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A.—2

No. 83. New Zealand, No. 275. My Lord,— Downing Street, 20th September, 1912. With reference to your despatch, No. 123, of the Bth August, I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of your Ministers, a copy of a memorandum which has been prepared by the Board of Trade summarizing the information at present available on the subject of the Panama - Pacific International Exhibition of 1915. I have, &c, L. HARCOURT. Governor the Right Hon. Lord Islington, K.C.M.G., D.5.0., &c.

Enclosure. Memorandum of Information respecting the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition, 1915. The Panama-Pacific International Exhibition will be held at San Francisco from the 20th February to the 4th December, 1915, to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. Site. The site of the Exhibition is in the portion of the city known as Harbour View, lying between the Government reservations at Fort Mason and the Presidio, connecting by a military highway through the Presidio to Lincoln Park, the high promontory on the west end of the peninsula, and thence by boulevard to Golden Gate Park. Management. The Exhibition has been promoted by the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition Company, with a board of thirty directors composed of prominent business men of San Francisco. The President of the Exhibition is Mr. Charles C. Moore, and the Business Director Mr. F. J. Skiff, who was responsible for the practical organization and management of the St. Louis Exhibition in 1904. Finances. The company was incorporated under the laws of the State of California on the 22nd March, 1910, with a capital of 10,000,000 dollars, of which it is stated that 7,500,000 dollars has already been subscribed. It is understood that the State of California has appropriated 5,000,000 dollars for the Exhibition and that the City of San Francisco will subscribe a similar amount, while it is expected that a further sum of from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 dollars will be realized from a tax to be levied within the State of California for the purpose of organizing exhibits of the resources of the different counties of that State. It is understood that sums amounting in all to over one million sterling have already been appropriated by the various States of the Union for the construction of their pavilions. Classification. Exhibits will be classified under eleven headings, viz : (1) Fine arts ; (2) education ; (3) social economy; (4) liberal arts; (5) manufactures; (6) machinery; (7) transportation; (8) agriculture; (9) live-stock ; (10) horticulture ; and (11) mines and metallurgy. Buildings. Separate buildings will be provided for the exhibits included under each of the above-mentioned headings, foreign and domestic exhibits being shown together in the building allotted to the heading under which they are classed. These buildings will each have an area of 5J acres, and will be separated from each other by a passage of approximately 150 ft. The buildings will be of wood construction, coated with either " staffe "or concrete. Quick-growing vines will be planted to cover all the buildings, and it is thought that these will constitute an additional protection against fire. It is stated that the method of construction of the buildings has been approved in principle by the American insurance companies, by whom the various buildings will be carefully inspected, and who, in view of their past experiences, will doubtless insist upon additional precautions being taken if they consider the existing ones inadequate. The Exhibition authorities have announced their intention of installing overhead sprinklers in all the buildings, as well as an ample number of hydrants from which water can be obtained at a pressure sufficient to cover buildings 160 ft. high, though as a matter of fact no building erected by the Exhibition authorities will exceed 70 ft. in height. In addition to the municipal fire service, the Exhibition authorities state that they will be able to rely on a fleet of powerful fire-steamers, which, owing to the proximity of the Exhibition to the harbour, will be able to approach within short distance of any of the buildings, and deluge them if necessary. • The total area available for exhibits within the Exhibition buildings will be 83 acres, of which 49 per cent, will be reserved for exhibits from foreign countries. In addition, there will be 60 acres available for the installation of exhibits in the grounds. Application for sites in the various buildings must be sent in not later than the Ist June, 1913. No charge will be made for any space allotted to foreign Governments in buildings erected by the Exhibition authorities, nor will any charge be made for space required by foreign Governments for the erection of their own buildings. It is expected that the buildings will be ready for the installation of exhibits by the beginning of 1914.