Churchill Auctions

Southland Times, Issue 24837, 1 September 1942, Page 4

Churchill Auctions

IN a broadcast talk from station 4YZ the city librarian, Mr H. B. Farnall, last night explained to Southland listeners the ideas behind the patriotic enterprise known as the Churchill Auctions. The honorary Dominion organizer is Mr Pat Lawlor, of Wellington. An old and valuable book, presented to the Prime Minister of New Zealand by the Prime Minister of Britain, and carrying the signatures of both Mr Churchill and Mr Fraser, has become the nucleus of a collection which is to be auctioned in the main centres for the benefit of the Patriotic Fund. The collection includes books, manuscripts, letters, paintings, rare china and collectors’ items of all kinds. They are being contributed by men and women who, turning over their personal treasures, have decided to devote one or more of them to a good cause. This kind of giving means a genuine sacrifice. Books and similar possessions take into themselves a richness of personal or family association. To part with an heirloom is to wrench something from the living past. Yet precious things would all be lost if the war ended disastrously, and those who feel the pride of family possessions and achievements must know that the relics of the past could have no better function than to bring help and comfort to the men who are safeguarding the country’s future. The gifts that are most desirable, for the purpose designed for them by Mr Lawlor, are obviously those which have some historic or intrinsic value. This does not mean that their value must necessarily be great. The appeal of old books, for instance, is not always fixed by the rarity of editions; and there are mementoes of earlier times which for many persons have an importance quite distinct from market prices. Moreover, the owners of such things do not always understand their value. All gifts, therefore, will be welcomed by the organizers; and if there are many that bring only small returns the total gain will still be considerable. The items collected in Southland are to be forwarded to Dunedin. As Mr Farnall pointed out last night, however, there is no reason why Southland should not have its own auction if the local collection becomes large enough. An event of this kind woulcf have a secondary interest that deserves encouragement. Under present conditions the arts are in a frozen condition which is bad for the country’s mind. The Churchill Auctions will bring about a redistribution of cultural influences in which the people of Southland could reasonably hope to participate. But this possibility must depend on the response made within the next few weeks. Time is short. The people of Southland have responded generously to every appeal yet made to them. If they possess books, art treasures or curios which they believe to be suitable, they can assist the Patriotic Fund by forwarding them as soon as possible to the Invercargill Public Library. They will thereby help to make the Churchill Auctions a valuable and unique chapter in the history of patriotic effort. •