The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1886. New Zealand at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1325, 26 August 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1886. New Zealand at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition

We are not surprised to learn that the New Zealand Commissioners to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in London, have protested, and protested very strongly, against the imputation thrown upon them by the Colonial Government. It will be recollected that a report gained currency, shortly after the opening of the Exhibition, to the effect that the New Zealand Court contained no adequate representation of the resources and industries of the colony, that it was, in fact, nothing better than a fourth-rate museum in which the interests of commerce bad been ruthlessly sacrificed to Dr Bullet’s ethnological fancies and Sir Julius von Haast’s particular hobbies.

The London correspondent of the New Zealand Times has furnished to that journal a very interesting account of the proceedings at a special meeting of the Commissioners, held to consider the Government cable message respecting the reflections cast on the New Zealand Court. The Marquis of Norraanby, an ex-Governor of the colony, was the first speaker, and he made a very vigorous protest against the unjust and ungenerous accusations contained in the telegram, Sir Edward Stafford followed with a very warm eulogy of the efforts made by Dr Buffer and Sir F. D. Bell to render the Court attractive and a spirited condemnation of the ungenerous action of the New Zealand Government. Sit Charles Clifford deplored the removal of the New Zealand pictures to the Royal Albert Hall, but said the exhibition of New Zealand timbers, both in their roughand manufacturd state,hadexcited

1 the admiration of the whole nation. Mr Wolfe Harris very sensibly observed that it would have been better to devote the available space to colonial industries than to a representation of the Native inhabitants, but in reply to this speaker, Hr Julius Von Haast said it would be quite impossible to make the Court attractive by the means suggested. Sir Julius went on to say that the two principal objects which now attracted the crowds to the New Zealand Court were Dr Buller’s, Maori collection and the New Zealand fernery. Prominent European scientists had

pronounced the New Zealand Court superior to all the rest from a scientific point of view. As to the separation of the pictures from the rest of the Exhibition, he admitted it was a mistake, but he threw the blame on the New Zealand exhibitors, who had entirely deceived him as to the space they would require, thus throwing out all his calculations. Mr Waterhouse

made some very trenchant remarks

uttcrlycondemning the spirit and tone of the telegram, and said that he would

make his voice heard on the matter in

the colony, to which he would shortly

return. Sir F. D. Bell, as Executive Commissioner, made an explanatory

statement, and reviewed the allegations one by one and disposed of them in a most effective manner. The general

feeling among the Commissioners was that if any one was to blame for the colonial products not being fully represented it was the Government itself,

whose duty it was to look to this in the

colony, and somewhat contemptuous

terms were applied both to the telegram and to the spirit which had dictated it. But while the Commissioners have completely exonerated themselves, the fact remains that the various resources, industries and products of the colony are not adequately represented at the Exhibition. As a novel and instructive show to the European scientists and London sight-seers we have no doubt the New Zealand Court is all that can be desired, but it was hoped by the taxpayers of this colony that the Exhibition would be something more than a mere place of entertainment. It was hoped that a tangible display of the immense resources of the country would attract capital and the powur of development to our shores, but even after the protesta-

tions of the Commissioners we are. compelled to conclude that the exhibits are calculated rather to amuse the British public than to interest any considerable number of intending emigrants. And for this unfortunate state of things the Government is mainly responsible. A Commissioner was appointed to gather exhibits in the colony, but that Commissioner’s instincts are, notoriously, more scientific than commercial, and we urged when the arrangement was first announced that some commercial gentleman should be associated with Dr Von Haast in the task of collection. However, the mistake, serious as it may be, is now beyond immediate remedy. We can only hope that the lesson will be taken to heart and that when a similar opportunity to advertise the rttractions of this much malligned colony may occur, it will be taken advantage of to the fullestpossible extent.