H.—23

1889. NEW ZEALAND.

CENTENNIAL INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AT MELBOURNE, 1888 (REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONERS ON THE).

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

May it please youb Excellency,— Wellington, New Zealand, 19th June, 1889. The Commissioners have the honour to report to your Excellency that they have now completed the duty that was intrusted to them in connection with the Centennial International Exhibition at Melbourne by your Excellency's Commission dated the 28th December, 1887. The Commissioners held their first meeting on the following day—December 29th—and have since held twenty-two meetings for the transaction of business. The Commissioners made a first report dated the Bth May, 1888, appended to which are full details of the work done up to that date. This report was presented to Parliament on the 13th May, 1888. The first estimate, which was made in that report, of the probable expense to the colony of its representation at the Exhibition was founded on the amount of space which was first applied for —namely, B,oooft. Notwithstanding the very unfavourable reports and criticisms of the Exhibition which were circulated, and the great depression which at that time existed in the colony, the Commissioners found that their efforts were being so well supported that it was deemed advisable to send one of their number, Mr. Seed, to Melbourne for the special purpose of securing an increase of the space allotted, and, through Mr. Seed's efforts and by subsequent arrangement, a large additional grant was obtained. The space thus secured, amounting in all to over 26,000 ft., was very fully occupied, the crowding of the exhibits in the New Zealand Court being much more marked than in almost any other court except that of Queensland, which had an extremely limited area. In addition to the large extra space, exceeding three times the original estimate, which had thus to be furnished and decorated, the extra freights and excessive insurance charges, and especially the extra superintendence required owing to the Exhibition being kept open and brilliantly lighted to a late hour every evening, still further increased the expenditure, so that it has amounted to nearly double the original estimate of £3,500. The number of exhibitors from New Zealand was 465, and the space actually occupied by New Zealand was 26,307 ft. The value of the exhibits was estimated by the owners at £20,000, and sales were effected in the court to the extent of one-quarter of this amount. The remainder of the exhibits have been returned to the owners or dealt with according to thpir instructions. A selection of articles, by request of the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, was made and sent to the Exhibition now being held in Paris, and a number of valuable fittings and furniture of the court, and also Government exhibits, have been transferred to Dunedin to do service at the forthcoming Jubilee Exhibition. The very large number of important awards secured by the New Zealand exhibitors is very gratifying to the Commissioners, being in all 355 —namely, 135 first, 6 of which gained mention for special excellence ; 103 second ; 60 third ; and 57 honourable mention. The Commissioners have the honour to enclose herewith various documents giving full details respecting the representation of New Zealand at the Exhibition, and respectfully beg to state that, in their opinion, the influence upon New Zealand of its representation at the late Melbourne Exhibition has been highly beneficial in promoting its best interests by attracting attention to the great natural resources of the colony and to the high standard of excellence which has already been obtained in its leading manufactures. T. W. Hislop. William Cable. Samdel Brown. Alfred K. Newman. William Seed. C. Julius Toxwaed. George E. Tolhurst. W. H. Levin. James Hector. I—H. 23.