THE EXHIBITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8324, 4 January 1907, Page 6

THE EXHIBITION.

INTERESTING FIGURES,

RECORD DOG SHOW

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS FOR VISITORS.

A SENSATIONAL NOVELTY.

(By Telegraph—Special Service) ' CHRISTCHURCH, January 3.

In opening the Exhibition Dog Show, this afternoon, Mr J Munro, General Manager, made a few remarks concerning the Exhibition. He said it was a splendid Exhibition, and it was a success., He wanted the public to appreciate the magnificence of the effort made by a young colony with a limited population. Up to date the attendance at the Exhibition for the two months had been 726,000, and it was interesting to compare those figures with other colonial Exhibitions. At the Sydney Exhibition in 1879 the total attendance was 1,117,536, and that Exhibition was open for practically seven months. The Melbourne Exhibition of 1870 had a total attendance of 1,309,496, and the Melbourne Exhibition of 1888 a total attendance of 1,963,436. This Exhibition was open for practically six months. The Dunedin and South Seas Exhibition of 1890, which was open for five months, registered a total attendance of 670,000. So one could fairly assume that the New Zealand International Exhibition would establish an attendance record so far as colonial Exhibitions were concerned. The Dog Show, which will be continued tomorrow, is the largest display of the kind ever made in the colony. > The arrangements are particularly good, and elicited the warmest praise from Visitors. The benches are arranged under the shelter of four marquees, these opening out on to a large open space containing the judging ring. Entries fail to cover quite the whole catalogue of dog fancy, but in all the more popular classes entries are "very large. There was a good attendance at the Show. Fdr the performances of the Besses-o'-th'-Barn Band, starting on Thursday next, the Exhibition Sports Ground will be festooned with coloured lamps and lanterns by Pain and Sons, London, who -have brought out twelve thousand of these for the purpose. The "firm is just as famous for this form of decoration as for its displays of fireworks, having executed many very extensive Royal and other contracts. The Band Rotunda will also be brilliantly illuminated, and the General Manager hopes to show to visitors the finest display of outdoor illuminations ever seen in the colony. The Orchestral Concert this afternoon was well attended. A very lively feature of the Exhibition is the amount of Band music provided, no less than three Bands giving selections at once during the most of the day and evening in the building and grounds. Mr Massey, organist of the ; Bathurst Cathedral,• Nfew South Wales, will give a series of recitals on the Exhibition organ, commencing on Saturday next. The next display of Pain's fireworks will be given on Monday night. The coming exhibitions of fireworks and the visit of the Besses-o'-th'-Barn Band have revived a very strong demand for season tickets. A start was made this morning with the erection of the band rotunda in the Sports Ground. The rotunda, which will have some pretensions to architecture, will be 25ft in diameter, and, besides being used by the Besses-o-'the-Barn Band will be available for use at the New Zealand International Exhibition Band Contest, which will take place from 11th to 16th February (inclusive). Mr Scott, Commissioner for South Australia, says that there were never so many Australians in New Zealand at one time as there are just now. Twenty-two from Adelaide alone came in/ one boat. Most of them, besides' visiting the Exhibition, are touring the colony. Tbe Committee of the Adelaide Art Gallery has instructed its director, Mr R. P. Gill, to proceed to Christchurch to inspect the pictures in the Exhibition Art Gallery with the idea of making a selection for purchase. Over forty teams of gentlemen's doubles are competing in the toboggan races at "Wonderland" to-night. The Floral Fete, in "Wonderland," next Thursday, promises to be a most attractive spectacle. Several hundred pounds are being spent on a single sensational novelty which will represent a woman's rescue, under 'most thrilling circumstances, from ".the top of a high blazing building.