N.Z. CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 58, 1 December 1937, Page 9

N.Z. CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION

Support Sought from Hawke's Bay PROVINCIAL COURT Seeking provincial-wide support for the project of ha-~' ig a Hawke's Bay Provineial Court at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, which is- to be held in Wellington from November, 1939 to May, 1940, a preliminary eommittee was set up by a meeting, convened and presided over in the Napier Borough Council chambers last evening by the Mayor of Napier, Mr C. O. Morse. Nearly twenty representatives of local bodies and public organisations in all parts of the province from Wairoa to Dannevirke were present. Mr T. C. A. Hislop, Mayor of Wellington and chairman of directors of the Exhibition Co., attended to explain what was being done in the organisation, and to ask for support for the undertaking. Mr Hislop said that the exhibition was not a Wellington project. The year 1940 marked the 100th anniversary of this country's life under the British Crown. The outstanding event in the celebrations of this national event would be the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition. The exhibition was being organised to embrace not only a display of the work, activities and development of New Zealand, but would also be open to all parts of the British Commanwealth. It would, in space alone, outdo fiiuything that had ever been held in the Southern Hemisphere. A company had been formed to carry otit the project, aiming at a subscribed captial of £150,000 from individuals, companies and public bodies throughout New Zealand. So far £90,060 had been subscribed, while the Government was giving £50,000 and lending £25,000 free of interest. The total of £225,000 needed to carry out t}ie company's plans should be easily attained. Mr Hislop said that neither investors nor directors would get any profit outof the venture. Any profit there might be would go to a suitable cause. Mr Hislop appealed for individual and local body support. It was only fair that the burden of carrying" out such a great national undertaking should be spread as much as possible. It was hoped that the provinces would be represented by provineial courts, put up at their own expense, and dealing with the scenery and products of their districts. Several of the provinces already had committees working to .that , end. The following preliminary eommittee was set up: Messrs C. O. Morse (Mayor of Napier), M. Chadwick and H. E. Edgley (Napier Chamber of Commerce), A. M. Bobertson (H.B. Fruitgrowers' Association), S. P. Spiller (Thirty Thousand Club), a representa--tive of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce and Mr F. R. Watters (secretary).