THE EXHIBITION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2056, 17 April 1907, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. The entire Exhibition building is in a state of disorder to-day, and on every hand exhibitors are to bo seen packing" their goods and preparing for flitting at the earlest possible moment. It will be fully three weeks before everything is cleared out. A large number of people visited the grounds during the morning and afteruoon, a total of 6d at the gate

boing levied for the attendants. Admittance to tho building propor, howovor, is gainod only by special permit.

Tho Marino Department has decided that tho seals shown at tho Exhibition bo liborntod on somo part of the coast unless some soasido municipality desires to adopt them. Evidently a considerable amount of pockot-picking wont on last night, as thoro were many regretful enquiries from tho polico by Indies this morning, relative to tho whereabouts of missing purses, brooches, bangles, and other articles. A low bottles of whisky and boor aro stated to liavo boon looted from ono of tho stalls. Tho attendance at tho Exhibition yesterday was 46,852, the highest recorded lor any one day during the season. Tho nearest approach to this total was on the King’s Birthday (November 9), when the admissions totalled 45,348. Tho smallest attendance was on Tuesday, December 18— the day following the first exhibition of tho Fijian fire-walkers—when tho turnstile registered 6607. Tho total attendance reached the unexpectedly high figure of 1,966,860, the daily average boing 13,949. Compared with previous exhibitions lrejd in tho colony, these figures show an enormous increase. At the exhibition held in Dunedin in 1889-90, tho largest as regards attendance held in tho colony previous to tho one which closed its doors yestorday, the number of visitors was 618,622, or less than one-third of that recorded on the occasion under review. The daily average was 4949. The next largest exhibition was that' held in Hagley Park in the autumn of ISS2, when

the turnstile registered an attendance of 226,300, or a daily average of 2309. At tho Wellington international exhibition in 1885 promoted by Sir Julius Vogel, then Colonial Treasurer, tho total attendances wa 133,000. At the Australian Premier Exposition, the great Melbourne exhibition, tho total attendance reached 1,963,436, so that Now Zealand exceeds the Victorian figures by 3425, and as that exhibition remained open for a longer period than this colony’s the daily average at tho Hagley Park exhibition was substantially larger.

WORK AND WAGES. LABOR PRESIDENT AND RECENT STRIKE. Press Association. WELLINGTON, last night. Replying to a presentation, Mr. A. H. Cooper, president of the local Trades and Labor Council, and secretary of the Slaughtermen’s Union, referring to the recent strike, said that as a good many hard things had been said about the men who had. been responsible for the trouble at Petono and Ngahauranga, and for the subsequent strikes throughout the colony, he felt it would not be out of place to refer to this matter. The reason for the strikes was entirely duo to the faulty and defective machinery of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act for settling industrial disputes. At present and for years past there was an Arbitration Act to which tho workers had been loyal, but it had been found from bitter experience that owing to tho defective machinery resulting in altogether unreasonable delays in the hearing of cases, men had beon obliged to wait for ono year, and even longer, for the settlement of disputes. Trade unions, councils, and conferences bad been patient, and had used every legitimate means, by resolution, by letter, by deputation, to impress on the Government the necessity of providing a reasonable, expeditious method of settling disputes. Labor organisations had been very patient and very forbearing towards the Act. They had approached the late Premier and the present Premier, also the Hon. XV. Hall-Jones and the Hon. J. A. Millar, but it appeared that notwithstanding these peaceful constitutionl methods it required the slaughtermen to bring the Government to a sense of their responsibility in regard to the Act. It was not until the slaughtermen took action that Ministers of the Crown admitted on the public platform that there was a necessity for an alteration in the Act. Though ‘ there. has been a breach of the Act, the slaughtermen of New Zealand, and the Wellington Union in particular, which was responsible for the trouble, had done more good in a short week than all the trades’ unions, councils, conferferences had accomplished during the past six years. He was satisfied that before this year was out all the workers of the colony would realise that fact, and would be prepared to thank the slaughtermen for the result of the stand they , had taken. Mr. Cooper reiterated his contention that New Zealanders and not Australians were responsible for the strike. He contradicted the statement of the Hon. J. A. Millar, and said he was collecting evidence in Australia and New Zealand, and hoped to be ready with this in a fortnight to finally refute the Minister of Labor. Some people said they blamed Australians for the strike, blit lie submitted that the action was due to New Zealanflprs, and they should take the credit pf the strike for New Zealanders. It appeared even now, concluded Mr Cooper, that some of the men were not satisfied, but he felt sure that the bulk of them wore contented. The decision arrived at had not only brought substantial improvement on tho old conditions, but had been the wisest and safest thing to do. He was looking for a complete federation of slaughtermen of New Zealand, and he believed this was within a measurable distance.