MR MCNAB’S LIBRARY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 67, 12 November 1912, Page 4

MR MCNAB’S LIBRARY.

Recently when asked if ho would offer any suggestions as to establishing a National Library and Record Office in New Zealand, Mr Robert McNab told a southern interviewer that there was much difficulty in the way of doing anything on Australian lines on account of the four centres of population here. The position of the Hocken Library in Dunedin was ilot satisfactory j the trust that had charge of it

needed funds, and a municipal institution helped by Mr Carnegie was making a rival collection of material associated with early New Zealand history. '1 here was practically naming in Christchurch or Wellington. In Auckland the (trey collection might form a nucleus. The pos tion of the centres made it impossible to have one complete institution. It was regrettable, however, that some steps wen not taken in that direction in tin capital city. He had seen all tin

great Australian collections in the world, and the host New Zealand collection was owned privately by a gentleman who resided in the Dominion. He had hoped that when the now ■museum building was erected in Wellington one wing would be set apart for a New Zealand Reference Library, but he understood that in the present condition of the money market it was not intended to undertake the erection of the building just now. He felt confident that if a wing was built for that purpose some of the private collections would ultimately go into it. In reply to a question, Mr McNab added that he believed he possessed the second largest New Zealand library ir the possession of private persons, and lie had no doubt that in time it would find its way into a State institution.