INTRODUCTION.

19

The 31st October was appointed the last day when the Local Committees wererequired to transmit to the Executive Committee the demands for space whichintending exhibitors had made through them.

It then appeared that the whole of the demands for horizontal (floor and counter) exceed the pos-

J- ^ v > / sible allowance.

space in the building which the Local Committees of the United Kingdom returned,exceeded 417,000 superficial feet of exhibiting space, being in excess of theamount of available space for the United Kingdom by about 210,000 superficialfeet. The amount of vertical or wall space demanded was only 200,000 super-ficial feet. The number of persons who proposed to exhibit was upwards of 8,200.

Upon the receipt of these data the Commissioners proceeded to adjust theproportions of floor or counter space which it appeared desirable that the foursections of the Exhibition should occupy in the Building. Upon averages,furnished by the whole of the United Kingdom , and obtained by dividing thetotal amount of space apportioned to each section by the number of exhibitors inthat section, the Commissioners, as a general rule, allotted to each Local Com-mittee an amount of space in each section, in proportion to the number ofexhibitors which had been returned by each Committee. The Commissionersleft the allotment of space to each exhibitor absolutely to the discretion of eachLocal Committee. They desired that each Local Committee, in allotting spaceto the individual exhibitors, should, as far as possible, maintain the proportions ofthe four sections allotted to it, so that in the ultimate arrangement of the wholeExhibition, the space which each section might occupy, should agree as closely aswas possible with the spaces fixed by the Commissioners. It was suggested thatonly those articles which did honour to our industrial skill as a nation should beadmitted, and that the industry of the district should be represented with perfectfairness, so as to do the fullest credit to its industrial position.

The Commissioners then proceeded to cause copies of each individual appli- Reduction of de-

. ,» , •Ti/'-i'.r ** wands for space.

cation tor space to be transmitted to the respective Local Committees tor revisionand correction where necessary, which, when returned by the Committees, wereconsidered as the vouchers for the admission of the articles, and as tantamount totheir unqualified approbation of the articles. In no case could a Local Committeeincrease the amount of the total space allotted to it by the Commissioners. TheCommissioners appointed the 10th December, as the last day on which voucherswere to be received, but it was not until the 10th January, and even much laterin some cases, that the Executive Committee obtained the whole of them, bywhich their labours were considerably increased, and the arrangements delayed.

If any productions had been rejected by any Local Committee, and the pro- Appeals ,prietor of them desired to appeal against the decision, it was competent for himto address the Commissioners through the Local Committee, who forwarded theappeal, with their own observations, and the Commissioners , upon considerationof the circumstances, confirmed or negatived the decision. The appeals, however,were few.

With the view of providing against the exhibition of duplicate articles ofmanufacture, the Commissioners, in cases where duplicates might have beenadmitted by different Local Committees, intimated that they would call upon theexhibitors of such duplicates to produce a certificate from the actual makers,stating which of the exhibitors had arranged with the maker to be proprietor ofthe absolute and exclusive right of sale and distribution of such article, and thepreference of admission would be given to that exhibitor who was the sole pro-

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