NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

North Otago Times, Volume II, Issue 27, 25 August 1864, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION.

PUBLIC MEETING AT OAMARU.

Pursuant to resolution of the Oamaru Local Committee, and in terms of advertisement issued by tlicm, a public meeting was held in the Court House, Oamaru, on the 17th inst., at half-past six o'clock p ni. The attendance was not so numerous as could have been wished. Tho Rev. Mr GKfford, Hon. Secretary of the District Committee, said that the meeting was called in terms of a resolution of the District Committee, to hear Mr Waymouth, Secretary to the Otago Local Committee. T. W. Parker, Esq., presided, and, on taking the chair, remarked that it was tho object of the meeting to hear a statement from Mr Waymouth, whowas there officially to give explanations, and, if possible, to stir them up a little, as a good deal of apathy had hitherto prevailed on the subject. He hoped that the district might be enabled to take a good position. jinny things would readily occur to them to send — articles of furniture, agricultural implements, limeitone, and natural products generally, perhaps manufactures from flax, and numerous other things which could not now be enumerated, but would readily occur to those who turned their attention to the subject. It would be necessary, in order to carry on operations successfully, to raise subscriptions, and they would observe that the Local Committee had promised to subsidize with an equal amount, the money subscribed in the district, so as to relieve them'of half the burden. Ho hoped that the district would not be behind in the matter. Ho now introduced Mr Waymouth to the meoting. Mr Waymouth addressed the meeting as follows ! Mr Chairman and Gentlemen,—The object of my being sent amongst you is to learn what steps have been taken, or are being taken, in the district in order that it may be worthily represented at tho forthcoming Exhibition ; to answer any questions you may put bearing on the subject; and to hear any suggestions you may make, and to convey them to tho ComTiiittco. The time is now fast drawing on, and it will be necessary to lose no further time, but commence immediate action. I have the honor of being the Seerotary to the Otago Local Committee ; and here I i may tell you this is not merely a Provincial Exhibition, but a New Zealand one —the Commissioners taking charge as a whole, whilst the Committee's labors are confined to this Province. Tho other Provinces are making great exertions. It would be worse than folly were Otago, the Province in which the Exhibition is to beheld—which, as compared with the other Provinces, will reap aten-fold advantage — to be behind any one of its sister Provinces. There are, no doubt, some people who believe the matter to be premature; this objection I could understand were it coming from other Provinces —but for us, who will so largely benefit, and knowing that if wo do not hold it m 1865 Borne other of the Provinces Aould do so a few years hence, I cannot but think that the projectors acted wisely in thus anticipating the design. Other good-natured folks tell us it will be an entire failure. Gentlemen, the same kind prediction was foretold for the Great '51 Exhibition. As many of you doubtless recollect, England was to be revolutionized by hordes of foreign adventurers, who would steal our inventions, teach our laborers to erect barricades, communizo our properties, assassinate our Queen, pillage London—Heaven only knows what was not to have taken place ! Prince \lbert and his coadjutors, however, persevered—the Exhibition became an accomplished fact without any of these direful forebodings being realized. On the contrary, instead of us suffering, we largely benefited b\ our invitation to the foreignor to compare his manufactures with ours. We learned much, saw many superiorities where we least expected, and found that in subjects in which we believed ourselves unapproachable, foreign manufacturers and artizans were our superiors. Like sensible men, the English producers admitted their deficiencies, and set about remedying them. The consequence has been that in the l'tyars between 185-1 and 1862 it was found that England had greatly improved in her manufactures, arts, and science. With your permission, I mil read an extract, giving a summary of England 9 progress during that time :—" Ten years and a few months have passed since the Great Exhibition of 1851 closed its doors. Since then many great changes have taken place, having an important bearing upon the arts and industry of the country. Some 4,000,000 have been added to our population. London has half-a-million more inhabitants than it had ten years ago. There are 10,000 miles of railway now ; there were about 6000 then. In 1851 the first attempt was made to connect England and France by submarine telegraph. England and America have since spoken to each other across the Atlantic ; and between London and Calcutta a few links only are wanting to complete their telegraphic communication. Over every part of the country an electric highway has been formed, and electricity, as an obedient servant, awaits the bidding of merchants and others to cany messages to every part of the metropolis, and to all our large and manufacturing towns. Ten years ago, we had scarcely commenced to re-construct our navy, and convert sailing ships into screws. We are now building iron and armourclad batteries, and have invented guns which can pierce the thickest of our armour plates. Our ocean steamers have grown from 2000 tons to tho tonnage of the Persia or the Great Eastern. New dyes and colors 'have been obtained for our manufactures, coal has been made to yield some of the most delicate tints for printed fabrics. Steam has been more extensively applied to agriculture, and is now on the threshold of being applied to carriages on common roads. New processes of treating iron have been discovered ; and tho strength of our machines has grown enormously. Photography has advanced from a chemical toy to a fascinating art and a useful branch of industry. Our trade with all the world has more than doubled ; it had grown from 65 to 136 millions a-year last year. India has passed from the hands of the merchants of Leadenhall-street ; and the tceptre of Victoria is acknowledged through the vast empire of Hindostan. British Columbia, on the Pacific«, and Queensland, in Australia, have been added to the numerous family of British colonies. China and Japan have been opened to our merchants. It is the object of the present Exhibition to illustrate the progress which, in tho arts of peace and ot war, has been made by this country and by other nations 'of the world during this eventful period. A similar result—nay, in a relative sense, afar greater result— should be obtained by our Exhibition. The products of the several Provinces or districts wdl be brought together ; raw material, now hardly known to exist, will come forth ; and each Province and district will learn that which, in the competition of trade, it can most favorably produce. On the other hand, the manufacturer, agriculturalist, artizan, and miner will, by visiting the Exhibition, have an opportunity of seeing and comparing the latest European improvements in the machinery or implements used lor his calling;—for I should state that application for a largo amount of space has been made •by home manufacturing machinists. The districts I have hitherto visited see the undertaking in this its true light. Tuapeka, Tokomamro, and other places are actively pushing on their exhibits and it would be a loss to yourselves especially uere this district not to take up its proper position. Your internal prosperity is plain to the mere stranger. Three different places of worship, a school, a newspaper that would do credit to the capital, and your houses and stores far more substantial than those of Dunedin. Now, if by apathy you prevent these advantages being made known, when you find tho Exhibition is a success—and rely upon it a success so far it will be—you wdl have yourselves to blame. I havo heard it said, " Government neglects us, therefore we will not aid the Government in this Exhibition." Allow mc, in reply, to suggest that the Exhibition is not a Government undertaking; but, even were it bo, by not being represented at the Exhibition you could not more effectually further this neglect—you would, m lact, be cutting off your hand to be revenged on your little finger. Gentlemen, this Exhibition may be regarded as our first step as a nation—we are taking itoek of our actual state, of our wealth, resources, and of our civilization. In holding it we are writing tho first page of our national history; and

