THE HOCKEN COLLECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13862, 27 March 1907, Page 3

THE HOCKEN COLLECTION

MEETING OF SUBSCRIBERS,

THE MUSEUM TO BE ENLARGED.

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL 10 BE LIBRARY CUSTODIAN.

A meeting of subscribers to the funds for housing Dr Hoeken's collection was held tit tho Town Hall la<f evening, under the piCTidoncy ot Mr George Fcnwiih, for (he purpose of considering the pioposals of the truitces that (1) an addition lie made to the -Museum for housing the collection, and (2) that arrangements ho made with ihe Unhcisit) Council for its pioper cu«todv

The Chairman said it had been intended that the Majoi (Mr G. Lawrence) i.hould preside, hut ho was precluded from attending m consequence of an important committee meeting. The Chairman then piocecded to describe in detail all that had Irauspncd since the meeting on September 18, when the Museum site was chosen as that on which tho" building should bo elected. Ri\' months having elapsed since (hat time, suUciibcu might consider llut 6omo definite step .should have- been reached in connection with the election of (lie building. At hVt blush it did cccm that they should have got on a little lowaids the end Ihev had in view, hut certain formalities had to bo obscned, and a good many difficulties arose as they began to discuss matters, These had involved a number of meetings of tiustoes, conespondenco_ with the Univetsily Council, the obtaining of what was a very lucid and wellconsideied opinion soheitoi as to the position m which the tmstces stand, and the delays had been, in short, inevitable. It was, perhaps, light that ho should e\pluin, as dearly as possible, the nature of some of lhc c c difficulties. It was right that Ihe subsciihers should kiioiv the difficulties that had been faced, and had to lie faced, before they could scenic the election of Ihe building that had been decided i.poii. To begin with the com position of the l»aid of trustees. At the meeting mi (September 18 the subsenbcis elected Ino meml.cis—Mr John Roberts and Mr Maik Cohen. A delay took place with regaid to the choosing of tho other members, and finally tho Government selected the two remaining out of the eight, and the board was duly constituted Its first business was to asceitam its position with regaid to tho election of a 'building'. The funds woro faiily well assmed. They had not been all collected, but the piomises wcio all good. He was happy to inform them that at the present moment piacticaPy the whole of (ho subscriptions had been collected." Theie were one or two sums outstanding, but this was due simply to tho fact that he had rot had an opportunity of collecting them. The Daily Times Company would pay what had not yet been collected, and they vjcio able to claim the Government subsidy on the whole amount. A largo amount of the subsidy had aheady been paid, tho Government having displayed unwonted nhicrilx in the mattei. The Government had thioughout shown an extremely sympathetic spuit. It had paid £2460.

