AUCKLAND EXHIBITION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 624, 3 December 1913, Page 5

AUCKLAND EXHIBITION.

OPENING CEREMONY. MESSAGE FROM THE KING. AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY. The Auckland Exhibition, for which preparations have been in progress for over a year was opened on Monday by his Excellency Lord Liverpool. The official ceremony fwas attended by about 1000 invited guests, including the Hon. W. F. Massey, Prime Minister; the Hon. W. H. Herries, Minister of Railways; Mr F. W. Lang, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposition; and several other members of Parlament were also present, as well as the Mayors of Wellington, Cbristchureh, and a number of smaller municipalities in the Auckland district. In addition to many prominent Auckland citizens were the Canadian Trade Commis sioner, Mr W- A. Beddoe; and the Panama Exhibition Commissioners. THE ROYAL MESSAGE. While the audience was still stand ing, his Excellency announced that he had been commanded to deliver a message from his Majesty King George, and read it as follows: "On the occasion of the opening of the Auckland Exhibitionl desire to express my congratulations upon the success which has attended the organisation of the Exhibition. I confidently hope that it will be the means of furthering the progress of the Dominion, and of attracting attention to the great natural resources of the country, and to the rapid prorgess made in their development by the industry and enterprise of the people in New Zealand." —(Signed) George Rex Imperator." His Excellency the Governor cabled the following reply to his Majesty : "My Government and the organisers of the Auckland Exhinition desire me to humbly thank your Majesty for your gracious message, which I had the honour to deliver at the opening ceremony, and which was received with universal gratification and pleasure. My Prime Minister has every confidence that the undertaking will be a great success, and afford to the people of Great Britain and other countries a wider knowledge of the resources and products of New Zealand.—(Signed) Liverpool, Governor." Speeches were delivered by Mr George Elliott, president of the Exhibition; his Excellency the Governor, the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Auckland, and Mr B. Buttle, vice-pre-sident of the Exhibition, after which the ceremony of : turning the key was performed by the Governor. THE PUBLIC ATTENDANCE. Although the official ceremony Was only attended by about a thousand invited guests, the sates were opened to the public at 11.30, and from that j hour onward there was a steady inflow, ' so that at 3 p.m. there must have been 15,000 people present. In view of the fast that the day was not generally observed as a holiday,the attendance was regarded by the authorities as exceedingly satisfactory, and, indeed, far exceeded actual anticipations. In the I first two hours the five turnstiles J through which the public have to pass scarcely ceased revolving, so steady was the stream of incoming people, and she takings worked out at considerably over £SO per hour. Half a j dozen motor 'buses, and numerous motor cars and other vehicles plied for hire between the tram routes and j the Exhibition gates, and Were largely patronised, while there was an unending procession of pedestrians along Domain Drive. The tea kiosks and luncheon rooms were rushed, and at midday were really not capable of coping with the demands made upon them. By the middle of the afternoon, witn thousands of people thronging the grounds, the sight was a very fine one. THROUGH THE GROUNDS. When they had cheered the official visitors and the Royal Artillery Band at the close of the opening ceremony, the thousands of Exhibition patrons dispersed in various directions over the fifty four acre grounds. Crowds entered the Palace of Indus tries, and throngs also surged toward the Hall of Machinery, and the large building set apart for the Government and Provincial Courts. Many preferred to wander through the picturesque grounds and spend occasional moments in the thickly-pressed sideshows close to the approach to "Wonder'and Park," while there were not a few disapponted to find that the latter was not to be opened until 2 p.m* In the buildings and about the grounds one had at times to walk warily on account of the occasional crushes, and on every hand were to be heard remarks which praised the excellence of the display, and the enterprise which mads it possible. Hardly had the opening ceremony concluded, when cafe, tea rooms, and refreshment places were taxed for eating accommodation, thus giving a most auspicious "send-off" to the business of the Exhibition. The opening of Wonderland at 2 o'clock, was responsible for a general rush on the part of a large section of the public. At fir at there waß some diffidence shown in venturing on the boats on the waterchute, but after the first boat-load had safely negotiated the descent there was a general scramble for seats, and the men in charge had an exceptionally busy time. The same state of affairs prevailed at the figure eight railway, at the toboggan, and the dozens of but popular, attractions. Throughout the afternoon Wonderland Park was the scene of great gaiety, proving itself to be one of the most attractive sections of the Exhibition.