MUSEUM AND LIBRARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16050, 16 October 1915, Page 9

MUSEUM AND LIBRARY.

EXCHANGES OF EXHIBITS. | Exchanges of exhibits are to be made be- | tween the Auckland Museum and the ! Free Library. The Russell collection of j statues will in future be displayed in the | library, and the Grey collection of Maori j curios will be exhibited in the museum. I The new arrangement was explained yesterday by the curator, Mr. T. F. Cheeseman. " For many years it has been the opinion of a large number of citizens that there was needless duplication of work between the City Council and the AuckI land Institute," said Mr. Cheeseman. | " It was recognised that the council was l now in the position to properly maintain the Art Gallery, and, therefore, it was useless for the institute to attempt to do I a similar thing in a small way. The collection of Maori antiquities in the museum had grown to such an extent and had become so important, that it appeared useless for the council to exhibit a smaller collection of Maori curios as contained in that presented many years ago by Sir George Grey." A reciprocal arrangement was considered by the institute and the Library Committee of the council, said Mr. Cheeseman. The Hon. E. Mitchelson, president of the institute, wrote to the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, suggesting an exchange without either body relinquishing the actual ownership of the exhibits. This was approved, and the alterations were now being carried out. The institute was expending a sum of not less than £600. The statues had been removed to the library, and when they were cleaned and renovated they would be exhibited in an upstairs room, opposite the room containing the Partridge collection*