THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY.—IMPORTANT TO SUBSCRIBERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1807, 5 February 1884, Page 2

THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY.— IMPORTANT TO SUBSCRIBERS.

Tin: last annual repoit of this I'biaiy, as published in our last Saturday's impression, satisfactorily indicates the piacfcic.il intsiest winch the people of Cambridge take in the welfare of the int>titution, and shows an mci easing desne on their pa.it to niaintain its present flourishing condition. It will be quite evident to the casual isitor that the piesent building is altogether inadequate for the aceomodation of the library, the room being o\ei-ciowdcd with books, and the building, geneially, is altogether out of keeping with the thru ing appearance of the tow n. At the meeting on Wednesday evening, asti oiig opinion w as o\ pressed by those piesent that the contemplated improvements were urgently lequired, and that immediate steps towards giviug eifect thereto could no longer be deferred. It is very pleasing to find the member b so combined in tins important matter, but the carrying out of the improvements lequires moio than a mere expression of opinion on the part of the subscribers — it requires the almost mm ei sal approval and consent of the ratepayer-, ; and, therefoie, if the subscriber of the library desire to h.ue a suitable building — if they desho to see the loan voted for the purpose — they must e\eit themselves with the ratepayers, with whom the real power of borrowing tests. We are fully aware that ratepayers, as a rule, are always on the look out against new rates- being inflicted, no matter for what purpose, and unless those who seek to stiike the rate can .show conclusively that their object in doing so is one of great benefit to the ratepayers, they need hardly trouble themselves to secure a poll in its favour. It is our object m the present article to point out to the ratepayers that m consenting to the loan sought to be raised for this puipo.se they will not in any way be imposing on themselves a fiesh burden ; on the contiary, we believe it may be looked upon as a matter of form, and considciiug this fact we do not think they will be so perverse or obstinate as to obstiuct in any way the raising of the loan. We cannot do better than quote the iemaiks winch fell fiom Mr J. P. Thomson on this subject when the matter w as bi ought under the notice of the subscribers on Wednesday. He lequested the chauman and the other niembeis present to bear in mind that in oider to succeed in raising the loan applied for, for the improvement of the library building and Public Hall, it was absolutely necessary that one half of the votes recoided on the poll being taken should be in favour of the loan, and failing this the proposal would inevitably fall through. He would therefore urge upon the members individually to use their influence with the ratepayers to record their votes on the light side when the day of polling arrived. In doing so they should endeavour to impress upon the minds of all interested that with the present prospeious condition of the library its income would be sufficient to recoup the interest and sinking fund orr its own portion of the loan, and that in that case the rate, which would be levied if the loan were raised, would not require to be collected at all, and this he believed would be the case. He concluded by instancing the handsome surplus on the year's working, as shown on the balancesheet.