when, some ten years hence, we institute a comparison, similar to that I have just read you—when petty Provincial jealousies shall have passed away, and we shall have becomo the Great Britain of the Southern hemisphere—when Dunedin will be a flourishing city, with its museums, public libraries, colleges, and other indications of the highest civilization—when this shall bo a handsome stone-built town, with its breakwater, and vessels lying in its harbor—when, I say, after the lapso of half-a score of years these things shall have come to pass, who will not look back at tho Exhibition of '65, and recognize those individuals who by their exertions furthered the cause ? I have occupied your time, and perhaps wearied you. I much wish I had eloquence sufficient to put the matter in its true bearing. But let mc assuro you that any district neglecting to take its stand will, when too late, regret that it has lost an opportunity of serving a good cause, and has materially lost sight of its own particular interest. Mr Waymouth concluded by saying that he would be most happy to answer any questions bearing on the subject. The Chairman enquired whether any one wished to ask Mr Waymouth for further information. The Roy Mr Gifford referred to " Instructions, Clause 26th," as to exhibitors forwarding articles at their own expense, which he considered to bear hard upon exhibitors. Such regulations were calculated to discourage intending exhibitors, and it would bo a happy thing if some assurance of a rolaxatioa of these could be made. He considered that Mr Waymouth's statement was most important. He should regret much if this district did not take a part in the Exhibition. The specimens to which the name of Oamam might bo attached would turn out much more numerous than wo at present anticipated. It was essentially an educational movement, and ono calculated to benefit all of them. Subscriptions should be raised in a liberal and patriotic spirit in behalf of a movement calculated for the benefit of all; for it would be an utter mistake to ignore the circumstance that the forthcoming Exhibition would be open to them for their own advantage. The Exhibition, too, was a tangible and permanent, and not an ephemeral, advertising medium—patent to all and calculated to benefit all who sent goods there. If specimens of our district products were to be sent, some fund was necossary to enable them to be manufactured. The subscription need not be a large one ; let it be limited to say 2s. 6d., and probably sufficient could be raised. It had fallen to his lot to transmit the applications for space to head-quarters, but he regretted they were as yet very few. He added that Messrs Hassell and France had kindly offered storageroom for any goods which were to be forwarded, that they might be sent up altogether. He further stated that at the meeting of the Local Committee lately held, the following resolution was passed :—" That this Committee think it necessary that the responsibility of conveying exhibits from the vessels at the wharves in Dunedin, be removed for the exhibitors, to some agency that may be organized by the Local Committee for that purpose in Dunedin ;" which would, of course, be transmitted to the Local Commit tec at Dunedin. He wished to ask Mr Waymouth whether the Local Committee would give such relief to the exhibitors. Mr Waymouth, in reply, said that the subject alluded to had been before the Otago Committee, and he thought that some relief would be afforded. He said he might add from himself that he thought that should any goods be damaged in their transit, the Local Committee would take steps to have them placed in the Exhibition in the best order that circumstances would permit. Mr Gifford further said that if the district should exhibit for its own benefit, it was obviously a great relief that the half of the expense was to be taken off their shoulders. Mr Shrimski enquired for what purpose the money was to be applied. Mr Waymouth answered that many exhibitors might be unable themselves to bear the expense of manufacturing samples, and the fund to be raised would principally be applied to this purpose. Mr Ingram then moved, seconded by Mr Rich, " That a subscription list be opened, and circulated by the District Committee, for tho purpose of raising sufficient funds for local objects in connection with the Exhibition." Carried unanimously. It was moved by Mr Ward, seconded by Mr John Lemon, " That Messrs Locke, Russell, and Filleul bo authorised to raise such subscriptions, placing the amount, with as little delay as possible, in the hands of the local Secretary of the District Committee." Carried unanimously. Moved by Mr Eilleul, seconded by Mr John Lemon, " That a vote of thanks be given to Mr Waymouth for the kind and explicit manner in which he had answered the several questions put to him." Carried unanimously. Mr Waymouth returned thanks, and moved, seconded by Mr Shrimski, " That tho thanks of this meeting be given to T. W. Parker, Esq., and to the Rev Mr Gifford, as Hon. District Secretary." Carried unanimously. These gentlemen returned thanks, and the meeting then adjourned.