TEMUKA LIBRARY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10054, 15 February 1927, Page 3

TEMUKA LIBRARY.

The new buildings are now complete in practically every detail, and a visit to the different rooms leaves no doubt that the subscribers and the general public will be well pleased and proud of the new addition to Temuka. The Rest room is taste fnpyl .furnished, should prove a real haven of rest to the ladies, while the 'Plunket room will prove a boon for the Plunket Nurse and mothers, being nicely furnished and containing a kicking pen weighing machine and other appliances ' necessary in looking after the welfare of His Majesty the baby. The members room in the Library (30 \ feet by 18) contains two reading tables on which will be found such papers as Punch, , London News, Daily Mail, etc, and the public reading room 030 feet by 12) has a large reading table for the illustrated wf kites,- and two newspaper stands with space for eight daily papers. The circulating library now, contains 2500 books, arranged in alphabetical order according to the authors name, the main shelves containing fiction and one section being devoted to science history, philosophy etc, and another to the juveniles. With the office and vestibule the whole, of the flooring is covered with artistic (linoleums, the (furnishings halving 'been carried out by Messrs L. G. ■Scrimshaw and Sons. On Saturday afternoon there were among those present the Mayor and (Mayoress of Temuka (Mr ■ and Mrs G. B. Cartwright), Mr T. * D. Burnett, M.P., the-Mayor and Mayoress of Timaru (Mr and Mrs * iQ. J. Wallace); the Mayor and Mayoress of Waimate (Mr and Mrs G. Dash); the Mayor of Geraldine (Mr J. Kennedy); Mrs G. W. Arm- ’ dtage ('President of the Temuka branch oif Plunket Society, Nurse Cameron, President of the Temuka - W.0.T.U.); Mr E. Cooper of Christchurch (a former secretary of the Library) : Mr Banks and Mrs West of the' .Eairlie Library, and Councillors and the Town Clerk of the Temuka Borough Council,' and Mr Bale (Turnbull and Rule)., Apofogies were received for the unavoidable absence of Col. K. Mackenzie, (chairman of the Geraldine County Council); Mr G. W. |Airm:i'‘iage, | (Canterbury Education Board); Mr C. JV Talbot (chairman of the Mackenzie County Council; . and. Mr Turbu'll (Turnbull and Rule). Mr G. B. Cartwright (Mayer of Temuka) said they had - ' assembled for the purpose of officially opening ■the Library, Plunket and Rest rooms, and he wished to extend a hearty welcome to all who had come along to assist N at the opening ceremony there that day, especially, those from the neighbouring ( Borough and County (Councils-. He was sure they had been looking forward •very anxiously to that day. Temuka and the district 4iad for many years been wishing for o' more up-to-date library building that would be more jto the requirements of the town, and he was pleased to say that not only had - they a good library but there was also a substantial Plunket room where the Plunket Nurse ; could meet the mothers and babies and carry on her work under more congenial conditions, and there was a Rest room—a room which would ■be appreciated by the mothers and ■Children from the country. He >l,ll 1. 4.1, Anm-

* was proud to say through the com-.- ’ blued efforts of the Uhrai-y ™»- ruittee, the ladies of. the Pluultet ISociely and the ladies of. tie - • T U they hadsjiow a building w Vae” eminently suited in every/way for the requirements of the town .for .very many years. The position •was very satisfactory indeed, hut i was only right to say. that had it not been, for the great interest and the practical support given by their ■ esteemed member, Mr Burnett, the building may not have been there •that day. Mr Burnett took a lively interest in:the scheme, and then ' made an offer of help which . was too good for the committee to lose, but which he was glad to saj the committee took advantage o*.. * The ladies then got lo work and wailed* ou tire Geraldine .County Council and the Temuka Borough Council where they received ga encouraging promise of

OFFICIAL OPENING. By T. D. Buenett, Esq., M.P. An Object Lesson in Faith, Hope, and Good Sound Work. V Saturday marked another step in the progress of Temuka when the new Library, Plunket and Rest Rooms were officially opened by our esteemed member Mr T. I>. Bnrnel , M.p. in the presence of a large gathering of the public. The weather was most propitious lor the occasion and the cheering which greeted the opening of the fine buildings to the public must have been most inspiriting to the members o the combined committee to whom the public owe a deb of gratitude, for the result of *lieir labour bear good fruit in the building up of good citizenship lor many generations to come. The position is full of promise for HRnre assistance from the public, for it can safely be • that support will be readily forthcoming, while it will be well not to overlook the fact that the more subscribers ensiled,' Hie better will be the supply ami semtfo I,ook ; s> is Mr Burnett aptly remarked “It is refreshing to see a library built on the principle of self help, and it is an object lesson in faith, hope, and goodsouud work.”

