THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13846, 6 March 1909, Page 7

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

AND THE INSTITUTE. Some steps were taken last . night towards closing up the. gap between the Timaru Mechanics' Institute and the Public Library. - Tho Borough Council had invited the Mechanics' Institute Committee to a conference, and the committee,. meeting first at the Institute, nine members being present, passed a. resolution requesting the Council "to take over the Institute at once (tho librarian's term of notice Expiring next Monday week), and recommending that it be run on the present lines until the new library is ready for use. It was mentioned that the present liabilities, as far as received, amount to £199 15s 6d.

The comTnittee then- adjourned to the Borouglv Council Chamber for the conference with the Council, which had been sitting as usual in general committee, all Councillors present but tivo.

• The Mayor made a statement in explanation of the Council's position in reference to the matter, and made some suggestions regarding the management of the Public Library., The building, he said, would bo completed in a few weeks, and the Council liad appointed a librarian, who would be able to take charge on the loth inst. The librarian" would have a good deal to do in classifying the books and preparing a catalogue, and with the help of a committee * ordering new books. The Act required the three trustees of the Institute; Messrs W. H. Foden, J. Jackson, and D. West, to appoint a valuer, and the. Council must appoint one, and, if necessary, an' arbitrator would be appointed by the valuers." Then whatever value was put upon the section and buildings, that., sum the Council must spend in fitting up the library and the purchase of bonks. The present fittings would be use J* as far as*- tbey were suitable, and the rest should not cast more than £2OO. The Council had agreed. to his suggestion that about half the total should be spent at once, and the expenditure of the other half, with the interest upon it, be spread over some He thought the property would be valued at anything between £ISOO and £2OOO, and the half of that would give them £IOO a year for new books for eight,

ten or twelve years, and that with a penny rate should rim the library in the; meantime, besides "which - there slionld be some revenue." He. urged that the "Library should be stoc-Ked wjtli good healthy literature, and that the Council would starve out the rub.bish, of which there Mvas too :mucli

jead nowadays, and he hoped; that a rgneat point would be made of having -a>good -reference library.. An im-' rjioriant question was the uso to be made 1 ! of the- library. He thought that ratepayers-anH reritpayers of the borough should! be entitled to take out books, and if all of these took out books they would need an extensive library, for there were over ' 2000 of, theih. . Vfhe Mayor proceeded to make two suggestions. There were, he said, a good many; people outside the Borough ■who would like to have the use of the library, who would be greatly disapponited if they could not do so; but . they could not expect the ratepayers to . provide books" for them for nothing. Looking over the building he saw- a room- that-would not be wanted just yet for public library purposes, and his . first "suggestion,—which would: be strictly in accordance with Mr Carnegie's conditions—was that the library should "let"-this room for a subscribers'" library; to be founded in this' way. He ! would himself .give £IOO, if the public subscribed! £2OO, : and the Borough .Council added £2OO. Mr Mellows said . the usual price of books for circulation was about 3s, so that £SOO would provide 3000 boks —a'good start. This lib-

" rary could be managed by the same -"stiff. as the public'. lijjrary, v and' with a gopd number of subscribers it should ■r. be able to pay £IOO a year for the room .* ancl.the services of the staff, and have V £IOO a' year to spend on books. The borough ratepayers and householders •' could.subscribe to this library, as well 7. as,.have a right to take books out of = the "public one. . His second,"suggestion was . that' instead of having two lib-

raries, to have only one, and allow all outsiders to take out books for a sub~6cri£tion of say 10s a year. It could not have been Air Carnegie's intention that"- people who contributed nothing through the rates should have the right to take out.books provided by the ratepayers. He thought the separate library would be the best.

Mr Foden, chairman of the Institute Committee, asked whether a valuation was necessary, and the. Act, being appealed to, showed that a valuation is required. Mr Foden pointed out that the present librarian's time is nearly up, rnd' that it was desirable that the Council should take of or the Institute. . "Mr • Foden asked wliother the committee • ought to call in all the books. The Mayor answered yes; Councillor Schmidt thought it unnecessary; and

Mr Foden said it would be useless, as ' they would he- going out again before the library could he shifted. Another rea-

son for desiring to hand it over was that the liabilities were increasing. The Institute had not paid its way for

a long time 011 subscriptions only. The rates were reduced some years ago, iu the expectation that an increased number .of subscribers would yield increased revenue—and, the revenue dropped £BO a year.

A general discussion followed, in ,the course of which Mr Foden said there must he light reading provided if they wished to get many readers. Councillor Hawkey thought the Counvil wero limited to the penny rate; they could not charge ratepayers the rate and a subsidy too.

The Mayor, referring to the first suggestion, said it would be an independent library, and it would ease the Council by the annual rent afterwards. The secretary to the Institute pointed out that there were only 180 subscribers now, and at 10s that nuin-

ber would only provide £9O aH»i also suggested that a double library would cause confusion. At the renuest of Councillor Bowktv Mr Carnegie's letter of conditions was read, and this showed that he contemplated a library for "the people of limaru," for he added that if .1 larger area M-as taken into the borough he might consider Mr Craigie's request for an increased grant. t . . . . The case of young men living in the borough wlio are 'neither ratepayers nor rentpayers was mentioned, and the Mayor thought they should have the same right as people outside the borough, while Councillor Hawkey contended that they wore "people of Timaru." Councillor Schmidt commended th 6 Mayor for his generous offer, but he thought the second suggestion the best. At anyrate they could start with that, and if found, advisable could adopt the other proposal later on. The' deputation thanked the Mayor and Council and retired, with'the understanding that the Committee were to get the Trustees to appoint a valuer as soon as possible.

The Council further discussed the matter. It was pointed out that there , must be a limit to the number of books a ratepayer could be allowed to. take, and if the limit was one, this would not do for a family, therefore many ratepayers would be willing to pay for the privilege of taking out more than one book. ■ The result of the consideration of the matter was that Mr Virtue, the borough valuer, was appointed to value the property for the Council, to report to, the Council on Monday evening.

Most of the Councillors in the course iif ; 'their remarks commented on ' the generosity of tlie Mayor's offer.