Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-07-03
CURRENT TOPICS.
Matters of Special Interest to
All Our Citizens.
Satisfaction Over Settling Of Carnegie
Library Committee.
Great Need of Suitable Hitching Place
for Teams.

Every one will doubtless be pleased
to see the Carnegie library committee
settled and the majority will doubtless
be satisfied with the arrangements
made at the city government meeting
Tuesday evening. The centennial has
rather kept this matter in the back
ground during the past few weeks, but
the interest has never Jagged and there
has been a great deal of discussion.
The trustees of the present library
have felt all along that they ought to
be represented on the committee ap-
pointed to build the new one, but some
members of the city government have
felt that the whole matter had been
left to the city council to handle and
that a committee appointed from its
members should build the library and
then turn it over to the trustees to
manage.
The matter was first taken up by the
council at the July meeting. H. D.
Eaton. one of the trustees of the pres
ent library, happened to be present, al
though he had no intention of speak
ing on the subject. But he was in the
council room when the matter was
taken up and was called upon for some
remarks and stated the position of the
trustees in the matter. The little
speech apparently had its effect for the
council Immediately proceeded to add
three citizens to the committee. This
viii make the total number nine, in
Guiding the mayor, and will be rather
large for a committee of this sort but
it is believed that it is none too large to
represent all the interests involved in
the matter.
The first duty of this committee will
be to pick out a suitable lot for the
building. 1t was a fairly familiar fact
that when the Monument park was
named as the location in the order that
accepted Mr. Carnegie's offer that it
was only temporary eXpedient and
that another lot would be selected
later. But this fact escaped the natice
of some outside the city, and there was
a great deal of wasted sentiment and
guSh over the selection of the park.
Scores of locations have been suggested
for the building, and it is now up to the
committee to investigate the claims of
them all and decide which is the best.
1t will then report to the city govern
ment as a whole for approval.
This part of the work promises to be
the most difficult of all. 1t will be
comparatively easy to find a good lot,
but the question how to get it will be a
hard one to answer. There have been
50 many extra and unusual calls on
the city treasury, this year, that any
thing calling for the expenditure of
more money is bound to meet with
strong opposition. But the committee
will be thoroughly familiar with the
whole situation and a solution will be
a part of it's duties
After the lot is settled the next ques-
ton will be the plans and specifca-
tons One Of the prominent argu-
ments in favor of having some one out
side the city government on the build
ing committee was that a library eX-
pert might thus be secured. The new
City building shows that the present
city government knows how to build
public buildings but a library presents
special and particularly difficult ques-
tons peculiar to itself that those most
interested in the matter believe can
best be handled by one who has studied
the matter thoroughly and made
speciality of books and their needs.
Hence. a committee made up of the
practical builders and business men
such as can be found in the city gov
eminent with library and book experts
to assist them is considered by many
as the best possible combination for a
library committe and one that will pro-
duce a building that may be a model of
it's kind. The arrangement made is
popular one and something very fine is
expected when the work shall have
been completed.
Another thing that came up at this
meeting that is of great interest is the
hitching place for horses. This was
introduced with the petition presented
by DR.. Hill and signed by the majority
of the business men on the street. The
reason for the movement is the fact
that at present there is no suitable
place for the farmers to hitch their
horses while doing business in the city.
The tendency for more and more Of
this class to come into the city for
trading has been noticed and there is a
general desire to do everything posi-
bic to encourage this. The City Hall
park and the streets around it have al
ways been the headquarters for the
farmers While in the city and their
market. But since the completion of |
the new City building there has been a |
desire to keep this place clear of teams |
and clean. For this reason the lunch |