DR HOCKEN'S GIFT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13695, 11 September 1906, Page 2

DR HOCKEN'S GIFT

' SPECIAL MEETING OP THE COM- . MITTEEi • ; THE GOVERNMENT TO BE* ASKED FOR A SUBSIDY; • A sjiecial mooting of the Dr Hocken Committee convcnod by "Dp Bonhain. was held in the Mayor's room at the Town, Hull yesterday. Tim Mayor (Mr G. Lawrence) presided, and the monitors of committee present were:—Dr Dunham, Dr'Riley; Mr '.('..Scott, Mr H, Crust, Mr'Cl; L. Donniston, mid Mr M. Cohen. Mr E. ,R. Smith and Mr Reynolds sent, apologies,' and it was mentioned that MrG. Fenwick* was in Wellington.

The Mayor explained that the meeting had been called together'in consequence of something Dr Benham wished to brine forward, and he called upon that gentleman to state the business for consideration.

Dr Benham said ho would have asked his Worship to convene (ho meeting it ho had known that his Worship was. back from Wellington. The object of (ho mooting was to ask the Mayor to instruct t|iu committee how thoy could bring thoir work to a conclusion in a formal 'manner'. They wore appointed'as u commission to report, but they had never made a roport. If they'had reported . there was. no doubt, what that report would have been as a result of their deliberations. It would be remembered that they had an interview with' representatives of the 'Art Gallery Trustees' and the Early Settlers' Association in order to ascertain whether the collection should go io their building. The representatives of the Art Gallery Trustees said fliey wore not, able to indicate what the .trustees as a, body Would say, but thoy gave' their individual opinion, which apparently was favourable to the collect ion being housed there. ■ But tho meeting omled in a curious fashion. A gontloman, who was not':a member of the committee, made 'aproposal—;yjiich it was perfectly competent for ,Jiim "to do—as to the way the decision should lio-lakon. It seemed to him (Dr Btnhiini) that a mixed assembly 'as that was; had not the. power to decide the matter. There ought lp have bceii another meeting. •He wjs referring' to the lastmocting of the, eomniittco, when thoy mot' the' Art Gallery and Early Settlers' representatives. The proposal was'marie 'that u•'vole of the subscribers bo taken.' Ho (Dr Benham) contended that thoy .ought to have had another meeting to decide upon'that, and also to consider a question that, cropped up at the public meeting—namely, as to how the votes should be counted. However, all this was ancient history, and might be passed over. What ho now suggested was that the 'committee,should in .some way put themselves in order. ' 'The Art Gallery Trustees held a lease, a condition of. which was that lliev let a portion of the ground to .tho'.Early Settlers, That Ite would have to bo altered in order to permit the Art Gallery Trustees liV allow the Hocken Collection to 1m placed there. . i Hi« Worship said ho thought Dr lleiihamwas out of order. The foniniiHee appointed to interview the Early Settlers and the/Art. Gallery Trustees came to an arrangement, 'and tliat was laid lieforo the 'genera! meeting, who discussed the matter, decided v oir a certain cour.-e, and then .adjourned ! lt seemed to him that what should be done imw wns'lo call that 'meeting , (mil wa* adjourned. He did. not see that die present meeting was upon to discus* anything further until that, adjourned meeting wo* concluded. Dr llenham said that he spoke as lie did merely in order to bring up a Further suggestion.'- i.TIio supporters of the Museum site.did not accept the vote as'■ Until. 1" the first place, lie believed that the body of people who appointed the committee, and tho comqiitteo itself,, as'a- committee, had been under a misapprehension, as/ to Dr Hockeii's offer. 'His .oryiinM offer, in 1697, was to the colony—to the people of N«w Zealand;—but Dr Hocken expressed a wish to have the collection housed inPunedih, in tlip; city in which ho had passed the greatest part of his life. If that was the caso it seemed absurd that the whole thing should bo deeidod by a few scoro of persons in Dunedih and its immediate neighbourhood. There should be some means of ; ascertaining tho opinion and tho desires of the Government, as representing the wholo of tho people. Further, thoy. ought not to ignore Dr Hoeken'e own views on tho matter. Dr Hocken had openly stated his view at (jio last meeting, His (Dr Bcnham's) idoa in calling this meeting was a twofold one—firstly, that tho committee should aut-horisb Mr G, Fenwick, who ! is" now in Wellington, to approach tho Premier and ascertain whnl subsidy is Jikcly to bo obtained—whether wo aro to. get .pound for pound or 10s in the pound, or whatever it was to be—so that tho committee might know how far it could go; and .secondly, lid wished to suggest that the" coiiiihittce might finish its labours. It had in a way "Jreiuly ''eased. 'Its labours of late' had been a bit of a farce: Ho would further suggest that a new committee lie formed, representative of the -three parties' .concerned—the City Council, the Government, and Dr Hocken,himself;. ,' ;. ';' .'■ ;■■.' '

