INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16857, 10 June 1920, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

—, » GOVERNMENT SUPPORT WITHDRAWN. A meeting of tho Industrial Exhibi- 1 tion Committee held last night, was presided over by Mr W. J. Jenkin. An apology was received for tho !ibsence of Mr J. A. Frostick (president). Mr J. B. Laureason, secretary, hav- ' ing res'gned, Mr D. Hoare was appointed in his place. A communication was received frnm tho Prime Minister, stating that the Government, after giving full consideration to the proposal, could take no action at present in the matter of assisting the exhibition. . In connexion with this. Mr Frostick wrote that Mr Massey had expressed himself as sympathetic to the national industrial exhibition proposal, and liad clearly stated that if the Government could not s.ee its way to make it an official exhibition, the same guarantee as was given in the case of the Christchurch exhibition would be given. Tho Government, at least for the time being, had rocedcd from tho position, and had decided not to do anything in the meantime. Local people and industrial associations had been influenced to vigorously support the exhibition by tho expressed determination of tlie Go- : vernment to promote new industries, ' and to adopt a vigorous policy of industrial reconstruction in New Zealand, and the expressed determination of the \ Government to promote a vigorous im- ( migration policy. It was six months j since that policy had been declared, and ' there was no evidence that the Government desired to. promote the manufac- , turina: and industrial development of tho Dominion; nor had there T>een any largo influx of immigrants, although from the cabled reports, thousands of , persons'had applied to the High Commissioner in London as being desirous of settling in New Zealand. As to tie . labour question, the writer considered the present population was totally inadequate to deal with the industries already established. In respect to building, whether it was houses, warehouses, workshops," or any other building, there , did _ not appear to be sufficient labour ■ available to meet the present demand, j In tho manufacturing industries there were thousands of vacancies. Australia and Canada, especially the latter, were pushing both the industrial and the immigration policy very vigorously, and •it seamed that, taking all things into , consideration, until the Government made its policy regnrding economic development clear and beyond any possibility of doubt, it would bo unwise tt> push on with the exhibition project. , On the motion of Mr A. G. Hcnder- , son, seconded by Mr C. B. Bowie, it ■ was decided, in view of the position arising cut of the Prime Minister's no- . tifioation, to send copies of his letter • to the committees in other centres, asking if they were in favour of delegates . meeting Christcburch 'd6lerfa.tes in Wei- . lin<rton, to consider the government's J attitude and approach the Government i on the matter.