LOCAL INDUSTRIES WEEK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 203, 17 August 1908, Page 4

LOCAL INDUSTRIES WEEK.

"MADE IN NEW ZEALAND." SCHOOL CHILDREN'S ESSAYS. The following are the winners of the town schools essay competition promoted by the Chamber of Commerce in connection with the Local Industries Week, together with the winning essays: - SENIORS. FIRST PRIZE: CLAUDE JURY, 14 years (I months, West End School: ■As some of the larger towns of Now Zealand have, held an industrial week Willi considerable success, it was decided bv the Employers' Association of New Plymouth to'hold such a week her". The time chosen for the display was the week of the Taranaki-liritish football I match.

During the week the Employers' Association had the necessary arrangements made for the display, and about haif the business premises of the town Wi'ff olaborateh decorated with colonialmade goods. As wool is the staple product, of the Dominion, many of the drapers were exhibiting beautiful rugs and blankets bearing the brand of the lioslvil. Kaiapoi, and Petone mills.. When one sees the beautiful articles manufactured at these mills, he is led to ask why tin; wool should be sent I" Halifax to be made into garments when I such beautiful material H-an be manufactured in the Dominion.

The cabinetmakers are showing in their windows planks of kauri, rintii, and rewa. rewa. The kauri tree once covered a very large portion of the Auckland district, but, unhappily, owing to the great demand that has been on the market for this special variety «uf wood, the tree is fast vanishing. The rewa rewa is chiclly used for eab-inet-iinaking, and, when properly oiled and polished, it presents a very beautiful appearance. In the window of Mr. Whitaker's shop was to be seen the wheat as it really is, and the thirteen dill'erent processes that it must go through before it is readv for hitman consumption. Our own' little Hour mill at Sentry Hill is very small compared with the mill, of larger towns, but nevertheless it is capable of turning out Hour which, fo* excellent quality, is not tu be excelled in the colony.

Tlii> province of Taranaki is admirably iiilit.|)tc(l I'or diiir.v farming, au.l, us the grass is plentiful, the farms ire small anil close together. The tows are milked, ami the surplus milk is taken to the nearest factory, there to lie made into liutter and cheese. The butter is sent to the freezing works at Moturoa, frozen, packed in boxes and sent home to England. When the cattle become too old for dairying, or are killed ro* beef, their hides are used for the manufacture of boots, shoes, harness, and travelling hags, all of which for durability and finish cannot be excelled by imported ones. We, as people of Mew Zealand, may promote the prosperity of the Dominion by using locally-made goods instead if imported ones, and in order to conincl us to do V. Government, have placed a dutv on almost all goods entering the Dominion, so that they cannot lie sold at a cheaper price than locally-made goods.

EQUAL SL'COND: ALICE COCKER, 13 vears 1 month. West Knd School: ami JiOliO'i'llY WIIITAKLT!, '3 years, l'itzroy School. JL'XU>I!S. ITKST I'RIZK: IvDITII COOK. 11 years 4 months, Central School. During last week the shopkeepers of this town made a. special display «.f New Zealand-made goods. Their object in this matter was not. only to make an exhibition of the fruits of our industries, but to prove that manufacturers in the Dominion are able to turn out articles of great variety and of good ■finish and ipiality, with the hope tint they will be more generally used by the public. So many people think that goods imported from foreign countries are so very superior' to local articles:~ in fact, a manufacturer is like a prophet —"without honour in his own country." The beautiful display we have sen-i ought to do away with thi„ impression. Passing down the street, our attention is attracted by the drapers' windows, where we see' beautifully-linislcd travelling rugs, tweeds, costumes, and woollen underclothing from the Kaiapoi. Koslyn, Jtosgiel, and IVtonc mills. Hoots and shoes from the local factory make a good show. The grocers' shops have appetising displays. Here are butter and cheese from the surrounding districts, and preserved meats— beef, mutton, and tongues —from the Oar Company Works, I'etone. Here, too, we see some kinds of lish, sauces, jams, and eauned fruits in great variety from llnwkc's Bay and. Nelson; biscuits, and last, but not least, lollies from Dunedin and C'hristchurch.

Tin: pork butchers, with th«ir templing wares, prove tin 1 value of the locally grown pig. linkers, J'or I heir Lusty liri-ml si ml cukes, get their Hour from the local mill at 'Sentry Dili. Our printers ami bookbinders show; what they can do, and there are even oil paintings made in Xew Zealand. I'nfortunaloly, u great many of these industries are not carried on in Turanaki itself, and this is chielly from lack of energy; hut a special effort has been made, to'develop the ironsand and petro(lf eoursc>. apart I'roin the display in Ihe shops, Ihe great products of Xe.v Zealand -wool, frozen meat, coal, gold, limber. Ilax. gum, ele.—are always hefore us. and at the present Francoliritish Inhibition, being held in Loudon. New Zealand makes a brave show, worthy even of the interest of our Kins,' and (.Micen. Finally, the exhibition of goods is an object lesson to show what a young colony can do, and foretells a "real future for the manufactures of the' Dominion. SrX'OXD: dOYCF WILSOX, 11 years, "West End School. THIHD: lIIOHXS MAXDKU. 12 youis, 0 months, West Knd .School.