THE EKA OF EXTRAVAGANCE 267 



is very typical of the time. When the Treasurer submitted to 

 Parliament a preliminary application for 1,000 to initiate the 

 movement, it was stated that the Chief Secretary had caused 

 careful estimates to be made of the total cost, which it was believed 

 would not exceed 25,000. This was based upon the assumption 

 that the practice in previous exhibitions of charging exhibitors a 

 rent for space and the cost of motive power supplied would be 

 followed. As all the world had been invited to contribute, the 

 Government thought these charges looked pettifogging, so rentals 

 were not demanded, and motive power was supplied gratuitously. 

 Then the applications for space were quite double what had been 

 looked for, and the erection of extensive annexes was necessary. 

 These, with the necessary alterations, decorations and fittings 

 in the main building cost 170,000. The provision of the excellent 

 musical entertainments involved an outlay of over 30,000. An 

 army of officials, attendants, servants, and hangers-on had to be 

 provided for, and the total disbursements of the Commission touched 

 400,000. These figures were, however, reduced by 110,000 taken 

 for admissions and 41,000 by the sale of old material, and the 

 Treasurer had to find 253,000 to close the account ; of this, he 

 generously assumed that 15,000 had been added to the value of 

 the permanent building by improvements, and that 238,000 was 

 the net cost of the memorable display of the year 1888. It is not 

 surprising that the precise Chief Justice Higinbotham took early 

 alarm at the briskness of the financial pace, and in despair of arrest- 

 ing it renounced his responsibilities. He had been appointed with 

 universal approbation the President of the Exhibition Commission, 

 and he brought to bear on the duties of that position all the detailed 

 accuracy and scrupulous exactness which he would have required 

 in the Supreme Court. He realised that a large body, acting chiefly 

 through committees, would probably outrun their powers and their 

 finances unless supervision was concentrated in some centre, and 

 he required that all committees should submit their actions for con- 

 firmation to meetings presided over by himself. Unless the Execu- 

 tive had been prepared to devote all their time to the affairs of the 

 Exhibition the proposal was impracticable. With one exception all 

 the members were men who had business or professional duties to 



