Library Committee.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1717, 26 May 1886, Page 2

Library Committee.

A special meeting of the Palmerston North Library Committee was held yesterday m the Council Chamber. Present — Messrs R. Leary (chair), Wray, Ferguson, aucl C, Walker. . The minutes of last meeting read and confirmed. , The Chairman stated to the meeting that the first business they would have to consider would be the question of admitting or otherwise the placing of freethought literature m the public reading room. The Committee were doubtless aware there had been a good deal of coirtinotion raised'with reference to, the exclusion of certain! papers from the Library. They were also aware that as far aa freethought journals .were con.cerned, consent to allow them to be placed m the Library had neither been asked or given ; that being so, when he had been informed that they were on the tabUs of the Institute he had thought it his duty to order their discontinuance. He did not deem it . necessary to pall a special meeting of the Committee for the purpose inasmuch as they had. not been authorised previously. The Chairman read the following letter trozn Mr Carroll : — . ..... . : Mr R. Leary, Chairman Library Committee. Dear Sir, — Your action m instructing the librarian -not to, allow, the Rationalist, Watchman,. Liberajqr, T^ar Cry, or Church Chronicle toY.be oh the tables of the Public Library Ido object and protest against. These papers lire given free of post, they are not immoral or obscene, they are permitted to be printed and have' a. large circulation m this country and? throughout the. Colonies, and whether .they are. religious or secular the public ou<sht not. to be denied the liberty to read them. I write, you this m a. .friendly, spirit, and hope' 1 you' will give for these papei'3 to be put on,. the library tables this day; if pot I shall bring itbefore the ratepayers and the There are many with me m this matter, and there is ,a , growing dissatisfaction at your action, which" it would be well for the three or four members df the r (S6mmittee arid you to attend. — : I am, &c, ••-■ -■■'-■• --James Cabroll. He Would also state thatw,hen he >, was first told of the nationalist au^Xibo'dior papers,; he had also been informed that other religious papers were on ]the table,, these he had. ordered to be removed." ' ■ >■ '. ■.. ..;., .',..'. The following reply was sent to Mr Carroll:— ' .-■■•.< : .- '■'.'. .-.. , ; Mr; J. Carroll. Dear Sir, — I am m receipt of your favor of this date objecting to the removal of certain papiers from the Eeading.Roorn tables. ; I beg to say m reply that it is tbe province of the Committee to order papers, &c, for the Reading Room,' and that the reason I requested the custodian to remove the papers you. -refer -to- is that ; . the Cpmmittee had riot ordered or sanctioned those papers and had not even been consulted as to the propriety ot placing them there. As therefore- the papers had been introduced without the Committee's knowledge or consent, it was manifestly my duty as chairman to order their removal bo soon as my attention was directed to the fact. As I am simply the mouthpiece of the Committee m the matter I have no right to order that these papers be again placed on the table as you request, but an order must come from the Committee as a whole. lam sorry to hear of the growing dissatisfaction you speak of. I was not aware of it. The Committee have done the best they could for the institution Which they have m charge. The Committee will not have a regular meeting for some time, but as you say you are representative m this matter, if you desire, me to call the members, together to consider the question of a'dmittine.tiie.papeirs you' refer to I will do so.— -I am, &c. f ' '" . ; -, . ... , „ 'R. Leary. Mr Carroll replied ;tp : the above as follows.:— . . . ■, „ ",.. : . ' ■•'•■' .:■•■' • R. Leary, Esq. Sir,— ln reply to yours bf 20th tarn thah'kf Ul f or the information, 'contained r-tjh'ecein,- : and m order to" facilitate the replacement of the papers at present removed I would request youas Chairman of the Library Oojnmitteto call the members together at your very earliest convenience for the purpose of considering the matter and granting the necessary permission. — I am, &c, : , '•' ' ; ; James Cabroll'. : The following letter was read from Mr McColl:— . . . .';• .;,-■. , . - Mr Richard Leary. Dear Sir,— As the public and the press have made known their wishes" with regard to the papers being withdrawn from the Public Reading Rooms, it is not necessary for me to notice the matter further at this time, pnly to say that those papers are registered and it is the duty of every man to guard, keep, and preserve privileges that have been won after the many generations of persevering effort and attained through woe and suffering -fdi< the freedom of the Pressv , My-obje^Vin^writina; now is to askydi^^rmislslicittfto present a valuable Bibley-^/edst^b* gniDeas, for' the use ot the Eabjic Boom, on these conditions, That ; it.