Otago Institute. 565 



one tliat can legitimately be discussed by the Institute. Many of the failures that have 

 taken place might have been averted and thousands of pounds saved, had the matters 

 been fully investigated beforehand; -for example, the Taranaki iron-sand. It is well- 

 known among scientific and practical men that, although repeatedly tried in other places, 

 these sands have never been profitably reduced to metal in large quantities. If the 

 existence of this fact had been generally known throughout New Zealand, the chances are 

 that the great Taranaki experiment had not been made — an experiment that has caused 

 much heart-burning and loss to the shareholders of the company, and brought discredit 

 on the whole colony in the eyes of the scientific world. 



There are negative benefits that would be conferred by the discussion of questions 

 relating to manufactm-es. On the other hand such discussions would confer positive 

 benefits on the community by indicating the channels into which these industries could 

 be turned. There are many articles of manufacture which could be profitably produced 

 in New Zealand with native materials, now lying dormant, and nothing but a full know- 

 ledge of the case is wanted to establish the trade. 



To summarize the position, a wide and intelligent investigation and discussion of the 

 question, such as an Institute of this kind should be capable of bestowing on it, is sufficient 

 to make or mar any scheme of colonial manufacture that is proposed. 



In connection with this part of the subject, I am often struck by the comparison 

 between my ideas of manufactures in 1866, already referred to, and what the realization 

 is in 1879. I then talked of, as in the future — manufactures to produce the necessaries of 



life " flour, beer, leather, and woollen goods." We have long passed that stage; we 



produce more of them than we can consume, consequently they are becoming articles of 

 export. If our progress in this direction for the next thirteen years is in proportion to 

 the past', the question of manufactures will become of vital interest to the colony at large. 

 One of the most powerful aids in the development of our resources, and their utiliza- 

 tion in the arts, is the establishment of an Industrial Museum in Dunedin. The one we 

 have is practically a Natural History Museum. As such it is an invaluable and necessary 

 adjunct to the machinery of the University ; consequently the one I suggest does not 

 come into competition with it, their objects being qiiite distinct. An Industrial Museum 

 in New Zealand should constitute a complete compendium of our information on the 

 economic resoiaces and manufacturing progress of the colony, inscribed not only in 

 written records, but in a systematic arrangement of specimens and samjoles of all kinds 

 and from every locality ; and in order to facihtate comparison, each class should be 

 accompanied by types from other countries. 



In addition to the information usually given, such as analysis, weight, strength, and 

 other inherent properties, the extent of supply and cost of production, as compared with 

 the imported type, should be shown on each article. 



An objection maybe raised to such a museum on the ground that it might degenerate 

 into an advertising medium. Possibly it would be used by producers and manufacturers 

 as such but that is a minor evil. While the community is benefited to however small 

 an extent, the question of personal profit maybe disregarded. And if we analyse critically 

 the movincr power in the great exhibitions of all nations in older countries, it will be 

 found that advertising and individual preferment generally are the main springs in those 

 grand machines whose pulsations vibrate through every artery in the industrial world. 



In addition to raw materials and ordinary manufactures, the museum would contain 

 models and drawings of mines, machinery, and engineering works. 



One great drawback hitherto to the establishment of an Industrial Museum in 

 Dunedin was the want of a director, but that want has lately been supplied in Professor 



