7

H.—44.

From the point of view of individual traders the Exhibition will provide an excellent opportunity of displaying the goods which they have to offer to a market which is recognized as one of the best in the Empire. A realization of this fact may account for the excellent support accorded to the enterprise. In addition to the trade and educational features of the Exhibition, provision has been made for amusement and recreation, while a specially built art-gallery will house art treasures from all parts of the world. The Exhibition will open on the 17th November, 1925, and will run for a period of five months. BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. New Zealand Pavilion, Wembley. The London Times observes that " An enterprise like the Empire Exhibition is not to be measured only by standards of financial profit and loss. The unanimous testimony to the impetus given to Imperial trade last year, the recruiting-work effected in the settlement sections of the Dominion pavilions, and the opportunities for the peoples of the Empire to meet together on common ground, the market expansion of inter-Imperial trade —all this and more are assets to the Empire which cannot be written down in the balance-sheet. The British Government this year raised the amount of its Exhibition guarantee to £1,100,000. All the Dominions represented last year agreed to continue their participation. The same is true of the colonies, with one or two exceptions." 1924 Season. —In the course of six months over seventeen million people passed through the gates of the British Empire Exhibition. Every part of the Empire, with the single exception of the Free State of Ireland, was represented. Covering the administration of forty-nine separate Governments, surely the responsibilities and potentialities of Empire must have been brought very pointedly before the people of the Old Country ! The productions, manufactures, scenic attractions, and manners and customs of all these widespread possessions were displayed in the various pavilions, and there is no doubt that the impressions made must have a lasting and instructive value. The enthusiasm of the school-children alone, of whom five millions visited the Exhibition in organized parties, was wonderful, and has been followed by requests from large numbers of individual scholars all over Great Britain for literature dealing with the various Dominions and colonies. The New Zealand Commissioner, Mr. A. F. Roberts, holds the opinion that there can be no doubt that our representation has bfeen of great advantage to the Dominion. Apart altogether from the general educative side, the propaganda for Dominion products has been most valuable. When one considers, for example, that many thousands of packages of butter have been sold in the New Zealand pavilion and despatched by post to all parts of the United Kingdom, one must appreciate the worth of such propaganda. One result has been that many inquiries have been made as to where regular supplies of our products can be obtained. At the New Zealand pavilion no fewer than fifty thousand packages of honey have been sold retail, while very large quantities of our fruits have, through the Exhibition, been their own advertisement in thousands of British homes. Excellent exhibits of frozen meat were contributed by the Meat Producers Board, and our wool display drew very favourable trade comment. 1925 Season. —When the Wembley Exhibition authorities decided to continue during 1925, an offer of up to £30,000 by way of subsidy was made to the New Zealand Government to assist in the expenses. This offer was accepted, and it is expected that the subsidy will cover approximately twothirds of the total cost of the Dominion's participation in 1925. It was found necessary to replace a number of exhibits which had deteriorated through exhibition during the six months of the previous season, and accordingly during the early months of the year the Department has been actively engaged in arranging for and despatching from the ports of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, Bluff, and Port Chalmers, twelve large shipments of exhibits. These exhibits include, among a large number of less important products, the undermentioned principal items : A complete and fresh consignment of fleeces, numbering 160; a large number of tree-ferns for decorative purposes ; New-Zealancl-made travelling-rugs; woollen floor-rugs ; blankets; minerals of various kinds ; manufactured fruits and preserves ; fresh fruit; dairy-produce ; condensed milk ; wheat, barley, and oat sheaves ; seeds of all descriptions ; flax in bales and hanks—ropes and twines ; and canned whitebait. Many thousands of booklets and folders have also been prepared, printed, and shipped for publicity purposes, and a continuous supply is being forwarded from the Dominion each fortnight. By the s.s. " Ruahine," which left Wellington during May, two Corriedale rams and four Corriedale ewe hoggets were shipped for Exhibition in special sheep-pens that are now being constructed outside the New Zealand pavilion. This exhibit is expected to create a considerable amount of interest and be of particular value to the Dominion, for the reason that this breed of sheep is peculiar to New Zealand. The sporting and tourist section has also been augmented by additional shipments of specimens of stuffed trout and quinnat salmon. Two complete stags' skins have been shipped, for the purpose of adding to the 'realistic effects of panoramic views depicting New Zealand's excellent deer-stalking country. At Wembley the Commissioner and his staff have been extremely busy reorganizing and adjusting last years' exhibits. Quite a large number of new features have been added. These include typical bush scenes, with an actual waterfall in operation ; panoramas of Milford Sound, the Southern Alps, the Waitomo Caves (with realistic imitation of glow-worm effects), and excellent panoramas of the Wanganui River. In addition to these new features there will be a miniature Rotorua, 25 ft. wide and 50 ft. long, with working model geyser and boiling pools. Already excellent cabled reports have been received concerning New Zealand's display this year, and we cannot quote a more experienced or