MR GILLIES IN EXPLANATION.

Evening Star, Issue 3252, 23 July 1873, Page 3

MR GILLIES IN EXPLANATION.

To the Editor. gin,—On perusing th e Daily Timm's attack on Mr Clark, I sent the enclosed to that paper on the 17th inst., and waited until yesterday to see if it would appear. I wrote yesterday to have it returned, and having received it this morning, I have now to request you to publish it.—l am &0., J J. L. Gillies. Dunedin, July 22. To the Editor of the Daily Times, Sm, -1 regret to observe that my friend Mr Clark has on my account come under your censure. As my position in the chair of the Provincial Council renders it inconvenient to give notices of questions or pjqtions in my own name, when I wish to do sp I usually obtain tj}e aervjpea of some members of the House, and the question in re grants to public libraries, was put by Mr Clark at my request. Unfortunately, I had to proceed to Palmerston and Macraes very early on Saturday morning, returning to Duucdin on Tuesday nieht, and although I met with many copies of the Morniny Star on my travels I was not so fortunate in regard to the Dally Times, and therefore was ignorant of your notice in Saturday’s issue on the question that had been put. I have now to respectfully request that you, in this matter, turn all your quibbling, special pleading, and brulwm fuhnen on my devoted head. lam quite content that the public decide as to what is conveyed, and evidently intended to be conveyed by the following extract from your leader of the 9th iust., by reason of which the question was asked—

A considerable number of these institutions have of late been in the habit of receiving Government aid, either in the shape of land or money grants, or books, which have all been sot down under the head of “Grants to Public Libraries." It is now proposed to set apart bOO acres of land as an endowment for “ every Public Library” in the Province under certain conditions to be prescribed by the Government. If any of our readers will take the trouble to turn up the lists of these so-called Public Libraries” as they appear in the various Bine Books, they will, wo think, ho not a little staggered to 'discover that not only have all tin* Variously designated institutlop’s been ipclvuled in them, but that'they also contain in addition the various libraries in connection with the public schools, a number of others of which, as samples, we give: AVakatip Hospital, St Paul’s Library, Dunedin Police Library, Knox Church Sunday School Library, Dunedin Gaol, &c., and they will agree with ns that the proposition to endow “ every” such institution will require serious consideration before it is adopted. Institutions have been receiving Government aid either in land, money grants, or books, which have been set down under the head of “ Grants to Public Libraries.” In the lists of these so-called public libraries are includednot only variously designated institutions, and librarieein connection with the publics chooh, but a number of others of which, as samples, are given—viz , Wakatip Hospital, St. Paul’s Library, Dunedin Police Library, Knox Church Sunday School Library, &c. How ingeniously public and denominational libraries are mixed up. I had no wish to reflect on the writer of the article in question, as the error he fell into was one which was induced by the manner in which the statement is made in' the Hue Books from which he ’ noted'} but having heard a charge made

againi the Government o! favoritism to the two clurches mentioned, on the strength of your article, I conceived it was my duty to have die true facts brought out and put on rccort, and really feel ill at ease if, in so doing I have destroyed the equanimity of your emper. Sir, I can excuse the error ot the 9h, but the shameful, miserable attempt to qiibble which appears in yours of the 12th s deserving of the severest reprehension, for instead of finding fault with the queston having been put, any respectable jourmlist would have expressed his regret that any statement appearing in his paper should have tended to mislead, and thankfulnas to the gentleman who had been the meais of correcting the wrong impression con vtyed. —Yours, &c., John L. Gillies. Dinedin, July 17.