Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1885. Literary Institutes.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1773, 18 December 1885, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1885. Literary Institutes.

& We fear that some of the Literary Institutes f\ iu the Wairarapa are in a bad way. For a '-■"» time past it has been felt by the Cornio.. 0 " »ii S Greytown Institute that the rnittee 01 ... '- not appreciate the public generally uu . ~* : «o room and i advantages offered by a free public library, and it has not been witnou. going to the Town Lands Trust for help that the institute has been kept going. The committee have done their best with the limited means at their disposal, fresh periodicals have i lieen laid upon the reading room table and , some of the latest works have been added to the library, but apparently without any good affect, It is the same at Master ton. At the I Borough Council meeting held in that town on Tuesday night Councillor Muir moved " That the management of the Institute be undertaken by the Council on and after the 31st March next." He brought the matter forward as a public duty. The income of the institute amounted to £250, while the amount froms subscription only amounted to £so—iu other words, what was the chief income in other places was not sufficient to pay for lighting. They had a good supply of books, but it seemed to him that there was something radically wrong. They should have a fair sutpliß of income over expenditure. It did not look well for the institute that they should only have about iO or ."50 subscribers. Successive committer!-. when they wanted money, in place of enlarging their lists, had got into the habit of deputationizing either the Council or the Town Lands Trust. As the Council was responsible for the management, they should, under the circumstances, carry it on themselves. He thought it was not worth, wnile to spend £250 a year for the sake of providing books for only 40 or 50 people. The Daily, in speaking upon the subject says the Masterton library has undoubtedly been languishing for some time. " From some cause that yet remains to be explained, the number of subscribers has grown beautifully less as the population of the town and its surroundiug districts expanded, and the revenue, in place of showing an increase of at least ten or fifteen per cent per annum, has been falling off. This state of affairs certainly cannot be attributed to a lack of books, for there are at the present time upwards of fifteen hundred works on the catalogue, many of them being new, while a large number of the older standard authors are well represented.'' It is not at all creditable to any town when such institutions languish for want of support, and we hope that our readers will take the hint and show by their patronage that they recognise the fact that our publio libraries and reading rooms aro worth having. There are some persons J who spend an hour or two iu iI:o reading rooms day after day throughout the y .■•<•: and who never subscribe o penny. While v.c b.-o pleased to see a reading room well patronised we like to see a [ little conscience in the matter, and v/ould that such persons were as ready to help the Institute as they are to take advantage of the benefits. Knowing the low state of the lundß they should for shamo's sake help.