#3 placed m a conspicuous place m the room where the papers are read and where the public can at any time read it without having to ask- permission of anyone durinsr the hours the public are admitted to the rooms; also that the five papers lately withdrawn are again placed on the table as heretofore.r— l am, &c., . 3 as.. MoColl. The Chairman of the meeting stated that there was a distinct request that the papers should be replaced, and it was for theai to decide whether they, should or should not do so. It had been said that as a Committee they had neither power to allow or disallow what papers or literature .should be used. It such Were so, then the sooner the C6mraitt.ee Ms extinct the better, and the, Borough Council take over their responsibility - and instruct the custodian to act. As far •as he. individually was . concerned, ■ he might say that he considered they would be justified m. maintaining the action that had been carried put m the' past, being also guided, as far as considered advisable, by the regulations of Libraries m other towns.; with the latter object; jin view he had communicated with Wanganui m the matter- and received- the following reply by telegram ; "-All re ligous and freethought literature is excluded from Library," a similar reply had been received from ftew Plymouth. Mr Ferguson did not agree with the letter addressed to. the Committee by Mr McColl. He did not think that Mr Hall, who wrote the letter,- represented the public, or that the> public had., exoressed theniselves m any way on the subject. Mr Wray remarked that the only public action taken had been the publishing of some strong letters m the I^newspapers on the matter.' ' ■ : Mr Ferguson replied that that was nothing. It was not the place or privilege of any man to dictate to the Comrn'ittee what they should d 0 . ,. Until; this affair had taken place", he was not aware that anything was on the tables, otherwise than was sanctioned by the Committee, sectarian or f reethough. He .const jered the lines hitherto adopted shonll he carried out. Mr C. Walker said he, had been appointed a member of the Committee by. the Council, m the interests of the constituents; He was entirely: ignorant of the commotion till he received a- paper marked specially for his. benefit, he then made further- searches and found articles m other issues. The committee had been challenged with not doing its duty to the -ratepayers by acting as it had. After reading the articles referred to he also noticed communications by correspondents on the subject. He was of opinion that a liberty had beeri" taken by some person or persons placing literature m the reading room which was very, objectionable to many members of the community, and if their (the" committee) hands were to be tied, he, for one, would certainly not continue m a position perfectly dependent on the voice of the community, '■'"'■' The Chairman remarked that they had a specific. appUoation before them with wbjobtliey bad bitter dtil m ioat

Mr Wray -th,en proposed^ the following motion :-7That|*ll bppoks, papers, periodicals advbfeatirig FreethoughtjiJl 1 * ; fidelity, or any pther, particular sect K^r religion, be excluded from- v the Public .c | Reading room. He5 } (BohsjH^ed,he^ad^:^ done his very" best for. the public !';; v Ss ; •••'£*' comuiitteeman and would firmly adhere to the resolution which, if not satisfactory, he would be only too glad to resign his position and make room for someone else. Mr Ferguson, m seoonding this motion, considered that any periodicals of any kiud whatever, being,, sectarian, should have no right m the ; Librjiry. v The Chairman ...remarked that" "the ,-. motion had also his approval. By adopt- ' j ing it they would be following out "the lines laid down by Government m regard : to edncation, and which were,, he considered the safest to adopt. ; - '*''■'■'," - The motion was declared oarriedf and the meeting then adjourned. ' ,