PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 40, 27 February 1878, Page 3

PUBLIC LIBRARIES.

' .^Mr.-'Q* fiQrk.e.haß f\ddpc!s.sediailetter • to the Auckland] "• Herald"" contain r ing inf ormatipjv prove in T . i^restirig.aiidr^ttsefpl tp,t^ip_*etitlers.of : Featherston, - -Grey town,, Oar^terton* ' "^lEstertori, arid; Tenuii.vrlierp public. : "dhraries eithqr,. hay.c. jiqen,. or ought* toybe, established] Iti will' hpseen : that, the Education, BQar.cb.is. poweEpd;. to giv,e. iq cash, oy boojris. 20s fpr. every 20s raisedby voluntary 'SUibsQr^ptipns.. My Olßqrkesays :— The; Public Libraries Siibsiflies Apt passed" last session proposes i to.oonrtributjpj.a^ f^ar/as the- iundsia]lqwed' tpMth^ province will afifp.ij;-, one;, pound* qr orie.ppund's : >v.orth : . ofrboolcs for every, pqund' subscribed- hy mem-: hers off cibjUn try libraries. It willbft the duts them o% the managers of* to furnish the Board of Edticatipn w^hsthe amount qf subscriptions paidt itp cfcuHngtbe greviouß. year, apd it will be the duty qf the Boar,d hawpg reqei V£d{certified statements of these, subspriptionsi^omall'librafies which are.now, qstftblished', or shsfjl be establifched'.bel^re the 30th qfJlinqnextH .*feQ»apply tp th(B CqlpriialTreasurqr fop a,sha£,e qf the £5000 grant eqiiivialent! to tjh[esq subscriptiqpß. It is bjjjg^y.7]eqesaary to point out hovy necpe'sriary. it into.qall.iji suJbscriptaons now clue an 4; to. canvass for fresh subEtcri pi ibnsy,as. every subscription will hearf ruit ; twofpldi—^e prijneipie of the gr^pt heing to; -b;ilp, tjios© who will help t^P_oseYv,bs. ; The law empqjyers thq.Ednca|iqn Boards to. majjie. the Goverumpiit qpntribuiion. eithnr- ki ? ho©ks 015- m , gash, a« they sliajl think, fit. U*nd>r%e provincial syst^ni, th_e grantsAVeremUide inrariably ia, books,- but lip bqpka ; we imposed oii, libraries - but thpse i named 1 liy tho inagiager.s, of the. libraries the, committee of" thp-Pro^indai charged with the.distribufaoii ofj thegrant acting qntheprinqiple that the public funds ijhouM; bp. einendqd - on : works of •^AM^CMec-Vure, but^ Ayhije. ex-

ercising the power of selection from lists of books submitted, to them by the Libra,ry Committee, m no case prescribing any particular books. Whether the new; Board will adopt the system of giving books, or the easier pno of handing- over the oash uncontrolled to the libraries, it isim- ;. possible tb say ; but-" if any libraries 1 wish that the- Government aid hp giyep m bcvp^s, a list of the badks desired should be furnished, m prdpr that immediate steps should be taheh towards procuring the requisite works.. The grant which has been made j by the j^egislature for the current ; veap OAfttemplates twa classes of ■ libraries -liberies m thp large tojWns | supported: by local ratea» which, ; while . almo.st imperceptiblie to the [ratepayer, will be ample, -when m,et I by. a.ll equivalent f rom . the public j funds, to iriajnta,in what wiU become , iv time, noble the crown and glory of the land ; andj secondly, ' libratixes m country districtsj w,here, the population being-- sparse, the ' locality is. not ripe. f;Or establish ing i a library by rp^eans of a tax, which j is, as is found at home, the- most asj sured mpa,n% of nja^ntaining s.u-ch institutions., | For.^^ coujatry^^^ dißtrijcta, then, the . system, of" volun,tary subscriptipns must be hap! r;ecpurse to j and th;ese ; I voluntary ' efforts iv, the cau*se. of jfearniiig are" deserving of the liberal BU pport no^ b|Eered b-y the Governr | merit forthe exjiensjioij, of existing Uhraries,, 'andr the creation of. new dries. Althoiigh the present g^ant 'is only an apnuaj, rhayenp doubt , that the people, will, thpoiigh. their i reprpsen,tsitiyes insist on, majiihg it 'perennial.; -