THE EXHIBITION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1986, 24 December 1889, Page 3

THE EXHIBITION.

A visit to the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition must convince any of the extraordinary strides New Zealand has made during the past few years. I have seen the Christchurch and Wellington Exhibitions, but they were mere local shows compared with that held now in Dunedin. I have have had a conversation with a gentle- ■ man who has seen more exhibitions, and has had more to do with them, than any three men in New Zealand, and his opinion is that the present one now held in Dunedin is, comparatively speaking, equal to any he has seen. Of course it is not so large, but it is more compact, and for the size of the colony and its population more creditable. The first thing that strikes the visitor is its immense size, and the substantial character of the buildings, First is seen the large dome, flanked by turrets and spires, and presenting a graceful picture. Under this dome is the entrance, through an ornamental porch, where a small army of liveried officers are met with. On the left you turn down a passage, where there is oh either side a suite of well-built offices, including cloak-room, pressroom, room for lost articles, and so on; on the right is another passage, which contains the inquiry office, the secretary’s office, the manager’s office, the commissioner’s office, the superintendent’s office, the committee room, and so on, all well furnished, and apparently as substantially built as if intended to remain there until the crack of doom. THE OFFICERSThere can be no doubt that a great deal of the success, if not the chief part of it, is due to the tact, energy, experience, and ability Mr K. E. N. Twopeny, the

commissioner, brought to bear on the project from its inception. Mr Twopeny has had a great deal to do with exhibitions, and when the project was first mooted he threw himself into it with most laudable energy. Relinquishing temporarily his position as editor of the Otago Daily Times, he lectured through the principal towns of the Australian colonies on the subject. He had to overcome provincial and colonial jealousies, but hie judicious manner of conducting the campaign made friends out of enemies., Auckland, for instance, was terribly: and fearfully jealous. It had been: talking of holding an exhibition of its own, and for a time the Auckland papers were rather violent in their opposition to it. Mr Twopeny’s visit changed the tone of public opininion there, and now one of the best provincial courts in the exhibition is the Auckland one. He overcame obstacles wherever he went, and now the result is that Dunedin has an exhibition which is a credit to the colony, and certainly the colony is in Mr Twopeny’s debt for it. In this connection I may say that Dunedin has taught a lesson in self-reliance to the colony in building up this enormous exhibition by private enterprise, Tbe secretary, too, is deserving of mention, not only for the assistance he gave Mr Twopeny in stumping the colony, but also for the skill and industry he has displayed in compiling the catalogue. This is not merely a record of the articles on view, but also a succinct history of the colony, as well as a graphic sketch of its products and institutions. The urbane and courteous manager, M. Jules Joubert, has now a scheme in band for holding a Hew Zealand Exhibition in London shortly after the closing of this one. He proposes that the Government shall guarantee a sum of £12,000 in order to float the project, but undertakes that the colony will never have to pay one penny of it, as the exhibition will be self-supporting. It anyone could make such a scheme a success M. Jules Joubert ought to be the man to do it. He has had more experience of exhibitions than almost any man living, and his scheme is quite feasible. THE ENTRANCE. My visit was only what I may call a flying one, and consequently I can only give a general description of the exhibition. To enter fully into a thorough description of the various exhibits would require weeks of close atttention, and as mine was only a visit of a few days it is not possible for me to give move than a brief sketch. Entrance to the exhibition is by the main hall only, so far as I could see. 1 here are many means of getting out, for at several place* are gateways so constructed that one can get out but cannot get in, In the main entrance are turnstiles which record the number of people who enter daily, and as no one can pet in except by this means, an accurate record is hound to be kept. Immediately after adding another unit to the number already in the building the visitor finds himself under the dome. This is a large circular space, in the centre of which, facing you as you enter, is a life-size statue of Her Majesty the Queen. There are also statuettes, pictures, &c., all round, amongst which are busts of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Large mirrors are placed in effective positions to reflect the scene, and in the subdued light obtained from tbe colored dome, or in the glare of the gaslight at night, the scene is really brilliant. By turning to the right one gets into the Maori and Early History Court, but I happened to turn, without knowing the reason why, to the left, and I found myself all at once in tbe most interesting court in the whole exhibition, namely— THE ARMOURY COURT. I have all my life been n man of peace, but I could not help feeling a little roused by the warlike weapons which were here displayed. The Whitehead torpedoes were the first objects to attract my attention. Three of them were there mounted and ready for action. I have not the slightest idea of how they work, One of the officers explained them all to me, but his description of the intricate mechanism was so incomprehensible that I did not try to understand it. All I can say about it is that it is in shape exactly like a cigar, that it appeared to be about from 12 to 15 ' feet long, that it is made of some ] metallic substance like gun-metal, that | it has a small screw, like that of a steam boat, at each end, by which it is propelled and guided when on duty in the water. This machine is thrown into the water, and it rushes along at a terrible speed until it strikes the ship at which it has been directed, The concussion causes it to burst, with the result that it shatters the ship. I was next shown over the submarine mines, which are wonderful contrivances, I was never able to understand these so clearly as when I saw them that day. The way they work may be stated briefly as follows: Out in the harbor oval-shaped buoylike articles containing explosives are placed. They are kept the desired distance under water by means of weights which sink to the bottom of the sea, and they are so arranged that it is impossible for a ship to pass without touching them. They are connected with the fortifications on shore by means of electric wires, and the moment the mine is touched a bell

is rung and the signal is given. The man in charge on shore has nothing to do bat touch a button, the electric spark is sent along to the mine which at once explodes and sends the vessel to pieces. Anyone could put in a good part of a day here without feeling weary, while the polite officers explain these extraordinarily intricate operations. I feel that here at least, 1 could fight with undaunted courage. I could have my electric machinery protected by sinking it in the ground, and sitting calmly out of all danger I could touch a button and send the enemy to the bottom. The disappearing gun is another weapon with which I would be ready to fight any day, This is a large cannon which is sunk underground, and when one wants to fire with it it is sent up alott to the surface by leverage, aim is taken by means of glasses, the shot is fired and back down into its pit comes tbe gua. Fighting with this weapon is pretty safe work, and if I ever take a martial notion into my head I shall enlist either in the submarine mine or in the disappearing gun department. The next weapon which I would select is the Maxim gun, because unless I had a great deal of misfortune I should kill a great many with it before I fell myself, and that would be some satisfaction. This is, I think, perfection. I cannot see how it can be improved upon. Out of one barrel it scatters balls as fast as they can pass out in a continuous stream, and it is also automatic. A belt containing the balls passes through its breech, and from this it loads itself and fires, one man alone being required to take aim. The Nordenfeldt, Hotchkiss, and other guns standing by lose all interest after having seen the Maxim. There is also a good display of shot and shell, and very civil officers ready to give all information concerning them. All kinds of guns and swords, from the old flint gun downwards, are to be seen there, and on the whole it is perhaps the most interesting court in the Exhibition.