for display, a magnificent collection of timber, and building Btonea and marbles. It was the collection of years and could not have cost less than .£SOOO, as a capable authority had estimated. An admirable exposition it was of the wealth of the Colony in these products. It was,, in fact, as another competent observer who had seen the "Coliuderies " exhibition of 1886 in London had stated, superior to the dieplay of similar products from Canada, which; earned so much, admiration on that occasion. At the close of the Dunedin Exhibition, the Department handed ■, over, the collection to the Ofcago University Museum as a deposit, on the condition that the Government might withdraw it from time to time for exhibition elsewhere in New Zealand or Australia. It has been got all ready, thanks to the diplomacy of the Hon S. J. Seddon who, aftor negotiating with the Otago University, has obtained the whole. A fully representative collection will bo selected by a very competent man, who selected the third for the Otago Museum, and will be ■ ready for the Coptic, sailing from Lyttelton on Thursday. Sir Walter will, by the way, be a passenger in the same vessel, as most of us know. Nor is this all— the Railway Commissioners had arranged a V6ry fine collection of timbers for the Chicago Exhibition, together with a fine series of photographs, illustrating the public works of the Colony. Most of the latter were familiar to the public at the Wellington Exhibition of 1885, where they attracted much attention. This collection bas been handed over to Sir Walter for the Imperial Institute, and is now on board the Coptic. Among the pictures is a large framed photograph of one of the freight locomotive engines, made from the designs of Mr Rotherham, the Locomotive Superintendent at the Bail way Workshops, Christchurch. For the coal exhibits, the Brunner Coal .Company. and the Cojlingwood Company (how amalgamated)., have promised to furnish a representative display of samples of all the coals' of the west coast of the, Middle Island; but it is to be feared they will not be in time for the _ opening. For that occasion, there is in the Coptic a fine collection of samples, from the Kawakawa mine, at the Bay of Islands, which we owe to the courtesy of the manager, Mr Moodie. The wool of the Colony ought to be Bhown to the beat advantage ; unfortunately we are too late for the last season's clip. My feeling, said Sir Walter, is that it is better to defer this part of the exhibit for a short time than to have a comparatively poor representation at the opening. I have therefore arranged with Mr John Roberts, the capable President of the Dunedin Exhibition- of 1889, to get together from the next clip an exhibition of wool similar to that which attracted so much attention at that exhibition. Mr Roberts will work with the Agricultural and Pastoral Associations of the Colony to secure the prize fleeces in every class for the Imperial Institute. In this way we shall have the picked fleeces of the various breeds — Lincoln, Leicester, Romney Marsh, Southdown, Merino, Cheviot, Shropshire Down and all the principal crosses. The result will be between forty and fifty Buperb representative fleeces, each requiring a space of some two feet square. These will be arranged in pigeon-holes, or compartments in the wall, each being accompanied by a specimen of the wool on a card, showing the length of the staple, with full particulars | as to weight, age and locality, name of grower and so forth. The wall space above will be utilised for enlarged photographs.' Mr Roberts has patriotically undertaken the whole of this responsibility, at his own expense, stipulating only for a free hand and free railage, which privilege the Railway Commissioners have, to their credit be it said, extended to all i Institute exhibits.

Sir Walter here takes the opportunity to mention the two Direct Shipping Companies (Shaw, Savill and Albion and the New Zealand Shipping Company) with many expressions of thankfulness for their liberal offer to carry all exhibits at half the usual freight. The flax department is in very excellent hands, which is lucky, aB the demand for this fibre is again rising everywhere. Messrs W. and G. Turnbull, of this city, have done for flax all that Sir Eoberts has undertaken to do for wool. They have a magnificent representative collection in the Coptic, and they have kept duplicates for reference. More than that they are arranging for a display of all the various proceßßeß employed in the preparation of the fibre, and this collection will be forwarded, as soon as it iB completed, by the patriotic organisers. The agricultural products have to. snake up, at the opening, for the pastoral; for which reason we shall have a double quantity, bo that we can ocoupy the space

set apart originally for wool at the opening. As these things are perishable, and require renewal every year, the general plan, will not be iuteifered with by the double display. This will take the form of large agricultural trophies. Unhappily a misunderstanding with the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association prevented us from taking advantage of the Canterbury harvest, which is just over ; but we truet that the exertions of the prominent commercial men oi Dunedin, who have undertaken iho work, will get us the benefit of the harvest in Otago. The Committee of the Egmont Pastoral Association also are helping us, actively interesting themselves in th^ collection of various grasses in stalk, which will form a very important part ire the proposed agricultural trophy. They have alao arranged to forward a collection of New Zealand root crops, to be got together at the Hawera ehow ear)y next month.

In mineral ores very little huß yet been done. No representative collection has, in fact, been got together ; the co9t being ea heavy. The Minister for Mines has, howfiver, promised te take the inattar in> hand, and we hope for * a -handsome collection later on, adequate in every way. We have promises from all parts of the Colony amongst the rest," the Board of Governors of the Canterbury Muoomn have given us one of their largest taoa skeletons — that of Dinornis Robuatus, which is now being packed for the Coptic, under the superintendence of, Prof easor Hutfcon. The Institute will get it; »b a deposit, and it will be handed over entirely on effect being given to certain promißos now made. I may mention that the value placed by the late Sir J. von Haaßt on a similar specimen, exhibited at the Coliudries Exhibition, was £1000.

For the intelligence department we have, from the Government Printer, the most complete eet of all the Government publications now procurable, from the earliest times — Hansards, bine books, handbooks, &c. Sir P. Buckley, I may mention, was very active in this matter. The thanks of the public are dne to the Government for this valuable nucleus of a Colonial library for the Institute.

Is there anything more ? Yes ; the Hon Mr Mitcheleon has agreed to forward his magnificent collection of kauri gums, which was favourably noticed at the last Melbourne Exhibition. This may bo in time for the Coptic.

And as to space. Where are you going to put all these things and the other exhibits, the economic and industrial exhibits—when you get them ? We have adequate space— a-a much, at any rate, as Nev South Wales, and our 1 position is the best— that at tbe right hand of the entrance hall.

I am glad to ba >\ble to inform you that* as soon as it became known here thai application from other Colonies had been made for a portion of oui space, under the impression that w.:> were not going- to use it, the Premier promptly cabled to the authorities that v/e were prepared to take up the whole of it. The Agent-General was at the same time wired authority to spend up to J3SOQ, in fitting up bur court, as proposed by Sir Frederick Abel, the energetic organising Secretary. V " Sir Walter and his family leave for the south in the Takaptma to-morrow.