NO TOWN FREE LIBRARY.

Grey River Argus, Volume 21, Issue 3045, 20 May 1878, Page 2

NO TOWN FREE LIBRARY.

[from our own correspondent.] Another public meeting of the. inhabitants, of the Riding was. held on Saturday evening la3t, but owing to tho boisterous state, of the weather the attendance was not quite so numerous as on the previous occasion. On the motion of Mr Bundle, Mr. J. D, Robb was called to the chair. The Chaihman stated that, as instructed at their first meeting, the honotary secretary, Mr Livingstone, had forwarded to the County Chairman a copy of resolutions passed: at, the meeting, but that no answer had . been received from the County on the subject.; This meeting had been called in consequence of misstatements made by Councillor M'Guire at the Council meeting held on the- 7th May, He (the Chairman) thought that it was only necessary to inform theCounty Council. and the general public that, instead of their first meeting being composed of "interested persons, who in no sense represented the public of No Town and were merely a petty clique, not respected by any but themselves," it was attended by nearly fifty of the most respectable miners and business people in the district, including a good sprinkling of his own countrymen. It remained for this meeting to consider what should now be done to put a stop to the impudent jobbery concerning the Lls grant. The Chairman, before sitting down,, thought it only right, to -inform the meeting that a document in the shape of a certificate, that the person getting the grant was a fit and ; proper person to be custodian of the Public Library, was signed by two of the inhabitants, : one of whom, ' from the very public nature of his calling, had no right whatever to interfere in any such matter, it being completely out of his beat, and that the procuring of any such certificate only proved how, surreptitiously the nasty affair had been managed by Mr|M'Guire, and his friends, from the first. .'; \\ ' Mr John Livingstone stated that the ■men who put Mr M'Guire into the County Council were the men whom he now so foolishly called " a petty clique, not respected by any but themselves." He ' moved the following resolution^-" That in the opinion of this meeting Mr M'Guire's conduct in procuring a grant of Lls to Mr S.. Haisty for the purposes of a public library, without consulting the inhabitants of the Riding, is . highly censurable ; and, further, that his statement niade in the County Cbnncil on Tuesday evening, 7th May, is utterly false." He (Mr Livingstone) had nothing to say about Mr Haisty, further than that . he was unfitted to take charge of a Public Library. (Hear, hear.) . ' j Mr Parpitt seconded the resolution, which was carried, ' <■ The Chairman moved, seconded by Mr Phillips, and carried unanimously— '" That, a large majority of the inhabitants of the Riding are of opinion that Mr M'Guire has now forfeited all claim to their future confidence and support." Mr George Rudkin, Red Jack's, moved, seconded by Mr Phillips, and carried— '" That a proteßt, signed by the

x nhauitanfcs of the Riding, be for warded to the County Chairman, requesting him to withhold the Llo grant in the meantime, such grant having been obtained for S. Haisty without the consent of the ratepayers in the Riding." Moved by Mr S. Poole, seconded by Mr J. M. Marshall, and carried— " That a petition be presented to the County Council at their meeting on 7th July, requesting to have the Lls grant for a free library placed in the hands of a committee to be elected by the inhabitants of the Riding of Red Jacks." The Chairman pointed out to the meeting; that in terms of Clause 57 of the "Education Act, 1877," Education I Boards had power to establish libraries on certain conditions being carried out by the public. He merely mentioned the fact so that they might probably act upon it in the event of the County Council continuing to uphold the jobbery grant of Mr M'Guire. A vote of thanks to the Chairman brought the meeting to a close. . ,