Museum Money Spent by Agreement

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 648, 27 April 1929, Page 1

Museum Money Spent by Agreement

SALE OF OLD BUILDING COUNCIL’S POSITION DEFINED “The understanding between the two bodies concerned has always been that the war memorial committee would erect the building and that the museum council would provide the fittings out of the proceeds of the sale of the old building.” r pHUS Mr. Gilbert Archer, secretary "*■ of the Museum Council, in replying to the observations of Mr. A. S. Bankart, chairman of the Museum Building Committee. Mr. Bankart said: Money for the purpose (the inclusion of a cenotaph at the museum) might have become available had it not been for the insistent demands upon the committee by the Institute and Museum Council —to allow the council to expend the proceeds of the sale of the old museum site in Princess Street in the fitting up and finishing of the memorial museum for housing the many exhibits. Mr. Archey said the Museum Council had never asked, much less demanded, that it should be allowed to spend this money on fittings. “It had no need to,” said Mr. Archey, “so it is not easy to see how the war memorial committee could have acceded to a 'demand' that was never made. It cannot, therefore, be correct to say that it is because the museum council made such demands on the building committee that the latter now finds itself unable to erect the cenotaph. "Notwithstanding this, the museum council has, in fact, contributed nearly £2,000 to the cost of the building by accepting liability for the installation of a complete electric lighting system, instead of the skeleton system originally provided, thus ensuring that the building can be opeu to the public at reasonable times in the winter. This is the ‘substantial balance’ which Mr. Bankart says is due —his remarks imply that it is badly overdue —by the council to the committee. The council paid £633 of this in August and it understands that the balance will be due when the electric light contract has been completed, and a proper statement of account has been presented, neither of which has yet been done.”