"FIRST WEDGE IN”

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11784, 21 March 1924, Page 5

"FIRST WEDGE IN”

FOR NEW MUSEUM GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY OF £75,000 GRANTED. BUILDING "UO COST £150,000. “The first wedge in” was the charaeteristic way in which the Hon. R. F. Bollard, Minister for Internal Affairs, announced to a "New- Zealand Times” representative yesterday the decision of Cabinet to offer a subsidy of £75,000 towards the cost of a muchneeded building for the Dominion Museum in Wellington. It was stated that a building worthy of the title of “Dominion Museum” woud cost £150,000. A building to adequately house the large collection of priceless exhibits in the Dominion Museum—many collections on account of lack of space in the present building have been hidden from public gaze for some years—has provided an ever-recurring agitation, and the announcement madp by Mr Bollard is refreshing, ' though the amount which it is suggested should be raised bv way of £1 for £1 subsidy is large. Cabinet's decision, however, gives a basis upon which those societies and members of the public keenly interested in a fine display of this country’s relics con work to secure a building. in keeping w-ith the value of the collections stored in Wellington. NEED RECOGNISED.

“The Government,” said Mr Bollard, “has not failed to recognise the need for a Dominion Museum which would worthily typify the richness and value of this country’s relics. The trouble has been, as I have before remarked, the want of money. When I became Minister folt Internal Affairs, the department which deals with museum natters, I very quickly realised that ■he present building was altogether unsuitable for a museum. I inspected tKe building with the officers of the department . and found it to be in a worse condition than I ever imagined a public building could be in. Soane of the pillars in the inside of the building have given way, and very many of the weather boards are so rotten that the rain beats in. Moreover, there wasn’t space enough to display some of the best ethnological collections. I ap preached Cabinet in the matter, as my predecessor in office, the Hon. Mr Downie Stewart, had done. But unfortunately the war slump was still giving the Minister for Finance anxious moments. The best I could then do in these corcu instances was to get Cabinet to agree to provide space in the Dominion Farmers’ Institute building for the temporary accommodation of some of the exhibits to mainly safeguard them against fire. But l must admit that this is not a satisfactory expedient. A building to hold all the exhibits is what is wanted. APPEAL TO CITIZENS.

“I mentioned in an interview a few weeks ago that in view of the financial difficulties, it would help me a great deal in my efforts to secure a museum worthy of the Empire City, if some in terested societies were to start a fund for the building. As a result of that, announcement I received a letter from the secretary of the Wellington Central Progress League (Mr G. Mitchell) asking the approximate cost of a new building, and the amount it would be necessary to raise by way of rafts before the work could he proceeded with. _ I submitted the question to Cabinet at its last meeting, and it was decided to give £1 for £1 subsidy up to a total of £150.000 for a new building, meaning that ’ £75,000 would have to be raised locally. The amount is large, I must say, but the decision is really the first wedge in the new museum. 1 hope the Progress League of Wellington will take the matter up actively and other kindred societies also.” Mr Bollard added that the Cabinet was agreed that a new museum building in Wellington was required, but it was purely on account of the uncertainties of finance that prevented the full cost of the building being provided by the Government.