Neglected Museums Lord De La Warr, President of the Board
of Education, addressing the jubilee conference of the Museums' Associa- tion last week, said he was convinced by the facts presented in the Markham Report that an inquiry is needed. He may well have been. In the provinces there are some good museums, and there are more in which faithful directors are struggling against hopeless odds to make the best they can of a bad job. But in the main the story in most towns which are blessed with a museum is one of neglect, starvation, and lack of plan or purpose. Salaries paid are ridiculously in- adequate, informed supervision is lacking, and the collections displayed are often pitiable. Every town of over 5o,000 in- habitants ought to have a museum, directed according to a plan, and related to the educational needs of the district. Lord De La Warr doubted whether the provincial museums should be brought under the control of the Board of Edu- cation. But at least they ought to come under the direct supervision of some central body capable of influencing their administration and correlating their functions.
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