AT WEMBLEY EXHIBITION

Hokitika Guardian, 7 August 1924, Page 4

AT WEMBLEY EXHIBITION

MAY XKALANDKK’K I M I’R INS DOMINI'*N CHI' RT AYF.I I- \ HRANCK". \Y I- I. LINHTt IN. August 7. Pn !..-il,ly t'-.e lil t \Ye!lin".trin merchant to return Ininte alter M-eing Rri:i-!i Kmpirc Kxh• l*it.iiili. Imt-li ill its unfinished and its finished cntulit inn. i- Mr lielirend van Stavereii. ol tlic local firm of van Stavcivn Druthers. When seen i-i-day lie distill tied die ,Tim ns of di-appic ’ alien by an iTii|ha tie -tatement lhaL New Zealand had put up a thetoughly guild stm". “Mind you." he added, “I do not mean from the spectacular pnint of tiew. l-’rc.’ai that as] sat t.l'ere ii'-n iilher courts that arc more striking. I rohahly die lic-t c l tluit class is the ( "Hadiaii (’inr!. Il i- ,i V'H t :'■ !> ■ fairy le wcr. wit'i exhibits shewn before beaut it ully painted black cloths, idealising the country in quite an attractive wav. Rut I looked at the "hole thing from the .-'.tnndj.'oiiii of an exhibition- not as a theatrical shec.v al.i what a country could and dues produce for the use and hcnelit. of the rc a of the Kmp-ire and of Ordain, in pa. licular. From that aspect. I slnuil I s ; ,v tlu.t the N; w Zeiilttud Court timi'iuglily tills the hill. I went f> W'endilev on the sccnud day. "hen

the Ivxliiliitiiin "as in an unlinished state. The N'-W Zealand building was practically completed, but the exhibits had not all a: rived. That was comnt'in I think, to all cinirts, exicpt.

pet haps. Canada. At the end of May 1 fiin ml a transformation had been effected and the show was thnroughly and efl'ei-tively reprf-c-ntativ' nf our pruduiTs. meat. liutter. cheese, flax, cl". The pcti-liidile produiTs were'

she." n ill refrigerated cases, anil all the i'ltods displayed were nf pi into quality and good t-i link at. Shorn of stage effivis. it was an eminently luni-tienl and well arranged show, and

[ can only think that the eiiudi-mna-linn and eriiiristn Ircni some |ii'c)]’le ■ a.- horn ot the c-c-ta-nlar j i«-ttinc.-s of some ot iha other courts.” “The New Zealand (V.urt. itself, iin a picked position, quite near t-. the main entrance and. I should say. that of the people "ho visited the Kxhihiticui ninety per' cent pa—ed thrcuiyh tin' New Zealand Cunt. 1 was there when it was a matter of dilfioulty to yet 11 1 roil fill the corridors, and. from what I heard T yathered that the s; e: lator.s were ipiite im; n-sed with the -how liur.lc'. Mr M. J. Reardon was in daily att-eiidam o. yivlu ' infcirmation to all ami soundry about New Zealand, and there was a frond deal c f publicity matter- heimr distiihuteil aimmy the ptihliv. “As to the Kxhihitiiui generally, the gardens leadiny up t'i the entrances seemed to have been placed there hy tiiayie. for there was an ahsolitte pro.u.sion of flowers everywhere, and Jiere and there well-yrown shrubs and trees. Clue lent lire of the biy show was the covered ways extending ajl the way from tin* railway stations to the entrances. This turned out to le a wise provision for Thiyland is having a shockin': summer, following upon an awful winter. One is struck by the enormous size of the Exhibition, and ils completeness. There are some fifteen miles r.f corridors mid the great stadium with a ca;a-itv r.f 100.000 "a- a leature.

“There were foal tiros which might have been e’iminated. but the daredevil riding of the American cowboys and cowgirls wa- really amazing. The tomboys jump from galloping broncos on to t’.ie backs of ’maddened steers, then, grabbing them by the horns manage to throw them to the .ground and keep them there. At times, however, pure animal strength beat human brains in the tus-le and it. be-

carn<' very exciting. I saw a bronfco ga I Impin'; at full tilt round the ground with its rider' hanging on almost invisible beneath the girth. The cowgirls are just as tvomlerlul. One girl, on a galloping brnmo. went down on one side and came up on the other. Another stood up on one stump, and. throwing her other leg out, posed in tl:e air as her mount llew round the ling. There is no mistake, the ltodeo gave London a new thrill." Asked as to general impressions among London business men of the Exiiihitioif. Air van Staveren said that he gathered Wembley was likely to reinforce intcr-Emi ire trade. It was showing a doubting world the wonderful resources of the Km].ire. and itenormous pos.sihilities. and was likely io iemove a good deal ol | cs-imism. lan of la- k of < oidideitce ill tile real strength of the Empire. Business i eop'e at Home were generally of opinion that the Labour Govern!! m ni.-de a huge mistake in scrap, ing the Al'Keniia duties, which gave piefcreic e to the overseas doninion.s as against foreign countries. It had nlfetod many industries. paruciilarly the motor trade. There were install'.es where (onij allies were about to establish factories on an extensive scale for building tars, hut had been lorced to abandon them owing in the Government’s policy, in this way the art ion of the (le.verr.ment was hitting Laid; like a hoomei-.iii;;. as it was preventing tlie establishment aiul expansion ol maiiiifai'to' ies which would give ) Icnty of employment to many now out of work. .Mr I’amsay Ala Doitn!:l was n aking good, said Mr van Staveren. and was very popular with all (lasses.