MASTERTON LIBRARY COMMITTEE

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1048, 14 April 1882, Page 2

MASTERTON LIBRARY COMMITTEE

An adjourned' meeting of the Committee was' held last evening. In the absence of the Mayor Mr D. McGregor, was voted to the chair, there were also present Mossrs Boddington, Feist, Caselberg, Hogg, Sellar, Payton, Grundy and Oarr. A letter was read from the Borough Counoil notifying the appointment of the Committee and the order of business. Mr Carr inquired whether it was not an unusual couwe for the Council to lay down by-laws for the conduct of their business, Mr Payton moved that the letter be acknowledged with thanks, Mr Carr said he had a perfect right to ventilate the question. Mr Caselberg said tho Borough Council were responsible to the ratepayers, and if the Committee differed from the Council all they could do would be to rosign, Mr Carr expressed himself quite satisfied with the explanation. The chairman pointed out that the bylaws of the Council were in harmony with the regulations of tho previous Committee, Mr Pay ton's resolution was carried. Mr Boddinijton.'pointed out that under the regulations tho year terminated on the 31st of Maroh, aud their report might bo called Tor by tho Counoil on the- Ist of April. An application was received from the Mastertbn Debating Society for. the use of the upper room for Mr Pink's lecture, and was acceded to ■ .;.. : jf' 'FINANCE REPORT.' The Finance Committee' then brought up the following report:-" The Committee have to report that the fixed expenditure for the current year omounts to 1115. made up as follows:—salary, i! 52; lighting, £25; firing, printing and advertising, £9; insurance, £10; sundries, £6; newspapers, £l3. The assets or receipts for the same period are assessed at £l7O 16s, made up as follows:—balance of rates 112: balance between overdraft and loan proposed to bo raised, Lls; ralos for year, Li) 0; rents, L 29165; subscriptions, L3O, leaving a balance available for extra expenditure of L 61165. The Committee in reporting on the present funds avail' able for disposal would point out that the amount oould bo augmented considerably by taking the following steps.

Ist, That a subscription list he prepared and that each member of the General Committee endeavor to make au oner getic onnvass of his particular district, holding out as an inducement to subscribe that any person subscribing will bo enrolled as a member of the Institute and will therefore be enabled to have the use of the books to be added to tho Library whioh is honed will be considerable. From this source the committee anticipate a suinof£loowillbe realized, 2nd that the upstairs room be utilized for publio lectures and other purposes which will not interfere with the visitors to the Beading Room and the "committee anticipate that a sum of 115 can be reasonably be expected from this source. '"lf these-steps are taken and theresnlts areas n'riticipated'the'cpmmitteewill have a prqbabje a'niou'nt in excess of expenditure amounting to say £lfj(j tp' purchase new bqqks, procure extra furniture, and otherwise tumish the Institute in a manner worthy of the leading township of the Wnirarapa. The chairman speaking to report said that the sub-committee found that they bad a surplus of recoipts to t)|e extent of |fil, biit beypn| that pothjug'was'ceiiajh'aiid they m'usj; not undertake liabilities beyond that amount. On the motion of seconded by Mr'parr the adootibn 'of the first reconviiendjitioii in the report was earned.

Till, !!.ujis}Jerat}on of the letter pqrtiou of it wjfs jjostpqnod till' tjje jjppk pommjttec's report was taken.'

BOOK COMMITTEE BEr-qltT. The Committee recommended first tijac it. bo permitted to gppnr| L 5 per month oi) tho purchase of now books, and. L'2 10s per mbiith in 'thei purchase of papors and'periodicals, Second, that the House Committee be recommended to fit up tjio upper room as a fibrary and reading i-qqin (ip'sbpi^^ Tlip chairman expressed aiippinimi that ft wa6 premature to fix any definite expenditure fpr papers,' and that'they were not in a position af> present to order new W " '"" ' " ■' Mr Hogg tl|if he did not agree with tho report of the! Boqk'Gqmrnittjio in the matter at the stated sum aslted for, Mr Grundy i))ora} tho amotion of the firep recommendation ji) fhe report', and pointed put tjjo ppyerty of thp reading room table in fh.o way pi paperg. ' '' Mr Payton seconded the' mptiou. Sf'r Pasej(jei.'g sajd j)p iyoijld not support thp grant because |t sfj sivelv smal), He't||Qugi)t that tj]oy would fritter away thejr means month by month under such a proposal. He advocated Bonding to England for books, Mr Payton expressed an opinion that if confidence were not placed in the Book Committee it would be better to do without wre, » « ...

