EXHIBITS AT MUSEUM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21247, 29 July 1932, Page 11

EXHIBITS AT MUSEUM

PRESERVATION DIFFICULTIES CRUMBLING OF SURFACES Difficulties connected with the preservation of specimens at tho War Memorial Museum were outlined in an interesting address given by Mr. W. K. Hounsell before members of the Auckland Institute and Museum. "The biggest problem we have to contend with in Auckland is caused by damp," said Mr. Hounsell. "Many of the stone and earthenware exhibits which have come from Egypt and similar places have in the course of time absorbed a hig|h proportion of saline material. In a moist climate tho surfaces of these objects crumble in the same way as soma of tho stone in tho museum has done." A number of clay tablets were found to be crumbling. It was almost impossible to touch them, but the difficulty was solved. Mildew, an ally of dampness, also caused a large amount of trouble. In several foreign museums there was special equipment of central heating apparatus to control the humidity. In Auckland the objects had to be treated with antiseptic solutions to keep mildew fungus in check. "You are all aware that we have recently acquired n large number of moa remains," stated Mr. Hounsell. "These wero in an extremely friable condition and before they could be examined they had to go through a process of hardening." Mr. Hounsell explained that there were' at the museum many wooden exhibits which had been badly affected with rot, and though many processes had been devised to protest and stiffen wood in this state, none of them was altogether satisfactory.