THE CENTENARIES

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2508, 7 August 1888, Page 2

THE CENTENARIES

[By Elkctiuc Tki.kch.u'h.—CorvuiciiT.l Mki.houhnr, August 4 Thk Exhibition was visited by all the Governors yesterday The attendance of the public during the day was !)000. The second official banquet is to takn place at Governniont House in the evening. August f>. The Prince of Wales has sent a congratuliitory telegram upon tlie opening of t!ie Exhibition. The members of Parliament entertained a party of distinguished visitors at a banquet on Saturday night. Fhe hundred guests were present. Admiral Fairfax in the course of his speech on colonial defences said the final arrangement is that the Imperial Government should provide fast cruisers and torpedo vessels at a cost of £800,000, the colonies paying iv maximum of £1)2,000 yearly for maintenance and per centage on the capital sum expended. Sir W. Jervois will leave for New Zealand on Wednesday. Tho attendance at the Exhibition on Saturday was 13,000. Mki.doi'unk, August fi. Sir Win. Jerrois visited the Mew Zealand Court at the Exhibition this after- '' noon, and was conducted through it by Sir i Jas. Hector, who will entertain His Excellency at a farewell luncheon ou board tho Muraroa on Wednesday. NEW ZEALAND MINING EXBIHITS. The Herald's special correspondent at the Melbourne Exhibition telegraphs :— " I regret to say that the mining exhibits in the Now Zealand Court are a total failure, and are hopelessly beaten by Tasmania, Queensland, and the other colonies. Immediate action is required to remedy this fatal mistake. Mr Witheford, who is at present here, has written to Sir Harry Atkinson, offering to contribute t'loo towards obtaining an adequate representation of the mineral resources of New Zealand, and so assisting in creating confidence in the colony.'' Our own correspondent, writing prior to the opening of the Exhibition, says : — Considering the ne.u approach of the opening day of the Exhibition, and the fact that tho great show is the topic of interest, par excellence, I cannot do better this week than devote a few pars to it, faute de inieiix. 1 was there on Saturday, and had a long talk with Mr Lavater, the secretary, who does not seem at all nervous as regards its preparedness for the Ist. He is of the epinion that though things will be far from complete, yet there will be. enough done to ensure a satisfactory opening, with which affirmation I myself take the liberty of (littering, as I think just the otherwise. 1 see from his tigures that the estimate for the entire cost is £275,000, a good round sum everybody will admit, and which would have heen made to do a marvellous amount of good if otherwise expended. A pr»at deal of it will, of course, come back lo the Treasury, some .£170,000 it is expected, but there is sure to be a heavy deficit. As a rule exhibitions are not run on the strictest business principles, and I suppose ours of 'US will be no exception. My friend llio Secretary, by-lhe-way, is an able man of his kind, though whem 1 couio to think of it, 1 do not remember his having ever done anything very distinguished. Mr Lavater is about 43, short, dry and thin i\s regards his features, and wears a rather imposing moustache. He was accountant to the lUihvays previous to his getting the Secretaryship of the Exhibition, and if I remember aright, got into some odium through trying to abolish monthly tickets. He is rather individual as regards dress, and probably considering broad cloth unnecessary to mark so distinguished a person invariably wears tweeds. He is furthermore addicted to pipes and is a man of varied tastes and pusitits, being a cricketer, musician, athlete, and artist, though in each of these walks I have been unable to discern any superioiity which would entitle him to bo placed on even a'medium-sized pedestal. But really to do him justice, I must say that my friend Lavater is a useful and energetic man, and I doubt not is as good a one as could have been got to till the all-important post of Secretary. The Executive means to make the public psy one way and another, by the number of side-shows in preparation, each of which will cost an extra shilling or sixpence to see. From the " Switch-back " to the Aquarium, from the Concerts to the Fernery, visitors will have to pay extra for everything. I think it U rather hard, for it will cost about ten shillings to "do " the whole thing, and those who have not many ten shillings to spare will bo debarred from a good deal of what will be going on. However, somebody must pay the piper, and of course it will be the poor public as usual. I popped into the Aquarium and Fernery on Saturday, and think it will make a very attractive side-show. One of the bits of local colour will be a real '■ Murrumbidgee whaler," one of those Esaus of the interior who live largely by catching fish and cadging flour. 1 notice » speculator has already offered £5000 for the hire of this Court'during the Exhibition, and the Executive, I think, means to close with the offer. As the opening of the Exhibition approaches there are visible signs of a stir among tho Government House people and that ilk. Already something like a programme has been published, and it is understood Lady Li'ch intends giving a series of balls, and Sir Henry official dinners. The first dance will inaugurate the opening of tho Exhibition, and of course the manuNiverings for invitations have been manifold. A great deal is being said about studied ignoring of claims to recognition at Government House, and that unless one "knows the ropes" one stands

a goad chanco of getting overlooked ]sut of course there is always n Rood deal of disappointment on the part of somebody or other smarting under non-invit.ition to these functions, so one cannot always boliove what one hoars. (Joveninieut llousb is not full at present, though there arc some half-dozen guests. In the course of a week or two, however, it will lw quite full, and then we shall be in the midst of all the gaiety. Lady Loch, lam sorry to say, has not been quite up to tlio mark lately. She caught cold recently, and it threatened to attack her throat in a somewhat alarming manner, but fortunately pussod otf innocuously. It would be most disappointing and unfortunate indeed if anything occurred in the Loch family just now, for everybody of course looks to the Viae Regal fotcß as part and parcel of the Centennial Carnival.