The Newtown bee., 1903-03-06
TOWN TOPICS. THE LIBRARY MEETING


dI UCl HULL U. ". DUETS Was ClOSGQ chairman. The report of the commit the question of making the Beach Me morial library free, was follows:
 To the NewtOwn Library AssOcia- tiOn: Your committee appointed at the annual meeting to take into con- sideration the practicablity of making the use of the Library free to all the 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 MT Hine of the State Library Committee, and have also held an open meeting to which all in- tereSted in the project of free public library were invited. The purpose of the committee has been to learn the take counsel of all who were capable of giving it, rather than to find an ex- cuse for urging forward much needed public improvement.
 l. They find, in the first place, that in order to make the use of the 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 $lOO and the balance must be raised by gifts and entertainments. While it is not unlikely that by 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 poor alike. There are many in the town, including 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 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 Of our citizens, your com mittee has not felt that it was in their province to suggest to any particular persons that such was their duty.
 2. 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 State an appropriation in books to the value of $2OO for the first year and of $l0O. for each succeeding year, under the law relating to Public Libraries.
 The Newtown Library Association is a 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 necessary to have majority vote of 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 2l in number.
 B. With these changes made in the bylaws of the association, it would be possible for the town to pass vote making an appropriation for the uses and authorizing the treasurer to pay over such sum to the person authorized by the managers of the Newtown Lii brary Association, and to adopt by law making an annual appropriation 1 for the maintenance of the same. 4. To make the use of the library general and to meet the needs of oul scattered population, your committee would recommend that provision be made for establishing distributing sta tions in Sandy Hook, Hawleyville and BotsfOrd, the cost of transportation being taken from the appropriation voted. The cost of transportation, SC far as we have been obliged to ascer tain, would amount to $1OO.
 5. The total expense to the town then, would be S2OO for maintenance o1 the library, including salary of the librarian, and $lO0 for transportation in all $500. The appropriation from the State of $2OO the first year and o1 $lOO per annum subsequently, would be used exclusively for books as provided by law.
 That this expenditure would not bear heavily upon any che will be ap parent when we consider how small { proportion it would be of the whole sum expended annually by the town
 We gather from the town reports tha
 the annual expenditure average
 s27, ,OOO. Three hundred dollars is one
 ninetieth of this sum. Each persor can thus readily find out for himsel
 what his tax for the library would b.
 by adding one-ninetieth to his preSen
 tax On a 12-mill tax it would be l.
 and third hundredths of mill. a person pays on 5000 tax of SIP, hi
 tax for the library would add 13 l.:
 cents; on $500 it would add 6s cents
 on $500 it would add 20 cents; Ol
 5000 it would add 26s cents; on $25O
 it would add 33A cents; on 5000 i :. would add 40 cents: on $4000 it wOul add 53s cents, and so on.
 If the rate of taxation is raised, a
 seems likely, the amount would be pro
 portionately higher. If the rate wer
 Is mills, it would add to tax on $50(
 lOc; on 5000, 2Oc; on $500, BOG: 0 5 5000, 4Oc: on s25OO, soc; on 5000, 600 T on $4OOO, SOC, and so on in proportion
 Lr1.r, l,ic if ir nlnin thnt thn nYnanS