DUNEDIN ATHENÆUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1494, 11 October 1866, Page 5

DUNEDIN ATHENÆUM.

The adjourned special general meeting of members of the Dunedin AtbeDasum and Mechanics' Institution, was held last evening, in Farley V Hall, Princes street. There was a large attendance.

The Mayor (William "Mason, Esq.) who presided, said that a poll had, as resolved at the last meeting, taken place on the amendment then proposed; and thatthe amendment had been negatived by a majority of 52. ~ Of course, any other amendment on tbe original motion could now be proposed; but he had been informed that, at a meeting of the Committee, it had been resolved to submit to the members a proposition which it was hoped- would be accepted, and which would now be proposed and seconded by gentlemen who had hitherto taken opposite sides on the question in dispute.. Mr J. S. Webb, honorary secretary, read the following, \vhich he said had been unanimously agreed to by the Committee:—

That the following memorial to His Honor the Superintendent be adapted by this meet* ing, and that the Chairman be requested to sign the same and present it -.— '• To His Honor tlie Superintendent.

" The memorial, &c "That the Institution has accumulated a valuable stock of books and other publications, and has iv reserve a buildiDg fund of L 2500; That -your ■memorialists desire to fee the usefulness ot the Institution increased. That your memorialists -find'--tha * there ara now about 500 members of the institute, subscribing a revenue of about L 525 per annum. That this sum, with the other revenues of the Institution, is inadequate to allow the original purposes of. the Institution to be fully carried out, unless it if supplemented by liberal aid from Government; *They respectfully hope, therefore, that jour Honor will assist them in their "endeavor- to render the Institution worthy of the Province; and that your Honor will bring: tfie subject before the Council at the approaching Session for consideration."

Mr Webb also read the orignina-1 resolution, aa follows :■—■

•That;this meeting, while prepared to hail with satisfaction any really legitimate and feasible plan.for the establishment of a Free Public Library in Otago, strongly disapproves ofthe attempt .to., originate an institution by the absorption of the funds, books, and other property of the Institute, anu therefore expresses its decided opinion adverse to the employment of any means of obtaining from the Provincial Government a monetary subsidy with that object in view. - Mr C. Smith said that he had not abandoned the principle which he had hitherto advocated; but he supported, andhei recommended the meeting to adopt, the proposal which had been agreed to by the Committee He believed that all the members ofthe-Ath en asum were anxious to extend the usefulness of the institution, as at present constituted—that they wanted to make it more conducive to the public good. They had all expressed the wish that, if possible, facilities should be afforded for the free admission of all classes to a ihoroughly.good library.of reference; but, unfortunately the plan embodied in the memorial— which he and others still could -■i not approve of—-bad caused a difference. P^JChe amendment proposed at the last meet-ing-had been negatived; but it was supported by a. large minority of the members. ': If, as a matter of principle, It was necessary.to push the defeat of that minorityfurther, he would advocate doing so at once; but he believed that there was ho such necessity. He found that very few, if any, of those who supported the memorial, supported it as a plan "all the "parts of which were essential. He Had been continually told, since the last meeting, "That is a matter'of detail," or" That is a point to be considered bere- . after.''. To all such statements he had replied, "Then,' strike out of the memorial all that is debateable;" and he thought that that was done in the* proposal now re•fiommepded 'by tbe Committee. The memorial, as itnow stood, simply asked the Superintendent—Wiil you assist the Dunedin Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute? If 30,.t0 what extent ■ will you assist? and—What conditions will you couple with your assistance? The reply might, be, " We will not assist you further:" then, discussion amongst the members would be useless. An amount might be offered which no section of the members would think of- accepting: again, discus-. sion now would be wasted. An amount, that was acceptable might be offered. Conditions, that could be accepted might also be named: possibly, there might be no conditions stipulated. But the conditions upon which a sum that would "be useful would be given, were really the only things that should cause -further discussion amongst the members. Entertaining these views, and not giving up any portion of his antagonism to the memorial as it had been before tbe members, he asked the meeting to allow the original motion to ba kept aside for a short time, so that it might be seen whether there could not be an agreement upon -what the Committee now recommended. Mr Smtthibs thought that the meeting Had not yet come to the real point. He -regarded the library as the property ofthe -members. He found from the MechanicsInstitute Reserve Ordinance, that there •was L 2500 which the Superintendant was authorised to pay for the purposes of any Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute in Dunedin, subject to such conditions as His Honor and the Executive might determine. Jn making a bargain for that sum, there ■were the book 3to set against -the money; and he thought tbat the first thing to be done was to ascertain upon what conditions the L2SQO .would be paid over to the institution.

