HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Waikato Times, Volume xxx, Issue 2432, 11 February 1888, Page 2

HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.

■« A MKETIXG was held at the Council Chambers last night for the purpose of receiving the annual report and electing a new committee. There was a large attendance of burgesses. At 8 o'clock p.m., Mr \V. A. Graham (President) took the chair, and tho Secretary read tho following report:— Report of committee for the year ending December 3l*t, 1887 :—Though it is to be regretted that this committee cannot report a notable improvement either in the financial condition or in the number of books added to tho catalogue during the year just closed, it is still satisfactory to be able to state that in the face of the depression which exists the committee find themaelvea with a small balance in hand with which to open accounts in tiie coining year. The receipts for the last year have amounted to tho sum of £17 2s Id; while the expenditure has been £37 Is lid, there being a balance at the. bank of A,'!) 17s 7d. The annual subscriptions only aironnt to £18 10s, while the sum of £11 10s has been derived from entertainments promoted by friends, whom the committee take the opportunity to thank most heartily for their assistance. The withholding of the Government subsidy this year (which last year amounted to £13 (is lid), will necessitate renewed exertions on the part of all those interested in tho library in the present year, as the mere subscriptions are totally inadequate to meet the working espouses. During the last year the number of volumes has been increased only by the presentation of a few works by Messrs JJarugh and Parr and Mrs Campbell. No new works have been purchased. The committee are of opinion that no decided advance will bs made until the library is removed into a more suitable building, the present building being quite inadequate to provide for the accommodation of readers. In moving the adoption of tho report, the President, (Mr W. A. Graham) thought it would be well for the meeting to address itsolf to the question as to tho advisability of removing the library, Tlje present site was a very good ono as far as position was concerned, though the building was far from what it should be. Mr Murliss, the librarian, was very attentive, and did all in his power to make the place comfortable to subscribers, and the individual members of the committee had worked hard to make the library a complete success, but there was no disguising the fact that the place is not what it should be. In this niatter Hamilton compared most unfavourably with the more united township of Cambridge. Some discussion ensued npon a proposal to bring the Public library's Act into force and to strike a rate for the inalnterianqe of tl)e library. It was finally resolved that the 'meeting stand adjourned to tho Public Hall, Hamilton West, on Thursday evening next at 8 o'clock, when the committee bo elected, and the whole subject bo discussed at a general mooting of the burgesses, A vote of thanks was moved tcf tho cjuf-going cqinmittee and secretary. A votp'of tljanks to the cl)air- } man terminated Hie proceeding*. I