Tax Proposed for Upkeep of Museum

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 396, 3 July 1928, Page 16

Tax Proposed for Upkeep of Museum

£6,000 A YEAR WANTED LOCAL BODIES APPROVE To seek a solution of the financial difficulties of the Auckland Institute in running the new museum, a conference, representative of most of the local bodies round Auckland, was held in the Chamber of Commerce last evening. Some of the local bodies had refused to have anything to do with the museum, financially or otherwise, but the majority had given it at least a certain amount of discussion. Over 30 delegates attended last evening’s conference, over which Mr. H. E. Vaile presided. Mr Vaile said he had been pleased at the number of delegates who had visited the new museum, and he knew many of them had gone away with entirely different ideas. A TALE OF WOE “You have to listen to a tale of woe.” remarked Mr. Vaile, but he commented that one man had sent in £lO privately to help them. He was not begging for himself, he pointed out, but for the public to which the museum belonged It had the unique distinction of being entirely free. Millions had been spent for the men who returned, and the museum was the memorial to those who would never return. A mere handfu’ of private citizens had subscribed over £200.000 for the memorial and a few local bodies had contributed. A useful manner of spending the money had been chosen, and it would become a permanent history of the country, from the time before the white race came to New Zealand up till the war Financially, the city had power to strike a penny rate, but the memorial could barely be considered a city-proper liability, and had it not been for the men who died they might themselves have no money, or even their lives. It required a proper public sentiment. In an iron shed the museum could not be run for less than in the magnificent building given by a handful of citizens. By laborious building up they had secured a £2,000 income. Even Wellington’s museum cost £6,000 a year. If they could get £6,000 annually from all the area of Greater Auck'and, in addition to their own £2,000, they could open the museum with credit If they could not they could not run a museum anywhere. They asked for 6d a head, and if the people of Auckland did not consider their duty to the dead to run to that much they were not worth a place on the earth. The chairman explained the showcase controversy, and mentioned in reply to another question that not only would the Government give no assistance, but it had wrongly collected £9OO in land-tax from the old museum and ■ absolutely refused to return it. ‘ The method of raising the money led to a discussion, one representative saying that it meant the property owners were again going to pay the

piper. A Government payment would he more equitable. 200,000 PEOPLE A YEAR it was mentioned that thf* old museum had had an attendance of 100,000, and it was expected that this would be doubled. The chairman announced himself as entirely in favour of limiting the yearly payment to the £6.000. Mr E. H. Potter, Mayor of Mount Eden, eventually moved a resolution suporting the principle of egislation to provide for the raising of a sum noT exceeding £6,000 per annum, from Greater Auckland, on a population basis, and this was carried by a large majority. Mr. Vaile was asked to visit these local bodies who objected, or wanted more information. An endeavour will be made to submit a Bill to Parliament this session.