Mr Webb said that he had several times explained that the money had been,applied ior, and that the onlycpndition stated as a preliminary to its payment was, that it should" be applied to the purchase of a freehold site. It was only when the Committee, unable to find such a site, went to . ihe Governmentto ask for one in Princesstreet., and for the L 2500, and for some-thing-more, that it was replied, "If we

give you a site, the condition mu3t be your library shall be open to the wSlr Mr Smythies thought that it still remained for the Superintendent to be asked, .upon what conditions, if any, the L 2500 could be had for the purposes of the Athen--SJum.and Mechanics' Institute, in accord- . ance v. ith the terms of,the. Ordinance; and ■••Ihat when the Superintendent's answer ■was reported to the members would be the ime for discussion. Mr Webb contended that the proposed •application was unnecessary. An application was made three years ago ; and m con-

sequence, the Committee obtained power to spend the L 2500, and also LISOO more, on a building on the Manse street site, which it was then supposed could be got from the Town Board air a merely nominal price. The Committee had not succeeded in getting that site; and hence the suggestion of a site .out of the Government land, the condition stated, and the memorial.

Mr C. White said that there had as yet [ been no amendment proposed; and if there | was none to be proposed, he must ask that the original motion should be at once put. Mr Bathgate moved as an amendment, the adoption of the memorial read by Mr Webb. He thought it would now be recognised that though there might be a future cause for discussion, there was no present cause. He wished to state that nothing that had been said in the course of the discusssion, or written in the course of the long correspondence, had caused _ in him the slightest feeling of animosity ; and if any word he had spoken or written had caused pain to any member, he sincerely regretted it.—(Applause.) It was at first assumed that an overwhelming majority of the members opposed the proposal of the •.-- majority of the Committee ; but the poll taken showed that not-one-half of the members were so opposed; and he had been told by some who voted against the amendment brought forward at the last meeting, that they did so with a view of 'getting, rid of it, in order that they might have an opportunity of voting On the real question at issue.

Mr John Hat said that he perfectly approved uf the amendment just proposed,-^ (Applause.) He appealed to the mover and seconder of the original motion to waive their right to press for a division; for hefelt satisfied that any really debateable point would come before the members when the views of the Government had been ascertained. If anything he had said or written during the discussion had given pain, he heartily regretted it—(applause); but he thought that the controversy had done great good to the institution, and he should like to add to the amendment an expression of thanks to the dissentient minority of the Committee, for the opportunity they had afforded for the expression of opinions upoa a question vitally affecting the interests of the institution.—(Applause.) v

Mr White said that he should pres3 the motion to a division. The question had,not been fairly treated that evening; and he must ask that there should again be a poll, as was the case last week.—(No, no.) The question was really put before the members by the motion; and he thought it not fair that amendment after amendment should be.brought forward. Mr Jago thought that Mr White forgot that at the last meeting it would have been impossible to take a division so as to have got at the views of the members, but that now only members were present, and that a division could be taken easily and with certainty. The amendment was put, and a large majority of those present voted for it. On the question to the contrary being put, the Mayor said that he could see only one hand held up. . The amendment was, therefore, carried ; and the proceedings were terminated by thanks to the Mayor for presiding.