THE MUSEUM BUILDING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1989, 20 February 1914, Page 8

THE MUSEUM BUILDING.

SSr,—Skice I kiie\v Welliugton I liai-c been desirous of;, seeing- _ thp . fflttscum housed iii.a.proper building, ami •httVe Urged tfiis.-for many years pqst. Therefore. 'I • read-' with sqme_ lftterest your In a tier .of February 11, in which yon -charge ."the general population of Wellington.and o? -thy Dominion" frith" "surprising apathy." Tho <%argo is a perfectly legitimate' one as far as the City is concerned. If the citizens had exerted themselves in the past to have a ' suitablo"'Museum- builcl-ittg,_ the Dominion would have backod their c florin. iVu-t Wellington has always waited,arid apparently still waits for Ciovernment ■to find all tlio money required. ; ■' > In referring to my advocacv tff, a now building-, -'you-suggest'.that I "have taken'ft somewhat narrow,view of the possibilities of sueli a great national institution, as it is proposed to establish in Wellington* and to have underestimated its .probable attraction, ajid ■appeal where the general community is concerned, If it is necessary to establish a museum for the special benefit of a setet. minority iu the tkitfrnniiuty, «b doubt the matter can bo attencled'to at the proper .time,, but the present prO ; nosal is to establish a Museum'and attendant iiis'titu.titfn's; unoii .a ■ national scale, and it is quite: obvious, that' airy ■ such projeot . should bo. considered from a broad standpoint and planned in -.tho interests of tlio people as a whole,'! this reads'very well; but it,is based on a. fallacy, as I can easily, show,'and yau, proceed yourself- to nrmioifrom a .narrow and parochial standpoint', id, urging thattho now .building should, be erected on the- site at, Mount Gobki which you favour because it is central for'tlie pecnle of Wellington, ■ that is,

for the people who are not prepared to Contribute- anything directly towards the erection of the new structure.) and who apparently don't care whether it-is there The fallacy is that It is now proposed "to ■oslitliJtsh a museum and attendant institutions." "There 'is no such'proposal, Tlio museum lias been in existence for half a century, but tlio present building is so congested as to bo .dangerous and comparatively user, loss, and tie public has hardly .any idea' of the amount of valuable educative material stowed away in boxes arid, snip* boards for lack of spate to exhibit and utilise it. the "attendant 1115ie.itx1ti6.11s''' are not now things cither.' They sire a-lready in cxisteuee, and what is sought' is to bring them all together under oiio roof, so tinit they may bo' utilised '..by those who are.most interested. Theidea which it is intended that- the new board to he appointed under tlio .Science and Art Bill shall carry out ,i's .to form a national -scientific library-land a national art gallery in addition' to thb ■■ museum. There are'numbers -of. scientific works .iiv Wellington at the present time which are scarcely .utilised on account of the difGs.ul.tj* of cOn'SUl'feiug them.. If -.brought together. a IV brafian could bo appoiiitea* and th.o ' whole collection would be available/ (under proper supervision) for public use-. The bocksT.refer to are.;. (I) 'flu. .purely scientific books now in the 'Par.jia.hicntary, Library, numbering probably some thousands.; :$) tlio Museum Library.; (3) the Geological -Survey Library; '.(4) the' New Zealand Institute library; (.s):'.tlio Wellington Philosophical Institute.' 1 s library.; and (§) .tho numerous .small collection scattered thr.ousihout the various scientific Government Departments-. Those latter .must keep a certain' ii-u.jn-her of hooks for regular and iminecJiijlo refe.renee,_ hut theyjvll liave -numbers of boots which are only, occasionally. Wanted, and jt would suit all the Depart, ■menta. and all the -scientific- workers if these were brought together into one■accessible collection.' It is qnito site to <say that if th'at, ooliection Were libtise at 'Mount' CJpekj it would not bo readily accessible.. '. • ■ .

. Tiicij. thcr<s k the National Art Gallery. , Already the Goverfoment lias" a number .of pictures—tho 'Chevalier col'■'lection, ,as well as ■many others—which Want housing ami.exhibiting.". To these others will be added from time to'time, and ,if_ the "Wellington' Art Society cared to n.ssist the sc'hbne fii'ianciaiiyi there is , no reason why-its, collections should not .ftlsb find-a; suitable resting place in. a. National Gallery. . A museum is,not .mainly. a : place ;for casual visitors "to. stroll into and wiiilo' away an.hour moro;or teSs pleasantly, It is, if properly arranged and managed, a storehouse of .scientific material whe'r.b convenience's' far .setf;edu.catio'ii. .'atid ta-l search aro readily .available, but the t\i;o< things Ijavo to bo kept largely .apart.'' It should, thorcforo bo placed,,iti proximity' to libraries, and to . the....people ' wjiowant to undertake reaseafe'h. The po.piW lar aspect is quite a secondary one. We aro apt to tprget Jipw many of tiro Government -Departments aro scientific, and requiro coiivenieriees for scifentifio work and rpseafch.-.. We. have! otvlv to ■enumerate Education, .Agrienltufc, Geological Survey, 'Domiiii6hLab.pfa.to.ry, Public JJoalth, Veterinary ■.Science, 'Fo> ■estry, j'is'h'erj.cs. Geodetic and Magne'tio Surveysi. Astronomical o.b.scrv.fiterjv ■SeifiniolOftic.il find Meteorological Depart' ■rnoiitsj etc., to- see that thcfcollcctloniof ■scibhrific uttlities iii,chjded':iii the Dornhijori Musfiiira and its adjunefe should'.be •housed sohi.cWh.orc-near its present site, should 'b'.oVfliadb jcv ■cGnvoriion.'existing building, -which wJas Wit; up for a' totally different ..purpo'sei Converted buildings- ate usuall}* vbrj: ox- 5 pensive and very unsatisfactory' -.' Let ■pie- say {llso that the suitability, of. the. Mount-Cook sit-o is urged .byVnieti iv-lio do 'not' know or have not adequately considered what the purpose's of. (i nmsouin are. All 'tup scientific. men frith whoiH I ihb,.'subject favour tile proiieni sift*. 'But' I have nouiid'uo. bias on this matter. I .am-.just as ■desirous as you,are tp 'soo .a ;prop'6r.:.niu6cum- :busl.t,- 0n1y,,1,. hope, the [j Government 'twill- cQii.stL.lt museum experts., .such as ProiFoss.or.s- He.uh.ajß ancE : Ch'.iljtbhy Messrs. Oheescmaii. arid Speight bejbro co'miiiE to a'decision .as'.toi'.ii. ■Slip, ■ '" .-;■■••

siy adylcb to. the .Gprernment;'iii,. rft-:-gard to Mouijt 'Cop.k.js tpj'kiipcK .tlie'preseiit buildings-orit 'of ex'istonce--th'cy. are an eyesorb .to Weilingtoiii On tho. site a teebnicai worthy 'of tho' ■capital bity .of tliefSoniinion, might-b> aiid iliiß would bp of infinitely .'greater'-value -in such a central locality than tlio museum,Would«vir am, etc.,. GEO, JJ> fIIO.MS.ON. ... Dunedin, Feb.rual\v ,14, Ml.