Dr Benliam, in icply to Iho chairman, said the subsoiiptions, including l!io Government subsidy, now amounted to £5518 4s. _ Continuing, tho Chairman pointed out that tho fund us still shoit by £500 of the amount they had rcison to i>uppose, they should obtain. Allowing for the Gorei'nment subsidy, thev still wanted £250 of subscription'!. As things were, they litid close upon £5600—a very satisfactoiy sum. After referring to the energy and earnestness displayed ljy Dr Bonham to secure the building of tho Hocken Libiarv as a part of tho Museum the Chairman lemarkcd that originally, when it v.as supposed that the building would be erected on the site of the Art Galleiy, they had to face an annual expemhtme after the library had been housed sufficient (o secure adequate contiol foi it. Dr Hocken xerv properly stipulated that the library should be taken eaie of, and they saw that out ot tho money collected -£2000 or £3CCO would have lo be set aside to enable (hem to pay the sakuy of a caretaker. When Dr Ilcnham came on the scone tho aspect of the matter was changed, and the idea was that if the Mu&eum Bite were ciio c cn,iiml a wing added to the Mmcuni, the cmator and his assistants could take chaige of tho library, thus nb-olvmg the trustees fiom keeping in hand a laige sum, suuh as Jic<l been mentioned, or i indeed any sum at all. This was iontiug"nt on their being .iblo to arrange with the Uhivcrsitv Council, and-one of the first acts of the trustees was to enter into coucspondence with that body with the object of, in the first place, learning whether they could obtain tho lease of a sufficient poition of the ground on which to build a Hocken Libiaiy. The Univoisity Council decided that it had no power to grant any lease. They weic, therefore, at a deadlock. It was unpos sible that the trustees could consent to the election of the building on ground over which they had no legal control. The wa\ out of the difficulty was apparently legislation that would enable the Umvor sity Council to giant such a lease. ' Howe\cr, careful consideration of ;ho matter b.y the trustees lcsultcd in their coining to the conclusion—and he hoped the sub'cribcrs piesent would agree that it vas the only icsolution they could haxo eomo to—that, after all, it would be better Inat Dr Uockcn's ltbiary should bo handed over to the University Council as custodian and caietakei, with, of course, tho curator and his assistants in tho Museum to look after the library. That, of course, whs an entile downline from the on'ginai intention. It had been supposed that the control of tho library would ho in tho hands of the tuistces on behalf of the citj, and this was probably, in the original circumstances, the best suggestion tl.nl could ha\e been made. He was free lo confess that, after carefully thinking the matter out, ho came to the conclusion that it would bo n proper thing that the trustees should give up any lights they had in lfspcct of the custody, and hand them over to the _ University Council, if that body were willing to consent to tho trust. A resolution would bo submitlccd empowering this change, and, if agreed to, the icleaso of such a large sum as he had mentioned as neeofsaiy to he set aside for the purpose of providing for a caretaker's salaiy would cnablo the Uni\eisity Council lo erect :i larger building than was absolutely ncicssary for the Hocken library alone. fo that, if tho resolution wore passed the position would bo that there would be added to the Museum a wing of a sufficiently huge si?o lo admit of on extension of the Museum purposes pioper, as well as for the housing of the Hocken Ulnar). If tho lesolntion were agreed lo the trustees would take immediate steps to sco that it was given effect 'o, and he hoped that they would soon see the piepitl.ltion of designs for the wing, and eie long thcMihiarv itself actually housed. Mr James Allen, M.11R., moved tho following /resolution:—"That the subscribers to the funds for housing Dr Uockcn's collection endoisc the proposal of Iho Library Trustees to expend tho money subsenbed, togelhei with the Government subsidy, in electing an addition to the Museum for the pmpW of accommodating Dr Uockcn's gift, and in providing eases and fittings foi the suitable exhibition and custody of the same.'' Thev felt \ory picud, ho said, of those who took the moVomcnt for housing the collection in hand at the beginning and who had bicught it to Iho piesent satisfactory position. It was unique in the history of subscriptions in Duncdin that the whole of the money required should be actually in hand before the building had staitcd. The caily payment by the Government was alio unique, and augured fuilhci- subsidies if thev should happen to get moie thin the £3000. He had all Along been in favour of tho Museum site, and obviously the first thing new to be done was to erect a wing for tho housing of the library and to provide ca«es and to on for it.s proper exhibition The} should bo proud to know that such n valuable collection had its homo in a public building belonging to a public institution. Mr John Ross seconded, nnd tho resolution was unanimously appioved. Dr Hocken moved—"That, if the funds bo suflicient, the addition to the Museum shall be huger than is necessary to house Dr Uockcn's gift, so as to increase the space available for other Museum exhibits" Almost ficm tho beginning of this matter he had, he said, hoped 'that the sum subseiibed would form part of a largo fund that would enable them to add \er\ consiilcubly to the Museum building. There weie many verv excellent exhibits buried in tho cellars below the Museum for tho display of which there was no room. An extension of the building was badly wanted, and theio was now an oppostumty both of housing his collection and of making the much-needed additions. Ho hoped that the spirit of geueuisitv which had so far been exhibited would not fail now. but that fmther sums would be subscribed, lie would like to see tho whole of one wing built as was originally contemplated, and ho had no "doubt that warni-hoaited and generous citizens would assist in the matter.

Mr J. E. White, in Sfcomling, c\prenccl * 'we \bjt the §2i«h >\inf noulJ bs

erected, and that a little laler on a north wing would bo added. They would then have one of the finest Museums in the country.

Tho resolution was carried unanimously. Dr Colqulioun tlion moved—"That the City Council, as representing the people of Dunodm, to whom Dr Ilocken presented the collection, be requested lo make over to the University Council any lights of actual custody which thej mav at picscnt have, and that the University Council lie icquc'tod to undcitake tho responsibility of the piopei caic ot ihe collection for all time, subject, of course, to anv conditions that Dr Hocken inaj l.iy down." They were all agreed that the City Council would ho actuated by the one desire of dping what it thought best in the interests of the citirens and for the housing of Dr Iloclcen's collection. In the nature of tilings, a small bodj of trustees could only look after such a collection for a few >oars, but such a body as the University Council was- undwiig. Mr A. It. JJaiclav. M H.R., Seconded. There was no doubt that tlio custodianship of the libraiy fell natuially within the province of their work, lie thought Ihc City Council should make some provision towards the upkeep of the collection. Dr Bonham pointed out that the council had given a donation of £200 to the fund 'J he resolution was unanimously adopted A vote of thanks lo tho City Council for the use of the Town II dl was coidially approved on the proiicsidon of Dr Benham, and the meeting terminated with a \ote of thanks to Mr Fenwick for presiding, moved by Dr Ilocken.