The New Zealand International Exhibition

New Zealand Tablet, 8 November 1906, Page 12

The New Zealand International Exhibition

The -New -Zealand International Exhibition <at Ohristchureh was opened with great eclat on Thursday last by his Excellency the 'Governor. The Governorand Lady Plunket were received at ,'the main entrance by the Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, who was accompanied by the Vice-presidents, the Executive Commissioners: and the ceremonial committee. In declaring, the Exhfc bition open his Excellency delivered an eloquent address, in the course, of .which he said :— New Zealand, with her enormous and constant water supply, .'waiting only to be harnessed, has hopeful prospects as a manufacturing ' country. It is difficult -to believe that with humanitarian legislation for the workers and the wise treatment of capital, there will arise before lone manufacturing towns differing only from those ' at Home in 1 that- th& "grinding • poverty, the overcrowding, the dirt, and smdke, ■ ;and ' f og^ will be absent? .1 do not think the of New Zealand ; will, consider that I have over-estimated the probable future of this land in which they take so much, pride. - And' it seems to me that an epoch of- her history such as tMs;~Exhi- , bition is likely to- prove .was a -fitting occasion to dwell upon her future and upon the coming day when .this beautiful country „wijl;.. be! j*os " only: happy and prosperous,- but happy, prosperous, 1 and -great. : Sir Joseph Ward , followed -.with* a speech in which' he referred to "'the* progress f ihade -by * -t-he^Colony since the time of the New • Zealand- and - South Seas Exhi- : bition in :-1889 when the Colony's .products were valued at £9^00;O0O'; last : > year ' Ihey were worth £15,000,000. The imports for the respective P eTfod7 were £6;20*000, and/ SI^SOOjOOO, so that our importer had more ;than doubled, while, the exports had also increased :. largely. In conclusion, he said that Mr Munro was of ;opiriibn that the £63,00C| voted last ses^ sion would be sufficient to defray 'the entire cost of the Exhibion. 'The outlook,, therefore,' was not unpro^ pSt^^ra^nci^ **»* WoUld * h °* * at n? SS^isrjss^j&s

function.-. Contrary to expectation nearly all the exhibits . were in p.lace,^ and. Jbhere was "an " appearance of completeness "the various bays which" contrasted " \ very favorably ' with similar undertakings on the open-" ' ing day in other countries., x ' - " During the opening "day 36,000 persons visited the Exhibition^ and the" amount taken for admission was over £1000. pu - • -.. " -, The totals cost" of '• -the - was about > £90,0 C,O. The amount received from exhibitors for space rent is about > £30,000." ' " • - - Sir J. (Jr. -Ward, says that' the exhibits in the Ipicture gallery 'are ."worth a '^quarter of' a' million: sterling.' • • "' - - ' ' The total floor ,space "of the main ' building- and. machinery hall,, with the galleries, is 476,500 square- - feet, or about 11 acres. ' " Nearly fifty tons of- nails were used in 'the erection of the building," which has over two miles of guttering, and 70 tons of paint were used on > the outside of the building. The skylights on the^roof have an area" of nearly -2| acres-. .- - • The concert hall' is capable of seating 1600 persons, and an organ has been erected- at a cost of -, £3235. " ' . - The Exhibition is the largest^that has ever been held in the Southern Hemisphere.- -_ • - As was observed - by ; his Excellency the Governor in his speech at the opening, ceremony, " the Exhibi- " tion would be more appropriately called- an -Empire than an International one, for foreign nations" were ' noticeable by their absence. This is not considered a very serious drawback, as the main purpose underlying the original plan of the late Premier was to show' what New Zealand, with little over half a century behind it, could accomplish, and compare her progress, as represented in her productions, arts, andindustries, with those of other parts of the Empire, such as -the United Kingdom, Canada, "and the States of the Commonwealth. The art galfery is a special feature of the Exhibition. The British exhibit is one of the finest and most complete collection ever sent out of the country, and certainly the best ever shown in any- of the Australasian Colonies. Every school of British painting is represented, and i£ our local artists do not benefit by a study of the specimens exhibited, it must not be set down to any want of the best models. The weather was beautifully fine for the second day of the Exhibition, enormous crowds thronged the streets, and fully 12,000 found their way in the evening to it. A magnificent gift has indeed been made to the citizens of Christchurch in. the presentation to them by the Government of the great organ about which so much has been written and spoken— a gift which they owe to the generous enterprise of the late Mr. Seddon. Possessing, as it will at the close of the Exhibition, the largest organ of its class in. the world, with the exception of the gigantic instrument which now stands in the Melbourne Town "Hall, and the second electrical organ in Australasia,, Christchurch may indeed consider itself fortunate. On Thursday evening .'his Excellency" the Governor ~ gave a dinner, at which" there was a large "and influential gathering; including representatives , from Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. In addition to the " usual loyal toasts, the only others proposed were . ' Success to the New Zealand International Exhibition,' by Sir J. O. Ward,, and responded to By Sir John Gorst, the representative of Great Britain;. and ' Our Guests from over the Seas,', proposed by - his" Excellency, and responded to by Sir Richard Baker, representing the Commonwealth. " ... . "