FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 29

FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

OFFICIAL OPENING-

, A REVIEW OF THE INITL\L -S9PEPS. j It is considerably over seven years since it was first proposed to establish a Free Public Library in Dunedin. The need for euch an institution had, from decade to decade, become more pronounced, and early in 1901 various schemes which might meet a growing wamt came to be discussed. Among th«s© was th© suggestion that application be made to Mr Andrew Carnegie, the millionaire, who was giving away enormous sums of money wherewith to build public libraries, x it being thought that he might help the people of Dunedin out of their difficulty. On the 20th November, 1901, a Metter containing the following wa3 despatched to Mr Carnegie by Mr C. R. Chapman: "Being an observer of your liberation in other parts of the world, I take the liberty of writing you for some assistance towards the eitabishment of a free pubic library in this city. This ,district cf Otago, of which Dunedin is th© capital, was originally a Scotch settlement, and the population of the city and suburbs is about 60,060. A public library is a much felt want among the working 1 classes, and the people are just waking up in regard to the necessity of having one. We have a email fund in existence, and I gave £100 towards it a few weeks ago. Sir James Prend/ergast, our late Chief Justice, also contributed £50. Of course, it will require a considerable sum of money to establish a library, but we expect to get some assistance from out City Council. I may state I have been Mayor of the city, and • have been resident here since its establLhment, some 53 years ago." On June 4, 1902, Mr Carnegie's secretary sent a reply to Mr Chapman, acknowledging receipt of the letter, and asking for further jmformafcion. This was supplied, and, later on, Mr Chapman recened the following letter, dated September 19, 1902: "Re your appeal on behalf of Dunedin : If the city will give a suitable site for building, and will guarantee by a resolution of its council to spend not leas than £700 per annum in support of its library, Mr Carnegie will have much pleasure in furnishing £10,000 to erect a free public library building for Dunedin."

This was terse, but very much to the point, and Dunedin made up its mind that it would, after ail, have its publio library. Then the question of a site obtruded itself, and caused long and vexing delay. One site after another was suggested, debated, and rejected, and it was only after some three 'yeans' consideration that the City Council finally decided to erect the library building on a vacant soot-ion in Moray place, near tbe Synagogue. After that the scheme was brought rapidly to fruition. On June 25, 1906, the- contract for the building was let to Messrs Crawford and Watson at a price of £9085, and Messrs Walden and Barton were tbe supervising architects. All arrafig-ements in connection with the new library were undertaken by a special committee of the City Council, and work on, ajid relative to, the building proceeded steadily, and in two years' time the building was finished. It has been liberally designed, is fitted with all conveniences, and readily bears comparison with the finest libraries of the Dominion. Tbe opening function took place on the 2nd inst., and it was attended by a very large number of ladies and gentlemen. ' 'l'ho followin-g were among those pre6ent : His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. M 'Donald), Cis Scott, Gilkison, Cole, Barr, J. E. White, Rutherford, and Burnett, Hons J. T. Paul and J. B. CaHan, M.L.C.'s, Revs. A. T. Chodowski, D. Maclennan, W. Slade. W. Grigg, W. Scorgie, D. J. Murray, , Canon King, Father Ooffey, Professor Park, i Messrs G. M. Thomson, M.P., T. Mackenzie, M.P., J. F. Arnold M.P., D. M'Pherson, A. S. Adams, C. R. Chapman, W. F. 1 Bastings, W. Dawson, W T. Talboys, W. L. Logic, J. Braithwaite, A. R. Barclay, H. Macandrew, J. Loudon, P. Goyen, M. Cohen, W. Sibbald, R. W. Richards, J. Jacobs, T. W. Whiteon, A. H. Burton, R. Ewing, W. H. Morrell, A. Grant, T. R. Christie. G. Esther, W. J. Moore, J. Barton, E. W. Walden, Dr Hocfcen, Dr Ogston, and Inspector O'Brien. Apologies for absence were received from his Lordship the Primate, his Honor Mr Justice Williams, Lieui.-Col. Smyth, Hon. J. R. Sinclair, Rev. DrWaddell. Rev. W. T Todd, Mr H. Y. Widdoweon, S.M., Messrs T. K. SMey, M.P., Janx>s Allen, M.P., George Fenwick, G. L. Denniston, John Roberts, G. Lawrence, D. A. M'Nicoll, W. C. MacGregor, T. S. Graham, and Crs Walker, Keast, and Tapley. His Worship the Major, in officially declaring the library open, said: I am not going to take up jour time to-day in narrating the history of the building we are about to open as a free library, as it is already fre»h in your mind*, but the following details will, perhaps, be a fitting preface to my bri-.f leinail-. : —Contract prico of building, £9085; amount paid to contractors, £9463 Is bd , total eo-t of building, exclusive of =itc, £11,199 lfe 6d ; eo*t of site, etc., £1501 19- 11,1: total amount spent to dare, £13.338 3s lid; estimated annual expenditure, «ay. £1500. Th© institution has been founded" with a spirit of wie« munificence that w;!l make it a national undertaking, and one that will reflect cr-edit on the city, and, indeed, the Dominion. It will provide a good average collection of standard works in literatuie and philosophy, and such an array of the latest scientific publications ah will keep th.3 student an-d inquirer informed in the yearly progress cf discovery and invention. It will be the and armoury of learning and knowledge for the whole city —the place for j-outh and adult, student an<l tutor, statesman, councillor, and artipan to attend with the eeitainty of finding, 'as far ac mganfl will allow, tbat knowledge which hie i^-ticular ficl-d of investigation requires. . Ample accommodation je provided for reading and study for ladie3 and gentlemen. Cr (iilkison (chairman of the Library Committee congratulated the citizens on the opening of a Free Public Library, and said the institution removed a reproach that had long rested on tbe city. Tbe reading room?

T and library would be a great boon to the busy i citizen as well as the inquiring student, the mac who was temporarily out of work, and the stranger within our gates. From i the earliest days every city which claimed to be a centre of learning and light boasted of a good public library. The researches of scholars showed that Babylon and Nineveh had libraries containing thousands of books written on bricks. Egypt had its rolls and hieroglyphics. Greece had numerous collections. Alexandria was still famous for the noblest collection of ancient days. In modern times Paris, London, Oxford, and Edinburgh were notable for their scholar-producing libraries. Now Dunedin, too, was making a beginning. The present citizens and council were reaping the fruits where others had sown. The best thanks were due to the old ', Free Library Committee, which fought for years for this project, to Mr Carnegie for ' his generous gift of £10,000, and to the City Council, which undertook to supply all the fittings, furnishings, and all annual maintenance. The reading room and magazine room was now open and ready for use. Mr Mr- Cohen in the course of a speech urged that the Athenaeum Committee should be again approached and asked to join forces. Mr C. R. Chapman .^counted the steps he had taken to obtain a grant ~'rom Mr Cargenie. The ceremony concluded, with the as* sembled company giving three cheers for his Majesty the King. During intervals music was rendered in the vestibule by Begg's Orchestra (under Mr J. Flint), and after the ceremony visitors were entertained in the circulating library room, where light refreshments were served, the catering being in the hands of Mr J. Kroon.