THE HOCKEN COLLECTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13693, 8 September 1906, Page 9

THE HOCKEN COLLECTION.

' TO-THS IDITOH. SlE.rrThMo immediately interested in the cjispnto as to the proper site for the Hpcten collection owe thanks |o Drs., Iknhap.atKl Colquhoun for the statement the position •in t'o-da-y'a issue. 'In' this io to .be '. read a plain setting forth of the facts _$o far'as fhoy have gono in connection with' proposed gift, and a most valuable suggea-t-ion as *to a means of arriving at a cloterljiination 1 as' to wlw.fi '!'« Sity ehall l>e placed, This suggestion is the outcome of tlio careful summarising of all pojote bearing 011 the question, and under ordinary circumsfai)ce3 «boqld fini) qniwjnious acceptance. Fortunately, tho circumstances i(ro not ordinary; nevertheless, we havo ' to'deal with facts as wo find them. Tho circumstances have been rendered extraordinary by what happened at the mcetjjig 011 Thursday evening. It is solely because • of what took place at that meeting that it seems necossary to elaborate paragraph : 3 of tlio contribution of Drs. Benham and Colquhoun: " Tho conditions needful to satisfy tlio above parties.'' From your report of tlio pieetipg it wpitlcl appear that Dr Hocken pointed out as strongly as was consistent with his position tho overwhelming claims of tho Miipiim as a proper site— indeed, tho only proper sito for his gift. Apparently,. immediately following -(JiEr 'speech Mr Dennistpn moved a resolution to have the collection placed elsewhere. Dcnniston prefaced his motion with i. fcjv wpid?, asking tho meeting to set aside ' all quostion of sentiment. A littla consideration will, 1 am sure, convince, Mr , ;]>;nriistqn that ho failed to see the weight': which should attach tq Dr Hockpn's wishes, coining as' they' did (torn a pnblio bebe-' • factor,' ?s greatly a* lie missed the associations existing between a collector and his- -Such associations, though sentimental. pay have a very real' existence:' : Collections are gathered and dissipated. but the associations' in" connection : with them remain for life. However freeely • a collector may give hi» collection, there .. must always be a sense of loss and regret, (horkeen this sense only a collector knows) when his collection paceee out of his hands. ~ Surely in Dr Hockon'a ease it is our manifest duty to try ani) minimise this feeling rather than to accentuate it! . : : • It':is.to bo hoped tho admirable sug - gestion of a nominated board to select site will'bei adopted, and that there will I>o no iporo' 'meetings to vote oh the • question. If such meetings bo held. thon thcroeliQuhl bo tio proxies allowed. Every vqter ehoiilr,'' • personally record his or her vote, and by • so doing' his or her realisation of what l)r Hockcn'g gift means to himeolf and to the > community. I need hardly e&y Dr Hockerii. knows nothing of tliifl letter.—l am, etc;. H. BCCKIAND.' Kiaora, September 5. ' '