NEW ZEALAND COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2271, 17 August 1908, Page 1

NEW ZEALAND COURT.

FRANCO-BRITISH EXHIBITION. COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS. Tho New Zealand court at the Frauco-Br-itish Exhibition has como in for a good deal of criticism from visiting New Zealar' 1 -rs (says a London writer). Ami ijiego criticisms have not. boon in rariably favorable. Howover,’ tho English press comments have been uniformly laudatory. For instance, the “Times” on Wednesday devoted a column article to the court, describing in detail the various exhibits.

The writer; said : “The pavilion occupied by tho Dominion of New Zealand stands to the north of tho spiral railway, exactly opposite tho Canadian Palace. A simple quadrilateral building, it does not vie, either in point of size or in jts architectural features, with its big noiglibor; but, all the same, it serves' very effectively for tho display of the varied natural products and manufactures of the two islands. A pleasant senso of coolness and shade is afforded by tho green and white awnings which screen the glass rnof, and the subdued green of the walls is relieved by bunches of wheat straw and festoons of fern. Unfortunately, owing to tho backwardness of the Exhibition authorities in providing a supply of electricity, no artificial light was available in tho pavilion until a few days, ago, and in consequence, it had to bo closed at dusk. For the same reason, the refrigerating plant could not he shown, in operation.

“The whole exhibit was organised by tho Government of New Zealand, and tho Department of Industries and Commerce, under whoso general supervision tho various articles were kept together, may he congratulated on having formed a well-arranged and representative collection of the products of the Dominion.” A good many New Zealanders who have visited tho court have expressed dissatisfaction at it. One who has been there several times thinks that more should have been made of the scenery of the Dominion and of tho wonderland of Rotorua —with its marvellous cures; also of the fiords. Ferns, too, ought to have been made a more prominent feature., while the sporting section slionld have been a distinct department instead of being spread over the whole of the pavilion. Ho considers, further, that the timber is incompletely represented, and he remarked that ono of the organisers of the Exhibition had told him that Queensland had the best display. Certainly Australia’s show of ferns puts the New Zealand exhibit altogether in the shade. INADEQUATE. As a rule, New Zealand visitors to the Exhibition make first- of all for their own special pavilion ; while they aro there they feel pleased, though they realise that the space is much too limited—‘hut the exhibits, so far as they go) aro satisfactory, -and, on the whole, well arranged. It is only when they leave this pavilion and find opposite them the great imposing courts of Canada and Australia, of vast extent and so thoroughly representative of each country, that they realise how inadequate is the Now Zealand court)" which,.as far as the building itself is concerned, is nothing moro than ,t mere’ shed: the Australian’ and Canadian buildings are imposing palaces. I hear that 1 the Canadian Government’s expenditure in connection with its eoiirt has run well into five figures. New Zealand must always, to some extent, suffer in comparison with two such vast countries as Australia and Canada, but need the new Dominion have been made to appear at such a tremendous disadvantage? I have seen dozens of New Zealand visitors to tho Exhibition, and the opinions expressed are always ono of regret at the smallness and incompleteness and inadequatenCss of the New Zealand court. For themselves they don’t K mind; they know New Zealand and its resources and capacities. But. the ordinary Exhibition visitor knows nothing at all about the -Dominion, and naturally lie forms his opinions on what is before him, in comparison with Canada and Australia. It- is ,a- pity that more was not done for New Zealand. Space is what is wanted. But then space means money. As it i s every inch has been utilised.