THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19102, 22 February 1924, Page 7

THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE

ITS FUTURE ROLE.

LORD COWDRAY’S GENEROUS Oh FER. Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, February 20. New interest has been aroused in the Imperial Institute in view of Air J. H. Thomas’s proposal to introduce a Bill thereon. Sir James Allen asserts that Mr Thomas favours the retention of the institute s exhibition galleries, but opposes the suggestion that the War Museum should be housed there. Sit James Allen said that Lord Cowdray had offered £SOOO a year’ for five years towards the upkeep of the galleries. This means that the Imperial and the dominion Governments would need to find only £BOOO a year. Sir James Allen urges that the close of the Empire Exhibition would afford an excellent opportunity of bringing the institute thoroughly up to date.—A. and N.Z. Caole. The question of the future of the imperial Listitute was discussed at the last Imperial Conference, and a committee which reported on the matter advocated the discontinuance of the galleries which exhibit the resources of the Empire and the substitution of a travelling exhibition of a really representative section of Empire products in appropriates, trade centres. It recommended the continuance of the institute as a clearing house for intelligent information, amalgamation with the Imperial Mineral Resources Bureau, and the substitution of the executive council by representatives of the scientific institutes, trade and commerce, Government departments, and dominion High Commissioners. It was further stated that Britain’s contribution to the upkeep of the reconstituted institute would be £9OUO yearly for five years. The Governments of the dominions, India, and Crown colonies would contribute together £«000.