OUR PAVILION AT THE EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

Shannon News, 2 December 1924, Page 2

OUR PAVILION AT THE EMPIRE EXHIBITION.

NEW ZEALAND VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. Mr 11. H. Seaton, of Weiimgtun, wno is at present spending a iev\ uays’ noliday witn fits aaugnter, -vus C. H. Martin, oi vveraroa, anu w*iv lias just returned lrom a lenguuy i>ip tq jhurope, recently gave a ••hows representative some interesting particulars ol his. impressions oi uk umpire Exhibition at vvemoiey, anu of nondon. ms criticism is a seawuig denunciation bout oi Uie oft-crit-iuised*New Zealand Pavilion, anu m file lack of advertisement oi me country aoroad, Whilst nis description or the atmosphere pervading tne ruga Commissioner’s oince, win bung uuok memories to many, including mein-, Jjers oi the. N.Z.E.F.; wno visaed me place during tlie war, wnen tne omce was certainly more ammateu, out wnen tne attention given u> those wismng to obtain intormation aoout yew Zealand, was equally scanty. NEW ZEALAND l'AmUim.

From the point of view of an advertisement for New Zealand,, Mr *eatuu stated, the New. Zealand. Pavilion at the vveinoley Exiunmon was a dismal iailure. Where every Other country in the Empire endeavoured by the attractiveness of its display, hy representations of its industries, and .by panoramic models—mu(ny of mem working-models —of its agricultural and pastoral life, to stimulate interestin the intending emigrant’s mind, New Zealand’s Pavilion was. characterised hy a total lack of inspiration, which was the more remarkable, as those responsible lor its. production, must nave, had the. benefit, of what other countries, were doing, to help mem. Not only did the New Zealauu Pavilion fail to• attract, but it was, - positively an adverse critique of the possibilities, of the country smee a ' stood out in suen 'uniav.Qurabie. comparison with that of Australia, Canada, and South Africa. It was not only that the Pavilion displayed an absolute lack of any of the inspiration | which would have attracted -visitors, but'even tlie most elementary opportunities were overlooked. Whilst, every ' child visiting the Australian and Canadian Pavilions canie away with an ' armful of booklets,'illustrative of the 1 possibilities of those countries from an immigration and scenic point of ! view, given them.. by . courteous officials who were at all times anxious 1 to answer all inquiries by intending ; immigrants or the merely curious, m the New Zealand Pavilion there was ; nothing ’of this. On the two or three ' occasions on which Mr Seaton visited ’ the Paviiion, neither of the Publicity ' officers were to- be. seen, and no effort ■■ was made to in any way attract or ; interest visitors, whilst the literature : obtainable was Of the scantiest. - The exhibits oi meat and butter 1 were probably the best. shown, al--1 though even here the meat would have been better for having been changed in the show-cases occasionally, as. long before the end of the 1 Exhibition, the carcases had taken on that peculiarly discoloured appearance seen in meat long frozen. -TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OVERLOOKED. With the exception of these exhibits, however, there was. nothing -else to attract. Even New Zealand’s thermal and other tourist attractions—the one tiling in which New Zealand is pre- . eminent, wei;e totally overlooked. There were a few small photographs of Rotorua which no one noticed, whilst had there been, as would have been quite possible, a working model of Rotorua with geysers, etc., it would have been one of the attractions. of tiro Exhibition. . The same lack of vision was apparent in the representation of the possibilities of N.ew Zealand from a sportsman’s point of view. The six best red deer heads in the world were said to be in the New Zealand Pavilion, but they were in the Exhibition Commissioner’s room, where no one ever penetrated, except by special, invitation. The remainder of the heads shown, were scattered around, one here, one there, where they escaped notice, instead of being grouped where they would have been impressive as a collection. Sword-fishing, which is obtaining a world-wide reputation as an angling par-excellence was dismissed With the. exhibition of one sword-fish and a bald announcement that such fish were to be caught in New Zealand waters. AUSTRALIAN AND CANADIAN PAVILIONS. The remaining Dominions, Mr Seaton stated, had certainly made wonderfully attractive displays. The Indian pavilion as might have been expected was. in reality, a huge bazaar, where Indian products were sold. In the Australian and South African pavilions a considerable amount of the different products of those countries were sold, whilst New Zealand sold apples and half-pounds of butter. It was in the wonderful working models of. industrial activity in the various countries, etc., in winch the other parts Qf the Empire sco'red. In the South African Pavilion the actual process of diamond-mining from the cutting out of the blue clay, the washing and discovery of the diamonds, to the final polishing, was shown. Both Canada and Australia'had great panoramic views showing the agricultural life of those countries, remarkably well-done, and always the centre of absorbed interest. Of all the Dominions, the Canadian exhibition was probably most calculated to attract emigrants and the New Zealand j Pavilion the least. HIGH COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE. The same lack of animation and live interest in the encouragement of, was to be noticed in tne High Commissioner’s Office—a stalelooking window display of tinned meats, and inside a funereal gloom. A few booklets were lying in racks ! round the walls, but other assistance to the visitor there was none. Ine lack of attention was particularly noticeable after Australia House, the Commonwealth headquarters. Here, ■ in the magnificent central hall, was a | display of all the products of the various States, attractively arranged. A

number o{ men, Australians with an intimate knowledge of their country, are ready and anxious to explain its advantages/and possibilities,' and to do everything to- assist, either tiie. Australian in London or the Londoner wishing to go to Australia. Tours are • mapped out for overseas visitors, tickets to the House 'of Commons and other places of interest procured, and everything done to make the. Australian visiting London, feel that as an Australian he is coming into his own when he visits Australia House, and that he has a perfect, right to command the services of the organisation whenever he. may require it. WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES ARE DOING. Whilst New Zealand is. apparently asleep to. possibilities, of attracting desirable, immigrants arid tourists to her shores, the remaining Dominions miss no opportunity. On both of the Home-going boats Mr Seaton travel* led on, going and returning from Europe, stacks of literature referring to the various States of Australia, Canada, and South Africa, were provided, there was nothing whatever about New Zealand. '“lt makes one almost ieel,” Mr Seaton<> concluded, “as it, instead of one of the finest countries in the world (and I speak, as. a man who has seen most parts of it) we had something tc conceal.” "v