"A SELF-SUPPORTING EMPIRE"

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 45, 22 February 1905, Page 9

"A SELF-SUPPORTING EMPIRE"

LIVERPOOL EXHIBITION OF ODLONIAL PRODUCTS. NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTED. CFrom Our Speeisu correspondent^ LONDON, January 13. Just twelve months ago the first exhibition of colonial products ever held in the British provinces took place at Liverpool. It was carried out on a very modest scale, but it proved a success. The idea "caught on," and this week a second and much more representative exhibition was opened at Liverpool under auspices which gave promise of most encouraging support. It was still but a small thing in exhibitions, as we know them nowadays; but it was conceived on broad Imperial lines, it stood for a great idea, and was housed in splendour. The second city of the Empire gave it a local habitation in St. George's Hall, one of the noblest of the world's great buildings j the Lord Mayor of Ijiverpool opened the Exhibition, and .expressed his pleasure at being identified with the scheme; Mr Chamberlain sent a message of goodwill, as also did Lord Strathrona, the Duke of Marlborough, and the Duke of Argyll; Canada, New Zealand, South Nigeria, Victoria, Newfoundland, Rhodesia, were all officially represented, and private enterprise added exhibits from West Africa, the West Indies, and elsewhere.

Among the individual exhibits I should give Canada pride of place, with New Zealand a good second. The Dominion, as usual, did not spare the expense in bringing its products before the British public. Our representatives competed with the Canadians at a disadvantage, for the simple reason that the facilities and the funds placed at their disposal Wfrro more limited- Canada has an Exhibition Branch attached to its Department of .Agriculture—a branch wlrieh devotes its attention exclusively to exhibitions in all parts of the world, thus ensuring the adequate representation of the products of the Dominion whenever the opportunity arises. Senator Race and Mr W. H. Hay, members of this Exhibition Branch, came over from Canada specially to arrange the Canadian display at Liverpool, and a large staff of assistants were placed at their disposal. Many of the Canadian exhibits which won first prizes at the St. Louis World's Fair were sent across to Liverpool, and all the necessary fittings and accessories were ready to hand.° The result is that the Canadian exhibit in St. George's Hall was one of the best of its kind ycfc seen in England.- It filled a large stand right in the centre of the hall, the best position in the Exhibition. The design was at once original and striking, aud evorj- detail Tiad evidently been carefully planned. Altogether, the Canadian stand was one to be pro«d of, and the attention it attracted was in every way deserved. I mention all this because it provides for our own colony a lesson in enterprise, organisation, and thoroughness. It is all to the credit of New Zealand that she sent an exhibit all the way to Liverpool, and the display made was in many respects excellent. What I would like to emphasise, however, is the desirability of taking a. leaf out of Canada's book and sfcre'ngthening the hands of the colony's representatives by making fuller 'preparations when an opportunity of this kind arises. New Zealand had, I understand, an admirable exhibit at St. Louis. Could not this have been drawn upon for the Liverpool Exhibition, as was done in the case of the Canadian exhibit? A display of Maori weapons, mats, ornaments and photographs would have given the exhibit an individuality. It would have helped to attract the British public and to impress upon the haziest intelligence the fact that all these excellent cheeses rugs, frozen sheep, all this butter, wool, hemp and timber came from Maoriland, a land of. romance as wqll as of mutton. In this respect the New Zealand exhibit may ba said to have lacked distinction. Then again the display of native timbers was very unattractive. Remembering how beautiful are some of the New Zealand woods when polished one saw with regret a motley collection of unpolished boards 'bare a-nd unsightly to all but timber experts. So 100 with the samples of kauri gum. The quality was admirable and received high praise from the experts, hut the inclusiou of some of the polished specimens would have helped the exhibit to catch aud. hold the public eye. Canada displayed its wheat by plaiting the golden corn in graceful festoons and using these in the scheme of decoration with very happy effect. Our wheat on the other hand came Home in sacks—and you can't do much in the way of decoration •with a sack. A few trophies of, the chase might with advantage have been sent. Newfoundland exhibited a couple of stags' heads and a Liverpool storage company sent a fine trout embedded in a block of ice. All these are minor details perhaps, but they tell in the general effect. But enough of criticism. It is pleasa.nter to dwell upon the good points, and to give praise where praise is due. Because there was room for improvement, it does not follow that our exhibit was unworthy of the colony, or compared unfavourably with its rivals. With the solitary exception of Canada's, I saw nothing to beat the New Zealand display. Victoria, the onlyother Australasian representative, was far in the. rear by comparison. I have no hesitation in congratulating Mr Caraevon and his assistant (Mr R. H. Hooper) who, between them, did all the ■work in the New Zealand section, upon the result of their efforts. They worked hard, and to excellent purpose, making the most of the means at their disposal, and building up a very attractive exhibit. It occupied the largest space in the hall, and in the quality of its component parts it yielded place to none. The central trophy of cheeses, butters., etc.. was a. very complete representation of the colony's dairy produce. No fewer th:in 20 eo-operativa dairy companies in New Zealand sent exhibits of butter, and twelve more sent, rounds of cheese. Some of the exhibiting companies were under the impression that the exhibition was competitive. Tins was not the case, but as the butter was not taken out of the boxes no harm was done, and its selling value was not impaired. There was a plentiful supply of jrrain and seed exhibits of all kinds, and the frozen meat industry was represented by half a dozen carcases of mutton. Wool, kauri gum and hemp wore all on show, hut the only pipee of fancy timber was a door of figured rimu and puriri panels. A fine collection of photographs of New Zealand scenery adorned the walls of tie stand. But the most striking feature of the exhibit was a splendid display of Moejjiel rugs and blanket*.

