The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-24
EXPENSES CUT DOWN.
Library Commission Takes
Sharp Steps of Economy.
Their Salaries Reduced in Proportion
A Critics Letter Answered
Free Cards Cut on.


Free Cards Cut on.
The public library commission yesterday
settled a perplexing problem in the anairs
of the library by making materiaI re-
duction in the salaries OF It's employees
Fer some time il has been evident that
expenses would have 10 be cut down, or
the library would run into debt or ne
closed. The only way out seemed 10 De
TO discharge some OF the employees, ana
the question of who should go seemed
likely to cause considerable dissension
among the members Of the commission
but by its action yesterday the board re
stored harmony among its members. and
none Of the employees will have to go
Since the plan of running the library
was changed from the free system 10 that
of charging 10 cents month Tor the use
OF its books, the patronage has decreased
very largely. and one no longer sees long
strings of people waiting 10 get BOOKS,
the number distributed having lately
been under 400 a day. Notwithstanding
this decrease in business the same num-
Der of employees are under pay as when
{ so many books were being handled, al
though IL should be said that there has
been plenty OF work for all of them in
cataloguing. etc. But the work OF cata-
loguing is now completed, and the new
librarian Charles ". Smith. said that he
could get along with less help. The ques-
ton then came up as TO who should go.
and this was what threatened to make
trouble
l. AT the meeting yesterday. however, DIR.
A. r. Kibbe offered a compromise reso-
luton, which. provided for the retention
of all the employees on practically half
time for half pay. Peter Pirret. an ac-
count Of whose difficulties with the board
was published in the Post-Inteligencer
few weeks ago. viii be paid S25 month
instead Of $50 mis- hours Of work being
from to 9:9o p. m. Miss Banks, Mrs.
Barker and Miss Garfield viii receive
$40 instead of $50. their hours of work to
be determined by the librarian. The Jam
itor's salary was left at $40.
Economy Answers Objections.
After the board mad taken this action
IFS members were shown a communica-
ton 70 the Post-Intelligencer, which is
printed herewith, and asked to make
statement concerning IT, For reply they
pointed to what had been done and said
they thought that was sufficient answer
The board had had under consideration
for several weeks the matter of reducing
expenses and by lis action yesterday did
what seemed 10 be the only thing that
could be done at the present time. IT re-
allies that the fee system is mistake
and is making an effort 10 put in force
the free distribution of books at the
the librarv's proportion of city revenue
viii be large enough within q few months
10 warrant the abandonment OF the fee
system and by retaining the help now
employed a reduced pay during the IN
tervening time. the large increase in
patronage that will come can he handled
by competent and skillful employees. and
the EXPENSES will at the same time he
kent within the limit. The state
rnent of PRO Rono Publico' that the
saving made bv a reduction in the force
would more than equal the collections
from the 10 cent fee. which should he
abolished. is met by the board with the
counter statement that if the fee system
were abolished the increase in patronage
would require all the helm now employed
pro Bono Publico's" letter follows;
Oninions Of n Critic.
'sTbere are now six employees on the
nav roll Of the Seattle public library. one
Of these the ianitor. has also charge or
the reading and reference rooms. The
remaining five are exclusively occupied in
the circulating DEPARTMENT. The duties
in the circulating department are TO issue
and receive books at the counter; to Sc
lect catalogue and prepare books for cir
culation.
For many months all receipts Of the II
brarv fund have been required to meet
current expenses Few, II any. books
have been added during this time. There
has therefore been no work TO do in the
way of cataloguing books. etc Ry the
imposition of q l0-Cent monthly Zee Tor
| the privilege Of drawing books for home
use the patronage Of the library has been
reduced to about oue-third Of what 1t was
before such change was made The sole oc-
cupation therefore Of the five employees
in the circulating department is the daily
delivery OF less than 600 books.
WIN the library commission explain
.1s,,, Faf a n
work which can be done by one? Certain
" one attendant with the HELM of the IL
brarian can do all the work which is now
being done-especfally II the hours Of de-
livery be closed at 6 o'clock p. m. Many
libraries close even earlier and such an
arrangement will impose no hardship on
any one. When the object is understood
there will be no complaint. The economy
OF this plan is too obvious to need com
ment.
But is II good policy or true economy
70 exclude two-thiris Of the patronage OF
the library. and among these the very
class whom il is most desirable TO reach
bv the benefCent influence OF good books
II IS a universal experience that the I'M
position of any charge, however small,
will result in the exclusion Of those pat
rons for the benefit Of whom chiefly public
libraries should be maintained. Such has
been the practical result Of the expert
ment with the decent charge in the Sc
attic public library
Us not such plan entirely without de-
Tense even as "A financial proposition? The
receipts from the i0-cent fee now
amount 10 about Sl0o The needed roduc-
ton IN library force would more than bal
/ ance this. while the increase OF fines
would add quite an amount 10 the margin
Of saving for a book fund. This would bA
the case even after providing all the help
that would b. needed on account az an
increase Of patronage that would result
from making the library entirely free.
Under the conditions that now exist
and have existed for many months the
library must be accounted in large meas
Urc a failure
The remedy Is simple Abolish the 10
cent fee. Reduce the hours Of delivery 80
that only one set of attendants viii be
required. Reduce the library force 10 the
number actually needed ResuIt-an in
crease ~ - per cent. in patronage and OF
more than ldH per cent. IN usefulness, and
an actual gain. instead OF deficit, ia the
You Don't Have |