atlantic guardian

At the British Industries Fair
by PAUL MAHER
EWFOUNDLAND can well be
N proud of her contribution to
this year's British Industries Fair,
surely one of the best displays in
the whole of the huge building,
known as Earls Court, which for
the two weeks housed the vast
array of exhibits. The Newfoundland
booth was located in the
Commonwealth and Empire Section,
directly opposite the Canadian
display-a commanding position,
as it was almost straight in
line with the main doors.
Each separate article, chosen
with thought, symbolized a different
field of Newfoundland skill
ann endeavor. Some other Commonwealth
stands, I noticed, relied
entirely on charts ann photographs
of their exhibits, with not a single
"live" item on view. Not so the
Newfoundland stand. Every aspect
of our Island's productivity
was here represented by an actual
sample, direct from the hands of
the craftsmen at home.
The fret-work story of Newfoundland
life, shown across the
top in the photograph opposite.
had been stored during the war
in the attic over the Trade Commissioner's
Office on Victoria St.
One night, during a heavy raid,
an incendiary bomb pierced the
roof and started a fire three feet
from where the work lay. Due to
the quick thinking of the staff,
however, it was completely
touched by the flames.
un­
On the left, over the "fish oil"
display, are pieces of the various
raw ores to be found in New-
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foundland. The two glass display
cases in front contain actual
handicraft pieces done by Newfoundland
men and women, the
one on the left showing the exquisite
products of Nonia. At the
right rear we see a photograph of
the silver caribou given by 750
Newfoundlanders to H.R.H. Princess
Elizabeth as a wedding gift.
The centre piece is a full-size
mounted photograph of the mink
coat presented to the Princess by
Newfoundland on the same occasion.
A delegation from the London
Furriers Association inspected this
model and told Mr. Murphy, the
Assistant Trade Commissioner, it
was the finest they had ever seen.
One of them explained that their
Association had also presented the
Princess with a fur coat and a
mounted model of it had been
made for exhibition at the Toronto
Fair. Now, he said, the Newfoundland
mounting was obviously
superior and would Mr. Murphy
kindly tell them how and where
it was done? They would scrap
their own i! they could get one
like ours. Mr. Murphy was very
happy to oblige the London Furriers
Association.
During the two weeks scores of
Newfoundlanders visited our exhibit.
All were delighted to see
Ne,';foundland so ably represented.
They inquired, as I did, how
business was going. Mr. Murphy
was well pleased with the number
of prospective customers but the
exact amount of trade which
would develop could, of course,
not immediately be ascertained.
ATLANTIC GUARDIAN