The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-08-10
HURLS DEFY At
LIBRARY BOARD
Woman Member is Out With Story
of Inside Workins of
Public Enterprise
PROTESTS AGAINST MANY
WAYS MONEY is SPENT
Gertrude Rasch Tells of Board
Paying $40 More Than Pur-
chase Price of Set of Books
Absence Without Notice, Bad.

{ Following recent report of
! meeting of the board of trustees o
2 the Carnegie library, Gertrude Rasch
ore Of the members of the board VIII
I was more or less in the limelght
: pitted as she was against the remain
4 ing members in several verbal battle!
which arose in connection with tn.
way in which the library funds wer,
being appropriated, is up in arms
That the report was colored is the
opinion of Mrs. Rasch, who is out
with denial of many of the charges
made. She says:
Regarding the set of books, The
Making of America to which refer
ence was made, | entered the libra
Rams room the evening of the May
meeting to find Miss Hall unwrapping
and placing on the shelf in that room.
this set of books, and was informed
by her that Mr.. James had ordered
/ them ana that she knew nothing Of
/ thcir being ordered until their arri-
/ val. l inquired the price ana learned
/ that il was something over $42. I
, criticised the set not only because it
was merely collection of magazine
articles several Of them not Of re-
cent date, gathered into book form
with La Follette's name as editor,
but also because the paper was cheap,
the frontspiece such as is commonly
found in cheap editions, and I felt
the price was altogether too much
even if such a set of books was neces-
sary.
MY protest was without avail, Mr..
Hall maintaining that the paper was
good and Mr.. James maintaining that
we needed the best; that he had ex-
amined the prospectus thoroughly
ana it was all right. Later l found
that Mr.. James had ordered the set
without consulting either Miss Hall
or Mrs. Lemon. the other members
of the book committee.
Later in the meeting, as no Eur
Their mention of the set was made, 1
asked for the bill, in order that It
might go in with the rest Of the
monthly accounts.
Paid First InStalImcnt.
'"TO my surprise, Mr., James replied
there would be no bill, and further
questioning brought out that he had
bought the set from an agent. ara
had paid the first installment OF SO
himself so that until the next pay
ment was due there would be nothing
to pay. on Mr. Halls motion war
rant was drawn to reimburse Mr.
James for the so. Right here is
where / claim that Mr.. James lost
his personal right to hold the con-
tracts for the books, especially ls
the hooks were placed in the "efer-
ence room of the library, where they
arc today, and having been accepted
by tie library as evidenced by their
being stamped with the library mark
and placed in use I maintain that
the bill or contract should have been
filed with the rest of the library hins
! sor anv member of the board to see
Bought Same Set for less.
"Mr. James has since acknowledged
that the set of books is not perfect
both in press work and in subjec&
mr. tier, as some of it is too old II be
nf use; he has to acknowledge that
! w l.. Lemon bought the set o. books
Ire same as in the library for $40
less; and that this SET in buckram
can g bought in Chicago for $15. He
maintains that he was promised osme
/ spC,iaI Edition de Luxe hard lnade
! PAPER etc, and that he wrote the
] rub:isters mt some time prior t. May
/ =, Hut up to last Saturday, night
! bad received no reply. I have asked
at each meeting for some report
on this matter ana each time have
met with the same insoleuce.
81 am not asking for my personal
! qualification; as far as / am concern
ed if Mr. James wished to spend his
entire fortune on brass tacks and nay
the highest price per tack, he is well
| come To do so; but in this, case it is
money belonging to the public. ana
feel that it is only my duty to ask
las matters stand; | do not believe
that with the library using the books
in question, that we have any claim
| against the publishers for shange
of price, also if any damage occurs
to the set, as is liable to occur, we
have no redress but to poy the irig-
inal price. | have asked that the
books he retired until the matter is
settled; that the secretary be directed
To take up the matter; that if we
keep the books the secretary write
for the net cash price, and have the
matter settled Incidentally buying
the books as he did, Mr.. James failed
to get any reduction for the library
and we are paying fun price and ,
little more for special edition
Personally / do not think the refer.
eucc room calls for Editions de Luxe.
Leave Without Notice.
"Regardmg the librarians leav,
] "a % p !,