DOMINION MUSEUM

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 148, 20 December 1945, Page 5

DOMINION MUSEUM

ACTIVITIES OF BOARD

CARILLON IMPROVEMENTS

Although the Dominion Museum in Wellington was still closed to the public, states the annual report of the trustees of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum, much valuable educational and technical work was being performed by the staff. With the successful conclusion of the war, it was hoped that the time would soon arrive when the Museum and Art Gallery could resume their normal activities.

The Art Gallery has continued to function in the temporary Art Gallery in the D.I.C. building, and, in addition to a number of exhibitions of pictures in the gallery, educational work among schools had been carried out. The gallery had been augmented by purchases of pictures from the board's funds and from grants made by the T. G. Macarthy Trust, and both the gallery and the museum had received gifts and bequests of valuable pictures and exhibits.

The establishment of a war museum to house the valuable and historical collection of pictures and exhibit* relating to the war of 1914-18 and the present war had been receiving the at- ; tention of the board and of the man- : agement committees. The War Memorial Carillon had been played by automatic apparatus throughout the year, and consideration was now being given to a proposal to complete the sanctuary chamber on the _ ground floor and to make the first and second floor chambers suitable for the . deposit of specially selected relics and ; records; also to proceed with the erec- ; tion of the hall of memories, thus mak- ; ing the whole scheme a fitting national ; memorial of the two wars. /

The board recorded its appreciation of continued financial support from the Government, Wellington City Council, Wellington Harbour Board, and other local bodies in the Wellington district;; also of assistance received from the j Carnegie Corporation of New York, > New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Royal Society of New Zealand, and i Wellington War Memorial Carillon: Society. In addition to the usual provision of. £ 1000 for repairs, renewals, and extensions fund, appropriations had been made for educational purposes (£500), purchase of pictures and exhibits (£400), and rehabilitation of the Museum and Art Gallery when 'the: time came for resumption of occupancy, of the main building (£500).