The Gisborne Times PUBLISBED EVERY MORNING GISBORNE, NOV. 14, 1906.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1932, 14 November 1906, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISBED EVERY MORNING GISBORNE, NOV. 14, 1906.

This colony has a large amount of money at stake in the running of the Exhibition at Christchurch, and on that account evory resident in the colony is directly interested in the way in which it is being conducted. The financial aspect of the question was I discussed in Parliament during the dying hours of the session just ended, and while the Premier, who is also President of tho Exhibition Executive, was willing to admit that there might be a possible loss to the colony of perhaps £20,000, the Leader of the Opposition estimated tho less at £BO,OOO or over. At that time tho Exhibition was not opened, and there was nothing to guide anyone in forming an estimate of the attendance likely to be secured by the attractions offered. So far the attendance must have come quite up to expectations, although the turnstiles records are somewhat misleading as regards the actual cash takings as represented by the numbers who attend, for they include everybody. The exhibits, too, are as numerous as could have been anticipated, and they cover a very

largo area, of ground. Still ono would wish tlittt thorn was lohb of tho ahop and agricultural snow charao'or about tho whole display, and mriro of tho technical and sciontific, for one may lonic in vain for anything in tho way of scientific apparatus of any description except tho British meteorological exhibit and ono or two stray things that are not novelties to tho goneral public. Nevertheless it is cloar that tho largor estimate of loss would hardly ho roulisod if tho Exhibition woro managed with anything like competency or as an undertaking of its dimensions and Hugo cost should bo managed if any roasouablo regard had boon paid to tho interests of the taxpayers in tho appointment of its controlling personality. When it bocamo necessary to appoint au bxocutivo and tho munos of tho Gomrnis sionors worn announced, it was cloar that a most excellent selection was made except in ono instance, and that tho most important of all. Indeed, no hotter selection could have been made except in the case of the Chairman, wiiose qualifications for tho responsible position h ivn yet to be discovered except that ho is a “ West Coaster,' and everybody knows that that was >• very strong recommendation in tho eyes of tho late Premier who made tinappointment. Bo that as it may, it soon became apparent that n most grievous mistake had been made in placing Mr Munro in that position, and trouble between him and his colleague, Mr A lien, arosn at a very early stage, and Mr Allen’s resignation was the first check in the successful career of tno undertaking. The troublo that led to this resignation was tho subject of enquiry by tho Hon. Mr McGowan on behalf of tho Government, and sufficient was known then to demonstrate Mr Munro’s utter unfitness for the position ho held; but Mr McGowan acted spinelessly in the matter, and. to save the success of the undertaking j Messrs Reece and Booth wore appointed on the understanding that they could exercise two votes to Mr Munro’s one; but Mr Munro ignored them practically, and ran the whole business on his own account. They protested—tie persisted, and again th 9 Bromier was appealed to, but with no bettor result, and they too threatened to resign. Almost everyone who had to transact business with Mr Munro had complaints to make, and altogether the success of the Exhibition was becoming seriously jeopardised, but still the Premier could not be induced to do the right thing—the only thing in fact that ought to have been done at the outset of the troubles, that is, to depose Mr Munro, and to place some more competent and satisfactory man in his place. At last some semblance of a change has been effected by tho Cabinet in changing Mr .Munro’s position from that of Chairman of the Executive Commissioners to that of Manager and appointing a Cabinet Minister to the former position. . But it appears that Mr Munro has still . a free hand, is “ boss of the show ” in fact, and the troublo still continues While all this is going on the business of the Exhibition is being most deplorably mismanaged, and th 9 public purse must suffer for it. Why the Government will not take the pioper course and ond the disagreeable business is simply inexplicable, except in the light of some curious rumors that have been in circulation, and for the truth of which we cannot vouch. To give some notion of tho prodigality of the management, it may bo stated that many thousands of pounds are being Rpt-nt on music, and the cash takings at the first orchestral concert did not amount to £lO, simply because few people knew when the concert was to have taken place, and no official notification of it was given to the public. A vocal star in the porsonof Miss Narelle has been engaged from abroad to sing at the Exhibition, and the Entertainment Committee has a pecuniary interest in the success of hor concerts ; but on the two nights fixed for those entertainments Mr Munro, apparently intending to kill the project, has ordered tho Exhibition orchestra to give free performances in the building during each evening Tho Committee protested, but Mr Munro was obdurate, aud the upshot of the matter is that Miss Narolle refuses to siug at all, aud the law courts will probably decide tho matter of expenses and damages. In any event the New Zealand public will have to “ pay the piper,” and the Government looks on complacently and allows matters to drift in this ruinous fashion, not daring to depose the man who is responsible for it all. But there is a moral to this woeful tale, and it is this— lf the Government cannot run an exhibition on better lines than these, how can it be expected to run the business of the country successfully or oven economic Daily ? Tho taxpayer should study this question for himself, and see whether ho has not a means of curtailing his expenses frittered away in Customs duties and other taxes to keep up this enormous waste of his hard earned cash.