financial help also. Canvassers were also appointed who collected quite a fair sum and the present financial position was as follows: —Contract for the building £2856, architects’ fees £l5O, furnishings £IOO, making a total of £3106. The money received and in sight amounted to about £2IOO leaving a deficiency of about £IOO. but guarantors had willingly come forward to guarantee the amount to the bank. The canvassers who had gone around for donations would soon be on the job again for they wanted to reduce the thousand pounds to half within the next few months. The wTiole of the furnishing had been done by Mr Scrimshaw the lowest tenderer, and reflected great credit on the good workmanship. The contract was carried out by Mr Kennedy (Timaru) and good and faithful workmanship was put into the building, and the architects were' 'Messrs Turnbull and Rule (Timaru). The building was started in May and finished before 'Christmas, Some would ask why the library had not been /opened before that day, but they had to put in electric light and furnishing and it took a little time to do so. He thanked everyone who by their support, energy and good work had helped to erect such a fine and commodious building, and he duly thanked Mr Burnett and all the speakers for assisting- at-the open-., iug ceremony. It was very good to see Mr Burnett looking so well and ■feeling so well after his long illness (Applause). Mr Wallace, Mayor of Timaru, stated it was a great pleasure for him to be there, and he thanked the Mayor of Temuka for the invitation to himself and Mrs Wallace to take part in the opening ceremony. The fine building was evidence of the ■progressive spirit of the people of Temuka, of which he had heard so much during the past few years. He was pleased to hear that the building was largely the result of the enthusiasm and support of their member, Mr Burnett (Hear, hear), who, he hoped would progress in health. . He hoped the Rest room would be only useful to the old, but to the mothers, that the Plunkea Society would get great benefit from their room, and that the Library would instil that desire to read to make the young people good citizens, and he wished them every benefit that the building could give them, and Temuka everyv success that it deserved. (Applause).

Mr G. Dash (Mayor of Waimate) also expressed- thanks for the invitation to Mrs Dash and himself to he present. “Thou shall not envy anything -that belongs to thy neighhour”, but frankly he envied the Mayor of Temuka the beautiful and useful building. Quite a little good humoured rivalry existed between the 'Mayor of Temuka and the Mayor of Waimate. There was the case of the three sons one of whom was in Temuka and one son spent a week in Waimate one afternoon (laughter). He had been instrumental in having notice hoards erected on the/ public highway referring. to the Domain, His friend the popular Mayor of Temuka heard of this, and wen(, home and placed a wet towel around his head, aud cogitated all night on the matter. The result was that there were notice hoards erected' at Temuka bearing the words “Welcome to Temuka” as they entered the town aud as they left “You are heaving Temuka. Thank you” (laughter). He was delighted to have the opportunity of saying how much he envied the* Mayor of Temuka this building, and how much he appreciated the public spirit that had placed the building there. They had created a library for the purpose of encouraging ieadin o , and had a building alongside which would help to rear the population to read the hooks. He congratulated Temuka on the possession of a very fine property, and frankly and openly he said "I envy you (applause). After returning thanks for the kindly invitation he had received, Mr J. Kennedy (Mayor of Geval- ' dine) referred to the very line improvements they were making, and

particularly to the public spirit that was shown in Temuka which was so well known throughout South Canterbury* 'He was pleasecl 'indeed their member took such a keen interest, and he thought the Mayor of Timaru could go back to Timaru and tell them theie they had a wonderful member for the district. The new building would add to the intellectual capacity of the people of the town and: district, and he congratulated them through theii Mayor on the possession of the building. May it be used well and consistently for the purpose for which it had been provided. Mrs G. W. Armitage, President of the Teniuka branch of the Plunket Society said that she - to thank the Committee of* the Library for inviting the Society to join with them in the pleasant function of declaring open the fine new building. They were glad to welcome amongst them on that occasion, several members of the Timaru Plunket Committee, and also members from the sub. branch at Pleasant Point. Mrs Armitage then apologised for the absence of the acting Prime Minister, the Hon. Mr Downie Stewart, of the Attorney General, the Hon. Mr llolleston, wjro lakes a keen inteiest in Plunket affairs, of 'Sir Truby King, head of the organisation, of Mrs T, M. K, Tripp, President of the Geraldine branch of the Plunket Society, who, with her executive, sent greetings and best wishes for a successful function, of Mrs Newman, president of the Timaru Plunket Society, who .was prevented through illness from being present,

