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At the meeting of the Board of Governors on Thursday, Mr Fcreday brought forward a motion, which Dr Turnbull proved very conclusively to be, as far as the past is concerned, totally unnecessary. So much is evident, even after making due allowance for the fact that the Chairman objected to Dr Turnbull’s figures in one or two respects. Opinions seem to differ as to one or two items of account; bnt there is no contention, as far as we could see from the remarks of the, various speakers, that any moneys derived from the Museum and Technical School endowments have reached the circulating library or the reading-room. Mr Faraday's motion, then, deals entirely with the future. Before discussing it, we may remark on the grave nature of the chargee which Dr Turnbull has brought against the management of the Library. Hbe has slated thecasecorrectly itisdear that the ciroutattaglibraryhas, doringeightyears, not only not [received a penny of endowment, but that it has been deprived of nearly £I7OO of its own fond*. The Chairman asserted against this conelusion that “every shilling derived from tbo Library had been expended upon It." Bnt this does not seem to meet the charge, which is not that moneys derived from the Library have been spent risewbeife, but that the moneys voted by Parliament for the Library have not reached it. The Oh airman also found fruit with an item of the accounts as wrong. So frr, then, there is a dispute as to the correctness of the accounts. Would it not have been better if the Board of Governors had determined to make the accounts correct before banging them up in the Library for public Inspection? The fact that they were eo hong up is proof, either that the Board has bungled by asking the public to satisfy itself on an important point by the aid of figures that are debateable; or that the Board accepts the figures, in spite of the Chairman, as correct Which is it ? Before commenting on the figures, we pause lor a reply. With regard to the future. Dr Turnbull, and the Her 0. Fraser, who seconded his proposal to postpone the difoaesion for the benefit of pubUo opinion, both hold that Mr Fereday'a motion is likewise oat of place. Aa Mr Grigg said, it is a question of the interpretation of a statute. But that is not the main questions! alt Whether lawyers differ as they generally do, or whether they perform the rare feat of mutual agreement, the public has a right to express its opinion on the subject in dispute. The question whether or not the law allows a certain thing to be done, ie for the lawyers. The wider question of whether that thing ought to be done with consent of the taw as it stands, or by amendment of the taw, is the question for the public. Mr Fereday and Mr Cowliahaw hold different views as to the power of the Board to use certain endowments for the Library. The public, wo imagine, wants to see the Library carried on somehow; if the money can be found without the endowments, well and good; if it cannot, then the public would like the endowments to be made available if they are not so already. The value of the circulating library and reading-room does not seem to be absolutely burnt with letters of fire into the minds of some of the members of the Board of Governors. There is nst any ground, beyond the opinion of the man in the street, for including the reading-room in this unhappy category. We will therefore confine our remarks entirely to the circulating library, in the hope that the man in the street may be wrong. The circulating library seems to be despised as a disseminator of cheap novels. Nobody has sold that it ought to be suppressed. But the intention of Mr Fereday, we fear, in making his motion, was that the circulating lj. bravy, which he knows matt be carried on, should he left to its own devices. Now, that Library can he made exceedingly useful to the public. The publio is entitled to have everything that is newest and best in literature, and if it gets only novels, and poor ones at that, the duty of the Board of Governors is to take steps to better the supply of books. On this subject the Rev 0. Fraser gave the Board some very excellent hints. For our part we should like to see the whole subject of the book selection gone thoroughly into. The system of leaving a great deal to a bookselling firm, whose selection is more likely to be guided by pecuniary interest than by literary knowledge, is, w® are given to understand, the system now in vogue. We should like to see the matter ventilated, XI that be the system, we think it would he better to pay some one of proved literary competency to select the newest books as they corns out, than to allow the selector to pay himself by the ordinary profits of a business. For the other books literary assistance undoubtedly, as Dr Turnbull suggests, would be an advantage to toe Library Committee. When the whole subject comes up again for discussion we hope to see (ho Board of Governors with its mind made up to place the circulating library on the most liberal, progressive, and satisfactory footing.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18811224.2.18

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6498, 24 December 1881, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
905

Untitled Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6498, 24 December 1881, Page 4

Untitled Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6498, 24 December 1881, Page 4

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