THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14291, 29 February 1912, Page 9

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES

' . ,-'A conference of delegates from the City Council and the Board of Govcr- , nors of Canterbury College wag held last night to consider a proposal for the' handing over of the Public Library ,to the Council. Tho delegates present wore:—rCity -' Council: the Mayor (Mr J. J. Dougall), and Councillors H. Huntor, A. Williams: H - Holland, and A. S. Taylor; Board of Governors: Messrs J. C. Adams (Chairman), S. Hurst Seager, T. .' W. Rowe, J. L. Scott, and Geo. T. Weston. Tho Mayor, who presided, said tfje conferenco was really faced ijtfo. one question, whether the Public Library was entitled to My «f the endowments. The Board ~f keld that no part of tho endowments JM belonged to tho library, whereas f• - tho Council thought that the ' question of tho endowments should be settled by,the Supreme Court before tho city entered into any negotiations. Mr. Adams said that what the Board wanted was that tho Public Library f should receive better treatment than it had in tho past owing to want of funds. Ho felt sure that all would bo glad if matters wero placed on a - mo/o satisfactory footing, and that the library would bo mado a credit to tlie town. As tho endowments wero at present they had to bo used to maintain tho Musoum, School of Art and School of Engineering, and in maintainI - ' ing those institutions tho endowments were strained to the uttermost. It I was therefore impossiblo to spend any of tho endowment moneys on any other object. The Museum was looked upon •as ono of the best museums in Australasia, and that result had been ' achieved largely by tho endowments, . Even so the Museum w;as not pro,parly supported and it would be a great advantage if more money could be spent on the Museum. Tlie.School of, Art was crippled through lack of fundß, while tho School of Enginecr'jig was of very great valuo to the , whole of tho Dominion, and ■ should continue to bo efficiently maintained. That explained why tho Board did not want any of the onaowmont money applied to the library. The institutions were public institutions, and benefited not only the city and tho province, whereas the • library was entirely a city institution, | and the Board thought its management y , should be undertaken by the City Council rather than by tho Board. The " library was not so much an educational -. institution, for the reason that a largo p. '. proportion of the books could not bo ;;"' described as educational literature. j _' Tho endowments were granted for \ y higher education, and it was therefore ? not right that they should be used for tho support of a circulating library. I t The Board, he felt, would agree that i \ it could not discuss the question of giv- \' , ing" up the endowments, and thero ;-~ * were throe courses open:—The Coun- <. oil could take over the library without ;;, the endowments and so receive a very "W ' handsome asset, coupled with certain ', bequests; the Council might give the -' * Board some help in maintaining the ', t library and appoint representatives to J sit with the Board when library matters were under consideration; and the Council might take over the circnlat- )' , ing library and the reading room, leaving the Board the Reference Library, which might afterwards be housed in the college buildings.' - Tho Mayor mentioned that 'Mr Adams had not referred to the proposal to obtain a declaratory judgment. > i Mr Adams said the Board were not .in favour of that. Thero was always A. glorious uncertainty as to the interpretation of the law; and the judg- ' •; ment might possibly go against the Board, and it would involve such a big crippling of the funds at the disposal of tho college that tho risk was too great. ,> .. Mr Rowq related at length tho ,' .historical and legal considerations involved, itnd claimed that the Public Library was not tho institution in- ', ' tended to be benefited by the end6F- \, ments. For ten years after the Board* assumed control.of tho'library not ono •penny from the endowments was spent on the institution, and representations were made to tho Provincial Council to supply an endowmeht for the library, ', which, however, was never done. It was" not till 1882, after tho grant from , ' the General Government was withdrawn, that the Board applied any of its funds for the purpose. In' 1884 it was proposed that the city should take [ ' over tho library, hut tho negotiations - r ' foil through,' for the Board then flatly refused to hand over any of the endow- / ments. The library, he argued, was Jroperly a city institution. The x>oard ad strained its finances to keep it going, and was now entitled to some assistance from the city. -Mr Weston stated that if no arrangement could bo come to, the public of Christchurch need havo no fear but that tho Board of Governors would do its beat to keep the library going. The Mayor regretted that the Board was not willing to take a judicial . opinion "on the subject, and ho could not help feeling that in so refrain- * \ ing the Board was failing in its duty. ; * .The Council at present was not prepared to offer any counter argument to , ' - that given by Mr Rowe, hut even assuming that Mr Rowe's argument was - / correct, then it was all the more necessary for tho matter to he settled by the Supreme Court. There was a duty incumbent on the Board to make it clear whether the payments from tho endowments had boon made properly by the 1, Board. He thought tho Council would be willing to share in tho expense of J cetting a declaratory judgment. The only logical course was to iiet that judgment, and the Council were bound by that course. If' tho college was not sufficiently en- " dewed to carry on tho institutions efficiently, then it was the duty of tho General Government to increase its 'subsidies, but that was no reason why the Council should take over tho library before tho endowment question was settled. In the public interest he deemed it the duty of the Board to - So to tho Supreme Court for a judg- . aont. He thought he could say that the Council would not entertain a pro- • posal to take over the library until the judgment was obtained. '" , n Mr Adams said the "desiro of the A - Board was to do the best it could, both j.. ■/. m the interests of the college and tho \. fwy. Tho Board had no idea of shirk- !;■ jag its responsibility of doing the best '.. it could for the library; its desire, liowl , «»ver, was to do better than it had |. been able to do in tho past. He would £' report the outcome of the conference X ■ «J tne Board. Mr Adams explained *. J 11 ** lvnat he had said relative to ohf taming tho judgment was his own pri- \- 'ate opinion, § ■ ot ' Mid at one meeting ';, «* the Board several members agreed that the judgment should be obtained. - • ltere. was no doubt, however, that the « institutions would be in a bad wav it Tv 3Tld Sni cnt we nt against the college. JWen if x t did, ho was hoping that the . . would take over the library, , and would not insist on the endowi aients. * .-' ' ft?*-? £ayOT ., aaid he did »» k thinU th * i '-'-- ald until >* had had a ? .Pretty good shot at the Government. '- '" *■« ut * r aßreed with the view put * - £$%, L by the Mil y° T as to the attitude 'V '-i Council. "* -,',£■ H ? land »!«) agreed with that 'i, '•: ?** Oolu " ef ence-thon concluded