MUSEUM EXTENSION. ,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20385, 17 April 1928, Page 11

MUSEUM EXTENSION. ,

TO TUB EDITOR. Srn—l wish to thank you for thy f ; article which appeared in your journal ; . on Saturday last with regard to the prtposed extension to the Museum, and I sincerely trust that the public Will respond to the appeal which you have so ably presented. .1 suggest, that on one point & - little further explanation may be desir-• able. In your article you state: For the past quarter o£ a century the Museum has been maintained from the, funds, pi the Ota<ro University, supplemented only by the gifts of a few individuals. It should perhaps be pointed put that the Museum is partly supported by an endowment specially reserved lor Museum purposes, which is in the hands of the University. The annual income from this . endowment is £768 ss. Of late yeara, also, the City Corporation has made «a annual contribution to the University for the support of the Museum .the amount of this contribution being £2OO (Incidentally, it may be also mentioned that the corporation is making a generous. gift of fSOOO for the new wing.) '.These amounts are, of course, totally inadequate for the proper support of the Museum, and a considerable deficiency has annually been met from the ordinary funds of.tho University. . May I further state that since th& Museum was established in 1877 this unsatisfactory condition has existed, not for a quarter of a century, as stated in your article, but for more than half a. century.—l am, etc., T. K. Sidey, Chancellor. Sib—l see by-the issue paper to-day that Otago University Museum authorities are appealing for funds for the purpose of extending the Museum building in King street. As stated, the Museum is much overcrowded with exhibits, the curator to fitore large quantities of exhibits in the cellars. Two years ago I had occasion to look for some exhibits, and I ltfid to go into the cellar to find them. I was much astonished to see the vast and various valuable collections which had accumulated over a number of years, and for which there has been no "room available upstairs, and, therefore,, they could not be classified, thereby depriving students and the public the benefit of these gifts. I may also s"y that some very valuable and rare exhibits are amongst those which are not able to be shown. I see that only £7OOO is required to enable the authorities to claim the £25,000 subsidy entitled to them from the Government. Jluncdin. being a rich community, there should be very little difficulty in getting this 'sum at an early date, seeing that no public appeal for this purpose has ret , been made. I have much pleasure in en-..' closing a cheque for five guineas towards this very worthy object.—l am. etc.. Adolph Moritzsox. Dunodin, April 14.