THE NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONER. Auckland, January 3.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 332, 9 January 1889, Page 6

THE NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE EXECUTI VE COM M ISSIONER. Auckland, January 3.

Ix order to give some idea of the proposals Mr Twopeny has conic here to advocate, a reporter from the Auckland Star waited on him this morning, when the following conv ci'sation ensued :—: — Reporter : I want to know anything that is new about your piano, anything that we have not; heard befose. jNI v Twopony : Well, you have had the main outlines of the scheme, and my business heie is to till them up. Perhaps you would mention any points to which objection has been taken, and then I can explain. Reporter : There is a feeling in Auckland that we had the right to celebrate the Jubilee by an exhibition, as proposed by Sir Julius Vogol. Mr Twopeny : There are two points involved in that— first, as to which ciiy has the prior claim to an exhibition, and then a.s to the Jubilee celebration. Now J daresay you remember that when Vogel laid hi* Triennial Inhibition scheme befoie Parliament, he proposed that these exhibitions should be hold alternately in both Islands, and it was understood that Dunedin was to have the next exhibition after Wellington. Reporter : But that .scheme practically fell bhiough and Sii Juliu" brought; forwaid another for a Maritime Exhibition in Auckland in 1890, to celebrate the completion of tho [Northern Trunk Line, together with the Jubilee of the colony. Mr Twopeny : Yes, and I wrote to your papers at the time urging you to hold a South Seas Exhibition, but you did not take up either proposal. Nor to this day is there any attempt to assert that even it Dunedin were now to give way in the matter you would take it up, lam quite ready to admit that Auckland, as the oldest city in the colony, had a preemptive right to celobiate the Jubilee, and owing to the amount of trade there is between Auckland and the islands you could probably have carried out the South Sea part of the Exhibition in a more imposing manner. But seeing that you had no intention, and have no intention, of holding an Exhibition, or celebrating the Jubilee in any other but a local manner, I don't think it is quite fair to talk about Dunedin having " jumped your claim/ Surely after you had passed it was quite open to our people to take it up. • Reporter : Yes ; but we don't altogether like it. Dunedin will get the lion's shaic of the advantages. Mr Twopeny : The hotelkeepers and tradesmen will probably make a good thing out of the Exhibition, but that is scarcely the object for which most, of us have subscribed to the guarantee fund. In all the real advantages ot the undertaking it is equally open to Auckland and every other part ot the colony to share. The district which makes the best show in the Exhibition is likely to profit most, and as regards the EngliVh and Australian vi-i-tois, whom we shall try to attract, nine-tenths of them are bound to make their way to Auckland. Of couise. your exhibitois will be at some d it-advantage in being further fiom the seat of industrial war, but that can't be helped, and it will be yom- turn next. Besides, Otago, paying Q 5,000 for this advantage, anil whatever honour and erlory may accrue to Dunedin from having the Exhibition there. Reporter : That is a good enough reason for your having the Exhibition, but 1 don't, see that it entitles you to celebrate tho Jubilee. Mr Twopeny : The Jubilee is after all only a*' throw in." The official announcement that the Exhibition is held in celebration ot the Jubilee as iil be of roisidcrablc use in .securing the co-operation of other countiies, who cannot w ell refuse to rome to our Jubilee attei we have been to their ccntcneries. The Jubilee afiords a good eveu.se for holding an exhibition, it is a peg to hang it upon so to speak, but supposing thcic had been no exhibition what would the cclebiation of the Jubilee have been woi th to Auckland or Wellington ? The Government would not ha\e been likely to spend any money over it. and what real bench' t would a regatta and musical festival have conferred upon Auckland ? Why, even looking at it Irom that poino of view, the number ot visitois irom outside that tho Exhibition is likely to attract; to Now Zealand should add considerably to the eclat of your regatta. A regatta I is not a thing we can do properly in Dunedin, and a& I wiied to the. Mayoi wo arc quite willing to endca\our so to arrange dateo as to lead visitors to concentrate tor one big neck in Auckland and another big week in Dunedin. By placing them at an intcr\al of about thiee weeks people would pass on from one to tho othet. Reporter : That is lather a good idea. Mr Twopeny : 1 think it ought to help your local celebration, and it certainly won't injure the Exhibition. But that is what does the mischief in this country. People seem to think we can't be generous to our neighours without hurting ourselves. One of my chief hopes from the Exhibition is to be abfo to get the wholo colony to pilll together for once, and then the advantages of the process will recommend it for further application beyond the exhibition field. Why, the generous way in which Canterbury has met us in this matter has already done more to produce good feeling between the two Southern provinces than anything that has happened for years, and when once yon understand the thincr, and that we are honestly anxious to do the colony a service and not trying to work a point upon Auckland or any other place, I feel very confident that you will treat us just as generously. The Otago people have approached this matter in a broad colonial spirit, and thrown aside local feeling, and we expect the other provinces will do tho same. Like begets liko in these things, and I believe you will tieat us well because we want bo treat you well. Reporter : That is a fine sentiment. Mr Twopeny : And you will find it " pans out.." There never was a time when it was .so desirable that New Zealand Bhould pull together as now, when wo have got into bad odour all over the world, and have half lost courage ourselves. How far we shall really be able to attract people to tho colony from Australia and England by an" Exhibition, it is hard to say, though we mean to try all wo can to make the affair a big advertisement for New Zealand, and I think the novelty of our programme and tho thoroughly distinctive character of theExhibifcion — sodiffeient from tho old glass-case show — should attract some attention, in . Australia at any rate, especially at a time when the Melbourne boom has come to an end ; and it will begin to be suspected that New Zealand is'"iound the corner," and offers"! good opportunities for settlement and investing capital. But at the least, the Exhibition bhould pull New Zealand toaofcher, and show our own people that Lhoio are moro resources to bo developed in this colony than they have been