'"'Mi; Grundy said that In sending H«i«6 for bobks'expefrtoce hajfof those ordered o'niy were sent and Usdjcss works were substituted for those notleut. It was penary for flie Book Committee to took out for. i)(?w wojiks li'om time tp time as they came into the coiqny and secuvo' them. " ' ' '" '"' Mr Ciijir thought tl)»t they had suffered in thp past by unjjn a Book .Committee, and advised that fop t!)P future, no books be ordored until they had been approved of by the General Committee. It was then agreed that tho Sub-Coin-mitttee should Bubmit a list of papers uud periodicals to the next meeting. An expression of opinion being given that the Committee should incur an additional ispenditure of from £lO to £2O per an■hum in this direction. Mr Boddingtoi) jn pßcnkJng tp the book question said tljat frorn twenty years' experience on book, committees ho was of opinion that it was necessary to leavu the actual selection of books to the Book Committee. He moved that the Book Committee be authorised to spend a sum of £lO, not hampering it with any conditions, •'

Mr Grundy seconded the motion. • Mr Hngg thought the amount was altogether too large, Money did not go very far, 'ani} qtje good standauj work might coat £}(P Se'ping that they y/ere not in a position to Bpond any cot}BJder : ablp sum of money on standard works it would be bejte'to expett'd'32 on. the cheapest novels, and moved as nn amendment, that £2 ba granted. If they had to throw money away in pet'ronising any local or Wellington book-sellers, the less they threw away the batter. Mr Carr said he was willing to consent to the occasional expenditure of one or two pounds, Mr Payton would prefer seeing a vote of half a crown a month to the book committee, passed, A grant of one or two pounds per month meant forcing the committee to buy nothing but yellow bapk'notyels," His own opinion was > fhat noj: another-'book oF this 'character "should bj admitted jijto tjje'Ljbjiry,'. Thg 'proposal of the bool(CQm|jjitte'e was to place an immediate supply ofjejienjj book's in the Library and as soon asthe committee was in a position to grant a substantial eum for a permanent supply to' ask for it. - Mr Hoggsaid they ought to be in a position to send an order to the cheapest

market for or £4O worth of books at • 00C0, Mr Grundy stated that there was a * great deal of dissatisfaction among sub- ■*. soribers at the paucity of books in the * Library and that it vas necesaary. to have an immediate supply. The amendment was then withdrawn, and the vote of JlO to the Book Committee carried, THIS UPPER BOOM. ; . Mr Boddington desired to know on what ground the Book. Committee recommended the upper room to be ÜBed as a reading room. Mr Hogg said there was a general opinion that the upper room had never been properly utilised, In Victoria some of the most successful reading rooms were upßtairs apartments. The reading room should be made the special feature of (he Institute, so that it would attract a large number of young men. '■ He moved that this portion of the report be ap-. proved. ' ;.. _"' _ ' } Mr Paytou in • seconding it said the Finance Committee assessed of the upper room at £l6pey an/jmj- He was of the opinion that it wouldlJe worth 150 a year to the Institute ; as a reading room. v :

Mr Boddiugton opposed the rrolion. Upstairs rooms were not popular, and business people would go out of their way to read a paper. If the upper room were used its floor would have to' be "covered with linoleum, which alone would cost from L 35 to L4D; It would also be an inconvenient room in which to place's Library. The present rooms were all that would be required till the expiration of their term of office. After that if the increasing demands of readers made it necessary to move up, let them do so by all means. ■ .

Tke chairman considered Mr Boddington had exhausted the question and agreed with him. The motion was then put and lost. Ayes—Messrs Hogg, Caselberg, Grundy. andPavton. Noes-Messrs Feist, Boddington, Carr, Selhr and McGregor. HOO3E COMMITTEE. Mr Boddington then read the report o! the House Committee, which recommended I ho addition of a table and reading desks in the reading room at an estimated cost of L 6 or L 7. It was staled that a pair of steps were wanted for the library, and that LS would sufficient to supply new shelving in the library sufficient for double the number of books now in it. The report was agreed to, the expenditure on the reading room being'authorised. On the suggestion of the chairman the House Committee were authorised to have the name Mastertnu Institute and free reading room written on the building. A DELICATE QUESTION. Mr Carr desired to know if, as.hitherto, it wftß within .the power of the custodian to let the upstairs room. Tho House Committee understood that the old rule remained in force, Mr Caselberg asked that the question should stand over till the next meeting, as it was one on which he desired to speak," ' The (fleeting thou adjourned,.