THE MUSEUM AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2837, 31 July 1916, Page 9

THE MUSEUM AND THE WAR

-— : —* TOPICAL NOTE IN DIRECTOR'S REPORT. The Director of the Dominion Museum (Dr. J. Allan Thomson), in bis annual report to tho Government—in a Parliamentary Paper—observes that as a result of the war the number of visitors lo Wellington has greatly increased, and Clio, mcroaso has been reflected in the museum attendance. Unfortunately, tho neglect in the past to provido a suitablo ■bunding and tno present call for economy have prevented the museum from taking full advantage of this opportunity ot increasing its usefulness to tno Suite. It was/ hoped to obtain and exhibit collections relating to the war which would not only servo as historical collections in the future, but would also help to bring home to the people the fact of a state of war at the present time, Jmt neither by private donations nor in response to official requests has the necessary material-been forthcoming in the way of war trophies. The lack of space and of adequate staff has prevented tho formation of collections, such as are being shown in England, designed to inculcate national economy anu to show how it may be effected. Tho war has left tho museum much where it was except for a reduction in its spending capacity. Tho existing building is not onlv slowly decaying, but is unsuitable in" design and lighting arrangements for the proper display of any collections, tond is totally inadequate in lloor space for the existing material. So long as it is in use tho museum must not only come far short of its full usefulness to the present generation, but is losing many opportunities of becoming the storehouse of material which will be unobtainable in tho future. As a national institution, visited by most of the travellers to these shores - it must surely undo, much of the reputation for enlightenment and efficiency which the Government of the Dominion has so successfully created. It may therefore bo questioned whether the postponement of a new building is a true economy. No alterations have been made in the number or personnel of the staff during the year As in previous years, Mr. blsdon Best has devoted his whole time to ethnological research on the Maori, and Miss A. Castle has been wholly occupied with the care of the insect collections. The remaining work, including the registration and determination of new specimens, the overhaul of tho existing collections, and the registration of accessions to the library, has been shared between myself, Mr. H. Hamilton, and Mr. J. Al.'Donald, Mr. Hamilton being responsible forthe majority of the ;zooogical specimens, and Air. AL'Douald for the historical and ethnographical sneci-. mens. "During the year I continued my work on the classification and description of the tertiary Brachiopoda, and also commenced the formation of a genotypo collection of Brachiopods in general. With a view to the future expansion of the library, I commenced also the formation of a card index of literature relating to the South Seas, and another of the prices at which sets- of scientific journals are advertised. During tho year tho tollowmg papers were published in scientific journals: 'Brachiopod Genera: The I osition of Shells , w,-itb. Magaseliform Loops, and of Shells with Bouchardiform Beak Characters,' 'Additions to the Knowledge of the Recent Brachiopoda of «e;v Zealand,' 'The Genera of Recent and Tertiary Rhynconellids,' 'A New (-■onus ami Species of the Thecidiinae (Brachiopoda).'"