aecustome to Believe, and that' * the depression has really been a time of considerable industry which if beginning to tell lib tale. If the Exhibition really does that, oiir money won't be wasted. Look ab the Victorian?. They haven't got half the country we have, and yet ccc how they " run " it. They believe in themselves, and other people believe in them. See the price of their stocks. X TCeporter : You can't suppose your exhibition will raise the price of New Zealand bonds ? Mr Twopeny : Fi it restores con6dence in the colony it will. Of course it won't bo the Exhibition alone. The recent rise in prices will, if maintained, bo worth twenty exhibitions in that direction, but nevertheless the Exhibition should help. Indeed, the greatest recommendation of the proposal is that it nfrjks what Sir Robert Stout calls the psychological moment. An exhibition can do little good of it.self; it must have something to work upon. It is a lever, so to speak. Jf the colony were &till going downhill I should be against holding an exhibition, but it is just at the turn of the tide that a thing like this helps. It gives an impetus to energy, and pioves that matters are not so black as people have been given to believe. Keporter: Well, I hope you are right, and that the Exhibition will succeed. Mr Twopeny : I think so ; but to achieve a real, genuine success we must have the ungrudging assistance of the ISorth, and the Auckland district effectively reptefcenced. The real distinction of a colonial as distinct from a provincial exhibition is not whether it is held by the Government or at the seat of Government, but whether the exhibits aie thoroughly representative of the whole colony or only of a part. Now to my mind there hns never been a really worthy representation of New Zealand made yet. Government inefficiency and provincial differences, above all geographical difficulties have hitherto prevented New Zealand putting her best foot foiomost in any of these affairs. But if you will take the matter up in the North as has been done all over the .South, and work out your own salvation instead of looking to Government to do all the collecting of the exhibits, and look after your own interests, then, I think, we bhall get together a real New Zealand Exhibition, and one which w ill utterly astonish our neighboms. After some further desultory comeisation, the interview closed.