Our Contributors.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 515, 21 June 1881, Page 2

Our Contributors.

UUNEDIN INDUSTRIAL EXHIbITION.

[if ROM OUH OWN CORRESPONDENT. J

The above Exhibition was opened on the 14th inst. Judging from tho smallness of the attendance, the interest taken in it by the general public was not very great; but perhaps the entrance fee of 5s had something to do with that. The fee, however, way reduced to 2d Gd iv tbe evening, but this had not tbe desired effect, very few f-eyond exhibitor, aud tbeir ;< sisters and tbeir c.u.sms and their aunts" were present, the groat bulk of the people having evidently postponed their visit until the charge of ao.i.i'Y::c:e \va%i reduced to one shilling. I aYuaOy hJird a gentleman) evidently of o;to:i posUifn, advocating the desirability of ooiocioo the fee to sixpence ---;! fact indi-.VtOo of tho high esteem in which the ,( .die. i; ia held in Dunedin. The opening ceremony, which on the whole passe;! olf with considerable eclat, commenced with a length}'' and fervent prayer offered up by the Key. Dr. Stewart, after which the Ohorr.l Society sang the Kaliclitjn.il Ohcru- in a really excellent manner. The dreariest of dreary speeches was iben delivered by His Worship the Mayor, lie commenced, with a history of jndnstri.it oxhibhiou, which he spOed with a ; _;ood doe.l ot Siu'op.oui politics of the last century, till hi:; audience got so oompletoly tired of him that bis voico was lost in the noise produced by cries of '■ Hear, hear," and tho Yaoiphi"- of feet, An excellent, in augured acbiresH, full of good sotcte, wit, and humor, was delivered by Mr John Bathg.'tY, rm original poem of considerable Hoo'My merit spoken by Mr Thomas Bracken, the laureate of Dunedin, and after a little more .peochmaking the Exhibition was decOied open. The committee evidently had not calculated upon '

receiving such a large number of applications for space as they did, and consequently the space at their disposal waa limited, notwithstanding tbat they Added to the Garrison Hall a large building which is in course of consti uction on the adjoining section. In consequence of this many applicants had to be refused space, a fact which perhaps need not be regretted, as it prevented the introduction of meretricious articles, which could serve no other purpose than a cheap advertisement for their owners. This had the effect of making the Exhibition an exclusively local one, and as such it must be admitted to be creditable. Conspicuous amongs all others was the New Zealand Clothing Factory's exhibition of colonial tweeds and readymade clothing, which for quality and finish would do credit, to any market in the world. This factory at present employs 600 hands in Dunedin, besides those cmployad in its various branches throughout the Colony, and must be regarded as very important, as it gives promise of eventually becoming one of the greatest enterprises in the Colony. The Mosgiel and Kaiapoi tweeds and flannels are now becoming known hot alone in this Colony, but also in its sister dependencies, and will eventually become great and flourishing industries.

Messrs A. & T, Buit's show of copper, brass, and lead pipe work also bore testimony to the development ot another industry of scarcely less itnpoitanceO The number of their exhibits (200) was too numerous lo particularise ; suffice it to say they bave already, won gold medals at tbe Sydney and Melbourne Exhibitions. Messrs Anderson & Morrison were also large exhibitors in this class. Tbe exhibits of both firms gave positive proof Ibat it is no longer necessary lo import articles of this kind, as they can be made as cheap nnd as good in the Colony.

Some excellent specimens of potteryware made at MiJtou for tire New Zealand Pottery and Glass Company held a conspicuous place in the .how. They consisted of almost every article in domestic use, and nre of good quality and finish. Tbe company now employs 400 hands in their factory, and some of their work took third prize at the Melbourne Exhibition, where they had the world to compete with.

Passing by such things as hats, smoking pipes, etc., an excellent apparatus for heating rooms was exhibited by Mr F. 11. Asbury. It is a new patent, is self-acting, requires no attention feiiher than a supply of coal twice a day, and warms tho room to a uniform temperature, without any of its machinery being visible.

