SCIENCE & ART

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2681, 29 January 1916, Page 6

SCIENCE & ART

MUSEUM BUILDING

The first meeting of the BoarJ 0} science and Art constituted under the ict of 1913 was held last night in the Museum building. The Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister of Internal Affairs) presided, Mr. Russell, opening tkc'meeting, said that the first meeting of the board had been delayed from various causes. The functions of the board wore to control the Dominion Museum, and to establish md direct .1 Dominion Art Gallery, a Dominion Scientific .and Historical [library, to acquire collections and docu> tnents, and to make regulations to enible these functions to be discharged. It would havo to determine the future site or sites of these institutions. The ict provided that until the establishment of a Dominion Museum was achieved, the _ present Government Museum in Wellington should be regarded as the Dominion Museum. Personally he believed that the present site was the best obtainable in Wellington, and lie did not favour the Mount Cook Bite. "When the question of site was determined, the next stop should be to bring as much pressure as possible to bear 011 the Government to make a beginning with the new building. He would like to see work begun during'the following year on a building plahned to extend eventually from Sydney Street to Bowen Street. Tho ttrst section might eb a three-storied structure,, placed near Sydney Street, one story to hold the Maori collection, one to hold the National Art Gallery, and the third the nucleus of the National Library. After discussion the board decided to recommend that the Dominion Museum, Art Gallery, and Library ought to be placed on the site of the present Dominion Museum. Plans of the proposed building were examined by members. This, it was explained, might be erected in Sydney Street, adjacent to the Laboratory, and tho other sections might be built aa money became available. The general opinion of the board, as re-, vealed in disoussion, was that the first section of the new- museum should be a plain fire-proof block, capable of being incorporated in tho main building later. Tho Minister said that a structure of this kind, costing not more than £5000 or £6000, would provide secure quarters for. the present collections, ana could be constructed without interfering with the existing wooden building. A motion requesting the Government to provide funds for such a building in • the following year was carried, and a committee consisting of Dr. Allan Thomson, Professor Benham, and Messrs. C. A. Ewen and G. M. Thomson, was set up to report on details of the proposal. A letter was received from the New Zealand Institute, covering'an offer to hand over the institute's _ soicntifio library to the board on condition that a fire-proof building were provided and other stipulations, especially one that the library be available as a lending library to members of.the institute, were acceptable. This offer was accepted. A general' discussion took place on' the means to be adopted for the collection of historical records. I« was admitted that already mu£h work had been dono by subsidiary societies, and also that the board had come into the field too late to secure for New Zealand many valuable New Zealand documents now in collections in other countries. TV. 111 ; "

Dr. Allan. Tkomso;i and Mr. C. A!. Ewen were appointed a committee to take steps to acquire, ivhere possible, historical collections now ' in. private hands, and it was decided to ask tlia Hon. Dr. M'Nab, Mr. A. H. Turnbull, Mr. I'. L. Buick, and Mr.' C. Wilson to associate themselves with the committeo.