THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1893.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9307, 16 September 1893, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1893.

■ ♦ We object to the City Council spending between £000 and £700 to erect a clock on the Municipal Buildings, and protest especially against any portion of the money being taken from the funds that ought to be devoted to the augmentation and maintenance of the Free Library. Some time ago the Council determined to take £200 from the library fund for this clock, and on Thursday night it was determined by a majority to take another £100.

The " library fund" is derived from two sourcesthe Costley bequest and the halfpenny rate. The Council has placed a marble tablet in the vestibule stating that the whole income from the Costley bequest to the Free Library shall be spent in the purchase of books. This pledge has not been carried out. The misappropriation of the Costley estate, given for library,purposes, to put a clock on the Municipal Buildings, is a grave blunder, to put it as mildly as possible. The terms of the bequest may be such that no legal action can be taken against the Council for the diversion of the funds, but the justice and fairness of the procedure should be looked at. Where donations are left to the city, the City Council, as administrators, ought to be most scrupulous that the intention of the trust is generously carried out. They should not leave the smallest room for an accusation that the city plunders a bequest. No one knows what effect such a proceeding may have. We have heard of a valuable bequest, embodied in a will, which has been cancelled, because the testator feared from what he saw that the object would not be carried out. As to the expenditure of the library rate on the erection of a public clock, we think it is clearly illegal. . The special rate of a halfpenny is levied for library purposes, and it cannot legally be diverted to what is not a library purpose. Councillors Hewson, Swales, Atkin, Holland, and Warren voted against the diversion, and wepresume these gentlemen wouldstand clear in case of any legal proceedings. The question was raised by Mr. Atkin who gave it as his opinion that the I Council could not divert the money.

We do not think that a strong case can be shown for the placing of a clock on the tower at the Municipal Buildings, We do not see that, there is any need for a clock there. Two or three generations ago public clocks were absolutely necessary. But they are not so necessary now, when every man has a watch in his pocket. It must be remembered that it will cost about £700 to erect this clock, and that there will be an annual expenditure for keeping it going. We have already a public clock on the Exchange, of far more service than any one can be on the Municipal Buildings. And while this money is being taken frornthelibrary fund to be expended on a clock, thelibrary itself is being neglected. There are now 700 members of the lending library, and complaints are frequent that the supply of books is not being kept up. There lias only been one meeting of the Selection Committee called for about a twelvemonth. There has been no meeting at all since last March. The members of the Advisory Committee are supposed to keep a record of books as they are published, in order to make a selection when there is a meeting. But they cannot do that over spaces of six months, and so books which ought to be in the library are missed. There are many important works of fiction published within the last twelve months which ought to be on the shelves of the lending branch, but which are not yet ordered.