Mr A. J. White, of Chibtchurch, exhibited an organ which is described as follows :—lt has one manual, from CC to G, 06 notes ; an open diapaton, C to G, 5G notes ; tbe Cbuabella, the dulcina, principal flute, the fifteenth, all 56 roles each. There is a snp.r-o'ciaie coupler with pedals to g'eat, the bou<don en a teparate wind-chest, 25' German pedals, and two composition peda s. It b>. 19 speaking pipes in front ci closed in the swell-box, with the exception of the diapason and bourdon. Its elevation is 13ft, width Git Gin, depth Gft. It was pla\e<i at the opening ceremony, and wna very much admired.

I bave passed over a huge number of exhibits, such as boots and slices, jewellery, carriages, etc., and 'come to one of tho newest and not tbe least important exhibit. It is called the Patent Artificial Stone, aud is likely to create quite a revolution in building materials. It is made by Messrs Hibberd & Co., .at. Green Island, where they also make Portland cement, ot good quality, who, after five years' labor and the expenditure of £4500. have developed an industry of great importance. The mystery connected with its making must of course remain a dark and inscrutable one to the uninitiated. It is in the form of hollow blocks of square stones made of sand nnd cement subjected to great pressure, and is much cheaper than brick, entailing about the same expense as a good wooden wall. It is exceedingly well adapted for shop fronts, as it requires no girders in the spans of windows. The stone can be made of any size and design, rendering it admirably suitabJe for ornamental work.

There were some excellent specimens of ironmongery exhibited by Messrs Matheson and Co. and Messr- Barmingham and Co, These were of splendid finish, chief amongst which were Messrs Barmingham and Cos. ranges designed especially for the consumption of Colonial coal, and they are said to be very suitable. The same firm also exhibited register grates of a quality and finish that cannot easily bo surpassed. A large quantity of ropes and twines made from New Zealand flax, occupied a centre position in the • exhibition and was not the least admired. It was exhibited by Messrs Passmoro and Co., and gave ample proof of what could be done [with the native flax if properly worked. The difficulty of eliminating the gum from the fibre seems to have been overcome, and the result ia the production of an article equal if not superior to tiie manilla rope which was shown in its vicinity. That portion of the flax, which is not good enough for rope making is used for upholdstery. and on the whole every evidence was given of the posibility of making flax an industry of no inconsiderable value. ~'' •

There were several exhibits oi!'excellent coal. Two blocks from Shag Point weighed respectively 27 and 30 cwt. This mine was opened about 18 years ago and ia now

yielding about 2000 tons of coal per week. The Kaitangata mine yields 800 tons per month. Tho seam at Green Island is 18ft thick, and the area of land taken up the company is about 250 acres, most of which is supi osed to contain coal. There were other specimens of coal from a place called the "night-caps" in Southland, and from various other places. 'Ihere was a good display of agricultural implitnents, but they contained nothing new with the exception of Messrs Hexton and Beattie's flexible harrow. This invention has been patented for the last three months or so, and is becoming extremely popular. It can be made large or small according as required. Unlike all other harrows every tooth in it ia a separate piece, and it all can be taken asunder or put together in a few minutes. It is certainly a great invention, very convenient, and it is bound to reach almost every farm in the colony as soon as it becomes known. Messrs Guthrie and Larnach and A. J. White showed splendid specimens of furniture* There were a great many more industries represented, such as hat making, boots, shoes, photographs, jewellery, fine arts, etc., but these I do not consider sufficiently important to take up your space with. The exhibition was certainly very goodj but on tbe whole I must say I was disappointed in asmuch as that there was very little competition, there being only one or two exhibitors in each class. This may be attributed to the fact that tho space at the committee's disposal was limited, and that several exhibits were shut out, perhaps some very deserving ones. It was agreed on all sides that more space ought to have been secured, and I incline to that opinion myself. I also think the exhibition was opened before it was ready. The exhibits were certainly nicely but they were not either numbered no r ticketed, there, were no catalogues ready until long after the opening ceremony, and reporters and visitors had to go about wondering who on earth tho exhibits belonged to. Another day would have obviated this confusion, but no doubt experience will teach the promoters of it to take more time when next they hold an ( exhibition.