WOODVILLE BOROUGH LIBRARY

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 184, 6 August 1938, Page 8

WOODVILLE BOROUGH LIBRARY

Council Approached For Increased Subsidy PRESENT POSITION UNSATISFACTORY A deputation from the committee of the Woodville library waited upon the Woodville County Council at its monthly meeting yesterday. The deputation comprised Messrs. E. J. Harding and D. Keay, who solicited, an increase in the financial support given by the county to tho library. Addressing the council, Mr. HardiDg said that many thought of the borough library purely as a borough facility; but it was so only in that the borough paid for it, ho said. "Over the past 20 years," said Mr. Harding, "one third of tho subscribers have been county residents and the county pays the huge sum of £5 per annum. The borough is prepared to finance the library and contribute £45 per annum from rates. It finished with a deficit of £33 last year. The library is available to aLI and used by all." The speaker referred to tho popularity of the reading room, with its liberal hours and number of papers, among country people, especially on sale days. "We come to you hoping you may see fit to increase your donation," ho continued. "Every year we have added 70 new books, which have been available to readers from both town and country at a subscirption of 10s annually," he added, aud went on to explain that it had been hoped that both the borough and county might have been able to avail themselves of the offer of the Government's country library service recently adopted by the committee, but he said this was not possible owing to the population limit governing the service, which is exceeded in the Woodville borough and county areas. Tho speaker stated his committee's intention of reducing the county reader’s subscription to 8s for the first 12 months, with the additional facility of on of the Government supplied books. He suggested, he hoped without causing offence, that the council would increase their contribution to £25.

Mr. Keay then spoke, outlining the working of the new scheme and the suc-

cess it had achieved elsewhere. The deputation then withdrew. A short discussion followed, in which Cr. Cattanach expressed himself to be in favonr of cutting out all subscriptions, and Cr. Sheffield observed that the library cost tho borough £7O last year and the county £6. It was on the motion of the chairman and Cr. Galloway, to leave the matter over till the next meeting to give councillors an opportunity to consider tho matter.