Islands Display at N.Z.

Exhibition

THE Islands Territories of the Central and South Pacific are well repres ented at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition, which opened in Wellington on November 8, and which will continue until April next.

This should have been a notable event m the history of the South Seas— marking, as it does, the acquisition by Great Britain of the large and fertile Dominion of New Zealand—and pre parations had been made accordingly by the New Zealand Government; but war conditions have placed restrictions on overseas travel, and the exhibition now probably will be little more than a local affair.

However, there are notable displays made by the Governments of Fiji, of Western Samoa, of Cook Islands, and of Tonga.

Early in October, 50 cases of exhibits arrived in Wellington from Fiji, in the care of the supervisor of the display, Mr. D. A. Donald, of the Fiji Depart ment of Agriculture. They included curios, native mats and cloths, photo graphs and mining samples. The display shows most of the aspects of the life of the Colony, and of the industries established there. They are in a large enclosure built in the form of a Fiji meeting-house, with open sides.

As Western Samoa is a Territory in New Zealand’s care, it is natural that the Samoan display is large and im pressive. It is laid out in a fale (or house), in charge of a party of four Samoans (Sergeant Fitisemanu, two Samoan car penters and a kava girl, Leleaga Seu manutafa). The party brought from Sa moa material for the fale, mats, a kava bowl and a case of kava roots, for pre paration of the ceremonial beverage. The fale is a beautiful example of native workmanship, for which the chief car penter, Fao Taito, has been given much praise.