The age-herald., 1901-03-16
CARNEGIE WILL
 GIVE S5,2OO,OOO His Magnificent Offer to the
 City of New York
FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES
sixty-five Free Libraries Probably Breaks the Record-NeW York Will Have To Furnish the
 Land and Maintenance.

New York, March 15.-Andrew Carne- gie, who since retiring from active busi- ness, has been able to devote his time to the founding of librar7~=, has made to New York City the largest offer of that kind on record If New York will provide the sites and the maintainance, he has promised to give S, s,soo,ooo to es- tablish 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. and was published tonight as follows:
 New York. March F 1901. "Dr. John s. Billings, Director. New York Public Library.
 Our conference upon the needs of Greater New York for branch libraries to reach the masses of the people in every district has convinced me of the wisdom of your plans. You estimate the cost of these libraries at $SOOOo, being $5,2OO,OO0 for all. If New York will furnish sites for these branches, as it has done for the Central Library and also agree in satis- factory form to provide for their main tainance as built, I should esteem it a rare privilege to be permitted to furnish the money, $5, 900, as needed for the buildings. Sixty-five libraries at one stroke probably breaks the record, but this is the day of big operations and New York is soon to be the biggest of cities.
 (Signedl ANDREW CARNEGIE" :" Secretary G. L. Rives of the New York Public Library Association wrote as follows to Mayor Van Wyck, submitting MT. Carnegies letter:
 New York. March 15, 1901. "Hon. Robert A Van Wyck, Mayor
 By direction of the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library Asso- citation, Astor, Lenox and Tilden founda- tions, I have the honor to hand you here with a copy of letter which we received through our director, John S. Billings. from Mir. Andrew Carnegie. on the 18th instant, the day of his sailing for Flu rope
 You will observe that MT. Carnegie offers to bear the expense of building a large number of branch libraries at an estimated total cost of s, ,OOO provided the city will furnish the necessary land and provide satisfactory arrangements for the maintenance of these branches. There are no other conditions.
 "I am instructed to say that if the city authorities look with favor upon the gen eral plan our board of trustees will hold itself in readiness to cooperate in every way possible in furthering the beneficent purposes which are the object of MT. Carnegie's munificent offer.
 ''In communicating MT. Carnegie's pro- posal to the trustees Dr. Billings accom- panied it with an explanatory statement as to cost and plans He estimated the average cost of the branch libraries at from s75OOo to s100.00O including sites and equipments
 pr. Billings said today: "Mr. Carnegie's offer to provide library buildings at a cost of over s5,000.000 for Greater New York is made with the usual conditions If accepted 1t will result in the greatest free public library system in the world.
 'As to the question of sites, it is not Improbable that a considerable number could be obtained without cost to the municipality through gifts by public-spir- tted citizens.
 Tt Is of the greatest importance that the system of public schools in the city should be supplemented by such system of free libraries as Is proposed.
 My estimate that it will take five years 10 provide and equip all the buildings necessary is probably reasonable one,