The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-16
CARNEGIE 5 BIG OFFER
GREATER NEW YORK MAY HAVE
S5,2OO,OOO TO BUILD Ii
BRARIES WITH
FEW CONDITIONS ATTACHED
CITY CALLED UPON TO FURNISH
sIxTY-FIVE SITES AND GUAR
ANTEE MAINTENANCE
SOME LIBRARY STATISTICS
Letter Transmitting the Offer to
Mayor Van Wyck Discusses An
nual Appropriations of Vari-
Gus Cities for Libraries.

NEW YORK, March 15.-Andrew Car
negie, who, since retiring as an active
figure from the steel world, has been able
| to devote his time exclusively to his
other passion, the founding of libraries,
has made his departure for Europe this
spring memorable by the largest offer
of that kind ever advanced. If New
York will provide the sites and mainte-
nance, he has promised to give S., 200, 600
to establish sixty-five branch libraries IN
this city
The offer was made in a letter to DR..
John S. Billings, director of the New
York public library, last Tuesday The
correspondence in connection with the
offer was made public tonight, as fol-
lows:
MUNIFICENT OFFER.
New York, March 12, 19O1.-Dr. John S.
Bllilngs, Director New York Public LII
Drary: Our conference upon the needs of
Greater New York for branch libraries to
reach the mass Of people in every dis
tlct has convinced me of the wisdom of
your plan.
sixty-fve branches strike one at first
as very large order, but as other
cities have found one necessary for every
$1,000 or 10000 of population, the number
is not excessive. You estimate the av
erage cost of these Libraries at $50 Gao
being So, ,2O0,0 600 for ALL If New York will
furnish sites for these branches. for the
Spec!aI nenent OF the masses of the peo-
pie, as 1t has done for the Central libra
ry, and also agree in satisfactory form
10 provide for their maintenance as
t putt. l should esteem it rare privilege
10 pe permitted to furnish the money
as needed Tor the buildings 81 200 O06
SiXty-ilVe libraries at one stroke proba
fy ofy breaks the record, but this is the day
or big operations and New YorIr is sa oy
to be the biggest of cities. sun
Andrew Carnegie.
secretary G. L. Rives, of the New
YORK Public Library association. wrote
70 Mayor Van Wyck submitting Mr.
earnesles letter, as follows:
A FEW STATISTICS.
New York, March Is. 1901 = Hon
Robert A. Van Wyck. Mayor. t3,, di,.on III
1l I!o1l Oh the board of trustees of the NeIy
@ 40rk public library, Astor. Iennx and
barS bausn @ @doun1datlons, 1 I have the honor to
hand you herewith a copv of Ie++er
TIHcn we received through our dtrector
Dr. John 8. Billings, from Mr. Andrew,
carnegie. on the 18th inst, the dav Of his
sall1ng for Europe - = '
You will observe that NF,.s f~or,o,r,.
oners to bear the expense of buiiding q
large number of branch libraries az az
esslmated total cost Of S., 100000. provid-
10 i's "a Tue CITY VIII furnish the necessary
Idno ana provided satisfactory arrange
Inenis can be made for the maintenance
OF these branches. There are no otber
conditions ~ oSneI
a,1tbor;+;l t'Il - uSleu TO say that IT the city
erai plan our board of trustees will hold
ltSelf IN readiness to co-operatt, in a1-orT,
way posslhle in furthering the beneficent
negles munificent offer
ne IoiloWIng are some of the data
winch have furnished Mr. Carnaeia
last census: u 'ne
Boston, with $780, 1922 people has *
pIa1en hpraries and reading rooms and
e5soo e5 oeeeinvery eei stations and appropriates
%@oe,"1l Ior nprary purposes, being at the
lation. u poPu-
>. Chicago has 1,69S,675 people. 6 branci,
iIprarles and 60 delivery stations. besides
stations in the public schools and an,p~o
PIRATES S263.397 for library purnoses ppt bo -
population. Pc iieau oi
Buffalo has s52,a7 people and annro-
PIRATES $145,1SS for library purposes baiog 10
at the rate of IL cents per head of nonI,.
lation. u popu-
New York city Borough of Manhattan
and a,d ene Bronx) has M 2,050.6o0 population,
poses, nelng at the rate of 80 cents nor
mead of population poi
Greater New York has 8, ,4S7. .1O2 ponulo-
.io .ion ana apprepriates $299,66S for libra
Iles belng at the rate of So cents ter
mead of population -
Ihe contract made by the CITY Of Ruf-
dar daIo Win the Buffalo public library, un-
T a ~ l,tWE ,no lSIoiS OF chapter 16 of the
laws or 1897 of the State of New York
is worth careful examination in connec
tion with how to provide best for ii the
inlalntenance of the public library sys-
TEN OF New York city.
-'G. L. Rives. Secretary
MILLION FOR ST. LOUIS. TOO.
ST. LOUIS, March 15.-Andrew Car
negle, the millionaire steel magnate. has
offered to donate 81, 100000 for the building
Oh new public library in ST. Louis. The
offer Is similar to many others which Mr.
carnegie has made to cities throughout
the United States and abroad.
Inc conditions on which the gift is to
be made can be easily complied with hv
the city of ST. Louis. Mr. Carnegie asks
that the city furnish an unincumbered
sue LOT the library, and that a main
tenance fund of $15O,0OO per wear he as
sured.