Mrs Armitage also read the following from the President of the ■Central Council, Mrs M. F. 'K. Johnstone, Dunedin.: “Heartiest good wishes from the Central Council, and Dunedin branch for a successful opening, and for the continued prosperity of the local branch'’ Continuing, Mrs Armitage said that she felt that the Blanket Society was worthy of a more distinguished representative that day than its President, but perhaps they were aiming at too great a distinction. The ministers felt that-they, should be in Wellington to meet the Prime Minister on his return from the Imperial ■Conference. There had been a number of speeches that afternoon and she did not desire to detain them but she would like to say that her Committee was very happy to have the, opportunity of publicly thanking the local bodies, the Temuka Borough Council and the’ Geraldine County Council for their practical appreciation of the work of the (Society. It was owing to the grants from these bodies that the branch had their new room. ■Since the Society began its work in Temuka, 16 years ago, it had had no permanent residence and at first- prejudice against it was so strong that one had almost to beg a mother to bring the baby to the Blanket Nurse. That had changed, however, and to-day 100 per cent of the babies in the district, at some time or other, came under the Nurse’s care, and one cou|d hardly hope for more than that. The first babies used to in the corner of Mr Buxton’s machine shed, an old building in Commerce Street which, was afterwards destroyed by fire. Since then the branch has been wandering up and down Temuka, throwing itself on the hospitality of friends, One could hardly realise what a-wonderful day it was for the branch to feel that at last they had a home of their own.; Until the local bodies came to the assistance of the .Branch they had no money for such a building as they found themselves that day. The finances were always a matter of concern as it takes them all their time to pay their way. In other words the public thought it sufficient. just to allow them enough to pay their way and they had to work hard to collect that little. If the public would only notice that though it may be a pastime lor the Plunket Nurse to run about in a car weighing babies it was a pastime that required money and organisation. However they were deeply grateful for their confidence of which their new room was an expression. They knew that it would make for greater convenience of working and for mothers visiting the office. Mrs Armitage once more thanked one and'all who had helped them in any way, to each and all of whom they owed a debt of gratitude, and in conclusion she trusted that the new building would fulfil all the high hopes with which it had been opened. (Applause). Nurse Cameron, President of the Temuka W.C.T.U., said she was very pleased to represent the W.C.T.U. at’ the ceremony. The W.C.T.U. was a very humble society and the Union had started in Temuka about five years ago. While temperance was the strongest plank of their platform, their objects in view were for the betterment of the spiritual and social welfare of the people. Their Rest room had been shifted about until they felt they really must have a room of their own, and they thanked the Temuka Borough Council and the Geraldine County Council for their liberal assistance of the Society. The work of the Rest room had been carried out voluntarily by a band of workers. It had to be cleaned, and op■ene'dl morning' and night, fresh flowers provided, and other little things which had been done by vol--1 untary workers lor the people of TemuHa, and they did it for the. sake of Him who came to be ministered unto. '

Miss Grade 'Cartwright then came forward and in a pretty little speech said she had very much pleasure on behalf of the people of Temuka, in asking Mr Burnett to accept the silver key, with which to officially open the Library, Plunked and Reel rooms, which she hoped would he a groat asset to the Town of Temuka, The key is inscribed as follows; “Presented to T. D, Burnett Esq., M.P., Opening Temuka Library, 12/2/27. On coming forward to speak. Mr Burnett was greeted with applause and at the call of the Mayor, three ringing cheers were given in his honour, Mr Burnett said that first and, foremost he had to congratulate the committee and the people of Temuka on the consummation of their very fine .effort to secure a Public Library,, which was now an accomplished fact, a credit to the town, and would afford intellectual food for generations to come. Any assistance he'had been aide to give was due to the very loyal co-opera-tion and help of those away on ML. Cook station, and the very fine prices he had secured dor merino wool. Some of that had gone into the building, and he had been glad that he had been able to' help, hut that was done with and no more should be said about it. It was a very happy augury fhat they had the .four Mayors of South Canterbury at the function. It was only by united effort that anything could he accomplished, and if they were going to see their beloved South Canterbury go forward it was only by the willing work of all sections and - classes, that that object could be obtained. The faith-of the people of Temuka was justified in putting up the building, though he doubted if the people realised' the wealth of the soil from Ssadown to Geraldine. The area of such land in the Dominion .was limited and they must make better use of the rich pockets of laud to carry the population, for in fifty years time, instead of having a population of one and a third millions, they .‘would have at least five and a half millions. It was up to them to realise that every producing acre in New Zealand would have to be made the best use of. He wanted to see the best possible use of the library made, and that the A. and P. Association would look on the library as its official library, and encourage the reading of farming literature. Whatever the future held for the secondary industries they would have to realise that it is the land that is going to provide their comforts and prosperity. Hard limes had its uses ,for they made people think, and made for much greater etfiiefencM. Hie had great hopes (hat the library would break away from authodox lines and would help with hooks on scientific agriculture (o make a special study of small holdings 1 possible, showing what had been done in Denmark. Then the Library \vpuld serve a twofold purpose, not only as a read ing circle but also as a big uplift to the present position of Temuka. He hoped the time would soon come when there was not an idle acre in South ‘Canterbury, and that South Canterbury would lead the way in progress. It was refreshing to see that the library had been built on the principle of self help. It was certainly an object lesson In faith hope and- good sound work, and it was up lo them all to push clown some of the debt. Ho hoped the Library would stand for years. Us predecessor had done very good work in the pioneering days, though' we were in a sense still in the pioii eer days for there must be conlinn al progress. The new library would he the intellectual centre of Temuka. Modeim man was a complex spbject and requires many things to furnish his needs intellectually, physfeilly, spiritually, and morally and the library would fill a need in spreading out the gospel of work and efficiency, and down with slackness and the loafer. (Applause), Mr Burnett then opened (lie building amid cheers, and a vote of thanks was passed to the Committee and lady helpers, and ringing cheers were given for Mr Luinett and Mr Cartwright. The public were then admitted to the building, and afterwards the visitors wore entertained to afteinoon tea at' the Coronation Tea Room.