THE EXHIBITION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81889, 16 November 1906, Page 2

THE EXHIBITION.

END OF THE RUCTIO '.i. DIFFICULTIES SMOOTHED OVER. Per Press Association. Christchurch, October 15. To-day the Hon. Hall Jones met the Exhibition Commissioners and the chairmen of the various Exhibition committees for the purpose of discussing the position of affairs in regard to the management. . .The meeting was of an informal character. Several of the chairmen spoke in-'regard to the difficulties that have arisen in the past, and the Minister explained the intentions of the Government. Later Mr Hall Jones entertained those present at lunch in the Ministerial apartments in the. Exhi-1 ,bition. - . ( ' ' The-general feeling among theCommissioners and chairmen as a result of the meeting seemed to be 1 that the friction that has occurred : n I

the past was not likely to be repealed in the future. The proposed direct control by Mr Hall-Jones, with the Commissioners as an advisory body, and Mr Munro as chief executive officer, is regarded as entirely satisfactory.

Speaking to a reporter, the Minister said that he believed that tho difficulties of tho past would not recur. He would probably be in Christchurch during the greater part of the Exhibition period, and would exercise a direct supervsion over management matters, consulting with the Commissioners when points of importance arose. There would be left no room f.» doubt as to who was head in regard to the control of the Exhibition, and there should be no hindrance in the way of carrying on the geat undertaking in a manner worthy of its highly successful initiation. The | Minister indicated that several minor matters would receive early attention. Amongst these will be the provision of seats in convenient posir tions to be used by visitors without tios to be used by vsiitor without charge. Arrangements will also be made to allow vsitors to enter at the gate opposite the tramway stoppingplace every day, instead of in wet weather as at present. This will render it unnecessary for tramway pas-

sengers to walk along the terrace to the main gate. The committees

under the circumstances will continue in office, and will do their best to assist Ministers in carryng on the Exhibition. The episode may now be considered closed. Heavy bookings of passengers arc

reported from both Dunedin and Wellington by the special week end trip which are being init'ated. These trips are to bo carred on throughout the period of the Exhibition. The Fijian fircwalkers arrive tomorrow.

COMMISSIONERS SATISFIED. Christchurch, November 15. At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Exhibition tonight,: general satisfaction was exr pressed at the changes made in regard to the management. Members stated that they expected matters to work .smoothly, for the future. •

, Mr W. G. Malone, chairman of the Taranaki Representation Exhibition Committee, writes as follows; I have just read your remarks in regard to the Taranaki Court. I

regret that before writing it you did not see me as chairman of the provincial committee. If you had "you would have been saved the publication of.the made unintentionally, no doubt, by your informant. I could have officially given you the exact condition of affairs, and your readers could. then have known that things Were no further amiss as regards the representation proper of Taranaki than was calculated on. Lot me thank you very heartily for your kind appreciation of my committee's stienuous work and for our exoneration by you from b:ame. I don't know who your informants, other than Mr Docknll, are, and I have therefore no ,means of judging their capabilities of judg ing the Taranaki Cuurt. They may be friends or enemies of Taranaki, of my committee, or me- They may, perhaps, after seeing: the splendours of, say, the Canadian Court, on which I understand tons of thousands of pounds have been spent, expected the Taranaki Court to rival it. It

is a piiy that they did not comniuicato with me or the committee before giving a verdict.. But criticism as a rule is cheap; work dear. They, and for the matter of that, no one had tho right to expect the Taranaki Court to be completed before the ist December, 1906, and no une who has actually done any work in connection with it did expect it to be complete beforo that date, A scheme of repiesenation was laid out and aftproved without one dissentient by all Taranaki. That scheme, with the lateness of finance and the necessity of rigid economy could not, it is well known, be carried out to completion by the ist November, instant, and no one had any right, t.o expect it to be, as the scheme had to be "amended by tho omission of blocks or figure representations of Taranaki's products, for the good reason that- as regards butter it was found that a block re presenting . even one day's output would have blocked' irplialfour space. And as to the. stock, with such limited funds anything but caricatures could not have beon obtained. The amended scheme, with the exception of the literary part of it, was complete on the. (ith inat.,. within four workingdays after tho opening, 'a'ncf many days before the expected time. Had it not been for the fact that quite unforesccnlv the Executive Commissioners would not allow four parcels of writing to go into the 'building until the 4th inst. They could have been complete by the ist inst. , As to the literary matter, an ample supply fo dedgers and. leaflets was sent from hero on the Oth inst., and should have been in the Court on the Sth inst. That was long before the expected time. The book, which has been a bigger undertaking thart was expected, will be ready for issue, 1 believe, well wi.taln time. The petroleum boring model was never pan of the committee's scheme. We knew that our Court, though intentionally only fitted up as a lounge, might appear too bare, and we therefore gUd- '}' got the Petroleum Co., who had taken up space on their own account, to transfer to ours, and give us the U'enjefit of their model as a draw. So (hat your informants are, as 1

fee' sure yy.u and your readers will agree with me, quite unwarranted in their strictures. I hope the gentleman who writes so scathingly about the Court resembling a second rate land and commission agency come forward, a.ud. l«t. us. know who ho. is. He is entitled to his opinion, of course,but-I have no hesitation inlaying that his opinion wi ; l not be endorsed by anyone competent to. judge. If lie had said a first rate land-agent v 1 could agree with him. That is iii the main Taranaki's scheme. As lo ''muddle after muddle," you are in eiror. There was an inadvertent onihvinn, apologised for long ago, to gi" tenders for printing, but that in no way delayed things. Thei e has been a misunderstanding- by a sub committee as io the contents of the "book," and it is consequently some lour pages bigger ihan anticipated, and is not altogether as originally planned, but it is, in my humble opinion, all right. The misunderstanding has probably prevented the book coming out as sjon as might bc, ; but it will be well within the estiniaied time. This i< the nearest approach to a "muddle' that has been. ] must say that I have felt inclined to growl at the people of Taranaki lor not providing a few thousand p.nmd. and not becoming enthusiastic over the matter, but, o n recollection. 1 could see no right that I had t > growl. They are entitled to please themselves and in most places treated me very well. The committee ma.de up its mind to have Taranaki ivp:c "exited, and represented it will be.

As to the leports in outside papers. 1 must say that I could not believe my eyes when I saw statement'. ;,<, l; , tUirtc's in the Conn \ v j uc i, j i nl „ v could not be, btit a very capable ami general member of tho .press, explained the fact )u- infiiiming m , that coinmonly where a report is being made on work near.completion in the interests of the work it 5- written as though the work- were completed. It is not a method that 1 tier"anally approve of, but exp^aiqß Mh-? anomaly.. ■>■■'■