The Hokitika Guardian FRIDAY, NOV. 17th, 1022. FINANCING THE EXHIBITION.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian FRIDAY, NOV. 17th, 1022. FINANCING THE EXHIBITION.

In connection with the proposed exhibition to be held on the occasion o! the sixtieth year to celebrate the discovery of gold in Westland, the first obstacle to he encountered in the carrying through of the project is finance. The provisional oommitteo considered the matter the other day, and the public meeting will have a concrete proposal put before it next Monday night. The suggestion is to fi rra r limited liability company with a capital of £5,000 in £1 shnres. It is lu-| ed to have the share list ftdly subscrib ed and at the outset to call up in i more than one quarter of the capif'l That is, for every £IOO of shares taken up £25 would require to be paid up. In addition it is proposed to call on the local borlies to assist. Special legis.-

lation in that direction will require to be enacted, and it is hoped to have a substantial amount guaranteed from that source. It is suggested that the Westland County Council and the Hokitika Borough Council should contribute up to £250 each. There will of course be a. good deal of preliminary expenditure to be underwritten in 'regard to buildings, lighting, and fittings, as well as to advertising outside, and also organising. The buildings etc will be necessary to house the exhibits, which will result from the effective organising essential with an exhibition of the character proposed. The exhibits of course will bring in considerable reve-

nue. About 25,000 feet of exhibition space would yield £4,000 in revenue. In addition there would he returns from the side shows, entertainments, rights and so on, and of course from the attendance generally. The attendance is sure to he very large and the better the exhibition the more lasting the attraction. The event is to be held at a suitahlo season of the year, over the holiday period covered by Chiistmas and New Tear, and into January and February, when holiday-making folk are so much oil the wing. There will lie a general desire to visit the Coast when the railway is through for the novelty of travelling through one of the longest tunnels extant, and the pleasure of visiting new country remarkable for its scenic attractions, will bring scores of people. Added to that the nttaction of a first class exhibition with a nightly round of good entertainments. and a wealth of interesting novelties, interspersed with numerous exhibition sporting attractions, ranging though all branches of sport will maintain a steady flow of visitors for the six or seven weeks at least, the exhibition is running. With through railway connection alt kinds of entertainments and entertainers will he procurable, and the exhibition will no doubt be responsible for bringing to the doors of the people some really high class entertainments. The attendance therefore should not fail nor flag, but •should a.ttain surprising dimensions. As fat as can bo foreseen the prospects for a remunerative exhibition are very bright, and if the people rise to the occasion, as they have done in times past for large fire brigade competitions; as they did for tho golden jubilee, in 1914; or as was done on the unique occasion of the Royal visit to Hokitika, there is no doubt the coming remarkable occasion can be carried through no less successfully and no less reasonably in regard to cost. There is so much work done in an honorary way for the good of the community quite as a labor of love, and so much interest taken in conducting these big functions economically, that the subscribing public have come to rely oil the managemen tefnj£ nil that could be desired. There is. we believe, every confidence oil the part of the public in the conduct of those important public functions, that realising all which the coming event means to the fortunes of the district, tho public will rally to the bell' of those willing to give their time and their talents to the promotion of an event which will l>o epoch-making in the history of the West Coast. The appeal for the necessary financial help is therefore, not unreasonable. The work cannot lie put in hand without •strong financial backing, but that should be assured, and if it is. the promoters will go full steam ahead and without a doubt make another marked success to the pride pleasure and profit of tl»o Coast as a whole and not for any particular corner.