THE PERIL OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY.

Evening Post, Volume LIII, Issue 101, 30 April 1897, Page 4

THE PERIL OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY.

♦ "When, some three years ago, the Premier directed that the pleasant plantation surrounding Parliament House should be destroyed, and that at a cost of some thousands of pounds the ground should be levelled, replanted, and fenced, it was freely condemned as an aot of costly Vandalism, and it was properly pointed out that the money thus wasted would have been sufficient to provide safe shelter for the Parliamentary Library; which, as at present housed, is at all times liable to swift destruction by fire The finest collection of books in New Zealand, and, indeed, we believe, with the exception of the Melbourne Publio Library, the finest library in these colonies, is that at the Parliamentary Buildings. It is really a pity to see so vast and so valuable a number of volumes and records so badly provided with suitable accommodation. Apart from the risk of destruction by fire, there is not sufficient space within the library building to conveniently place, and classify the books, nor is the building iteelf at all adapted for library purposes. A more serious thing is that during heavy rains and storms the rain beats in on various shelves, and the library officials have to exercise constant vigilance to preserve valuable volumes from injury. Time and •again have these matters been pointed out, in Parliament and elsewhere; but nothing has yet been done towards providing a new structure, although, we believe, the necessity for such was long ago admitted, and, if we do not mistake, a promise was even made that a sum should be placed on the Estimates for a new and proper building. The present edifice is old, leaky, and fragile, as well as otherwise unsuitable for its purpose, and it is lamentable to see property which has cost the public so large a sum of money, and a great deal of which could not possibly be replaced if destroyed, | so little considered or thought of, while immense sums are spent oa objects comparatively useless.

111 ' i JUSTICE THROUGH INJUSTICE. 4 The case of the man Shore, who was arrested in the first instance, and suffered a short imprisonment, charged with the Petone murder, is exciting some attention and sympathy, and no doubt it was, as events proved, an injustice to him, for which he is entitled to some compensation. Yet, all the same, it was a most providential thing, in the interests of justice, that the injustice occurred. If Shore had not been arrested, it is certain that the real culprit, Bosher, would never have been convicted of the murder. Bosher was a witness in Shore's case, and this gave the police full power to examine him, and to get from him the statements which afterwards proved so damning to the witness himself — and, indeed, it may be said that Bosher was convicted out of his own mouth through the arrest of Shore. ' Now, in the first instance there was some evidence against Shore, but not a particle against Bosher— and had the latter been arrested at the commencement, his attorney would have seen to it that the police got no statement from him (Bosher). His mouth would have, been sealed so far as the police were concerned, and there would have, in that case, been no conviction, for Bosher convicted himself. The tracing of the movements of Bosher during a very short period of time, and the piecing together of the .little facts and bits of evidence which, when taken singlj', meant so little, but which, when put together and compared with Bosher's statements as a witness, were so conclusive, were more than creditable to the police, and had such a sample of police sagacity and perseverance occurred in the Home Country the officers concerned would have been immediately promoted. We have not heard that they have yet been rewarded in any way ; but we hope that their zeal and ability will be suitably recognised.