WELLINGTON EXHIBITION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 310, 25 May 1911, Page 5

WELLINGTON EXHIBITION.

SUCCESSFUL OPENING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Coronation Industrial Exhibition was opened this afternoon in glorious weather by the Hon. J. Carroll, ActingPremier.

The Exhibition is being held in the "J" and "U" sheds of the Harbor Board, the former being 260 ft by 74ft, and the latter '24 oft by 93ft. The aggregate lloor space is 75,492 square feet. Practically all the exhibits are produced or manufactured in New Zealand. The object of the Exhibition is to advertise the wonderful resources of the country. Exhibits were forthcoming from every province in the Dominion, the number of stalls being 140. Other features are art galleries, comprising collectively over 400 works of art; a concert hall,' seating li) 00 people; and sports stadium, measuring 240 ft by 'BBft, which also includes a skating rink and bowling green, and has seating accommodation alone for over 1000.

The New Zealand Government has exhibits from several department, and the Kducatnoin Board, showing pupils' work. In the various stalls is exhibited a sample of practically every article produced in the Dominion.

The working exhibits include a steam laundry and electoral appliances, a number of line stationary models, including one valued at €OOO, the property of the Union Company, and one complete in every way of a Dawson suspension bridge. The Exhibition will remain open until July '2fl.

At the opening ceremony speeches were delivered by lion. Carroll and Messrs Bullinger (chairman of the Exhibition Executive), Fletcher (chairman of the Harbor Board), Wilford (Mayor), and Tewsley (chairman of the Chamber of Commerce). The attendance was very large, and in every way the proceedings were most successful.

Tu his address, Mr. Ballinger said this Exhibition was the largest of its sort yet held in Xcv Zealand. Manufacturers from all parts were exhibiting, and such exhibitions should do much to nssisi them. There was, however, something wrong, for last year the increase in factories was far below that of previous years. The Government had appointed Mr. Cameron to visit all the principal towns to enquire into the condition oi the iron trade, which was reported to be in a languishing condition. No Government subsidy had been asked for. The undertaking was guaranteed bv pub-lic-spirited citizens. The last exhibition in 189G produced a profit oi £1043, of which £ISOO was handed over to the technical schools. The space in this one was more than double that of the last.

Mr. Wilford (the Mayor) congratulated the Association on the completeness of the display and on the arrangements made for holding indoor sports, which were on a scale never before attemnted. The fine building in which they stood was one of the evidences of the city's

gress, which had gone ahead in other directions. Also Wellington was now shown bv statistics to be the wealthiest city in Australasia, and its capital value had sprung in .ten years from over nine millions to over seventeen.

Hon. Carroll, who mot with a henrtv reception, fornialv declared tho Exhibition open. Exhibitions could lie as a kind of stocktaking of the products of the commercial world. He congratulated the citizens on the amount of work they had put into this Exhibition and its success. lie gave a number of statistics of the progress of industries, both in the Dominion and in Wellington, and went on to say that the outlook here from an employment point of view appeared at present to compare most favorably with the past five years. Hundreds of newarrivals had been absorbed. The approaching winter promised to be a favorable one. and he had every reason to believe that the outlook for the country was brighter and better than for the past two years. THE ATTENDANCE. Wellington, Last Night. Over .>OOO persons attended the Wellington Exhibition to-day.