LAST MEETING HELD IN OLD MUSEUM

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 400, 14 July 1928, Page 11

LAST MEETING HELD IN OLD MUSEUM

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE TO MOVE 13 LOCAL BODIES SUPPORT NEW BUILDING “This is probably the last meeting which will be held in the old museum building,’* said Mr. H. E. Vaile, the chairman, at yesterday’s meeting of the Council of the Auckland Institute and Museum. “By next meeting we hope that the new building will be sufficiently completed for us to meet there.” Apologies for non-attendance were received from Sir Edwin Mitchelson, Professor H. W. Scgar and Professor F. P. Worley. In the chairman’s report it was stated, under the heading of maintenance, that, of the 27 local bodies approached for assistance for the upkeep of the new museum. 13 had replied favourably, 11 were undecided and only three had been definitely in opposition. Invitations for meetings had been received from six of the undecided bodies and it was hoped that they would be won over. A vote of thanks for the hard work of the chairman and the curator, Mr. Gilbert Archey, was proposed by Mr. A. G. Lunn, and carried.

In the report of the curator it was mentioned that several valuable gifts had been presented to the museum since the last meeting. The most important of these was a wakahuia, a very fine carved feather-box, the gift of Mrs. Selwyn Upton and Mr. W. Cecil Leys. Another gift was a carved greenstone ear-pendant about eight inches long. This was such an old and famous treasure that it had earned for itself the name of Parekarangi. It was presented by Mr. D.' Macfarlane, of Rotorua.

It was decided to accept a collection of drawings of native moths, butterflies and plants, and a number of prepared skins of native birds which had been offered. A member, who had seen the collection, said that one of the birds, the South Island thrush, was now extinct and that a specimen of its skin was probably very rare. The reports of the chairman and curator were adopted after some discussion.