THE BUILDING.

Waipawa Mail, Volume L, Issue 101, 20 May 1929, Page 3

THE BUILDING.

HOW THE MONEY, WAS RAISED. INTERESTING PARTICULARS. The structure is unquestionably one of which the people of Otane and district have good reason to be proud. Solidly built of concrete by Mr James Ashby to his own design, it is compact and convenient in every respect. The Town Board and the Bank of New Zealand occupy the front offices on each side of the main entrance, which also gives access to a spacious library, The doctor’s and Plunket

rooms are self-contained and are reached by a separate entrance at the rear. The contract price was £I2OO, and sundries raised the total to £1250.

As the commemorative tablet states, the money was raised by public effort, over a period of two years, the total being £944 6s 4d, and there is a debt of £305 13s 8d remaining to be wiped off in time to come. During 1927 the sum of £2l 19s 5d was raised by concerts and donations. In 1928 £824 19s 7d was gathered in, sports contributing £2, donations £SB 6d, the carnival £759 13s 7d (net), and concerts £5. This year £27 7s 4d has been added to the total—sports £5 16s, concerts £6 11s 4d, and donations £ls. As a result of the carnival the committee were able to hand over £ll9 5s 7d to the Plunket Society, £9l 13s 3d to the school, and £4l 19s lOd to the Girl Guides. Part of the premises will bring in revenue amounting to about £37 a year, but upkeep and caretaker’s salary will absorb more than that. Further expenditure will also be necessary to lay out the grounds and erect a fence, but this will come in good time. Whilst the committee have been working whole-heartedly to get the new building the library itself has not been starved, and the supply of new books has been steadily maintained. That the library is an institution appreciated by residents of the district is evident from the fact that there are upwards of 70 subscribers, and the annual fee is the modest sum of 7s 6d.