HISTORICAL RECORDS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3188, 12 September 1917, Page 10

HISTORICAL RECORDS

MEMBERS ALLEGE NEGLECT ROCK PAINTINGS AND WAR RELICS. When a report regarding the Dominion Museum was presented to the .House of liopresentatives yesterday, Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataura) asked what tho Government was doing in connection with tun urgently-needed. Dominion Museum. Valuable collections were being housed at present in old and unsafe buildings. Ho suggested that until new premises wero available some part of the valuablo national collections should be lodged in the lower portion of tho new Parliamentary Buildings. Air. (,'. .1. Talbot (Temuklt) eaid that portions of certain rock paintings in bouth Canterbury had been removed, awl the local pcoplo folt strongly on t'lio subject. These paintings, considered to bo relics of a people antecedent to (ho Maoris, were on private property, but they ought (o be preserved. Air. C. H. Poolo (Auckland Wcsl) asked tho Government not to miss the opportunity to niako an adeouato collection of mementoes of New Zealand's share m the war. More attention should be given jo the preservation of tho Dominion's historical records.

Mr. J, T. J[, Hnrnsbv (Wairarapn) asked ior the preservation of the remarkable limestono formations at HikurAngi. These formations were being destroyed for tho manufacture of cement.

Mr. T. AV. Rhodes (Thames) said that some interesting relics of the Maori people near Capo Colvillo required pretention. Nothing had been done yd. to mark the spot in Mercury Bay vhcro Captain Cook landed.

l)r. Thacker (Christchurcli East) mentioned (-.lie rock paintings in Wcka Pass, North Canterbury. The Dominion should not forgot tbo enormous service rondored by the late Dr. M'Nab in tho collection of historical records and the elucidation of .the-Dominion's early history. Sir. W. H. Field (Otaki) said that aI; tho mouth of Porirua Harbour was the remains of tho fori; erected by tho Imperial authorities in the 'forties. The fort stood on private ground, and had been damaged considerably by the owner, but enough remained to make it north purchaso by the Government. The fort had been the.centre for operations against t.bo Maoris. Many of the cannon balls fired at the Maori fortifications had been picked up by settlers, and were preserved in the homes. The old fort and a block of land surrounding, it should be purchased and reserved as national property. A very old printing press of some historical interest, was preserved in Otaki. Mr. R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs) .said that ho understood the old. fort was not i"ta.lly private property, though it had been fenced in. He hatl been told that tho fort and the land on .which it stood was public property. He hoped tho facts would be investigated. The housing of the valuable exhibits in the Dominion was far from satisfactory. When would the new museum be erected? Wellington w;is always being promised new buildings, but the promises never materialised. Auckland would not tolerate tho neglect that Wellington endured. Cbristchurch .bad a beautiful museum. : -

The Hon. (J. W. Bnssell: They built it themselves in provincial days. Mr. Wright said- that a- fire in tfye Dominion Museum would do irreparable damage. Tho Minister of Internal Affairs said he fully endorsed the claim for a new Dominion Museum. But the vast expenditure in connection with the war and the expenditure on the new Parliamentary Buildings made it impossible to proceed with tho erection of a new museum building at the present time. Tho collections wero being very carcfiiliy protected. The Ministers wore not agreed as to the sito for tho new museum. A great deal of valuablo work had been dono by Miss Stnlham in tho preservation of soldiers' graves throughout New Zealand. Ho would try to arrange during the recess for the investigation cf the matters mentioned by members that afternoon. A very good start had been made with the collection of New Zealand's historical records. Letters had been sent to tho families, now residing ui England, of many men Who had been prominent in connection with the early history.of Seiv Zealand, and soma very interesting documonts bad been sent to the Government. Two bundles of papora had come front tho family of Mr. liusby, who had been identified with the :rstitution of government in New Zealand. Among these papers had been found two letters from Hone Heke. There was present in Napier an elderly lady who was the only living witness of tlio signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Ho understood that no part of .the South Canterbury's rock paintings had been removed from Now Zealand. An American expert had examined them, and certain specimens had been movefi to the !?Tmediil Museum. Every care was now being taken to prevent any further damage to the paintings. .The Government had not assented to the removal of specimens to the Dunedin Museum. The canny Scots people seemed to 'have helped themselves. .