NO FREE READING ROOM

Southland Times, Issue 17484, 27 July 1915, Page 7

NO FREE READING ROOM

: PROPOSAL NEGATIVED. BY' ATKEX.EUM SUBSCRIBERS. WIDER SCHEME DESIRED. Un the totes of forty-four members of the Invercargill Atheiueum, it was decided last night to reject the offer of the Town Council of a subsidy of £250 a year in consideration of the conversion of the reading-room into a free department. The meeting was fairly well attended, and Mr W. A, Stout occupied the chair. Air Stout said that the question had been before the subscribers time after time during the past few years, but it had never been before them in quite the same form. There had been motions moved at various annual and special meetings with a view to making the reading-room free, but they had always been negatived. A little over two years ago they had been approached by the •Tcftvn Council with a view to making tae reading-room free. A deputation from the Town Council had waited on the committee, and they had agreed to put the matter before the subscribers. It was .decided to make the reading-room free if the Town Council would subsidise the institution to the extent of £2OO a year, but the Council refused to entertain that proposal, and there it had slopped. Mr Stout wished to make it clear to the public that the committee had not blocked the proposal to make the room free, and he pointed out that they merely held office to carry out the rules and the constitution. Recently the question had been revived, and after going into the matter with the Finance Committee of the Town Council the committee was able to say that if they got a subsidy of £250 a year for a number ‘ of years they would be able to make the institution free with the exception of the lending library- He pointed out in the latter connection that the ordinance under which tine institution was established made provision that a subscription to the lending library should be one of the qualifications for membership. The committee had come to tue conclusion that If the Town Council could subsidise the institution to the extent of £250 a year and the subscription to the lending library were made 5 - a year their finances would be buoyant enough for them to carry on. Mr Stout referred to the fact that the limitations of space were already being felt, and said that the proposal to be made that evening was looked upon as a starting point in development. The chairman called upon Mr T. D. Pearce, who moved as follows: — “That the subscribers of the Athenaeum accept the Town Council’s oiler of a subsidy of £250 per- annum for the purpose of making the institution free, with the exception of the lending library, the subscription to which shall be reduced to 5/- per annum.” Mr Pearce said that he moved the resolution at the request of the committee, and he did so with pleasure because he believed that if they carried it it would he another milestone in the history oi tie; institution. They had rejected all the invitations to make the institutions tree, but they had done so from the point of view of finance. To their surprise when they last Vrent the Town Council was able to meet them. This subsidy, it was suggested, should be paid for five years, and at the end of that time the committee expected that the income would be increased by about £SOOO per annum from rentals on endowments. He pointed out that if they accepted the Council’s offer they would retain control, but if they rejected it they would lose control. If they ae-ci-pled the offer three representatives of the Council, not necessarily members of it, would be associated with the committee of nine, so that subscribers would

retain control. But if they rejected the offer it would he said of them that as holders of public endowments they were not administering them in the best interests of the people and steps would be taken to transfer the endowments. He thought that they should retain control by acceping the offer. Moreover, if the building proved to be inadequate for the new demands made upon it they would then be in a position to ask the Council to help them in a larger scheme. He asked them to take into consideration tlie fact that when the endowments were made there were no such institutions as free libraries, and there was no municipal interest in the institution, so that the only body to which the endowments could be given was the Invercargill Athenaeum. The idea of the Corporation was that if the endowments were not used to the best advantage they would apply to have them transferred. If they rejected the proposal they would be dubbed reactionaries. Mr Mehaffey seconded the motion. He said that he had been an opopnent of the proposal to throw open the institution, his argument being that so long as a subscription was necessary the read-ing-room should contribute its quota, but the position was different now. A body representing the whole of the people had offered to make good what it was estimated (would he lost by making the room free. He had no doubt that if they rejected the offer the legislature would iiave no option, if the case were stated, but to transfer the control of the institution to a body representing the interests of the whole of the people. It had been explained to them that £250 was the sum fixed on because it was believed that with the subscription of 5/it would be sufficient to enable the committee to meet all charges. Mr Mehaffey dealt with a number of objections which had been raised in the past, and said that he did not know of any valid objection to the acceptance of the offer. He expressed the hope that they would not only carry the resolution, but would carry it unanimously. A member asked jvhethor at the end of five years, when the Council ceased to pay contributions, that body would cease to be represented. The chairman said that that would bo a matter for Hie committee to decide. Mr Richardson said that lie did not. agree with the motion. If they looked into any of the departments rim by the Council they would find that the people who made use of them had to pay for them, while the people who did not use them paid comparatively little. If they did not travel on the trams they did not have to pay for them, hut if they did use them they had to pay for their tickets. ‘Why, then, should that institution )>e on a different footing? He referred to a class of people who would not be able to use the reading-room even supposing it wore made free, and he asked why such people should have to pay for the upkeep of that institution. He referred to the small charges made for the privileges and said that just as tiic people who used the trams should pay for them, those who used the institution should pay for it. He urged the subscribers to reject the proposal and suggested that if a free reading-room was necessary it should be provided somewhere else.

