SURPRISING APATHY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1981, 11 February 1914, Page 6

SURPRISING APATHY.

Considering how important the matter is to the general population of Wellington and of the .Dominion it is astonishing that so little public al.t-ent.ion has been paid to the question of selecting a. site for the Dominion Museum, Art Gallery, and Library. There was something of a battle of sites in Parliament last year, following upon the report of the Special Committee to which the Science and Art Bill (dealing with the constitution of the big national museum) was referred but the. discussions within the walls ( of Parliament produced no echo outside. The and Art Bill was passed, arid since then the matte has' largely dropped out of notice, there seems to be a danger that unless popular interest is aroused a site may be selected without the people of 'Wellington having any .word in the matter at all. _ A very brief review of the facts will serve to show that the indifference hitherto displayed by the local community is most unwise. _ The site question is : one which intimately _ concerns the people of Wellington in more ways than one, and. it is possible that unless they take a more active part tlwn they have done so far, their interests may be sacrificed, A.t 1 present- the choice seems to lie be-' tween two sites: one _ of them that upon which the Dominion Museum now.stands, and. the other the Mount Cook Reserve. ;In Parliament last year the latter site Was championed, uy the Hon. H. D. Beu; (Minister or Internal Affairs) and by Hm j Joseph Wash (Leader of the Opposi-j lion) and other members* Imt ihe site upon which the present Dominion Museum 'stands also found its supporters. One of thorn, Mil. G. M. Thomson, M,P., said that he was quite certain lhat Mount Cook was not going to be the centre of the intellectual life of this City. He considered that the Thomdon end of Wellington would continue to be the

district where would continue to he' centred the official life of the community as the Parliamentary Buildings and other Government .Buildings were all in that locality. Therefore, he contended, tho Museum ought to be located "in what might be termed the cultivated atmosphere." Mb. Thomson's association of Parliamentary and.Departmental institutions with the 'cultured life of the community is not convincing,- and even if it were be seems to have taken a somewhat narrow view of the possibilities of such a great national institution as it is proposed to establish in Wellington, and to have under-estimated its probable attraction and appeal where the general community is concerned, If it is necessary to establish a museum for the special benefit of a select minority in the community, i.io doubt the matter can bo attended to at the proper time, but the. present proposal is to establish a museum and attendant institutions upon a national scale,, and it is- quite obvious that any such project should be considered from .a broad standpoint and planned in the interests of the people as a whole.

Our present object', however, is' not so much to discuss tlie potentialities of the .Dominion Museum as to direct attention to the narrower and more immediately pressing question of the selection of a site. It is plain enough that the- present site has. its : limitations. Of comparatively small area, it will afford space for'buildings and nothing more,, and it is not central, judged from the stand-: point of tho distribution of population throughout- the City. The existing Dominion Museum building does not in any sense constitute a tie, for it has long outlived its usefulness, and wi.fi have to be removed' before long in any case. The Mount; Cook site, on the- other hand, possesses nearly every advantage that, its competitor lacks. Probably no mart: central site eould be found, taking the distribution of population as a guide, and it is of ample area. It consists of fifteen and a. half acres (comprising two Imperial ■ grants)* of which a small area in. one corner is occupied by the Mount, Police- Station, Although handily placed and easily accessible, it is sufficiently elevated above the surrounding area to command a fine outlook over the City,-its-encircling hills, and the. harbour. Probably iio more suitable and commanding site for a stately buildng,' such as the new Museum ought to be, could ba found throughout, the length and breadth of the City. The reserve carries a building, originally in-, tended for a gaol, but now used as an Artillery Barracks -and stores and for Defence Department offices. Suitable accommodation, for these purposes couki easily be provided elsewhere at moderate cost. ' The present buildings might be retained in part for storage purposes, if the new Museum were built in front of them at the top of the slope overlooking tlie town and harbour. A great part of the reserve is at presentgiven over to weeds, and in many places there arc Ugly patches of bare clay, but the vacant _ area could easily be transformed into pleasant sloping lawns about the buildings if the reserve were devoted to the purpose here suggested. - It is unnecessary to labour considerations which, with others- making in the same i direction, must appeal to any citizen who looks into the matter for himself. The position seems to bo that tho present Museum site is well enough in its way, but that the Mount Cook site is incomparably., better. Its adoption will preserve to the City a valuable area which otherwise at some time may be lost to it.- Obviously Mount Cook, would afford a worthy setting for a great national institution, which should serve a noble purpose in stimulating and inspiring the popular spread of useful -knowledge and culture. Mn, Thomson's proposal to tuck away such an institution in a quiet corner is unlikely to commend itself to the' great . body of thinking people. More probably they will recog-oisc that it should be placed prominently in the true heart of the City, amidst the general mass of the people, and r not amongst politicians and officials. ' These requirements will be -eminently satisfied if the Museum and Art Gallery are established in the breezy elevation at Mount Cook. In that situation there will be roam for the extensions which will no doubt be necessary in years to come, and it is a.n additional consideration of no small importance that the reserve can readily be transformed into one of the beauty-spots of tiic City. At present it has some unlovely surroundings, but no better stimulus to improvement can be afforded -than by turning it from its present neglected and - unprofitable state to the purpose here recommended. It is only necessary to add in conclusion thatwhilc we have spoken throughout of tho interests of the people of Wellington in ti-iis matter, jt is equally in the interests of people in other parts of Hie Dominion, who may visit the Museum from time to time, that- it should be placed in such a bold and commanding situation as offers at Mount Cook rattier than in an inconspicuous corner of the official quarter.