THE HANCOCK MUSEUM AND ITS HISTORY XXVU 



The Natural History Society has done its best to fulfil the 

 important charge it has undertaken. People associated with 

 the management of other large museums have been astonished 

 at the amount that has been accomphshed on such a slender 

 income.* One sometimes hears that more support would be 

 forthcoming in the district if the public knew more about the 

 museum, and especially if it were more generally realised that 

 it is supported by a private Society and therefore dependent 

 on voluntary help. If want of knowledge on these matters is 

 really one of the causes of the institution's difficulties, it may 

 perhaps be hoped that good will result from this attempt to 

 ■outline its history. There can be no doubt, at any rate, that 

 its full history is known to comparatively few, and it can 

 hardly fail to interest some to whom the museum building 

 is a familiar landmark. 



* The average annual expenditure on the present museum since its 

 •opening has been £t6o. A museum of its size and importance would 

 ordinarily be expected to cost between ;!^i,500 and ;i^2,ooo a year to 

 maintain, and it is very probable that the Hancock Museum could not 

 be maintained at the same level of efficiency as other first-rate provincial 

 museums at a less cost. Taking our present position as a basis, how- 

 ever, it would seem that with an additional ^^300 a year available for 

 salaries and ^150 or ;^2co for specimens and fittings {i.e.^ with an annual 

 income of £1,200 to ^1,300) we should be able to make steady and 

 satisfactory progress towards such a development of the museum as is 

 -outlined in the preceding pages. 



