162 The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [May 
While the complete fulfilment of the plan is not immediately probable, 
some measure of progress and relief is both advisable and practical. The 
first essential is the provision of some large room in a reasonably fireproof 
building in a central position in Wellington, where the nucleus that already 
exists of such a library could be stored and consulted. There is already 
a fair sprinkling of technical works in the libraries of the New Zealand 
Institute and of the Wellington Philosophical Society that would no 
doubt be available, and the various Government Departments already 
maintain" 3 libraries and already subscribe, with considerable overlapping 
and duplication, to many scientific and technical magazines that could 
conveniently be stored in a central position. The money saved by 
cutting out the duplication would considerably augment the supply. 
Further, the facilities offered by such publications as those issued by 
the Patents, Geological Survey, Agriculture, Public Works, Museum, 
and other Departments for procuring exchanges are almost unlimited 
(though by no means fully availed of at present), and there is no doubt 
that a splendid collection of technical literature is almost immediately 
available. 
The Board of Science and Art will eventually assume control of the 
project, or will, at least, work in harmony with it, when the proposed new 
buildings for Museum and Library are designed and their library scheme 
is formulated. The boundary between pure and applied science is a 
region rather than a line, and the place of many publications will be purely 
a matter of the personal ideas of the classifier, but as long as adequate 
indexes of the two collections are available at both the scientific and 
technical libraries (if they remain divided) no great inconvenience will be 
caused. The two projects—if, indeed, they are two—are so mutually related 
and interdependent that they can in no sense be deemed antagonistic, nor 
can their demands even seriously clash ; so it is quite unnecessary to 
define the line of demarcation between them, and it would be foolish to 
allow delay of the greater work to prevent the inception and progress of 
the smaller. 
One strong reason why no delay should occur is the fact that chances 
of benefiting by donations are being lost every day so long as no fireproof 
building is ready to receive them. Mr. Evan Parry was eager to leave 
a portion of his well-chosen library in secure quarters in Wellington 
where ample use could be made of it, and several engineers and architects 
have made the same offer, but nothing can be done in the meantime to 
take advantage of such proposals. It is practically certain, however, 
that a large number of valuable books can be secured as gifts as-soon as 
accommodation is in sight. 
The benefit of such a library would not be confined to Wellington, for 
books could be lent throughout the Dominion. An important point would 
be the preparing of catalogues, on a similar scheme of indexing, of all 
technical publications available in public and semi-public libraries, and 
each of these libraries would have copies of all the catalogues. Many 
private owners would doubtless co-operate to a certain extent in this 
direction, so that genuine workers could obtain some access, even if 
restricted, to works in their collections. Thus only can the full present 
resources of New Zealand libraries be utilized to the best advantage, and 
all the phases of the scheme must be developed if technical and industrial 
progress is to have its fullest scope in the future. 