Mr J. Hatch said that he did not agree with the suggestion that the Town Council would come in and turn them out. The committees which had been elected from time to time had carried on the institution to the satisfaction of everyone. Moreover, the Town Council had its hands full, and would find that it had plenty to do without (he Athetueum. He referred to the fact that the institution would have to he enlarged anti there was no hope of reducing tne liabilities of the institution (£11,000) if they accepted the Council’s offer. He would prefer that the committee should say to the Town Council: "We will give you £2OO or £250 to establish a free reading-room of your own.” He said that he would move as an amendment that the committee go into the matter. The chairman said that he could not accept the motion as they had no power to make votes to any institution. Mr W. Martin said that he believed that if the motion was rejected the Council would take immediate action to have the endowments taken out of the hands of the committee, and for the institution to be run for the people by the people. Rev. W. Ready referred to his impression in coming into the town and not being able to have access to a newspaper without paying a subscription. Ho argued that the institution should be opened to the people to whom it belonged, and he hoped that they would see their way to pass the resolution. It would be a backward step if the meeting turned down the resolution. Mr J. C. Dale congratulated the committee on their change of front. With regard to what had been said of the 2Vjd a week, it was a mere bagatelle. Why then did they need to improve it? .He had pleaded over and over again for the freedom of the institution. With regard to the analogy drawn from the trams, Jie would say that a better analogy was furnished by the Gardens, which were made by public money. Would they charge for those? He was not so optimistic as some of the speakers with regard to the prospect of the room becoming crowded, because the people had not been educated to it. Tie appeal to the liberality of the subscribers and asked them to pass the motion. Mr J. Crosby Smith supported the motion, and said that there was going to be a need for wide expansion. He suggested that the Council should take steps to acquire other sites so that the institution could be adequately housed. Referring to the need of a museum, Mr Smith said that they had exhibits sufllcient to occupy twice the available space. For several other reasons there was a need that a new building should be provided. There was coming a time when they would have to move to another site and ho did not know of any better site than the present high school. Mr Handyside rose to a point of order. He said that they were not there to discuss the High School or any other school. Mr Smith said that they should support the motion and urged subscribers to do so.

Mr Hatch saiil that a good deal had been made of the threat of the Council that it would take Kteps to acquire their endowments, and he asked whether all members of the committee had agreed on the matter. In- Poltinger said that he had not intended to say a.nything, but as a member of the committee lie wished to make his position clear. Jie thought that too much had been made of the threat of the Town Council. They as a committee .were not there to listen to threats, but to look alter the interests of the subscribers. His own opinion was that the Council was taking a short sighted view of the whole situation. 'What was needed more than a free reading-room was a free library, because they wanted the boys and girls to read the best in literature and not the magazines alipne. Another need was a reference library, and what lie would have liked to have seen was a larger scheme taken in hand. He still thought that they were there to con-

sider not whether they 'were to lose their endowments but the interests of the institution. The Athenaeum had been well managed in the past, and it was questionable whether the concession of making the reading-room free would be a very valuable one. The Rev. J. K. Archer rose to speak, but Mr Hawley raised a point of order. Mr Archer asked for and was granted leave to speak. He said that he was sorry to bo in the position of being heard on privilege. That was one of the disadvantages of there being no free library. Ho had kept out of the institution on principle, but lie could not do without the facilities afforded by the reading-room and had had been obliged to go that far in spite of his principles. He was pleased to hear the speech of Dr Pottinger because he thought too much had been made of what had been called the threat of the Town Council. He asked members to consider that they were co-operating with the Town Council in doing something better. Mr Pearce, in reply, pointed out in answer to Mr . Richardson and Dr Pottinger that, the Town Council subsidised the bands and in extending the Athenaeum they were working according to the same principle. A vote was taken at this stage and resulted as follows; —For 15, against 17. It was decided to lake a ballot on the question, as a number of those present were not eligible to vote. In announcing the result the chairman said that the voting had been: For 19, against 44, including proxies. He said that he regretted that such an important motion should have been thrown out by so comparatively small a number of members. They had a membership of about five hundred, and very few of the members, as could be seen from the voting, had exercised their privilege of voting. Dr Pottinger said that he was sorry in a way that the motion had been lost, but it was probably due to certain reasons. The first reason was the subscribers realised that the institution Jsvas not large enough to be converted into a free reading-room. There was a feeling that the place was becoming too small as it was, and the thought” that the subscribers had rightly regarded the provision of a larger building as a necessity. Moreover, there had been too much of the bludgeon brought in; too mucli talk of Acts of Parliament. He went on to refer to the, steady progress that had been made by the institution and said tiial if the institution was able to follow its own course it would arrive at Hie desired end. He was in favour of a free reading-room, but lie thought that the Town Council should show its sincerity in the matter and he moved;— “That this meeting of subscribers of the Invercargill Athenaeum, while it does not consider that the time is ripe for converting the institution into a free library, especially owing to the present lack of accommodation, affirms its support of a policy of eventually making the institution free, and would (welcome the co-operation of the Borough Council in securing suitabie and larger premises with a view to that end.” Mr J. Crosby Smith supported the motion as the next best thing to what had been proposed. He referred to the emphatic need of enlarging the reference room, unci advocated doing away with the smoking room. It was essential that the committee should take the matter in hand at once. If at some future time the Athonseum had to bo moved there would he no loss as the result of enlarging the reference library. Mr .Somerset Smith supoprted Dr Pottinger’s motion, and -said that lie shared the belief that if the institution were made free it would become overcrowded. The motion was carried unanimously.