ART CURIO AND INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2683, 13 December 1909, Page 5

ART CURIO AND INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

A GREAT SUCCESS

The unbounded'public interest which has increased with, the progress of the magnificent display at the Garrison Hall in aid of the funds of the Gisborne City Band, culminated on Saturday. the closing day of the exhibition. The' hall was crowded by a large number of country visitors throughout the afternoon, who were more than delighted with the excellence of the display, and expressions of appreciations ivere to be frequently heard on all sides that Gisborne was capable of organising and producing such an undoubtedly fine show. The little ifolks from tlie country were preset!# in force, and the beaming and ?tappy countenances of the children testified more loudly than words their commendation of the whole affair, from the sawdust on the floor to that seventh heaven of delight, “Coney Island.” . When the doors opened at seven in the evening, the hall was soon comfortably filled with a laughing, happy throng, whose members became steadily augmented as the evening wore on. After the simps closed at 9 o’clock, the large crowd in the building received strong reinforcements from the staffs of the business places in the town, and a dense mass of people filled the building from end ix> end, a brilliant spectacle being presented as one looked down from the platform on the happy, well-dressed throng. Among the many attractions of the evening, a display of shirt-ironing by gas irons b- Misses J. McGrannachan. and M. Dickerson, of the staff of the Victoria Laundry, performed in the stall of the Gisborne Gas Company, attracted a great deal of interest. The immaculate shirt-fronts and cuffs turned out rapidly bv these ladies, without having to stop for a single instant to change their irons, were the admiration of all, and the gas-irons were voted by the ladies great savers of time and trouble. At 9 o’clock, Mr. J. W. J.- Preston announced the result or the church choir competition, held the previous evening, as follows: Methodist Church Choir (82 2-3 points) and Presbyterian Church Choir (82 2-3 points) a tie for first place: Baptist Church Choir (81 points) third. Mr. Preston stated that the committee would leave the question of which was to take first prize to mutual arrangement between the two choirs.

His Worship the Mayor then presented the prizes won during the various competitions. Each recipient, as he or she came forward to receive their prizes, received a few appropriate words bf congratulation from Mr. Lysnar and hearty applause from the large crowd. During the evening the refreshment booth had a particularly busy time. The evening was excessively close and warm, and the atmosphere inside the budding was rendered still hotter by the dense crowd present. However, the ladies of the Cook County Women’s Guild, under their patron (Mrs. W. D. Lysnar), were equal to all the demands made upon them. Their resources seemed limitless, and the members of the Guild, who supplied the refreshments for the evening, must have laid in a rare stock of provisions to have so successfully withstood the demands of so vast a crowd. Exceptional interest centred in tho drawing for the art union prizes. Thei drawing was originally timed to take place at 9 o’clock, but such, a large number of tickets were sold during the evening that it was not until 10.10 that the draw took place. The large crowd waited good liumoredly, and passed the time chaffing each other about their respective chances of becoming the fortunate possessor of the handsome sideboard. * At last all was in readiness. Here thev come?” was heard, as the officials who were to superintend the drawing, His Worship the Mayor, Mr. John. Town Icy, and Mr. Preston monnteQ. the platform. Excitement was at fever height, and the preliminary arrangements were watched with eager interest. So great were the number or tickets sold than an American churn bad to be requisitioned to hold the marbles. The procedure adopted was to suunly two revolving boxes, one containing slips numbered from 1 t-o 12 (the number) of the' prizes) and Hi© other the marbles. Two Jittle girls, Misses May McKeague ana Rita Solvander, were then selected from the audience to do the drawing. The two boxes were then set spinning. Miss Solvander first drew the number of the prize from the boz, and then Miss McKeague dived into the churn and. brought forth the luckv winning number. The much-coveted sideboard was the fourth to come out of the box, and Miss McKeague, amidst considerable excitement, drew No. SS4 as the fortunate winner. The results were as follows: First prize, sideboard, No. SS4. . v Second prize, oil painting of Milford. Sound, No. A 169. Third prize, carved clock, No. AII4L. Fourth prize, Japanese table. NoThe remaining prizes, which consisted of oil paintings and framed pictures, were drawn as follows: — Fifth prize, No. 410; 6th, No. 294 j 7th, No. 929; Bth, No. 2045; 9th, No. A 108 1; 10th. No. A 2436; 11th, No.. A 1527: 12th, No. 3651. At the close of the proceedings, Mi. Townley, on behalf of the Band, oiditlly thanked all who had helped t© make the exhibition the splendid siccess it had proved. Ho specially c«-n----veved thanks to the ladies ir the wholehearted and generous manner in. which they had supplied and dispensed the refreshments. Mr. Townley also conveyed the Baud’s sense of obligation to all who had supplied exhibits, and to the public for their liberal patronage. S __ His Worship the Mayor (Mr. W. D.Lysnar) also addressed those present, and paid a high compliment to the excellent- organising ability of Mr. J. W. J. Preston in carrying out the exhibition to such a successful conclusion. Mr. J. W. J. Preston thanked all present for their patronage, and stated, that as far as the management could determine at that stage, the takings would amount to something over £SOO. Cheers were then given for. the ladies, for Mr. Preston (chairman and organiser), and for the Mayor, and the large gathering dispersed. Thus was the curtain rung down on the most successful exhibition. ever held in Gisborne —the splendid display made and the management shown in. conducting tlie huge undertaking being highly creditable alike to the district and its residents. Yesterday Mr. Preston informed a. “Times” representative that the gross taldngs at the exhibition were nearly • £6OO.