The morning call., 1894-07-18
he would have made the following state
ment 10 the board:

claimed the right o apDear before Won in order
70 IeIule certain aspersiOns relative to my
Gouuuct Oh library aff2its supporting TO have
tue authorization of one of your body, which
lave Hsu circulation in the public press and
elsewhere.
thought it my due and you're gentlemen,
that my feiutation should be first made TO you
III oH!clal session. hence my silence hitherto
respecting this matter.
WINE there were no charges presented ON
orally nor any intimation given me that any
were under consideration, and consequently no
oppol tunltY offered me for explanation, IL has
Deen made plain that the action of the board
dispensing with my services after July was
oaSed upon the reasons given out by one OF
your M mbers in justification Of such action.
These reasons, so presented to The members
OF The institute and the public have acquired
all The nature aud force Of charges, and as sueh
/ am glad ot an opportunity 10 meet tnem
Ihey are misleading from the ontSet. IL Is
assumed that the librarian has large authority
and freedom ia the matter Of ordering books
and supplies, that he is untramneled respect
! Ing eXpendi ure.
| 1t Will be my pleasure to show you, and from
the records OF the proceedings Of your board
| alone, that no such authority ana "esponsibil-
| lily rests with him; that your committees do
! not delegate their duties aud rights, but care
| fully guard and eXerciSr them.
Taking ~ order the matters presented IN the
! Chronicle Of June "a, and attributed 10 MI.
| FoGmhals, member Of the board, we have rst
| The subject OF printing. IguOring certain In
| accurscits OF statement, l beg 10 ask your
! attention first to he character and use OF the
7 printed receipts tnefe leieIf q TO.
There are receipts for members dues, eSpe-
! clally printed and numbered and are delivered
/ 10 the Librarian 10 exact number TO De Rc-
! counted for as a check upon his receipt OF
/ money They are part OF a system OF ae-
! counts adopted some fifteen years ago when
! Mr.. Wells was chairman of the finance com
/ mlttee, and have proved wholly satisfactory.
For these receipts the librarian Is obliged TO
give his obligation TO account III money of their
| face value or return them. For The 10000 re-
! celpts under consideration l gave my personal
/ receipt for $4,000
! Naturally, | am interested In their prepare
! tlOO, their numbering, their safe and proper
! Dlnding. Formerly they were printed num-
! beled and bound IN books by c. A Murdoch &
! Co. al cost of So 80 per thousand, and years
! supply, some 10. 900. cost S57.
have never had cause 10 think and do not
| now believe that this is an eXorbitanT charge
! for the work.
Furthermore, as these receipts are OF the
! nature OF vouchers, which l receive from the
! finance committee, IL would not be within my
! discretion 10 order them. They have never
! been printed except by order and under the
direction OF the proper committees.
Z. A. Murdoch x Co.'s account for printing,
! stationery and supplies. and these include
book plates, book labels, envelopes, paper,
circulars, postal cards, btlheads. recelpt-bookS
| OF all kinds, in fact all the library printing
proper has averaged Sl5l AZ a year for ten
years past. Here Is not large margin for loss
! 10 the institute.
AS regards periodicals l am also without
authority or responsibility Further than TO
prepare lists, make suggestions and supply in
| formation | am without voice in the matter.
The committee on books and donations has at
tended carefully 10 its duty 10 this respect. See
| repori, page As, May 8, 1891, records of board
OF trustees
Page 48, May 8, 1891:
The commlliee on books and donations pre-
sented the following:
To the Board Of Trustees Of the Mechanics
Observation-Disclosures: We, your committee
on books and donations, beg leave to report
that we have had under conslGerat the bids
for binding books and also the bids for furnish
ing new books for the library, and recommend
that the contract for binding be awarded to
Acres Williams and that the contract for
furnishing new books be awarded to Messrs.
Payot, Uuham & Co., in accordance with their
respective BIDS now In the hands OF the com
mittee; also hat the contract for French Ger
man and Spanish books be awai ded TO TauZy,
Levy q Co., and that the contract for American
and English newspapers and periodicals be
awarded TO the San Francisco News Co. Re
specuuly submitted, ROBERT EWING.
GEORGE T. Dow,
N. a. dorm,
Committee.
commune was adopted and they were H.
structed TO prepare and have signed contracts
with the parties recommended, and exact such
bonds for The work they deem proper.
Page 265. November ! 5, 1892:
Mr.. Manson, for the committee on books and
donations, said that the time had arrived to
that he Librarian be empowered to renew the
same for the coming year. Carried.
Page 4J6, November II. 1898:
Inc committee on books and donations pre-
sented list OF periodicals whose subscriptions
expire December 81, which they had not vet
had time TO examine, and, as the matter must
be attended 20 before the next regular meeting,
would recommend that the list presented he
referred 10 them with power TO renew or sub
scribe for as they deemed advisable. SO Or
deTed.
When the order for our American periodicals
was placed with the San Francisco News Com
pany, In 1891. the chairman OF the committee,
Mr.. Ewing, made the teTms-10 per cent dis
count from publishers prices-and we have
never been able o get better.
a short list of the more popular OF the maya
zines might be selected that would average 10
per cent discount, which is the average dis
count on the list given In the Chronicle inter
view; but as many scientific periodicals give
DO discount whatever the average on any East
ern newsdeaers list is not above 1912 per
cent discount. This is The average discount OF
the Kenyon News Agency of Chicago, whose
catalogue offers some 5000 periodicals. AS
our subscription list carries unusually large
proportion OF scientific publications the ate
would be less. To be exact the Eastern agency
rates applied TO our bill OF nearly $500 shows
difference OF $40 10 in favor OF the Eastern
agencies. But ii was conceded that the adyan-
tage of having the periodicals delivered fiat
Instead of folded, as when they come by mail,
the saving OF letters and postage TO supply
missing numbers, and the still greater advan-
tage OF delivery several days earlier than by
mail, more than compensated the small differ
ence in price.
This is the reason that Eastern proposals and
thai OF johnson & Emigh of this city were not
entertained. They would place The subscrip-
lions East with delivery mostly by mail with
consequent delay.
he subject of periodicals has always re-
ceived most earnest and thoughtful attention,
and no library gets better terms than does your
Mechanics Institute.
Since getting our periodicals from this agency
there has been no single complaint of delay. a
fruitful cause Of annoyance when you get them
by mail.
The matter OF book binding may be disposed
of by reference to the records of the board.
Page 1856, June z, 1892: The committee on
books and donations presented the following
report:
TO the trustees of the Mechanics Insti-
report that ii has carefully examined into the
matter OF book binding and lids for doing the
same In accordance with the specifications
heretofore submitted TO the board Three firms
submitted bids, viz: Acres & Williams, Hicks,
Judd & Co. and Phillips & Co. Tie bid OF
MessTs. Phillips & Co. being much higher than
the other two was not further considered. In
order TO arrive al the comparative cost OF bind
Ing TO the library under the lWO bids the Secre-
tary has computed the cost OF binding based
upon the number Of volumes bound last year,
175l volumes IN all, resulting as follows:
Acres & Williams, SSl6 0S; Hicks, Judd &
Co., 1857 50; differ renee III favor of Acres &
Williams, SAL 30.
The binding last year was not dom IN sat
isfactOry manner and extraordinary delays
were experienced In getting The books back
from the bindery.
I'm view Of the above and the fact that the
specifications and bids do not include quantity
or time we recommend that binding be done
for say three months, equal quantity by each
OF the TWO Lowest bidders so as TO enable your
committee TO decide at The expiration of that
time what further recommendations TO make 10
Ile trustees. A. :. HAILIDIF,