THE GREY MANUSCRIPTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 147683, 31 August 1911, Page 4

THE GREY MANUSCRIPTS.

NEGOTIATIONS FOR EXCHANGE 1 [by TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] i ' i I Wellington, Wednesday. '1 Iktoriiation regarding the proposed ex- I change of the Maori manuscripts presented i to the South African Public Library by' iiir if] George Grey for the South African miinu- . 1 scripts in the Auckland Library was given r I by th<) Minister for Education in tho'Gomij | I of Representatives this afternoon. Reply-.';'' fl ing to a question by the member for Avon 11 the Hon. G. Fowlds said that during his | n recent stay in Capetown he negotiated with :18 the trustees 'of the Public ' Library, 'El Prime Minister, and tier members of £h$ in Government. A few days before his depart ffl ture for New Zealand the librarian advised iff him that the trustees could not permit such iff an exchange without legislative sanction. - ; |fl Some years ago the trustees sought to obv' . || tain sanction and a Bill was passed in '. || the House of Assembly, only to be rejected ffl in the Legislative Council. He was, recently. Hi informed that the library trustees had ffl again been in negotiation with the Minister IS for the Interior in regard to the necessary |ffl I legislation, but so far no actual progress ifl could be reported. He hoped that some', nj thing definite would be • done during the .iffl next session of the South African. Union '. ifflf ■ Parliament." - ft| The prospects of effecting the exchange <U 111 are regarded by Mr. Fowlds as • very. ,ffl bright. Discussing the subject this 1 " 1 evening he said the proposal .was tveryj||' rifig favourably regarded by the authorities in |l| South Africa, who considered that its jig adoption would be practical evidence of ' - ;||| the- feelings of kinship among the Bo- ; sal minions of which so much was heard. ,|jg During the celebrations of tho Union Ifcoj, • 3 Minister of the Interior (General Smuts), •: BH who has jurisdiction over libraries, y ha? v - ffl on several occasions expressed sympathy L, • jaW with tho proposal. It is not surprising; ■■ Iffl that the matter has not been dealt withy; |w immediately, as the attention of ■ tlio 18 Union Parliament has been occupied with - ||h tho larger matters following the ieorgaiii- |1W sation of its constitution. Th» value of K the Maori manuscripts in the Capetown §9 Library is- much greater than the collcc- Ira tion ill the Auckland Library, and the jgK exchange would mean a valuable addition | IH to tho historical records of the Dominion. K