H. —21.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MUSEUM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1941. Committee Meetings. Five meetings of the Committee were held during the year. Educational Work. During 1940 the educational work of the Museum continued on the lines of the previous work. The Education Officer gave a series of lectures and films on the topic " How Animals Live " ; and the sections taken by students were " A Day in the Life of a Maori," Maori Question Game, " A Trip to the Stars," " The World of the Plant," " Animals of the Past," and " The World of the Insects." At the beginning of 1941 two new series of lectures were commenced : " Men in the Past," for Standards 111 and IV, and " The World Around Us," for Standards V and VI. The student sections taken in 1941 were " 100 Years of Postage in New Zealand," " Volcanoes," " Life in the Seas," Bird Question Game, and Maori Question Game. The attendance of schools kept up the high standard attained in previous years and averaged 1,200 children a week. The circuit of school museum, cases was enlarged so that now 120 cases circulate to country schools. In addition, a large number of cases is available for local schools. The preparation of new cases goes on constantly and the number of cases is limited only by the funds available. Training-college students continued their work at the Museum, and received again the series of lectures from the Museum staff set out in the report for 1939. At the end of 1940 the Education Department signified their willingness to continue the Education Officers of the Museum as members of the Department; and the three years' experiment sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the New Zealand Institute for Educational Research must be regarded as having been successful. Film Evenings. The screenings of educational films under the direction of Mr. Salmon have been continued during the past year with conspicuous success. Screenings were held at the Museum on 14th May, 18th June, 23rd July, 20th August, -24th September, and 29th October. In all cases the Lecture Hall has been filled to overflowing and many people have been turned away. The last screening, on 29th October, a programme of " Films of the Empire," was particularly successful, and many requests to repeat it have been received. In an endeavour to bring the Museum more before the people of the country areas, it was decided to try the experiment of conducting film evenings in some of the outlying towns which support the Museum. Using the portable 16 mm. apparatus, Palmerston North was visited for the first time by Mr. Salmon on 30th July, the screening being held at the Little Theatre under the joint auspices of the Museum and the Palmerston North Library Extension Service. It was an outstanding success; and monthly visits to Palmerston North are now a regular feature of Museum work. Further screenings were given on the 4th September and Ist October. Philatelic Exhibition. The New Zealand Centennial and Ninth Australian Philatelic Exhibition was held in the Museum from the 15th to the 23rd April, 1940. A special, post-office was instituted in the Museum for the period of the exhibition. The attendance of the public was about 7,000. Loan Exhibitions. The English China Exhibition, begun in March, 1940, terminated in September, when most of the exhibits were returned to the lenders. Some exhibitors, however, allowed their articles to remain in the Museum indefinitely, and these, together with the Museum's collection, are now arranged in four show-cases. From 6th to 27th May, 1940, the Ferrier Collection of British postage-stamps of the reign of Queen Victoria was shown in the Museum to commemorate the first issue of postage-stamps in England in 1840. The collection was lent by the Cliristchurch Philatelic Society. An exhibition of about 100 photographic enlargements of New Zealand natural history, lent by the Cawthron Institute, was shown in the Museum during December, January, and February. The photographs were the work of Mr. W. C. Davies. Maori Collections. During the year the reference collection of carvings has been recatalogued, descriptions and particulars being entered on specimen schedules. In particular, carvings in the Museum basement have been overhauled with a view to more exact classification. The large collection of Maori cloaks and other garments also has been re-examined and, where necessary, treated, a description with discussions and other particulars of each also having been entered on the specimen schedules. The recording of Maori carved houses has been continued and a general census supplied by Mr. Phillipps to the Centennial Branch, Internal Affairs Department. The houses " Nukutaimomaha," at Carterton, and " Uawhaki," at Manukau, have been studied and a series of photographs obtained. Recently the carved house at Te Ore Ore, Masterton, was destroyed by fire. Photographs loaned by the Museum were used by the carver in replacing carvings on the new house recently opened. Important accessions include a Maori fishing-net, presented by the Nelson Museum ; a Maori cloak and other articles, presented by Mrs. Hardwick Smith ; and a stone adze, presented by Mr. C. W. Clout. Papers published by Mr. W. J. Phillipps are " The Tehaukituranga Maori House" (Art in New Zealand, December, 1940) and " Maori Carving Notes " (Art in New Zealand, March, 1941).

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