THE EXHIBITION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8377, 11 March 1907, Page 5

THE EXHIBITION.

By Telegraph—Special Service,

CHRISTCHURCH, March 10,

The attendance on Saturday was 14,344, bringing the numbers for the week up to the very satisfactory total of 75,439. The aggregate attendance to date is now 1,459,272. The Motor Car Gymkhana, held by the Canterbury Automobile Association was a spacial event of Saturday and attracted a very good attendance. Forty-three cars took part in the procession from the city to the Exhibition, and a highly interesting series of competitions, some of them of an amusing character, then took place on the Sports Ground. One thousand people paid their additional shilling to hear the Besses o' th' Barn Band in the evening. A "large number of awards were declared on Saturday evening in connection with the judging of the Exhibition. Gold and silver medals have been liberally bestowed, and, in addition a fair number of special awards, been made on account of the particular excellence of the exhibits. The sections that have been judged include 1 brushware, boots, and shoes, teas, perambulators, bicycles, billiard tables, brick and stoneware, glssware, tools, cutlery, brass, steel, lead and tinware, and ironwork. A recent addition to the prison exhibits is a well-made model of an eightroomed house, constructed by prisoners. It represents exactly a house built by prison labour as an officer's residence, and is constructed of wood and cardboard, and neatly painted. Other examples of prisoners' work in the rather gloomy section—which has, however, an increasing fascination for the publicare a large-sized model of the New Plymouth gaol andja smaller model of the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch, both showing excellent workmaship. There will shortly be added to the South Canterbury Court a valuable collection of. fruits and roots, indicative of what South Canterbury can produce in this respect. The Agricultural Department's court has received from St. Helen's, England, a consignment of horticultural glass, which includes propagating pans, fern shades, and other glass. Other minor additions are still being made to thjs court chiefly representative of the present season's crops. The fifty-thousanth visitor to the Exhibition tower-top is expected to ascend the elevator about Thursday next, a valuable memento will be given to the lucky person. From every part of the colony teams will take the Fire Brigade Competitions, which will commence in a week's time. These competitions, when held in other centres, have always proved most attractive to the public owing to their variety of colours and movements. This year water displays on the Avon River and Victoria Lake, lighted by coloured fires, torchlight procession on the Avon, and a trial of the chemical engines on the Sports Ground by setting fire to the temporary structures and sending different chemicals to extinguish the flames, will be additional features of unusual interest. When the rotunda has been removed it will be hard to imagine jt better site for Easter football matches than the Exhibition Sports Ground, which will shortly be made ready for these games. The final performance of the famous Besses o' th' Barn Band, on Wednesday night, will be combined with a special fireworks display, the band selections and pyrotechnic marvels being alternated throughout ) the evening.