H.—6b.

1881. NEW ZEALAND.

DUNEDIN INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION (REPORT ON THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

G. S. Cooper to Dr. Hector. Sib, — Colonial Sectretary's Office, Wellington, 16th June, 1881. I have the honor, by direction of the Colonial Secretary, to request that you will be good enough to proceed to Dunedin at your early convenience, to attend the Industrial Exhibition now being held in that city, with a view to making a report upon the exhibits to be shown there. J. Hector, Esq.. I have, &c, C.M.G., M.D., F.E.S., &c, Wellington. G. S. Cooper.

Dr. Hector to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary Sib,— 30th June, 1881. I have the honor to report that, in accordance with your letter of the 16th instant, I proceeded to Dunedin, and, arriving there on the 21st, devoted the three following days to an examination of the Industrial Exhibition. I have to acknowledge the cordial assistance which I received from the Secretary to the Committee, who supplied me with catalogues and other necessary papers, and introduced me to the principal exhibitors. As the exhibits have been described with great minuteness in the local press, and as judges have been appointed by the Committee to decide on their relative merits, and a full official record is to be published by the Committee, I do not propose to refer to all the various articles in detail, but will confine my remarks to the evidence of substantial progress in the development of manufacturing industry afforded by this Exhibition. . Origin and Extent oe the Exhibition. From the introductory remarks prefixed to the official catalogue, it appears that the Exhibition was organized in connection with the " Dunedin National Industrial Association," which has been formed to encourage the establishment of manufactures, and as a means of stimulating an enthusiasm for the development of local industries and fostering a spirit of reliance on colonial productions. Although termed a " Dunedin Exhibition," it has somewhat a colonial character, as there are a considerable number of articles contributed from other parts of the colony, being in most cases exhibits that have previously done duty at Sydney and Melbourne. Taking the number of entries as a basis for comparison, we find that the present exhibition contrasts favourably with all previous efforts of the colony Entries. New Zealand Exhibition, Dunedin, 1865 (exclusive of foreign exhibits) 1,685 Vienna, 1874 .. .. 120 Philadelphia, 1876 .. 346 Sydney, 1879 614 Melbourne, 1880 .. ..654 Dunedin, 1881 . .. .. 435 But perhaps a more satisfactory comparison can be instituted by treating it as a local exhibition, and taking the groups of manufactures alone, contrasting the position of Otago in the Exhibition of 1865 and in the present Exhibition. On the former occasion, the entries in the catalogue were distinguished as relating to articles that had been imported, and those manufactured by the exhibitors. Among the latter there are the names of 59 Otago manufacturers in 1865 ; but, in most cases, these did not represent an established business, but rather trial works of individual skill and ingenuity It is somewhat curious that, of these names, only four reappear among the 127 Otago manufacturers who exhibit on the present occasion—namely, Messrs. Eobin, carriage-builders; Messrs. Burt, brass-founders; Messrs. Fergusson and Mitchell,, stationers ; Mr. John Hill, cabinet-maker. General Arrangement. The Exhibition is displayed in the large Garrison Hall, and in a temporary building erected on an adjacent area. The total floor space occupied is about 6,000 square feet, or about two-thirds of th« I—H. 6b.