THE BIG FAIR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81884, 8 November 1906, Page 2

THE BIG FAIR.

MACHINERY HAL!. ATTRACTIONS. (Per Press Association.) Chrisichurch. November 7. Tin- attendance at ihe Exhibition' this morning \va< limited, but incfmsccl m the artcrnuon. TIIO agricu.tural sliow and other attractions helped to reduce the usual number of visitors. Tile Premier and Lady Ward and the Hons. McGowan and l-'owids visiied the S'.uth Australian couri to-day, and were received by Commissioner Scott, who pieentcd Lady Ward with a specimen of a small torto : se found in the Northern Territory.

The Machinery Hall in the Exhibition has the advantage of being located where it cannot be missed, for it abuts 011 the northernmost extremity of ihe main corridor, and as everyone pa'-'cs along- this during the diurria'l inspection, the machineiy has necessarily a iargo audience. The whirr and buzz of active mechanism attracts the attent'oll of tin- curious, but otherwise interested, spectator, though then- is usually a large gathering- of persons engaged in industrial pursuits who are eager to discover anything' new in., the way of median sm. The exhibits comprise four gieat classes: Gas engines, electrical machinery, motor cars, and machine tools. Steam engines are few and far between, and the large quantities of manufactured products thai are displayed in the hall are scarce y within the prov nee of the section. The railway section, which is located within the hall, is so large and so distinct that it can be regarded as external to the general display. Among prime movers in use. gas engines easily take the lead. The internal combustion engine is an übiquitous next, but a very bad second. Among generators of power are the qua nt hot-air engines. These strange contrivances, bulky for their power, but simple in principle and in fact, carry on their staggering gait untiringly, and attract endless attention by their peculiar appearance. The electrical machinery is wider in its distribution than anything else in the machinery lull. The prneipa: exhibit of electrical machinery aro two sets feed in connection with the lighting of the Exhibition, comprising engines and dynamos aggregating about 250 horse power. Both these sets art intended for use at Timaru, which is shotrly to b? lit with electricity by the Muni-, eipality. Tho motor cars make a spieiKWd show. There are three line stands of cars rang.ng from small run-abouts to heavy touring cars. Th''y aie ;<il of the best qua ity, toi the idea is not tu show cheap machines, but good ones. There IS great variety in motor cycles shown, and some of these "road hogs" approach very nearly to giusefulness. The machine tools shown aie of great variety, and are intensely prosaic. Theii uncompromising biacK unisli announces their u-ctuinc.s, and their build announces their purposes. There are ladies, handsaws, dri.ls, planing machines, and riveters, and smaller fly innumerable, but generally speaking they are ugly, and much too inscrutable for tho average spectator. The niisciilaneous class is too big to describe. Some complete refrigerat'ng plants are of considerab.e interest, and these are generally in going order. The New Zealand railway section, while possessing vast importance, as not only showing what can now be done in the colony in the matter of supplyig our own railway plant, but aiiso giving a pointer as to what may siili be achieved in the near future, is one which cannot be popularly described. The eve of the layman view ng the splendid exhibits may take in a general way the excellence of the work displayed, but only the expert can fully appreciate it. To deser.be it for the edification of the latter wou.d require columns of type, and the former could not be enlightened by any mere description. Suffice it to say, that the exhibits show a development in our engineering skill and appliances which arc quite in keeping with tho progres-Mvcne-s of the industrial operations of tiie colony. In other respects the engines and" other railing stock and railway appliances p aecd on view demonstrated that if New Zealand is not yet quite independent of other countiies m tho matter of manufactuiing all the gear it requires for its working railways, it is within measurable d.stance of being so, for at the present time the larger class of locomotives are boing manufactured in the colonial railway workshops with Signal success, as is shown by the exhibits,

THE COMMISSIONERS' DIFFERENCES. NO DECISION'ARRIVED AT. (Per Press Association). Chnstcliureh, November 7. A Cub.net meeting was lutid this aftcrnuon at tne Exiubition buildings respecting tiic dilfei dices wlncli have arisen between Mr Munro, Chief Executive Commiss.oncr, and his colleagues. U was expected that a detinue decision would have been arrived at, but I have just seen the Premier, who stales thai, no decision iias been come to so far. lie would not make any further statement. He is visiting the Exhibition again tonight. Mr. MUNRO INTERVIEWED. Mr. G. S. Mimio, chairman of the Executive of the Exhibition, was asked by a rcpiesentauve oi the New Zealand Herald what he thought of the Exhibition as a bus.ne,s concern now lUal il had been open for four days. "I am palecay a i.ified,'' he said, "with tile pies.-nt iio .iti u of the Exhibition, It has'quilo ical.sed my antic pillions, and thu»e exhibitors and euncessiunaiies who were induced to panicipaie on my representations as to the extent and nature of the Exhibition, have in every instance expressed themselves perfectly satisfied. iTliere is no doubt that the Exhibition is one of the most var.ed and complete that lias ever been held in the world, The exhibits themse ; v«s make a magnificent show, anc] tile high standard and almost * m i ru absence of any. taw[ , ry 1S what stiilces the visitors who have had experience of other exhibitions." "So far, Mr. Munro, you have given .111 excellent prospectus of the who've show, but would you care to give some figures showing how the undertaking- may become a financial success

