NAPIER ATHENÆUM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3757, 31 July 1883, Page 2

NAPIER ATHENÆUM.

The annual meeting of members of tho above was held last evening at 8 o'clock, the President, Dr. Spencer, in tho chair. There was a very large attendance of members.

The proceedings throughout wero of a lively description, and lasted until within a few minutes of midnight.

The first business was the reading of tho annual report, which touched upon a variety of subjects. During the j-ear tho additions to the building had been completed ; the unoccupied plot of ground facing Herschell street had been leased to Mr Large, and the museum to the Philosophical Institute, the total rental being £36 per annum. Various other means had been employed to increase tho funds of tho Institute, amongst them being the holding of an Art Exhibition last November. Thanks were due to the proprietors of tho local newspapers, not only for free copies of their own journals, but for occasional bundlos of exchanges, which were always very acceptable to members. The committee also added their " approbation of tho zealous, efficient, and satisfactory manner in which the honoraiy secretary and tho librarian had performed their duties during the past year." With respect to tho Government subsidy the committee remarked, "In December last, on receipt from tho Education Department of a fozmi' of application for a share of tho Government grant to public libraries of £6000, tho hon. secretary was instructed to fill up and forward the same to Wellington. After some correspondence, in which it was urged that the spirit if not tho letter of the Public Libraries Act was carried out by this institution, tho Government included the Athemeum amongst the participants of tho grant, and the sum of £69 12s was placed to its account. Admission to the readingroom is now obtained by any respectable person on application to the custodian, in accordance with tho statement made in tho correspondence with the Government, and on the strength of a regulation which has been in force since the year 1880. This freedom of admission has not been availed of to any considerable extent, it lias not interfered with the privileges enjoyed by subscribers, whilst it is a stop in the direction of increasing the usefulness of the institution. No falling - off in the subscription list is apparent nor is it apprehended ; rather the contrary, for during the past year the amount received from subscribers amounts to £276 10s 6d, by far tho largest sum yet obtained in any one year from subscriptions alone. Your committee accorded a vote of thanks to their secretary for his successful a]splication to the Government, and trust their action will be endorsed by this meeting, believing that tho Napier Athenreum is to be congratulated upon ft? present improved'status with reference to future disbursements of public funds in aid of libraries."

Tho balance-sheet showed receipts (including £6 8s Id balance from previous year) amounting to £582 12s Id, and disbursements £808 13 3d, leaving a debit balance of £226 Is 2d, for which amount the institution's account at the Bank of Now Zealand is overdrawn. One of the items, appearing on both sides of the balancesheet, was £90 Is 2d, received from country libraries and remitted to London for books for those libraries.

Some discussion took place with rcferenco to a sum of £20 that had been voted to Mr Percival Bear for preparing plans for tho additions to the building and superintending same.

Mr Largo asked whether Mr Bear was a paid officer or not ?

The Chairman replied in the negative. Mr Bear had received payment for work outside that pertaining to his office of secretary only.

Mr Cornford raised the question whether 01" not the Athenreum was open to thepublig free of charge ?

The Chairman read the bye-laws bearing on the subject, which showed that it was not.

Mr Cornford said every library that participated in the Government grant should, under the provisions of tho Public Libraries Act, bo open "to tho public free of any charge. This Athcnoeum was bound now either to return the money it had received from the Government, or to throw its reading-room and library open to the public. Members did not pay their guinea a year to belong to a free institution. It seemed clear to him that a grave mistake had been made in applying to the Government for the money.

A highly animated and exhaustive discussion followed, in the course of which tho honorary secretary and the committe were severely handled for having, as was alleged, exchanged their "birthright " for a grant of £69. Some members wero in favor of " sticking " to the amount in any case; others thought the true position of affairs should be laid before the Government and let them take such action in tho matter as they pleased ; a few were in favor of subscribing the amount privately so that tho institution might not "rest under tho stigma of having obtained money by misrepresentation " ; a goodly member thought the £69 should be returned forthwith as a matter of honor; the majority were favorable to an offer being made to return the grant if the Government wished it; whilo nearly all seemed to bo agreed that had the Government at the time tho money was appliod for known the exact state of affairs it would never have been grantedUltimately it was decided that the library was not free in tho sense applied to the term in the Public Libraries Act, and it was \ resolved, on the motion of Mr Kirkcr, seconded by Mr Carlile, "That tho Minister of Education be advised that the constitution of tho Napier Athenreum will not permit the reading-room and library to be thrown open unrestrictedly to tho public, and that the Athontcum committee, under ' the circumstances, tender the Government a refund of the money."

Tho report and balance-sheet were then adopted, subject to Mr Kirkcr's amendment, as above.

Mr 800 enquired why it was that a special meeting of membors had not been called by the secretary in compliance with a petition sent to him asking that such should be done r

Mr Bear (hon. sec.) said, on receipt of the requisition, he laid it before the committee, who considered it unnocessaiy tq call a special meeting, the ordinary meeting being no near at hand. It saved expenso ; besides, it did not soem clear that tho business for which the meeting was proposed to be called (viz., to consider private correspondence between Mr Fielder and tho Minister for Education) was in order. Mr Fielder pointed out that tho rules allowed the secretary no alternative in tho matter. Any requisition signed by ten members of the body corporate was entitled to be attended to without any reference to the committee whatever. It was not for them to twist and turn the rules to suit themselves.

Mr Hill said he thought the committee had acted for the best, but had he been aware of tho wording of the rule quoted by Mr Fielder he would certainly have insisted on the secretary calling tho meeting".

A vote of censure on tho secretary was proposed by Mr Cornford and seconded by Mr Large, but was in the end withdrawn. Tho election of officers was then proceeded with. Tho Chairman explained that, owing to an informality, the nomination paper had been rendered invalid, and ho would, therefore, suggest that rule eleven bo suspended, so that that the meeting might rjroceed at once to tho election of officers.

This was ngreod to, and the following were duly elected:—President, Dr. Spencer; Treasurer, Mr James Sidey ; Secretary, Mr Percival Bear ; Committee, Captain Preece, and Messrs Edwards, Harkcr, Hill Kirkcr, Miller, Riddle, Spaekman, and Spriggs. Mr Bear at first declined firmly to stand for election, but at the urgent and almost unanimous request of tho meeting, who bore high testimony to his zeal and capability, ho "finally consented, Avith the result that ho was appointed without dissent. The meeting concluded with the usual formalities.