THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6509, 6 January 1882, Page 5

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

TO THE EDITOB. Sib,—Absence from Ohrietchuroh has prevented my eailier noticing tho leading artiole which appeared in your iseuo of the 24th nit. Itß comments on the motion brought forward by mo at the meeting of the Board of Governors of tho Canterbury College, can hardly fail to create, in tho minds of your readers, a misconception of the object o* auoh motion. I would usk why you omitted to quoto the words of the motion, which these—- " That no money arising from tho reserves of the Canterbury 'Museum, Library and Sohool of Teohmcal Soienoo bo expended on tho Library, so far as relatos to tho circulating department and reading-room." Tho "Canterbury Museum and Library Ordinance, 1870," vested tho specimens of natural history, books, piotures, manuscripts, statues and othor objects then deposited in the Canterbury Museum, in the trustees. Tho "Canterbury Museum and Library Ordinance Amendment Ordinance, 1878," pro* vides that such specimens, &c, should be held | by tho College for the specific purposes con- \ templated by the Qrdinance of 1870, and that all endowments made for the purpose of

the said Museum, Library, and School of Technical Hoience should be applied for the speoijio object* for which such endowment* wer* originally granted, and the College ii expressly forbidden to apply any part of the fundi derived from suoh endowments to any other purposes; and it is clear that such Library, as contemplated by the Ordinance, was intended to be a Scientific Library in connection with the Museum and School of Technical Science. The Mechanics' Institute Library—an entirely separafceinstitution—havingbeenhanded over to the Government, was, subsequently to the pacing of the said Ordinances and the establishment of the Library in connection with the Museum and School of Technical Science, transferred to the College, and the College, in the deed of transfer, expressly covenanted to maintain a circulating department and reading room. The two libraries were afterwards placed together in the building now known as the Public Library, and the scientific works have been placed in the Reference part of tbe Library, and, for good reasons, not allowed to be circulated. I therefore contend that inasmuch as the Ordinanoo forbids the appropriation of the funds derived from the endowments of the Museum, Library, and School of Technical Science, to any other than the specific purpose for which Buch endowments were originally granted, such fund cannot, without a breach of trust, be applied to the circulating department or reading-room of the Publio library. I mean by tbe term reading-room, the read-ing-room as now constituted.

Dr Turnbull wishes to make it appear that my motion was intended to do away with the circulating library and reading-room, knowing that otherwise his argument* would form no reasonable opposition thereto. That the motion was not so intended is clear from the fact of my stating that the Governors of the College wore bound by the covenant in the deed of transfer of the Mechanics' Institute library to maintain a circulating department and reading room ; but it does not follow that the funds in question are to bo applied to that purpose. You, Sir, I should imagine, would not consider the Governors justified in committing a breach of trust, though such breach of trust might be a benefit to persons using the Library. Beferring to your remarks, I would say that as to Dr Turnbull "proving very conclusively " that my motion was, " as far as the past is concerned, totally unnecessary," the motion speaks for itself; and if Dr XurnbulTs arguments were urged to prove such conclusion, he gave himself much unnecessary trouble, and sadly wasted the time of his audience. No interpretation can possibly give a past significance to my motion. You fear that my intention in making the motion was that the circulating library " should be left to its own devices." lam not quite dear as to your meaning, but I ! certainly intended that funds belonging to other institutions should not be wrongfully appropriated to such Library, especially whilst one of such institutions—the School of Technical Science, which I firmly believe will, if not orippled in its resources, be of inestimable value to the Province—is sadly in want of such funds. Now, as to "the grave nature of the charges which Dr Turnbull has brought against the management of the Library," they were made on a statement of accounts hastily furnished for his information, and whioh he was informed required revision. That such a statement will, when revised, entirely refute Dr Tumbull's charges, I am quite confident. You ask if it would not have been better if the Board of Governors had determined to make the accounts correct before hanging them up in the Library for public inspection; and you say : " The fact that they were so hung np 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, ae correct." I answer that the Governors did determine to make the accounts correct before hanging them up in the Library; but whether they were or were not so cerreoted and hung up I cannot say, owing to my absence from Christchurch. In conclusion, I would say that Dr Turnbull is one of the last persons that should make such a charge against the Board of which he himself is a member ; and which he scarcely ever favours with his presence or assistance, except when he attends for the purpose of finding fault with something the Board or one of its Committees may have done or omitted. You will oblige me by an insertion of this letter in your next issue.—l am, Ac, B. W. FEBEDAY. Drayton Station, Bakaia, Jan. 5,1882.