THE EXHIBITION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8754, 2 March 1907, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

-—r ;0:r Day by Day.

By Telegraph—Special Service. CuEtBTCHURCH, March 1. - ■ There was an attendance of 10,540 at the Exhibition to-day. A shower of rain drove the Besses o’ th’ Barn from the sports-ground into the concert-hall in the evening. Both of their performances were well attended. Two new plaster busts have been added to the collection in the art-gallery, one of Miss Eileen Ward, daughter of the Premier, and the other an ideal bust of a young half-caste maiden, “ Dawn.” The portrait bust of Miss Ward is one df the best of its kind that have been executed in the colony. The sculptor is Mr Nelson Illingworth. Signor Bragato, Government viticulturist, has arranged for a display of Now Zealand grown grapes at the Exhibition. The first ton will be shipped from Auckland by the Talune on Saturday, reaching Christchurch on Wednesday next. The grapes are grown at the Government Experimental Station at Waircnga, in the Waikato. The first consignment will consist of the Chasselas variety, which are considered to bo the finest eating grapes. Shipments of other varieties will follow as they ripen. As two tons of Australian grapes will arrive next week, the public will therefore have an opportunity of comparing j-'OW

Zealand and Australian fruit. In regard to the cablegram received tonight from Adelaide, slating that judging at the Exhibition is not satisfactory, it is understood that trouble arose some oays ago among Australian cxhibitois ot vine, more particularly in reference to the judge appointed by tbo Government. The appointment was subsequently cancelled, and yesterday the exhibitors were invited themselves to nominate a substitute. Their unanimous choice fell upon Mr Malaquin, of Canterbury College, and the Minister has accordingly notified ins appointment to the position. No further hitch is expected to occur, and the judging of Australian wines will commence to-morrow. Judges of several other sections have completed their work, and only Ministers’ confirmation of their decisions is needed before they will be made public. The Acting-Premier, speaking at a dinner given to visiting members of the Press Association to-day, congratulated those who had had to do with what had been a successful Exhibition. Ti,.to were some people who had the idea that the colony was going to lose a very large sum, but they must take into account the educational value of the Exhibition. When lie would fell them that the cost to the colony as a whole would not, he believed, exceed the sum of one shilling per head of the population, he thought that they would agree with him that the whole arrangements had been carried out commercially and successfully in order to produce such a result. The following interesting return, compiled by the Customs Department, of the total values of exhibits under bond, according to the countries of their actual origin, sheds much light on the international aspect of the Exhibition, which has] been questioned by some critics United Kingdom PITS,IO7, Australia £20,832 (including Victoria £0001), New South Wales £lO,-108, Queensland £2128, South Australia £l3Bl, Western Australia£3lo, Tasmania £4, Fiji £444, Transvaal £2G, India £2GB, Ceylon £203, Burma £9, Canada £37CG, United States £7IOO, France £2924, Spain £lO, Italy £673, Switzerland £l9O, Austria £757, Germany £3853, Sweden £4, Norway £ls, Holland £1748, Belgium £O7l Syria £lB2, Trinidad £2, Cuba £B2 Phillipines £154, China £l4. The tota® value of exhibits under bond is £222,044. Canterbury College annual sports will be held on March IG, on the Exhibition sports’ ground. The next display of London fireworks will bo given on Wednesday. Numerous and varied entries have been received for Wonderland Pet Show, on March Stb. The date for receiving entries for tho essay competition is extended to March Gth.