The Mayor said he could-not see.hotv tlio City Council was concerned, and'Dr Betiham replied that that body: represented the citizens. _" ■ ~'. ',- - "' ;•■ .y ■' The Mayor said it seemed to him a great pity that Dr Hockon did not make up his mind to hand the. collection citlior to tlio Government or to the city or to the University Council. He agreed ivith Dr Bcnham that the committee should disband, for at present it was going on and still did not know DrHoclton's mind.'. It would be much better if Dr Hockon would stato his- mind on the subject. If he wanted to give it to the city, let if, go to tlio city; if to the Museum, let the Museum liavo it; if to tho Government, tho Government by all means. But whatever was dope there should be 6ome finality.' ■ ./ -.. '■' Sir Dennisron said (hat whatever Dr Hockcn intended in 1897,. no doubt when tho sub-committee waited on him ho said that his intention was to give it to the cily. Dr Benhami.l think he was thinking of the housing. '_ ■ Mr Dcnniston said that came afterwards. He (Mr Donniaton) quite agreed that up to any time Dr Hockon should have a large say in tho_ • had a right to chango'his mind at any time,I—but'there1 —but'there was no doubt that at tlio last mooting* ho intended to give if. to the -city.';>. . v. Dr Bonham: Ho said-sd. certainly. Mr Denniston said that ho quite agreed that the co'mmilteO'".shoiild,be discharged. It had done the best wort; it could, but that work had apparently not given satisfaction to all the subscribers. How to discharge the comnritteo was the only question. Tt seemed to'him that the committee could only bo discharged by a meeting of the subscribers who'appointed tho committee, and if his .Worship wore going to call a meeting for that purpose there was no need in tho meantime to go any

further, except, as had been suggested,'.to'ask Mr Fenwick to approach the Govern: rpent. No one could, do that moro gracefully than Mr Fen wick, as he was the man who replied to tlie challenge! of the Government in regard to the matter of money. Until something was known ns to what flio Government would do.' nothing further could be'done here. Tho whole question was one of ways and means. Dr Benham. moved—'''That this committen requests Mr George Fenwick 'in approach the Government in order to ascertain' tho probabilities ■of obtaining a subsidy, and tho.' amount of that' subsidy." f ...''■ Mr-Donniston seconded the motion,'and said it would bo as well to remind the Government of tho promise' to give a subsidy. . Mr Scott said he thought, that things were not in r, very satisfactory condition in moro ways than one.. If Dr Benham and those who were working with him got their object, and secured"the.addition to the Museum, which he took it was their object, then it would l» for the City Council to wash'ils hanils of, the'whole matter. .Members of tho City Council were in a peculiar position over'this, .and he,/for' one. would certainly say that'they should wash their hands of tho whole thing, if it was going to bo under 'tho-: Un'iybfsiJ-j Council. .

Mr Dcnniston: You 'havo no choice in tho' matter. '> '■;■•" ;.;. . •;< .-:-. •»...>'-'

Mr Scott :.'I have looked upon it for some timo .past, as a jnoye on, the part, of. the,University Jo get'an addifjoii '" fa the,' Museum. • '■"• '■'•'< .•■''.'"■■ '•''■* Dr Dcnhnm: I am tho solo: inovcr in the matter. The University-Qouncil. has had nothing to do with it. ..'.'•. Mr Scott said thoYo were one "or two ■mattors from a" practical pm'tiC .'-6V view "that hat not. ypt• eomo out.' ; Dr BonhanKthad suggested-;to give to the collection.,.the 'first floor in-the proposed .njl.ditjon, to 'the Museum. That did av.'ay.with one-of the principal points iif rcgiirdi'to' the Trianglesite—viL' the roof "light. "And if '.they ■•pot a roof light they, would bo undfr the, disadvantage of .making,'.people climb up* a lot of stairs. Then tlier'o.was.tlio'iiije'stigti. (if upkeep. He did not-think that "there.' wa.s tho, slightest ..possibility, of. the pity Council providing any'■upkeep.' JTo wlis '" still,of the opinion that this collection could be housed in the FrcoPublic Liljrary, and, seeing thnt there was how no probability of tlie. Maori' Collection being handed over with the rest, there was all' the more necessity for putting it ill the same build-. j|ig as tho library. Ho had thought so'all along,'but in deference to,flio opinion of 1 subscribers he was quite .willing. to place it in the Triangle. It had been stated that'll was. the intention of cerlahj members. nf tin's committee to appoint'., a subordinate oarotaker if«thc collection were housed at. the Triangle. ,_. lie did not .know., what could have originated that idea, u'riless it was the suggestion made either by himself qr by 11 r Cohen: that it might be under the control-of th.e chief librarian.or,someone under him. That, however, diiT;"not mean thai it was proposed to appoint'a boy or a girl to look after the Hocken Collection, ll was the intention of the City Council .to get as good u' man as possible for the position nf librarian, and be did not know where they ;could get a person hclicr qualified lp lake charge of the collection than the chief librarian. Those were the.points that he 'thought had been so far obscured, and should be brought lolho daylight. He also thought if the matter, was not settled shortly public'.interest in it would' subside.

Mr Cohen said there were a few points in Dr Benbam's specr-h that oiight-nut to be passed over !n "silence. Whatever Dr Hocken had said in 1897 had been mollified this year, tmil undeniably bis intention-at the later period was to present his collections primarily Jo tho city. of.-Dunediu, if the authorities would .properly, house and care for them. ''Those" wore-,the only .conditions imposed by the doctor in the lnle.st iiogolihtions which formed tlie basis of Mr Fenwick's and h'is (ille speakor's) action in making their respective appeals to the.publir. lie was sorry]to a certain extent' that ho had- been primarily responsible, for. the muddle that had been brought about. In the early part of-this'year; before the City Council invited tenders, fortho erection of tlie Public Library, lie haij 'written to. Dr Hocken to ascertain if'he werc : prepared to modify bis. offer in such a way As might allow of the' housing of this library in the Public Library, bjjt' the doctor, in his.reply, made it abun-; dantly clear thiit.be desired his collections'.' his', library, his-pictures, and his 1 : Maori' curios Io bo under cue roo(; in-fact, to bo kept.; intact. That 'made it. impossible for tho 'City Council id entertain tho IdcH. of taking charge of the/collections, though there' was .then ample, rooni '(in r dcod., j as there still is) (or,the accommodation of- all his books. But l 'tho doctor himself ,dis : . couraged that idea, saying in so many words that the Moray, place site was. in his opinion, nuite. unsuitable. After the contract was let the doctor stated his views