LACK OF FUNDS AFFECTS MUSEUM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19036, 3 April 1930, Page 9

LACK OF FUNDS AFFECTS MUSEUM.

CURATOR TELLS OF PRESENT DIFFICULTIES.

Lack o£ space, due to the small amount of money available, is the chief trouble at the Museum. This was made clear to-day by the Curator, Professor R. Speight, when discussing the leading article on the Museum which appeared in last evening’s “ Star.”

It was patent to everyone, said Professor Speight, that the Museum was overcrowded. There wafi no space available in which to house, so as to be available to students and others, specimens which were perhaps unsuitable for the general public. There was no space to house duplicates, “ The Museum does not like to throw out specimens, as one can never say at what future time, specimens which are. now relatively unimportant, may become important,” he added. Another trouble caused by the lack of space- was that it was not possible to shift specimens to other positions. The mete fact of placing specimens in fresh positions made the public realise that the exhibits were cared for and were not in a stationary condition. The lack of storage space does not allow exhibits to be utilised in other rooms or to be withdrawn while other specimens are put on view. Professor Speight said that the Canterbury College Board of -Governors, which controls the Museum, had had plan? prepared for extensions on the Rolleston Avenue frontage and _ these provided for storage so that exhibits which were in store could be readily accessible. In modern museums, the storage available was usually equal to the space devoted to articles on exhibit. Dealing with other museums in New Zealand, Professor Speight said that the Dominion Museum in Wellington was financed by the Government. The Wellington people had recently raised a sum of money for a museum and art gallery and the Government, iiad promised to subsidise this £ for £. In Auckland, power had been given to the City Council to strike a rate to provide for the museum, the sum of £BOOO annually being possible. That gave an assurance of finance apart from endowments and other funds. The museum itself had recently been erected as a war memorial at a cost of about a quarter of a million. The Dunedin Museum was run by the Otago University, but the University funds were not very elastic. However, the museum there had been helped substantially by private individuals. The income of the Canterbury Museum was entirely dependent on the income from endowments, and these had to be shared with the School of Engineering, the School of Art and the Public Library'. The Museum got its fair share and recently it had been helped by the City Council by way of grants. These were, however, the only source of income.

"A Continual Drain.” “The funds are obviously insufficient to maintain and develop such an institution.” continued Professor Speight. “One difficulty is that our museum is sixty years old, and, apart from the ordinary expenses of maintenance, we are faced with the expense of renewing the roofs and removed timber which has the borer, so as to keep the building itself in a satisfactory condition. That is a continual drain on our income.”

Professor Speight said that he had to admit that the museum was helped considerably by many people who gave very generous gifts of specimens and articles of interest. In fact, the collection was largely made up of such donations, and a number of very valuable donations had been promised. The position to-day was a want of actual money. He would like to replace the mammal collection, some of which was forty years old. Without providing any additions to this collection, the Cost of replacement would run into several thousands of pounds. Space and money were also needed to arrange the exhibits in natural groups, as was done in the most modern museums.

Question of Lectures. Dealing with the suggestion that lectures could be given at the museum. Professor Speight said that this would entail the provision of a special room. If they were held at other places, the special connection with* the museum would be lost and the proposal, as far as popularising the museum itself, would be negatived. The Board of Governors had done everything possible to aid the museum, and seriously and sympathetically considered it for a number of years. Professor Speight said that the public showed great interest in the museum, and he had been told on innumerable occasions that, with the limited staff, the museum was maintained in a way that merited and produced the admiration of visitors. American visitors had stated that the display of birds could not be bettered.

In regard to conducting visitors around the museum, Professor Speight said that this was done when a special application was made, but, in view of the limited staff, this was not the general practice. To have a staff for this work would need the employment of well-paid men of scientific attainments, and this was out of the question just now.