THE EXHIBITION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2054, 15 April 1907, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

X?cess Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Saturday. Mr. W. Hall Jones, Acting Premier, who arrived frorn Wellington to-day (Saturday), stated in reference to tho closing ceremony that the formal proceedings will take place in the main corridor, commencing at 9 p.m. on Monday. There vviTl be a dais erected immediately in front of the fernery and on the dais seats will be provided ■ for His Excellency the Governor (Lord Plunket), Admiral Fawkes, and the principal officers of the Powerful and the Ministers of the Crown, Members of Parliament, and the Exhibition Commissioners. Seating accommodation for the invited guests, representatives of the City Council, and other local bodies will be arranged ill the main corridor. The Hon. Hall Jones, Acting Premier, will read an address to His Excellency the Governor, to which Lord Plunket will reply, reviewing the success of the Exhibition, and pointing out its great importance commercially and politically to the colony, and industrially to the Empire.' The educational advantages of such an undertaking will be emphasised, suitable recognition " l be made of the services rendered by

the Government to the Commissioners and others. The Acting Premier has written to Admiral Fawkes inviting him and his officers, and asking if n contingent of the mon from the Powerful and tho Promotions can attend. This permission is almost sure to lie given, in which case some 600 or 700 blue,jackets will come up from Lyttelton, and take part in the ceremony. It has boon arranged ttint the Exhibition orchestra will attend and give a number of musical selections at intervals. At tho conclusion of his address the Governor will present tho awards, after which ho will declare the Exhibition closed. Tt is anticipated that tho proceedings will last, about an hour, till 10 p.m. Tho general public will he allowed till midnight to finally inspect the Exhibiton and to quietly disperse.

The Acting Premier says that tile police will be instructed to preserve tho strictest order, and tho proceedings right through to tho close will he conducted in the most decorous manner. CHRISTCHURCH, Inst, night.. The attendance at the Exhibition yesterday was 19,810, which brings the aggregate attendance to date to 1,919,959.

SHOCKING FATALITY.

WOMAN FALLS UNDER TRAIN.

(Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, last night. Amelia Bispham, a resident of Nolson, attempted to leave a moving train on the Lyttelton wharf this morning and fell between the carriages. She was crushed and died almost immediately. LYTTELTON, last night. About 8 o’clock on Saturday night an elderly lady, Mrs. Amelia Bispham, wife of Geo. Bispham of Nelson, was run over and killed alongside the railway platform at Lyttelton. Mrs. Bespham, who was staying with her brother, Mr. Byron, bootmaker, Lyttelton, left Christchurch at 7.35 p.m. hv special through steamer train with passengers for the Mararoa. Reaching Lytteiton the train slowed down considerably. Mrs. Bespham evidently attempted to alight at fho Eastern cud of the platform, fell under the carriage, and was killed instantly. Tho body was shockingly mangled, the chest being crushed in, and the left log completely severed by the wheels. An inquest was held this afternoon. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, there being no evidence to show how the woman got under the train.

CONDITION OF ASHBURTON.

STATEMENT BY BUSINESS MEN Press Association. ASHBURTON, last night. Forty-six business men and firms in Ashburton, having had it brought to their notice that the borough is at present . being much maligned throughout New Zealand, • desire, in order to preserve tho good name of the town, and for the accurate information of those at a distance, to state the following facts which are within their own knowledge as being true in every particular. They do not wish to express any

pillion upon tlie vexed question of icense or no license, but deem it iccessary that the exact truth about, lie condition of the town should bo

made public in an authoritative manner, their desire for making a statement being to defend Ashburton against the careless and reckless assertions calculated if uncontradicted to do harm to tho progress and prosperity of tho town: —■

“(1) The growth of town since 1902 has been steady and uninterrupted. This is shown by tho valuations which (in spite of a drop of £IO,OOO in the rateable valuo of licensed houses in 1903) have increased from £22,618 in. 1902 to £26,670 in 1907. “(2) The number of places occu-

pied as business premises has largely increased, and there is not a single shop remaining vacant in the business area.”

“(3) The annual reports of the branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association, which opened up retail business in 1902, show that the sales of merchandise have greatly increased, being £33,210 in 1902, compared with £52,867 in the year ending 31st May, 1906, an increaso in volume of £19,657 per annum. “(4.) The displacement of business, as shown above, would lead an enquirer to expect a decrease elsewhere, particularly as so many new businesses have been opened since 1902. We have, however, been able to maintain, and in many cases largely to increase, our turn-over, thus proving conclusively that the total volume of business done in the town has largely increased during the last few years.

“(5.) Ashburton is, in short, in as sound a position commercially today as at any period in its history, and any statement which implies otherwise is recklessly contrary to fact. Wo have every confidence in the future of the town, and protest against the unfounded rumors which are being so actively circulated.”