"Well let 1110 tell you of a few. Take for example, the , floor space, that rea ised ,£30,000; from the Treasury 1 have received £73,000; making a total of .£103.000 to the opening day. Now, 1 do not think we shall require any more money from the Governmeiice al all. 1 do not claim 10 be a professional showman, but f do say ih.it 1 am a thorough business num. and 1 have endeavoured to conduct ill" Exit "hit ion. at any rate in all that 1 have had to do with it, as a business man purely and simply. Take some of our consessions. They are payng' royalties of front 10 per cent, to 50 per cent. For example, tlie tea rooms [lay ul per cent, royahv, and i'nri and confectionery stalls a week. Mr. Sliipman, with his automatic machines, pays 15 per cent..

Wonderland 2t) per cent., and there, a;*e others. A new electric e-V'valor s being put up in one of the towers, at a cost of From ihat we -Ikill take a royalty of 20 per cent. Again the silc of pictures from the P.iiti-h collect on. already am<umls to /Jio.ooo. on which \\? get a royalty of in per cent. There is anolher £IOOO already, and I should csiimate that 1 he proceeds from the commission on [he sale of pxtuies through the medium of the art union, wi ! he very in-avy. I have no fear at all about ihe "•uccev; of the Exhibition. Mr Munro wa< then a-ked 'f he had anything to say of t|je matter which il was undeistood the Premier had cenie to Christchutch to adjust. l 'l have nothing to say at a'l about thai matter,'' he replie \ "but this nuu;h I w'll say. that ] could have been the mo«t pojiular man in Christchurch today, had I listened to al ( ] ill at I was told, but I am not to be cajoled, I am not to be bounced, and T am not to be int'midatcd by any ' bodv. Had I sought popular'ty and ■ paid the price, a-ked fv»r it, I know 1 this, that ii wou'd have cost the Exhib tion a lot of money. When the i right time come s I will speak plainly 1 enough on many things, but got yet,, t

la Uu; nu uiLme, you wll find me iicie, an<' I think 1 can confidently n "y liis much, t!-at si f,ir as I can judge. it \.i J DO'. \)V ];ccc .s.ify So <_|,,uV 1 iuilir r mojiry Ju' Tu:a uiv> bi't';iu«/ ihc K(.A'ipls a.'* now muv'ii KTLSiI i'i iliiin tjic ( , v[)( , ndiUi]f. i an - ! ticipaie thai the total amount of money requ rix| to run the Exhibition from beginning to end will bo ,£,'150, • coo. and f w<» a c lav tired with a fin'; sea-on. ] have cvm- ipason to belic-ve ■ lint the who e underlak ng will cot the colony vi iy much less money Jian '» Kfnerally supposed. It is yen' grat fving to me to know that che ex pendiUiie made by exhibitors and concessional .C- amounts to ,£350,000 and this sub tantial warrant of their faith 11 the undertaking, and duir endo'i-semen l , of the Governmeni - prop siti n, is wi.hout doub: the fin uibute to its management.'' J hern are a good many complain, s about the ex-.ra charges in the Exhibition. and this matter was brought un 'or Mr Munto's attention.

"1! <-s. me. ' Iv cxc'a'med, "what do y, u ever 8 n at any e x ]i b't oil anywhere in the world but extra charges. I have never organised an exhibition mmy life before ; never saw one; and yet I know that at all of them, even at that great popular place of res rt, jhe Crystal Palace, London, the shilling by no means takes you through ail. Of course, one has to pay exira for side shows and similar attachments to an exhibil'on. but I wi?l say tlvs, thai if one 'does' the Exhibition thoroughly, and docs not spend a single Sixpence upo n anything beyond his gate admission. I think he will honestly confess that the New Zealand International Exhibition will give him as good value for his money as anv s how of its kind, and Ido not care whe.e it may be."