The Christchurch Exhibition

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 16, 18 April 1907, Page 24

The Christchurch Exhibition

Npw Vf i% i ? ext^ ldin S over nearly six. months, the cW it If- , lntern . a^ on al Exhibition was brought to a close on Monday night. The closing ceremony took place m the main corridor, where the opening wL also wlu «?*' Was a brilli^t scene - that met the eve While the enormous crowd in front of the main entrance ?enc?^h P r d ' ing W6r f Wat ° hing lhe afriv^ of I*e£3? iency the (*p_vernor. from the entrance gates to the doors - o* thy building, the volunteers, picture que in tSefcSS and blue umtoL-,msan;d. with 'bayonets fixed, kept clear a marrow lane which the vast multitude on their- side jostled and pressed in effectually kT evade ' H 'J n * he £° v f s ? of aa ad<L.e«B -to his Excellency, the Hon. W. Hall- Jones saad :— Every test wihicn can WaT onablybe applied to the success of an Exhibitfon prt pounces this to be one of the most successful ever heS in the Australasian colonies.' The best proof of thte is probably the attendance,- and the attendance up to this -date is no less than 1,970,C00. This, considering that the whole population of our Colony,- including the Native race, does not exceed 975,C00, is surely in thl highest -degree gratifying. y n tne At the conclusion of- his Excellency's- reply Lord Plunket read the following cablegram, -which he had sent :-' The Secretary of State for the ColoSes?-My Government, desires that the following message may be transited to the King on .behalf of my G^vS^ien* and ttae people of New Zealand :— - vruv ' eriwl " sn(D '"I have the honor to inform your Majesty that I ' have to-day closed the New Zealand International Exhibition. The favorable anticipations your Majesty Was gracious enough -to express regarding this undertakine have been fully realised. The attendance nearly approached 2,000,000, and the sympathetic - interest shown -by your Majesty and by the Imperial Government have materially assisted in its success. -My Government feels assured that not only will the Exhibition prove of S manent advantage to New Zealand, but will also have aided in strengthening the ties which bind the colonies to each other,- the throne, and the Mother Country »' x \The Governor then declared the Exhibition closed.