CHRISTCHURCH INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 418, 23 July 1880, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

H' ■ ; [ltild'tf rJtJ'R , dWk COBRESPdifDfeNT.i] '? y ' rili

• last! in the I^riJl-rß^ed,!: , ; B.tr*et.>: Jt -, was/, Igbt up by the Associations for fostering and protecting local industries and productions. I .was informed . that, from Ahe nlception to us completion the tune has [hie.tfftßldofehb'rVtaaamitbfeanyipblnifi-' ties being produced for exhibition., The time was also altered to enable the Committee to enib6dyihttheliispla*y/tKe exhibits which were about to be fprwarded,to , ■ ';<■>;»', Jtt l>V>*f«l WAV.* Melbourne. Those things, however, form but a small portion of the collection, and th ! e whole forms, 'therefore, a fine sample of our every -Mf- HforflLH This bbifig preI.wi|l r-qw.give'the readerSjol'Tßß, i Mkll> somq.pf ;the,jmpressior(B produced! by a bepessarilyilfllrried ivisit to thiß/»r;onde-S----ful collection., n litud •*! nay. U.s 1 before reiharked;~the exhibition was held in theJDrill<-Bhcd, grounds surrounding it hat! been prettily decorated wk ishi-übs ''arid* Jflc%ers. •• Sou/e 7 l W'W { exliibits—for. instance, placed outside. ;. ; Qn entering the buildjng, thfe scene. waa'd'elcilieoly'aVrinposmif one. .:. i\.t!!l2'2o Mr Robert Allan", the President of the' Society, mounted the rostram, and, in the presence;©!, ao ;j|pßtridpS)company } he gave a brief outline,of the progress of ou|" industries, and .dwelt, at Borne .length• onithdoiijedte for 1 wliicr!i the idea of "the exhibition was conceived. He concluded by! asking THpl Worship fth>. IHft>siT° ! formally declare the exhibition to • bo, * j .j,T-f..r,.-...M t ■" ".j open. I kia'Worslnp Ue Mayor, Mr C.*'Tl''lcFj came forward,*"arid*'had greSrf f plea r ßfire in acceding to the, request, and in an admir- , f ably worded speech declared "the formally .opened. ~' | A/lh ,' In a gallery above the, Railway band was placed, and amid .their,; inspiriting;strains the crowd dispersed to obtain more or less detailed views'of the .various, objects oft iriterest. .. ~'.,'■■. , ~','/ Your readprs must, not, expect any detailed or technical analysis of the articles eahibited from me, but just<s sketchy" notice of such notabilia as strrick a visitor who does not profess to be an expert in any particular branch which was there* represented. ' ! ' ,' ~ i i *, fur. i The show case' of Messrß Petersen wan. one of the first which,, attracted, my attend . I J{__(■•'•'. 1 .':'.., ii f.sr. » ,, ', t ",. {■''■ '»' tion., Here.were specimens ox aNkmaßjor-, silversmith's w,ork, jinost,,artistically/ exe-i .cuted.' Presentation cups, vases, ;inka|andHi and numerous other articles were to be seen, all displaying : the .Workmanship of maker hands*. ,I*iwkS ( ih'fbVbey iKat not only was the work : executed* jon the spot, but the materials gold —were also New Zeala"fTa"~productionß entirSlyf' A Utf of .wifjh fern leayei'in silver showing through thd gilding'struck'me as being particular y choice. " of furniture.. A, laige, cabinet in ebonized kauri and gold'"was especially noticeable, as Were also some beautifully carVed and gilded brackets, also executed in kijuri A magnificent collection of native woods containing no less than seventy varieties, was the objeqt_,of great attention. It made the thoughtful visitor neas which hitherto has 'caused pa fto'import inferior timber and turn our own. • . 1 '■ !" ' 'd', '' !■■l■ '■ I Of works 'in, metal there is a splendid show. The single and double furrow ploughs of Messrs P. and D. Duncan appear to combine "all the elements ' of. strength, ' durability, and perfection, 'of finish.

The articles in copper, brass, and lead, shown by Messrs A. and T. Burt, of Dunedin, were so superior, that most of the visitors felt sceptical as to their being colonial productions.

