THE EXHIBITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8371, 2 March 1907, Page 5

THE EXHIBITION.

By Telegraph —Special Service. CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. There was an attendnace of 10,540 at the Exhibition to-day. A shower of rain drove the Besses o' th' Bam Band from the Sports Ground into the Concert Hall in the evening. Both their performances were well attended. Two new plaster busts have been added to the collection in the Art Gallery—one of Miss Eileen Ward, daughter of the Premier, and the other an ideal bust of a young half-caste maiden, "Dawn." The portrait bust of Miss Ward is one of the best of the kind that has been executed in the colony. The sculptor is Mr Nelson Illingworth. Signor Bragato, Government Viticulturist, has arranged for a display of New Zealand grown grapes at the Exhibition. The first ton will be'shipped from Auckland by the Talune on Saturday, reaching ChriStchureh on Wednesday next. The grapes were grown at the Government experimental station at Wajrenga in Waikato. The firdt consignment will consist of the Chasselas variety, which are considered to be the finest eating grapes. Shipments of other varieties will follow as they ripen. As two tons of Australian grapes will arrive next week the public will have an opportunity of comparing New Zealand and Australian fruit. In regard to the cablegram received to-night, from Adelaide, stating that the judging at the Exhibition is pot satisfactory, it is understood, that the trouble arose some days ago among the Australian exhibitors of wine, more particularly in reference to the judge appointed by the Government. The appointment was subsequently cancelled, and yesterday the exhibitors were invited themselves to nominate a substitute. Their unanimous choice fell upon Hr M. Malaquin, of the Canterbury College, and the Minister has accordingly notified his appointment to the position. No , further hitch is expected to occur, and the judging of Australian wines will commence to-morrow. The judges of several other sections have completed their work, and only the (Minister's confirmation of their decisions is needed before they will be made public. The Acting-Premier, speaking at a dinner given to the visiting members of the Press Association, to-day, congratulated those who had had to do with what had been a successful Exhibition. There were some people who had the idea that the colony was going to lose a very large sum, but they must take into account the educational value of the Exhibition. When he would tell them'that the cost to the colony as a whole would not, he believed, exceed the sum of one shilling par head of population, he thought that they would agree with him that the whole arrangements had been carried out"commercially and successfully in order to produce such a result. The following interesting return has been compiled by the Customs Department of the total values of exhibits under bond according to the countries of their actual origin, and sheds much light on the international aspect of the Exhibition, which has been questioned by some critics: —United Kingdom £178,107, Australia £20,832 (including Victoria £6,601, New South Wales £10,408, Queensland £2,128, 1 South Australia ' £1,381, Western I Australia £3lO, Tasmania £4), Fiji ! £444, Transvaal £26, India £263, Ceylon £204, Burma £9, Canada £8,766, United States £7,106, France £2,924, Spain £l6, Italy £673, Switzerland £196, Austria £757, Germany £3,853, Sweden £4, Norway £ls, Holland £1,748, Belgium £671, Syria £lB2, Trinidad £2, Cuba £B2, Phillipines'J2ls4, China £l4; total value of exhibits under bond, £222,044. The Canterbury College annual sports will be held on March 16th on the Exhibition Sports Ground. The next display of London fireworks will be given on Wednesday. Numerous and varied entries have been received for the Wonderland Pet Show on March Bth. The date for receiving entries for the Essay Competition is extended to March 6th.

CABLE NEWS.

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