LEGACY WORTH WHILE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21326, 29 October 1932, Page 2 (Supplement)

LEGACY WORTH WHILE

MOST ROMANTIC VENTURE FAMOUS EXPOSITION benefits to posterity In a quiet room in Marlborough House there takes place every year a board meeting of one of the most romantic ventures of the modern world. In the chair is the Prince of Wales and among his fellow directors are such distinguished figures as Lord Macmillan and Sir Richard Glazebrook. . V Behind this simple but important meeting, says the News of the World, there lies the remarkable story of an exhibition <i which started over- 80 years ago, paid handsomely, and still continues to pay. It has been the means of giving hundreds ' of young men great chances which otherwise would have been denied. them. To this amazing institution, which goes under the odd title of "The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851," they owe their foothold on the ladder of international success. There is a wonderful air of romance woven round the great exposition held in London in 1851, and of which Queen Victoria in a letter to the then King of the Belgians wrote: "Dearest Uncle, —I wish you could have May 1, 1851, the greatest day in out 1 history, the most beautiful and imposing and touching spec tacle ever seen, and the triumph of my beloved Albert." A Prince at the Head A small body of distinguished men, including the Prince Consort, - sat down and thought out how they could spend the profits of the exhibition. Eventually . they devised the novel and successful scheme which survives to this day. There was a surplus fund of nearly £200,000. and, headed by the Prince Consort, a Royal Commission ■ was appointed to deal with it. The Commission included such famous men as Earl Russell, Sir Robert Peel and Lord Granville. By supplemental charter these commissioners were given the widest powers to deal with the fund in any way most likely to promote the knowledge of science and art. With business-like acumen and initiative the commissioners got down to work and exhaustive inquiries. According to their official report everything pointed to " the inadequate and wholly unorganised character of the efforts of both private and public bodies in furthering the interests of science and arts." The plan eventually proposed was to provide a "locality" where, by the establishment of central institutions working in cooperation with provincial interests, it would be possible to develop a systematic organisation of forces in promoting education in industry. Stroke of Financial Genius The proposal was quickly acted upon and the Commission eventually purchased the estate of Kensington Gore. On this estate have been built several museums and colleges. There is, too, , the Royal * Albert Hall, although the Commission disclaim association with the Albert Memorial. The stroke of financial genius happened this way. On the land bought by the Commission were built huge blocks of houses and flats, and the income from these was applied with care and discrimination in the best and safest of investments. At the present day it would be a conservative estimate to put the value of the Commission's contributions to public purposes at nearly £2,000.000. The actual work of the Commission is to give bursaries and scholarships to anyone and everyone, with ambition and a willingness to apply himself to study. A miner's son and a dock labourer's son have chances equal to those more fortunately placed _in life. The official records of the Commission tell many wonderful stories of success—how young men have rise'n from the humblest circumstances ;to positions with four-figure incomes. Here is an example: About seven years ago the son of a North Country miner was nominated for a scholarship. What practical engineering he had he improved with technical training. Then, through the Commission, he went back to the practical side and started specialising. In a very short time he was offered a position at £2OOO a year. Progressive Prosperity On its art side the Commission is responsible for the foundation of the British School in Rome, which has turned out some of Britain's most brilliant artists. Housed in an unpretentious but artistic building in South Kensington, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is not, as many passers-by reading the nameplate might suppose, a semi-obsolete concern, but an up-to-date and prosperous business run by a young and enthusiastic staff. _ Since the Prince Consort first conceived the plan of utilising the surplus funds of the 1851 exhibition, the concern has been always carefully watched over by royalty. King Edward, as Prince of Wales, evinced a keen interest, and King George, when he was president of the- Commission, played an equally, active part in the work. To-day the Prince of Wales is not only the president but the Commission's chief counsellor and friend.