EXHIBITION SCANDAL,

SENSATIONAL STORIES IN CIRCULATION. Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. A lot of sensational stories were current in town to-day concerning D. C. Mclntyre.

There is a growing feeling of astonishment that he should have been allowed to slip away so easily. McIntyre seems to have raised considerable sums of money on bills from financial agents, and one of them, D. Straughan, was victimised to the extent of £IOO on a bill purporting to be signed by a third party, who has since repudiated the signature. Mr. Straughan on Saturday swore an information against Mclntyre, and is said to have guaranteed £SO towards the cost of his extradition from Monte Video, at which point the Turakina is expected hill in question has been owing for 12 months, and has been renewed from time to tipie Jb is rumored that another promissory note of a similar character (for £35) is held by a second financial agent, who is also stated to have cashed cheques for £l3 and 1 t respectively for Mclntyre, drawn by the latter after bis account had been closed. It in the feeling among those who deem themselves to have been duped by Mclntyre that the Government (whose servant be was) and not they should bear the expense of bringing the man back to explain bis actions. A reporter spent an hour on Saturday afternoon conversing with a number of persons who should be in a position to know wliat are the intentions of the Government in

regard to Mclntyre. He discovered a remarkable reticence considering bow little was to be gained at this stage and no definite statement was forthcoming. In view, however, of the reticence, and of tile further remarkable difference in the statements made by different parties who had previously been in communication, it seems tolerably evident that something is afoot. The Acting Premier refused the reporter an audience, and said through his secretary that ho had nothing to add to the official statement handed to the papers, and a high placed official said ho shrould he very surprised should the Government take no steps. He should consider that very extraordinary. He thought

it more than probable that Mclntyre would ho brought hack. Another gentleman who has tho ear of Government told tho reporter that lie could say notlnig, although lie

knew a lot, lmt he thought it highly probable that Mclntyre would get an unpleasant surprise at Monte Video. The following statement was handed to the press at 3.15 p.m. on Saturday by the Hon. Mr. Hall Jones. Acting Promior: “Mr. Munro will carry out tho duties of Superintendent of Awards.” “2.

All awards will ho issued strictly ill accordance with file decison the Judges have already given or will givo.” “3. In respect to wines and spirits, however, tho awards already published, having boon vitiated bv gross irregularities on the part of Mr. McTntyro will be revoked and cancelled, and each exhibitor in the classes of wines and spirits will be asked to submit fresh samples which will ho submitted to the judge and awards made according to his decision.” ,

THE PAPAKAIO TRAGEDY.

i (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Sn t urday. In tho Appeal Court Judges Stout, Williams; Denniston, Chapman, and Button nro hearing the ease of Findlay v. the King, an application for a new trial, on tho ground that the vordict was against the weight of evidence. John Findlay was arrested and tried in- Dunedin for tho murder of Win. Hay Rennie, schoolmaster, of Papnknio, near Dunedin, on October 3rd, 1906, and was acquitted. He was then rearrested on a charge of breaking into Rennie’s house on October 3rd and stealing articles, including a bicycle. At the first trial tho jury disagreed, and at tho second tho prisoner was convicted and sentenced to five years. The evidonee was lengthy and almost wholly circumstantial. Several witnesses said they saw the prisoner in the vicinity about the time of the murder. Two said they mot a man on a bicycle in the middle of the night, who stated ho had lost his way, hut they could not positively identify prisoner as the man. In summing up, Judge Williams remarked that a verdict of guilty would practically point to prisoner as the murderer. He was de-, elared a habitual criminal. Mr Hjorring appears for appellant, and Mr. Ayers for the Crown. Mr Hjorring. in opening the ease, ■vent into the circumstances of the murder in detail. The last seen of Rennie was on the evening of October 2nd, when he rode to Cameron’s store on a bicycle and made a purchase. That was the last seen of him alive. There was no evidence that he rode away from the store at all, or that he took a bicycle with him. The murder was not discovered till 11 a.m. the next day. ■ Counsel also traced Findlay’s movements after he arrived in the district. Mr. Hjorring said the last seen of Findlay was when he got a lift in a baker’s cart to the railway hut, miles away. He was next seen at 6 the following morning, when found in bed at Tomlinson’s, with whom he was staying. At midnight a man seen with a hike could not bo identified, and the theory of the Crown that the prisoner was hungry and penniless, yet by walking two or three miles further lie could got plenty to eat at Tomlinson’s, and there was no evidence he was penniless, nor that Ronnie had money in tho houso. Prisoner had sold the bicycle for £2 10s at the end of September. As to tho razor which Rennie was supposed to have dropped three weeks before it was found it should have been rusty, but was- bright, and could not have been there long. Council contended there was no evidence connecting the prisoner with Ronnie’s bicycle. The latter did not have turned down handles. Argument had not concluded when-tho Court adjourned for the day.