From:          Antony F Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:       Marconi Archives.
Date:          Thu, 13 Feb 1997 23:35:58 -0000

Latest article in the Times of 13th Feb.
Best wishes
Antony Anderson




    February 13 1997
                                                      ANALYSIS


      A century after radio, Marconi could soon reinvent
                            museums


    George Simpson took over as managing director of the General Electric Company from
    Lord Weinstock, its modern creator, five months ago. Since then GEC has sold three
    companies for more than £100 million. More are expected to follow, doubtless
    demonstrating that Mr Simpson is just as tough-minded, profit-conscious and
    unsentimental as the legendary figure who sat in his seat so long. Allied to GEC's £2
    billion of cash resources, they could be the prelude to vast strategic deals to unify
    Britain's electronics and defence industry ­ or cede more of it to French control.
    Exciting times ahead, perhaps.

    Pending such earth-shattering moves, however, the wider public image of Mr
    Simpson's GEC may well be set by a deal with rather fewer noughts on the end,
    financially trivial in terms of this £10.7 billion multicontinental enterprise.
    GEC-Marconi, the electronics company at the centre of its operations, has
    arranged to flog in 1,000 lots at Christie's the company archive built by
    Guglielmo Marconi, founder of his eponymous company as well as much of the
    radio, telegraph and broadcasting industries. Only the best items will be retained for
    their marketing value.

    The collection, which took five months to catalogue, covers anything from laboratory
    experiments to business letters from 1896 to the 1930s. It may fetch £1 million, though
    high prices for Marconigraphs from the Titanic at a previous Christie's sale could
    boost the total. GEC has 3,000 of them.

    Correspondents to The Times, including the late Signor Marconi's daughter Elettra,
    have not, on the whole, been amused at such "irresponsible" re those who can use secure storage maintained at
    taxpayers' expense. Even then, someone has to choose which items are to be kept in
    such luxury. Doubtless, many will set their hopes on the overdrawn well of lottery
    money.

    For big companies and most others, however, no such easy answer is available. There
    is no case for taxpayers to look after the papers of great companies, just to save
    shareholders the cost. They are responsible for their own heritage, like any other
    community, and should be held accountable for it. In the vogue competitive model of
    business, however, companies do not last for ever and cannot bear irrelevant
    overheads. Much of our industrial history has been lost in takeovers. More will be.
    Aside from selling ephemera to collectors, a sensible solution might be for companies
    to endow their archives when times are good and to contract out their care to properly
    financed commercial museum companies.

    Before that can happen, a properly commercial archive industry would have to
    develop. Museums conform to the immutable Law of Morally Superior Bodies.
    Worthies believe their own higher purposes absolve them from standards they impose
    on ordinary folk. Newspapers are secretive, police cars habitually break speed limits,
    the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds kills birds ­ and, as lenders such as
    GEC-Marconi have discovered, many museums lose treasures or stuff them in the attic
    for the rats. This will continue so long as they are above commercial disciplines and
    can blame slackness on lack of funds.

    In our cash-measured age, museums undervalue free gifts just as much as those
    allowed to view them free undervalue the experience. If big companies apply their
    business acumen to their own archive problems, they may help to revolutionise
    museums and to give more hope for our less imediately glamourous heritage. Ideally,
    museums should contract with companies, donors and trusts for a fee to store and
    display treasures at legally enforcable standards. To help the transition, perhaps the
    Government should set up Offmuse to vet and certificate those authorised to hold the
    nation's archives.

    This debate may do nothing for Mr Simpson's reputation as a corporate citizen. But it
    could open great business opportunities for a new ethically conscious generation of
    venturers.


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