The Newtown bee., 1903-03-06
TOWN TOPICS.
THE LIBRARY MEETING
HELD ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

chairman. The report of the commit tee, presented by Rev MT George, ol the question of making the Beach Me mortal library free, Was S follows:
 To the NewtOwn Library Associa tiOn: Your committee appointed a the annual meeting to take into con sideration the practicability of makins the use of the Library free to all thu inhabitants of the town would re spectfully report:
 That they have carefully studied the Articles of Association of this corpora tion, that they have been in cores pOndence with Mir Hine of the State Library Committee, and have alst held an open meeting to which all in' tereSted in the project of a free public library were invited. The purpose o1 the committee has been to learn the exact conditions which exist, and to take counsel of all who were capable of giving it, rather than to find an ex- cuse for urging forward a much needed public improvement.
 l. They find, in the first place, that in order to make the use of 2he library free to all it is necessary to raise an. nually certain sum of money to meet the running expenses, over and above any addition of new books. These expenses amount. on the average, to $2OO per annum. To pay these bills we have an income from subscriptions of about $1OO and the balance must be raised by gifts and entertainments. While it is not unlikely that by a thorough canvass of the town the num- Der of subscribers might be materially increased, yet this would not meet the point in view, which is to make the use of the library free to all, rich and o1i En iv hc town: including a large proportion of the scholars in the High Sc.ool, whose parents would find it difficult to pay the library fee in addition to the cost of the regular text books, not to men, tion the sacrifice made by giving these young people the time which might be used in work to help their families.
 It has been suggested that some rich people might endOw the library and thus make it free. While this would be short and easy method of solving the problem, and the object is one worthy of the generosity and public spirit of any Cf our citizens, your con- mittee has not felt that it was in their province to suggest to any particular persons that such was their duty.
 ?. The plainest solution of the prob lem lies in securing from the town an annual appropriation which would en- able the Association to draw from the value of $2OO for the first year and of $lOO for each succeeding year, under the law relating to Public Libraries.
 The Newtown Library Association is legal corporation, and holds in trust certain property which it could not turn over to the town. But the law makes provision for such libraries already in existence and permits the town and State appropriations to be granted to them, provided only that the use of the books is made free to all the inhabitants of the town.
 The membership of this associa tion is confined to certain life members, who have paid the sum of $25 at one time, and to all others "who pay an annual tax of Sl in advance" So far as your committee can ascertain there are no life members living at the pres ent time. The membership of the association therefore, is determined by the list of annual subscribers. In case the use of the library were made free, it is likely that most. if not all, of the annual members would drop out, the incentive to paying the annual fee, namely, the privilege of using the library, being done away.
 The first step. therefore, which it would be necessary for the association to take would be to so alter the bylaws as to make the membership of the association consist of a certain num- Der of corporatorS who should hold of- flee for life, and who should have the power to fill all vacancies which might occur by death or resignation. To accomplish this change it would be fn haVa inritU U0f0 nf two-thirds of the members present. It would also be the judgment of your committee that the membership of the association should be sufficiently large to be thoroughly representative of the town both in location and in opinion. We would suggest that they be Fl in number.
 3. With these changes made in the bylaws of the association, it would be possible for the town to pass a vote making an appropriation for the uses of free public library in the town and authorizing the treasurer to pay over such sum to the person authorized by the managers of the Newtown Li- brary Association, and to adopt by- law making an annual appropriation for the maintenance of the same.
 4. To make the use of the library general and to meet the needs of our scattered population, your committee would recommend that provision be made for establishing distributing sta tions in Sandy Hook, Hawleyville and BOtSfOrd, the cost of tranSpOrta tiOn being taken from the appropriation voted. The cost of transportation, so far as we have been obliged to ascer- tain, would amount to $1OO.
 5. The total expense to the town, then, would be $2OO for maintenance ot the library, including salary of the librarian, and $lOO for transportation. in all $500. The appropriation from S1OO per annum subsequently, would be used exclusively for books as provided by law.
 That this expenditure would not bear heavily upon any one will be ap' parent when we consider how small g proportion it would be of the whole sum expended annually by the town We gather from the town reports thai the annual expenditure average: $27, 7,O00. Three hundred dollars is one ninetieth of this sum. Each person what his tax for the library would bt by adding one-ninetieth to his present tax. On 12-mill tax it would be l: and third hundredths of mill. | person pays on 5000 q tax of sl2, his tax for the library would add l3 l-5 cents; on $500 it would add 6s cents on $500 it would add 20 cents; or S2OO0 it would add 265 cents; on $25Ot it would add 33b cents; on 5000 il would add 40 cents: on $4OOO it would add 534 cents, and so on.
 If the rate of taxation is raised, d seems likely, the amount would be pro portionately higher. If the rate wer
 Is mills, it would add to tax on $500
 lOc; on SlOOO 2Oc: on $500, BOG; ol S2OO0, 4Oc: on $25OO, soc; on 5000, COG on S4OOO, soc, and so on in proportion