THE EXHIBITION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8716, 16 January 1907, Page 2

THE EXHIBITION.

Day by Day. By Telegraph—Special Service. Christchurch, January 16. The Exhibition was well attended to-day, the Besses o’ th’ Bam Band proving a great attraction in the afternoon. The Wanganui Maories, who will form quite a numerous detachment, are expected at ‘ the pa on Friday. A contingent of Hawke’s Bay natives is also expected this week. The Fijians are now giving performances of dances daily instead of three times a week. The sustained attendances are fully change. A new diversion, organised by a Fijian, in ferrying visitors to and fro across the lake on one of their quaint catamarans, is proving highly popular. The sweated industries exhibits, which arc now being arranged in the Labour Department’s court, afford a striking contrast between iST.Z. labour conditions and the circumstances of: shine of the wretched workers in the great cities of the Old Country. The exhibits were collected from the Sweated Industries Exhibition held* in London at the beginning of last :year to. expose the aw ful conditions under which some of the poor-workers of the metropolis slave out their lives. A large number of artificial flowers to bo i seen in the collection now in Christ- - church represent the crudest of * London’s home industries. Timed-

halfpence an hour is the average earnings of those engaged in this work. ' The prices paid for making roses vary from 3s Gd per gross to Is 4tl. The evils of the cardboard box-making are also illustrated. By twelve hours’ constant application trained fingers can earn Is 3d at this work. . Shirts are shown which were finished, in some cases by women dying of consupmtion, at two pence a dozen, and others made entirely for a penny and two pence each, the workers providing their own needles, thread and machines. Women’s underwear is shown which was paid for at the following rates: chemises, Is to Is 9d per dozen, taking 14 to 16 hours to make; combinations, 7d and Bd, seven to ten hours to make; infants’ robes, Is each, taking twelve to fourteen hours to make; divided skirts, 2s, two days to make; children’s woollen dresses, 2s, one and a-lialf to, two days to make. The “day” frequently lasts several hours after midnh'ht. Bromsgrove nails are shown for which the manufactured wage is Gid for 1150, and matchboxes made at the rate of 2d a gross. As many of the articles were made by persons suffering from contagious disease, they have all been fumigated again by the Health Department prior to exhibition. It is hoped to have them properly displayed hy Thursday. This will be a great day at the Exhibition. The Axemen’s Carnival, with items by the Besses o’ th’ Barn Band, interspersed by band performance in the evening, and Wonderland’s floral fete coming on the same day. The Axemen’s Carnival will be one of the largest meetings of the kind over held in the colonies and the largest in respect of-humbers of champions competing. The axemen who will take part include many men of magnificent physicpie and the chopping and. sawing, contests, should afford some fine sights. The performance of the Besses o th Bam Band on the Sports ground to-night was witnessed by one of the large'st crowds that has yet assembled there, the' weather being for the first time perfectly suitable. ' The elaborate illuminations prepared by Bain and Sons, of London, were lighted up, forming a spectacle of remarkable beauty. The entire ground was festooned with coloured livhts. Strings of Lanterns formed a charming picture near the rotunda, and the rotunda itself was pricked out everywhere with scores of coloured lights. Illuminations will be made a feature of the band performances as often as weather

permits. x\fter hearing the Besses o the Barn Band in tho Exhibition cert Hall, the officials are convinced that it is no place for the performance of the selection at the- coming great band contest. The Besses’ tone and beauty are lost in the concert hall and the brilliant ensembles* are a jumble. On the other hand, the Besses sound really magnificent on the specially-built rotunda on the sports ground, the sounding properties of which are perfect. Conductor Owen has requrs ed that his band should not again ke asked to play in the hall. He ex presses admiration of the rotunaa, and states he is satisfied the contest hands will be heard to great advantage in the rotunda, while in tho concert hall the performances would be most unsatisfactory. Mr W. S. King, the well-known band authority, has devoted some time to studying the effects of the Besses’ playing in the hall and in the rotunda, and unhesitatingly pronounces in favor of the selections being on the rotunda. He expresses the opinion that bandsmen would be disappointed with the full band renderings in the hall. To-day the officials conferred, and a communication was sent to the North Island Brass Bands Association, inquiring if that body agrees with the proposal to hold the selection events in the rotunda. If agreed to, Manager Munro will have a properscreen placed on the rotunda for use as a wind or sun shelter. The stand is brilliantly lighted, and musicians and experts are delighted with the excellent results of the open air playing. Mr King, who has the bandsmen’s interests at heart, urges all competitors to agree to the pror posal. Of course, in tho event of wet weather, the selections would probably have to be held in the concert hall. It will be known definitely in the course of a day or two what decision has been come to. On the rotunda the purity and richness of the Besses’ tone is quite a remarkable feature. Experts have not advised that the selections should be played in the open without careful consideration.