THE NEWTOWN MUSEUM

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2181, 20 June 1914, Page 17

THE NEWTOWN MUSEUM

A FINE COLLECTION WASTED

MORE FUNDS NEEDED

(By Manalive.) The Newtown' Museum, as it stands at preset, can almost be termed an . okl curiosity alior.." Yet, though the indiscriminate collection of cVios, stuffed animals, etc., haphazardly stored in the badly-lit rooms of the upper sjory of the librarv, quite warrant tins title, a few alterations and rearrangements would work wonders. The Visitor to the museum at present will nnd the time spent in looking over the collection pass most interestedly and what is more, ho will bo surprised at the exceedingly fine collection he is inspecting. The idea of a museum, however, is not only to interest, hut to instruct, and this the Newtown Museum ran hardly be said to do at present, with a largo percentage of the exhibits wnlabelled. Unknown Exhibits. Ono will see hundreds of birds of the feathered kingdom attractively displayed m the glass cases lining the walls, but as to their names, species, or from what climo thoy hail, there is'not the slightest clue. Again the visitor will see strange, uncanny shapes grinning out of their glass jars, yet for all the interested inspector knows they might be pigs' trotters. No Arrangement. Practically no attempt at all is made at classification or arrangement. Tomtits, vultures, ducks, and owls aro grouped indiscriminately. So mo of these. nro attractively mounted, while others ' nro mounted on pieces of unpainted wood. One poor bird, probablv a duck, gnus with glassy eye from the top of a kerseno box adorned with a trade mark! In view of the Newtown collection being such a rino one, all this is rather a pity. True, there aro bright spots m tho collection, notably a huge <:ase of animals of all sorts and conditions, most attractively displayed, while tho cases of birds lining the wall are made most interesting with their attractivelvpainted backgrounds. Several persons connected with the museum in the past hayo done valuable work in making things ship-shape, notable among these being Mr. E. W. Perry, Itfr. Yuill. and Mr. Petherick. Improving tho Collection. When the pre'sent curator, Mr.H. H. Travers, took charge of tho museum, he took steps to have all the glass cases mado air-tight. This work has just been completed, and an attempt is now to be made in the direction ot clearing away accumulations of dust and rubbish from round the specimens and their rearrangement. Funds arc badly needed, however. A taxidermist will hud., abundant work to .occupy his attention, while the lighting arrangements badly need improvement. ■It is considered, too, that the City Council might take more interest in tho museum. Things have.been at a standstill lor some time past now, and huge cases, disarranged aiul dusty, have remained in their present stato for years. This is not for want of specimens, but apparently for want of sufficient funds to have the maintaining and arrangement carried out. Interest should bo stimulatpu by. tho fact that tho present curator has been promised a collection of minerals from managers of mines all over New Zealand, and from-officers .of the geological Department. , ;ii: .v ' . =