Page image

H.—6a

The most important exhibit in this section was that of Messrs. Kitchen and Son, which included mottled, yellow, and fancy soaps ; sperm, stearine, and tallow candles, both plain and ornamented; and some most remarkable products of tallow, among which were pure glycerine, and a peculiar black pitch (the latter being a discovery of the exhibitors), both of these being extracted from residuary substances left in the making of stearine, which previously had run to waste. Exhibits of this firm figured largely in the Melbourne Exhibition, where they obtained a gold medal, besides other distinctions. Next to these in economic importance were the exhibits of leather and articles produced therefrom. The basils of Messrs. Harvey and Murray, and the kip and sole leather of Mr. A. Tyer, deserved special notice; as also the boots and shoes of Messrs. Lindsay and Watson, and the saddlery of Mr. J E. Evans, only each of these were made to some extent of imported articles. The biscuits and confectionery shown by the Wellington Biscuit, &c., Company attracted considerable notice ; but in these also one of the materials —sugar —came from abroad. This section also included a wedding-cake made by Mr. P Laing; confectionery, sauces, aerated waters, cordials, &c, &c, by various manufacturers, all showing that home-production is being carried on with success. The preserved meat and butter in tins for export gave assurance of a profitable outlet for farm produce, while flour, bacon, cheese, &c.,gave evidence that at least many of the necessaries of daily life are being produced in this district. Some experimental samples of starch, arrowroot, and similar articles were exhibited; while ornaments made out of paua shell evinced considerable taste and skill, and several models of yachts and other vessels attracted well-deserved attention. Section 2. Articles made in Wellington, the Materials for which had been imported from other Parts of this Colony or elsewhere. This section included clothing, hats and caps, furniture, plumbers' and coppersmiths' work, tinware, brushes and brooms, bookbinding, engraving, printing, lithography, die-sinking, &c, &c. In this section the first place was taken by Messrs. Wilson and Richardson, with a large and varied display of clothing, shirts and underclothing, baby-linen, and similar articles, made of Mosgiel, Kaiapoi, Roslyn, and Kaikorai flannels and tweeds, besides linen, lawn, and cambric of British manufacture. The work in these goods, particularly the lacework and embroidery of the baby-linen, could scarcely be surpassed. Mr. Hill exhibited a varied assortment of hats and caps made by him. This exhibit was made more interesting by its including specimens showing the various stages through wdiich the materials pass before they take the shape of the finished hat. Furniture was well represented in this section. The upholstery of Mr. James and Mr. Mackay was very good, as also were the spring-mattresses of Messrs. A. Vannoni and Co. A bedstead, chest of drawers, and cabinet made by Mr. James were admirable specimens of carving and inlaying-work, as were also a dinner-wagon by Mr. C. Bath and a bedstead by Mr. Manthel, while an inlaid table by Mr. Bernasconi was a marvel of patient and ingenious workmanship. It had been previously exhibited in Melbourne. Rocking-horses, tricycles, and perambulators by Mr. Watson appealed strongly to the juvenile visitors, while their seniors were equally pleased to find how favourably the prices would compare with imported articles. Splendid and diversified assortments of silversmiths' work and jewellery were exhibited by Mr. Hislop and Messrs. Kohn and Co., the workmanship being such as to add value to the jewels and precious metals. Parts of a large turret-clock, in course of construction by Messrs. Littlejohn and Son, attracted general attention, as did also a beautiful chronometer-watch made by the same firm. A small steam-engine made by Messrs. Smith Brothers was well finished and in every way a good specimen of colonial workmanship ; while a pair of doors made by Messrs. Waddell, McLeod, and Weir were so good that it was not surprising that they had made a conspicuous figure in the Melbourne Exhibition. They were made of kauri, and, although plain in design, were so richly moulded, with raised panels of mottled kauri, that their appearance was truly elegant; and, as not a joint had given way, they proved that the kauri of New Zealand will bear exposure to a very high temperature, when properly seasoned. Mr. Wakelin, of Greytown, exhibited very creditable specimens of wood-turning; and a patent churn, by Mr. T. Ellis, appeared to possess great advantages above those that are in common use. Many other articles might be enumerated here, all of which were good of their kinds, such as the brushes and brooms made by Messrs. Trevethick Brothers; coppersmiths', plumbers', and brass-work, by Messrs. Danks and Son ; plumbers' work, electrical bells, gas-fittings, &c, by Mr. J E. Hayes ; tinand japanned-ware, by Mr. T. Garland ; hair-work, by Mr. Hyde and Mr. Price; surgical belts, &c, by Mrs. Macdonald; bookbinding, by Messrs. Lyon and Blair and Mr. Burrett; printing, engraving, and lithography, by the two last-named and Mr. Hughes; printing, stereotyping,and electroplating,by Mr. Didsbury, of the Government Printing Office ; and rubber-stamps, by Mr. J W Ffrost: but special mention must be made of rice and spices, dressed, ground, and otherwise prepared by Mr. E. H. Crease, many of the articles being put up in highly ornamental tin boxes, which also are constructed in Mr. Crease's factory Class 11. Section 1. Articles made or produced in other Parts of Neio Zealand. The Kaiapoi Woollen Manufactory exhibited a large and admirable assortment of its productions,, including yarn (coloured and white), hosiery, flannel, serge, tweeds, blankets, &c. This was the only woollen factory that exhibited, but articles produced by others were shown (as mentioned above) in goods made up by Messrs. Wilson and Richardson. A plank of kauri timber 12 feet long by 6 feet wide was shown by Messrs. Stewart and Co. This was interesting not only as showing the large sizes of that timber that can be obtained, but also that there are mills capable of sawing such huge logs as the one from which that plank was cut.

2

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert