The Library.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 201, 27 September 1888, Page 2

The Library.

[to the editor.] Sir, —I should not have taken the trouble to answer the letter of “ Arrow,” on the above, in last Tuesday’s issue of your paper, had it not been for several gross mis-statements contained in the same. In the first place the Library building was not built with the public funds, but with £7OO borrowed for the purpose from Mr Thomas Russell, which sum is being gradually paid off out of the rents received from the Borough and County offices, the whole of which rents are devoted to this purpose. The public did not contribute a penny towards the building. It must also be borne in mind that until the last year or two the Library received an annual Government subsidy of about £33 a year which went a good way towards paying the current expenses. This subsidy has now been entirely withdrawn and upon this withdrawal the Committee decided that the readers who frequented the room theretofore for nothing must in future pay a small charge for the privilege. The expenditure every year considerably exceeds the income derived from subscriptions and the members of the Committee have to make themselves personably responsible in order to raise funds to meet the and buy new books. It is to pay off the amounts so borrowed that they have occasionally to appeal to the public through the channel of a concert or exhibition, and I venture to think that nobody but a very illnatured person would for a moment object to support the desired end by every means in his power, instead of going out of his way to abuse the institution because it is compelled (in the same manner as the Hawke’s Bay and other Libraries) to make a small charge for admission.

It is ridiculous to suppose that the Committee can provide Librarian’s salary, light, ing, firing, insurance rates, and about thirty different newspapers and periodicals out of the small amount received from the readers of the books, leaving those people who make the most use of the room, namely, the newspaper readers, to enjoy all the benefits and luxuries of the samejfor nothing. The fee asked is very small, only Cd a week, the price of one drink, which Arrow would have to forego in return for the benefits of ths reading room for a whole week. With reference to the little entertainment advertised for next Thursday, the proprietors of the Tneatre Royal having kindly offered us the building for that evening free of charge, we thought that the presentation of the Humane Society’s medal, together with the advantages of rink* ing, might induce a few people to part with the time-honored shilling, and so become bene* factors in a small way to the Library. However, as there neither was, nor is, any with to cut out or ignore any other entertainment, tht Committee have decided to postpone the ON advertised, to a future date, when I hope it will be well patronised.—l am, &0., C. C. Lucas, Hon. Sec. Gisborne Public Library.