THE Kaipara Advertiser. AND WAITEMATA CHRONICLE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1913.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 30 April 1913, Page 2

THE Kaipara Advertiser. AND WAITEMATA CHRONICLE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1913.

THE PUBLIC LIBIiARY.

At last Town P>oard meeting a letter was read from the Library Committee, which asked if tho Board would take control of tho institution, and if so, what would the "Board do in regard to the upkeep and attendance, also as to improvement of the library. The 1 own Board very wisely refrained from coming to an immediate decision on the question, and deferred same until next meeting. As there has been practically no information published as to what motive prompted tho letter, and no dotails accompanied the application, the Jboard evidently hope to glean some knowledge in the interim. From the enquiries we have made it seems that the institution is not being supported as it should be, which fact evidently prompted the notice of motion given by Mr Spinlcy at a recent Libraiy Committee meeting, the outcome of which was the letter scut to the Board. The L/ibrary Committee does not definitely state its intention of handing over control of its affairs to the 'Town Board, hut we may say at the outset we do not see the wisdom of such being done uuder prevailing conditions. Were the local authorities in possession of substantial municipal building-, then it may be advisable for library affairs to be under their control. At tho present tiim-, however, the Board [oi, live membersy lias suiheieni duties in the way ot local government by looking after the interests of ratepayers, without having anything addi- ! tidiial passed on to them, particularly the affairs of an institution that can be just as well a.tended to by other representative townspeople. The Board should reasonably support th«. insiitution byway of subsidy, as is done by the Government. If tho library languishes for lack of subscribers an effort should be made to make it more attractive. The advantages of having a woll-equipped library in any district are innumerable. No person's education finishes at the school or college—the whole of the alter life is a school of learning; and the

payment of a small annual subscription gives access to a wealth of literature that would otherwise be beyond the reach of many people. The more support such an institution receives and the wider becomes its scope in catering for the varied tastes of a community, for the greater becomes its spending power for securing desirable literature. We hope to see the library make substantial progress without any radical change in the system, of management.