Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-07
CHEAP LIBRARY POST.
Library University of Montana,

Missoula. Mont, Jan. 1900.
Editor Inter Mountains Will you kindly
allow the use of your columns to call at
tention to a bill now before the national
congress, which, in the minds of many,
does not yield in importance to any
other measure now under consideration
by that body? l refer to the bill to
establish library post. 1t was intro
duced in the house of representatives
on January q, 1900, by Hon. c. p. Law
renee of Massachusetts, and referred to
the committee on postoffices and post
roads. The best way to describe the
bill is to quote it in full as follows:
BE 1t enacted, by the senate and the
house of representatives of the United
States in congress assembled, that, SUBJ
ject to such regulations as the postmas-
ter general may from time to time de-
termine, books and other printed matter
belonging to, and passing from or to any
of the libraries enumerat ted below, be
and are hereby admitted to carriage by
the mail at one cent a pound, or fraction
thereof namely:
public libraries maintained wholly or
in part by taxation, by towns, cities,
states or other political units, or by the
United States.
'oCIOOl IiUIdIlcS, supported ny TAXA
ton, or having tax exemptions belong
ing to educational institutions of all
grades.
--"Society or social libraries having en-
tire or partial tax exemption, or other
public privileges maintained by endOw-
| ment or taxation, or from both sources,
by religious. literary, professional, trade,
Industrial or library associations.
Section 2. That this act shall take
effect from and after it's Passage
The idea of the bill originated with the
New England Educational league, with
view of extending the efficiency of
! public libraries by overcoming the dis
| advantages to which those people are
| subjected who live outside of radius
| from a public library, which has been
found by experience to contain the great
| majority of the book borrowers. Branch
| libraries and delivery stations have done
much to remedy the evil, but so far the
| results have not been fully satisfactory
| 1t is still true that the great bulk of the
| patrons of any public library live within
| half or three quarters of a mile from
| the main library, and beyond that dis
lance there is a constantly diminishing
patronage.
The results that the passage of the
| bill will produce in our own state and
in the states around us, which in the
| first consideration with us are:
! First. Any one now using a library,
without any present extension of the
library rules, may draw book, carry
| it to any reasonable distance, and re-
turn by mail at trifiing expense.
| Second. Wherever a library SO wishes
it may establish a mail order delivery
system, and so greatly extend It's use
| f,,l, 4 ,;,,;.,I re
waiting to which those are subjected
who come to the delivery desk.
| Third. The state Of Montana and sur
rounding states have hundreds of small
towns and cities, whose Inhabitants are
| hungry for literary privileges. but nc
one of which is able financially to sup
port an efficient library. A law can be
| enacted authorizing the establishment
of county libraries. and by taking ad-
| vantage of the law for a library post,
the community farthest removed from
the loca ton of the library building may
be more efficiently served than can any
of these small cities under the present
conditions.
These are but the beginning of the
benefits. that will come from enacting
this law. Other good results will de-
velop rapidly. and the twentieth century
|
educa tional progress.
There is but little adverse criticism
of the bill from any quarter. 1t is prob
able that the great majority of the con-
| gressmen are favorable. but in such mat
tiers they generally desire some express
sion from their constituents before TAX
ing final action. All of the Montana
delegation have been consulted and may
be depended on to support the bill ac-
lively, on very little evidence that ii is
the desire of their constituents.
The grea, argument for the bill is
that the postotfice and the public
libraries both belong to the people, and
| that they should combine for the good
of the people At present the only class
of mail that is carried at so low a rate
is that of newspapers sent out by pub
fishers or by news dealers. 1t is a curl
Gus fact that in this government OF the
people the privilege of this lowest rate
is given TO corpo.at;ons AMI business
houses. hut is denied to individual citi-
zeris The reason for this discc;mina.