HAWERA INSTITUTE AND PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 15, 2 June 1880, Page 3

HAWERA INSTITUTE AND PUBLIC LIBRARY.

The annual meeting took place on Saturday . evening at the Institute, the chair being occupied By the President, Mr. Bar- . leyman, who read the advertisement convening the meeting. ANNUAL REPORT. . The Hon. Secretary (Mr. Bate) read the annual report, as follows: — "Your 'committee have much pleasure in laying before you the following report for the past year. At the last annual meeting, ■ the then committee informed you that they had accepted a tender for the erection of a building to cost £248. The building was finished in July, 1879. The committee have supplied the reading room since the completion of the building with ten English newspapers, eight magazines, and the most important colonial papers. The library is now furnished with some 200 volumes. A contract for the lining of the whole building has just been completed. The treasur r will lay before you a statement of the financial position of the Institute. Tho amount to our credit would have been much greater liad the Wanganui Education Board dealt fairly with the Government subsidy ; our portion in that case would have been nearly £60, instead of only £23." Some discussion took place, during which the chairman expressed his dissent from that portion of the report referring to the i ducational grant. The report was, however, adapted unanimously. BALANCE-SHEET. The Treasurer read the~balance-sh et, which showed that there was a deficit of £28 16s. Bd. Some of the expenditure had been incurred by the committee, because they believed that they would receive a large Bubsidy from the Education Board, in proportion to the amount which .had been collected by them, and they did not anticipate being dealt with in such an ' unjust manner as they had been. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Mr. Bate moved, and Mr. Eiddiford Heconded, — "That Mr. Partridge be elected president for the ensuing year," which was carried unanimously. Mr. Thomson proposed, and Mr. Wilson seconded,— " That Mr. White be elected -vice-president." — Carried. Mr. King proposed, and Mr. Partridge seconded, — "That Mr. Bate be elected secretary." — Carried. Mr. Eiddiford proposed, and Mr. King seconded, — "That Mr. Thomson be elected treasurer." — Carried. The following committee was elected : — Messrs. F. Eiddiford, M. D. King, J. Dumll, W. Wilson, and Isaac Bayly. VOTES OF THANKS. Mr. Thomson proposed, and Mr. King seconded, — " That a cordial vote of thanks should be given to Mr. Barleyman for the efficient manner which he had discharged bis duties during the past year."Mr. Partridge supported the resolution, Baying that, although he might not be able to discharge his duties as efficiently as then* late president, he (Mr. Partridge) hoped he would be able to work more in unison with the members of the committee. Mr. Barleyman replied, stating that several members of the committee de- . served the thanks of the meeting for the ' "flratifieTf'uT which they'haa -discharged their duties; but he accepted the vote " officially" on their behalf. i Special votes of thanks were afterwards passed to Messrs. White and Bate, the treasurer and secretary, for the way they had worked during the past year. .-,, . t INDEBTEDNESS OF INSTITUTE. "Mr.' Bate brought Under the notice 6f the meeting the state of the finances of the Institute. He thought something .- should be done to clear the debt off. - £ Mr. King was of opinion that as the public had contributed so liberally during the past year, it would be unfair to ask them to contribute again. He thought that sixpenny entertainments should be got up during the winter months. - This would enable the committee to raise some money to clear off the debt. THE SUBSIDY. Mr. Thomson wished the meeting to give the newly-elected committee power to deal to the fullest extent with the matter of the subsidy. The late committee had made every inquiry, and they came to the conclusion that the Wanganui Education Board had dealt with the subsidy without knowing anything about what they Were doing. The late committee had written to the Government, and . it was for the meeting to say whether they would strengthen the hands of the new committee in obtaining what they believed they were fully entitled to, according to the Act. The Education Board said they could not grant. a subsidy on moneys collected by entertainments, and they also objected to the committee using the money in lining and furnishing the building. The definition of " voluntary contributions" was not easy to decide, but so far as he could see by the Public Libraries Act, there was no stipulation whatever as to the way the money should be raised. Mr. Tucker proposed the following resolution :—": — " That the committee investigate the cause of the withholding of the public libraries' voluntary subscriptions subsidy from the Hawera Institute." Mr. Peas seconded the resolution. ' Mr. White said that last year their statement was sent in exactly the same way as il had been done this year, and they had got paid. In previous years they received their subsidies from New Plymohth, and the statement had always been sent in just as it had been this year. The money voted by the County Council did not come out of the pockets of the residents in either the Bangitikei or Wanganui counties, and therefore no injustice would be done to them by a proportionate siim being voted to the Hawera In- ■ statute. Mr. King understood that if the County Council granted £500 to the hospital, the Government gave a similar amount. He could not see why the library should not be able to get their subsidy in a Bimilar manner. Mr. Bate said the Wanganui Education Board were very particular so far as regarded the Hawera Institute. Although - a statutory declaration had been made, that did not even satisfy them. He did not believe they were quite as particular with institutes in other places, especially ■ in Wanganui. '" Mr. Barleyman said there appeared to ' be an understanding, from what had fallen that evening, that he had not

worked harmoniously with the committee ; but he. knew of only one difference that he had with them, and that was with reference to the matter then before the meeting. He thought the wiser course would have been for the committee to have furnished the various items to the ! W. nganui Education Board, as requested. In his opinion there could be no reasonable doubt that the Library was entitled to a subsidy on the amount received from subscriptions, entertainments, and bazaars, but he was not quite clear as to the vote from the County Council. He felt that they had been unjustly treated, and that the subsidy had been wrongfully withheld from them. Mr. Bate said that a telegram from the committee had been ignored altogether ; and he felt that the Education Board had acted in a partial manner. Mr. Galvin supported the resolution, but regretted that the committee had not comph'ed with the demand of the Wanganui Education Board. The meeting then terminated.