FITTING UP THE AUCKLAND COURT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 415, 30 October 1889, Page 4

FITTING UP THE AUCKLAND COURT.

A meeting of the Auckland branch of the Exhibition Committee was held at noon to-day in the Chamber of Commerce, the business being to consider telegrams received from Mr J. L. Holland, who is attending to the work of fitting up the Auckland Court in the Dunedin Exhibition. At the meeting held yesterday the loliowiug telegram was read tiom Air Holland : — '* Must trust me to woik economically, as lam bent judge of lequirements. If you do not guaiantee £150, must return to Auckland next boat. Resident of New South Wales, formerly resident in Auckland, oilers donation £5 to avoid com t being a failure. 5 ' To onis a reply was forwarded as follows : — "Estimate much in excess of amount contemplated. Think £25 to enclose space for live bays; 1 labour and earth) £, £15; <uch, £10; cleaning, €10; incidental details, £10, as much as can be guaranteed. Remaining suggestion and item must stand over. What wall space havo you available tor applicants? What is being done about the two bays taken from us? Will they a. low foi them, or giant us other space? Aie the goods paid direct being placed in our court? It so, we are entitled to amount paid." Mr Holland replied by the following telegram, which was received this morning — " Cannot tell what space available. Thirteen exhibitors on my li&t, but no particulars of space. Send particulars ot all space secured through you. Obtained bay in place of one taken. Executor here piovides the Kauri Timber Company with bay in lieu ot lelund to Committee. This gives me another bay for general exhibits, and adds C 6 to cost ot fittings so expenshe. Must do my best to crowd everything in Auckland Court. Total space 16 bay&. Oamaru provides £130 to tit 5 bay?. See my ditliculty." Upon leceipt of this communication a meeting ot the Committee was held at 12 o'clock, at which the Mayor presided. Mr Allan Tracy was also present by invitation. The Mayor said that the Executhe Committee in the iirst instance took 16 bays for Auckland. These had been put chased and paid for. They wauled it to be clear to the public that they only got 16 buys and that they got the money for them. As to the money, that ■would be forthcoming. It was not a question ot getting funds, but taking care that they were economically expended. Mr J. B. Russell had been to him and oHercd to collect another £50 if tundb were short. He thought it would be well to accept Mr Russell's oiler, and Mr Gariett might be asked to assist him. This was agreed to, Mr Uarrett consenting to undertake the position suggested. The Mayor said that Mr Holland had said he considered £150 would be ample, to the best thing they could do would be to forward that amount. After some desultory discussion it was decided to lovward the following telegram to Mr Holland :—": — " Funds, will probably be forthcoming on the basis of your last telcgiam. Do you mean £150 in addition to what you have had ? Will wire again on ; Monday."

A lengthy letter was al-o received from Mr Holland, in which he states that mobt. of the other courts were in a forward state, and a style much better than the Committee appeared to have realised. He writes: "Certainly the Committee made u veiy grave error in sending me down, and I on coming here with a paltiy £56, out ot which 1 ha\o got to provide £9 10s (return passage), and nine weeks' per sonal expenses ( C 27), leaving a balance of £19 10& (not sufficient to arrange a church bazaar one eighth tho size), with which to cat ry out only the very necessary wui kin connection with a court of 16 bay& — acouit, in point of situation for eflect, equal to that of Victoria, and before that ot any New Zealand Couit." Mr Holland also states that already Exhibition prices aie i tiling which makeb the work all the more expensive. He givets the following e.-timate of expenses: — " It will be necessary to enclose space equal to 5 bays foi general exhibits. The cheapest at which this can be done is £25. Two men will be required for at lea&t one month each, to receive, lump, and open cases, ab Is per hour, £19 4s ; receiving ab wharf and cartage, £10 (estimate only) ; erection of arch, &ay £10. Executive ofheer in full charge ol the whole court during the whole course of tho Exhibition will be ab.-oluuely necessary. Twenty-six weeks, at £3, £78 ; an assistant for cleaning and dusting general exhibit:?, £26 ; incidental expenses, £25. !3ummaiy; — Office, £17; tablecloth and chairs, C 4; enclosed space for general exhibits, £25 ; lumper* and assistance, £19 4s ; receiving and carting, say £10; arch, say £10; executive officer, whole time, say £78 ; cleaning, £26 ; incidenbal, £25; total, £214 4b—supposing executive officer only nine weeks, deducb £51 ; total, £163 45." Mr Holland also sbates bhab this, the lowest possible esbimate bo avoid utter failure. He mentions bhab the execubive officer of the Canteibury Court of twenty bays had £1,000 placed ab his disposal, while he was himself paralysed for want of tunds. He adds: "'The Committee must (to avoid utter failure) at once place me in funds to the extent of £165 or £170, or our court will be bub an advertisement of our poverby-stiicken condibion (better close it ab once)," and concludes by saying that not less than £225 will be required to lix and run the Auckland Court with even the, smallest degree of success.

Dunedin, October 26. Hon.. T. Fergus and General Edwards were conducted through the Exhibition buildings yesterday afternoon. Mr Holland, the Auckland representative, has received word that the Committee are to hold a special meeting to consider his appeal for funds, An old Auckland resident now belonging to Sydney, but over here in connection with the New South Wales Court, has offered to, wake a donation of the £50 necessary

rather fchan that the Auckland Court should be a failure L>"ext week will &cc the guns mount* id in the armoury court. t The weapons shown in this department will be a six-pound rifle muzzle - loader, a six - inch bieechJoader on a hydropneumabic carriage, tlnee quiok - tiring guns, a six - pound Monienteldt on garrison carriage, a sixpound Hotchkks, two machine guns, a Maxim and a fcvro-barrel Nordenfeldt, a iiel<{ gun, a six-pound Armstrong, also iuliintry rifle& of all designs, from the flint lock of about 1692 to the Martini-Htbnri of the piesent day.--" Auckland Star.' f