These attracted as much attention as anything in the whole Exhibition. The Lord Mayor made a special reference to them in his speech, and a constant stream, of admiring visitors was to be seen in front of the "Mosgiels." As a first attempt, the New Zealand exhibit may be considered satisfactory, but I have no donbt that when the Colonial and Indian Exhibition takes place at the Crystal Palace a few months hence, our representatives Will show that they have profited by the experience gained in Liverpool. I look to see a greatly improved display on the part of New Zealand when the Palace opens its doors to the colonies. THE CONCLUSION OF THE EXHIBITION. LONBON, January 21. The Colonial Exhibition in St., George's Hall, Liverpool, of which I sent you an account last week, was brought to a close on Thursday. It had lasted ten days, and though tbc general public might have attended "in larger numbers, theTe is no doubt that the Exhibition attracted considerable attention amongst commercial men, and should hare a good, effect. The Hon. W. F. Reeves (Agent-General for New Zealand) visited the Exhibition last Wednesday, having been invited to perform the daily opening ceremony that afternoon. Mr Reeves tells mc he was particularly pleased with the attention which the New Zealand stall atttracted. Amongst the exhibits none were more popular than the beautiful Mosgiel rugs, of which there was quite a good sale. The public carried off all the pamphlets about New Zealand, and the Christmas numbers of the colonial illustrated weeklies were distributed j free, and went off "like hot cakes." The exhibit of New "Zealand cheese attracted a good deal of attention amongst practical dairymen, who were particularly struck -with the method of packing the cheese. The opinion was freely expressed that the New Zealand method was ahead of the Canadian. During the course of the Exhibition Mr H.-C. Cameron, the New Zealand Produce Commissioner, delivered two lectures -to crowded audiences on the meat and dairy produce trades. Mr Reeves thinks that, considering the express haste in which the New Zealand Court at the Exhibition was put together, Messrs Cameron and Hooper did very well, and built up a creditable display. This practically bears out what I said last week.

In his speech on Wednesday the Agent-General thanked the authorities of the Liverpool Exhibition for doing him the honour of allowing him to take part in the holding of such a successful enterprise as that undoubtedly was. He had hardly hoped to see anything so bright, so busy, so well attended, so varied, and so interesting as the display that now filled that hall. It seemed to him that their only difficulty was not the getting of material for the exhibitions in the future, but the provision of sufficient space to accommodate the exhibits. that would crowd in upon them. That Exhibition showed the immense capabilities of our Empire. What one colony could not produce another, was able to furnish, and they could net but came to the conclusion that there were very fewwants which the British Empire was not able to satisfy. It had been impressed upon him as a. colonial official stationed in London—and it was an opinion he had held for years—that they had in this country in bygone years been too content- to;, exhibit colonial produce and resources in the Metropolis. The time had come, he ..thought, when they had got to go into the provinces, into the great industrial and commercial centres of the Midlands, the West, and North, to demonstrate what they had done towards maintaining the position of the supremacy of England amongst the nations of the world. He was glad to notice the encouragement that was given to the young people to visit that Exhibition and place at their disposal information about their brethren across the sea In conclusion, he said that exhibitions of that kind were amongst the most successful methods of stimulating trade amongst the Mother Country and the colonies.