BIG EXHIBITION.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 935, 4 December 1933, Page 9

BIG EXHIBITION.

Proposal for Christchurch in 1936. COMPANY MAY BE FORMED. A proposal to hold a big New Zealand exhibition in Christchurch in 1936 and 1937 was submitted to the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) this morning by the promoters. The Mayor said that the promoters had been obtaining the opinions of a substantial number of the business men of the city regarding the project, and they had told him that they had been very well received. The proposal is that the exhibition should be conducted on similar lines to the exhibition held in Dunedin in 1925-26, which was organised by a limited liability company with a capital of £IOO,OOO, subscribed in 100,000 shares of £1 each. The Mayor of Dunedin. together with a committee of twenty, of the leading business men, signed the memorandum of the company. It is claimed by the promoters that the Dunedin Exhibition was quite a financial success, and that the exhibition held in Auckland some years earlier had resulted in a profit of £20,000. They feel that there is no reason why a similar exhibition here held with careful administration should not be equally successful. Benefit to Charities. The idea that the directors should give their services voluntarily and that in the event of a profit the shareholders should receive not more than 5 per cent, the balance to be distributed to charities, unemployment relief or other civic activities. The scheme would orovide employment for a large number of persons and would put into circulation in Christchurch a large amount of money that would be brought here bv overseas tourists and visitors from other parts of the Dominion. The promoters say that with the general improvement in the economic conditions and owing to the fact that it is nearlv thirty years since an exhibition was held in Christchurch the time is ripe to initiate a movement to hold a large exhibition in Christchurch again. The Mayor said that the matter was one to which he would have to give a good deal of thought before he could commit himself to a definite line of action. He had told the promoters to continue their efforts and when they had obtained the support of twenty business men to call on him again and submit definite proposals in regard to the organisation of the exhibition and the allocation of any profits. At that stage he would give the matter further consideration and if he felt favourably disposed towards the project he would call a meeting of businessmen for the purpose of ascertaining whether it would meet with the wholehearted co-operation of the whole community.