AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1902, Page 3

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The annual meeting of the Auckland Institute was held in the Museum Buildings last evening, Mr James Stewart, president, in the chair. The report of the Council was read and adopted. It stated that the membership for the year had increased by seven, the new members numbering 24, while 17 had been withdrawn from the rolls. The total membership was given at 162. The total revenue for the year was £759 8/10. The total expenditure was £369 3/10, reducing the credit balance to £76 6/6. The amount of invested funds was £13,077 8/9. Two blocks of Museum endowment were soli during the year, yielding £413 12/. Visitors to the Museum on Sundays totalled 13,649, an average of 262. Week day visitors brought the total to 44,949. The report referred to the purchase of the Malr collection, and stated that £956 16/7 had been already collected, so that there was little doubt but that the full sum of £1000 would be received befor.e the lists closed. Reference was also made to the purchase of the Maori house Te Rangitiki, from Lake Rotoiti. It was hoped to erect this house as an annexe to the Maori hall, but the estimated cost was so large that it was doubtful whether this could be done by the Institute. The matter was left in the hands of a sub-committee to report. The report referred to the Shinto shrine presented by Mr L. D. Nathan, and. stated that other additions of note to the ethnological collections are a series of Australian weapons, implements, etc., presented by Mr W. D. Campbell, formerly a resident of Auckland; a small but interesting set or Indian bronze representations of Buddha, etc., presented by Captain W. Shakespear; and a collection of hafted stone axes from the Cook Islands, deposited by Colonel Gudgeon. The library had beeu increased by 40 volumes during- the year. The curator of the Little Barrier reported that no attempts haJ been made to interfere with the birds on the island, and several species had shown a decided increase.

The President said that on the whole things were satisfactory. There could be no dcubt, with regard to the Mair colleoiion, bu that the citizens had responded to the call of the Council in v way that could not be expected to be surpassed. When the Maori house was erected there woud be nothing in the Southern Hemisphere to compare with the Maori hall. Despite the fact that thousands of pounds of Government subsidy would be given to Wellington, he considered Auckland would continue to lead.

Dr. Bakewell said that about £6 had been spent on the Museum proper during the year, while one thousand pounds was being spent on the Mair collection. Why anybody should want to pay all this money for the most hideous object produced by human beings he did not know. If there were any beauty in the things, or if they were even a rude commencement of a higher art, one might take seme interest in them, but here was a set of cannibal savages who, in the 20th century, had not reached beyond the stony age, and were very imperfect at thai. He had been astonished to learn that the Maori canoe was made with steel tools. He considered such things of no interest at all. They were simply earbarous and hideous—pieces of wood chopped abo-ut by a set of savages. He would rather they were buried out of sight, and certainly could not see any reason for starving the beginnings of a valuable educational museum as the Auckland Museum was for these horrid monstrosities. A morbid taste was growing up in this part of New Zealand for accumulating horrible, ugly, and even obscene objects, because they belonged to the Maoris. We had nothing to do with the Maoris, we wished to supplant the Maoris, and he hoped we would in the course of time. He was sorry to hear they were on the increase, because they were a very low type indeed.

Mr Stewart said if Dr. Bakewell knew more about the Maoris he would hardly cali them savages. In going into the ethnology of the Maori race they were carrying out one of the declared objects of the Institute. Dr. Bakewell's argument, if carried out, would sweep away nine-tenths of the British Museum.

The Rev. Dr. Purchas said no doubt members of the Council would prefer to have old specimens of Maori art, but with regard to the canoe, there w<as ni> canoe in existence which had been carved by the Maoris with their own weapons. As a race the Maoris were fully equal to many of the races that prided themselves on being great races. He would sooner trust the Maoris than a large number of the men who prided themselves on being superior. He thought the less we compared ourselves with the Maoris the better for ourselves.

The report and balance sheet were then adopted.

Dr. Roberton was elected president for the incoming year. The four vacancies on the Council were filled by the election oJ: Messrs B. V. Millar and D. Petrie, and Professors Tubbs and Brown. Mr W. Gcrrie was re-elected auditor.^ and a vote of thanks was accorded him for past services, a similar vote being accorded the retiring president.