Messrs Dean Bros showed BOine admir-. able specimens of tinware, baths etc., not painted, but japanned or covered.by means of being placed in a furnace, with an in> glaze. f In the next room was shown machinery in motion. The most noticeable feature here was tho sole, "sewing-machine shown by Messrs Lightband, Allan and Co. This firm showed nearly seventy sorts of boots /and shoes, all of which had beer, soled by the machine which was lo be seen at work. It was noticeable, too, that the entire materials, except tl» uppers in a few fancy sorts, were New Zealand productions. Printing, both letter-press and lithograletter- press 'printing by the Press Company would take" $ lift of. lieatin]/ anywhere. Some very artistic exhibits in photography were also noticeable.. s? Bookbinding was represented in a very creditable manner by iTytnbs aridf t)avis, and |F. f. Smith and Co. . f ! But perhaps the, mont remarkable feature of tho exhibition* was *the display of pottery and terra cotta wares. Tlie exhibits of these article wer ? o rightjy styled ( , •;{ of fne ; viiiitbre, who well, qualified-to* judge of their a,ne - t h)oli f : Messrs Austin and Kirk showed an alm6Jit • inexhanitible Variety of J articlesfashioned in clay,, frjjm drainpipes and fire-bricks through all kinds of useful and jornairiterital Waters] sdcK 'ill tea-potfi, jugs? idpshes, tobacco-jars, filters, tazza and other •vases to picture frames,' medallions, and !«Ven brooches, 1 modelled' with exquisite 'delicacy in the jfin&Ht »firo. clay. The< modeller .was at work in the machine,room ,i -%-jit- ,<»t .U'.V'; ?^''i iU'i &Vfii,i'iHn',<<■: during the exhibition, and crowds pressed a -ound to.admire-hiaimahipulatiTe' •kill. ; Terra cotta has a very effective reprenr in the exhibits of Messrs Condliffe Broß,rof?'Whit#oliff*iishow mduidetl blocks which may Be combined tofbrtti relief Irtief In iraitaipK of stone carving, with that tbe intensely hard clay product is nqt liable to hive its;sharp outlines Weithered away, nor to become begrirhod bo speedily as the much sof tor stone.

;The encouraging feature aboutthiß, industry is that it disc'oveVtf and utilities raw T '':'■■! fVi'''!'- 8 'WHiJ-'ft *>. f l> HI W.-i ;■* ■; "'' materials which, but for such utilisation, wbuldi v«liieleß». rEyerjr teapot or other article of tluVwar.e sold repreHents sri much money .absolutely saved ,to the cduntry! inasinuch' as- thle article derives its entire value from the application of local industry. ~ sThe name remarks apply .to the really grand display made by f th* h.wapo» vyoollen Factory. j 'ftore cotml be seoni woollen pr^)du i qt*«;ni|every)Bt.'wre ofipianufftbture—V*»rnH, flannel-, hosiery, loom at work wu.i nhf)wri by thi.-* eoinptuvy wbich »« hlho> jjojue knitting machineii worked by ypung girlS|tvhdl'Vimiilfi' W«r» VJuf Wt6i'Mnjf|'A' at'a v rate-'tliat' tnakeour in their grav6». frxbihillori wtift a»t»nißhing and v'neerihjr toda degrie. "To Aoubt off the fntu ( re of a conntry pcsßHCßHifjg thty naturaf rertoiirces and the skilj. to otJliß© thera by thin collectloii, Be'emff almost itiljirffi'ttk 0 ! 1 l ' '"ire calculated to do a vast aiuonnt of It is undonhted that everything of colonial manufacture, ha» to etruggle against an immense " amount? of prejndice Thegeneral idea seems"to be that everything colonial must of lieceseity* be rough and inferior. Kven a cursory glance at such •nj exhibition-as this.ougbt to coi)vin6e|the most sceptical of (the'fkllacy'o'f BuJh a notion. It ! sis' equally evident that' we cannot gd"6H'for ever in' rite jEfood old colonial ffi-obv'e 1 ffl'tynoririg bur own' magnificent res6iii'dßs i ; .allowing raw material tp run to^k«o 7 A\ ! and''sending Smoney to all quarters of the world for goods which we can produce equally well t oursel\:&y (Die true'solution i>f Hhel 4l un-l •employed " difficulty lies „first in there being'no'aftificiar''Standard'of wnges set n'pjby the working secondly, in Ll»e ■ patriof;io mijiation to "support all local tlia|t isV I those* iwhich seek' 'to 1 utilise '%& 'tiUural resc>urces of the eppntry. By so doing we contribute to tlie* wages-fund of our own country ; we afford employment to those who,.in their turn, are;custopiersof jour '«,#»« of waUs in M)inch«ateV, ( ,Glaßgpvir te pr { and at the same tiiiwisubscribingto ,SQUp"kitchens, and thereby helping to .pauperise our own laboring claßs. . '".' But in Uieseia'tier Remarks' I am probably exceeding tiie bounds prescribed - for *a ! Lorrespondent. I will "therefore concliide, merely/zremarking that the affair ha| proved.in every respect a complete sucjeesaf an'd r *°up l to Tuesday last over 20,000 adults hail visited the exhibition. I