The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-02-13

and must be taken care of, for which we
have no suitable storage. And what is
true Of this department is true also of
the other Offices in the capitol.
when l came into this office ! found
some papers. the Supreme Court Reports,
the laws, Journals. etc. stored in a
warehouse on Hargett street. at a cost
to the state of $50 month This build
ing was wholly unsuitable for the purpose
to which it was put, by reason Of the
fact that Il was badly out of repair, and
whatever was stored in it suffered dam
age not only from bad storage. but also
from the weat Their.
in remoying the Supreme Court Re-
ports from the warehouse On Hargett
street | found lot of unbound volumes
of old Reports of what is known as the
Mason collection. Many of these were S
badly damaged as TO be utterly worth
less. Such of them as were worth bind
ing | had rebound and stored along with
the others.
In November. 1900 he again emphasizes
the need of storage rom as follows
Il again call attention to the fact that
the State is without suitable storage
room for the printed laws. Journals and
Public Documents and for Supreme Court
Reports and that this office. as well as
the other offices in the capitol has insult
ficient and inadequate storage room for
a mass of old matter which, though sell
dom demanded, and perhaps of little prac-
teal use, may be of some historic inter
est and value, and should be well provid-
ed for. 1t would be wise piece OF econ
omy for the General Assembly to build a
al
pers of the character mentioned
This department is still renting the
fourth floor Of the Fisher building at 81
per month for storage of books. The room
is inconvenient and unsatisfactory, besides
being insufficient. Books or papers de-
posted in the basement Of the Supreme
Court building are subject to damage ne
cessarily."
! wish to endorse these suggestions and
to impress the urgent need of some i'm
mediate action being taken to provide
properly for the care of these books.
In the fourth story of the Fisher build
ing there are, it is estimated, about thir-
ty-tlve tons of books; in the cellar OF the
Supreme Court building many books be-
longing to this office are stored and liable
to damage; in the room of the third floor
OF the capitol formerly occupied by the
Superintendent of Public instruction are
books and many historical papers much
of the manuscript from which Col. Saund-
ers compiled the Colonial Records is
there in a damaging condition for want of
protection and suitable storage room
tThese papers should be chronologically
arranged and bound.) All available space
of the Secretary of States office is filled
with books almost to over crowding, ard
in this corridor of the capitol are boxed
several thousand volumes
Soon there will be the Laws and Jour
nails of 1901 to be stored, packed and dis
tributed with no accommodation for this
work. as ! find it impossible to rent a
desirable store room for temporary or
permanent storage.
| would call attention to the fact that
there is a vacant lot J212 by 105 feet be-
longing to the State on the northwest
corner of Salisbury and Morgan streets
bought to place an arsenal on, and re-
specially suggest that the Legislature in
it's wisdom might find it an actual econ
omy to build substantial three story fire
proof building to cost not more than $15,-
OU0, 10 De Dullt ana fnlSned during the
year 1901 under the control and super
vision of the board of public buildings and
grounds. The first floor of this building
could be used as an arsenal; the second
floor, for room for the Commissioner OF
Labor and Printing and the Secretary of
State for storage of books and old pa
pers; and the third floor would be avail
able fer committee rooms and other pur-
poses
Hoping your Excellency will upon in
vestigation approve this recommendation.
| have the honor to be with much re-
spect, your obedient servant.
Secretary Of State.
j. BRYAN GRIMES.