East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-10-16
FROM THE PEOPLE
MIR. STRAIN QUESTIONED,


uruay evening from Mrs. Vert regard
ing the right use to be made of the
proceeds from the last three library
palls is heartily endorsed by very
many of the women of Pendleton who
worked for their success. | was a
member of the board at that time al.
so, when we voted Oct. 7th, 1914,
unanimously that this fund be set
aside for Library Building Fund"
for the new county library we were
contemplating.
I notice in C. P. Strains published
statements the inference that it was
more economical for the city to run
its library separately during the
years 1909 to 1918. AS | was one of
the first members of the board an
pointed by the city council in 1903
and served for nearly six years. I be.
lieve that can tell one Of the rea.
sons why it was SO economical"
My remembrance is that for several
OF those years not one cent of city
library funds was spent for books bu,
the board had to rely on the women
of Pendleton to raise the money to
buy books with. AS books are the
basis of a library's equipment, this
shows that the economy" cry is not
matter that can be referred to with
any pride in a publicly supported in
stitution, when 1t was left to the wo-
men to largely finance it.
Here is quotation from a letter
of Strains dated April IL, 1915. to a
member of the library building COM
mittee. The letter is on file with the
library records. Il happened to
glance through my library accounts
yesterday and when I counted up
nearly $4,000 that has been raised by
the club women of Pendleton and the
library ball and turned over to the IL
brary, resolved that would do any.
thing that prudently and justly can
be done to bring this whole affair to
satisfactory consumation."
Now 1 learn that over $4,000 has
actually been raised by the women
OF Pendleton for the library and 50
would like to ask C. P. Strain for the
following figures:
Give exact amounts received
each year from 1909 to date from the
library balls.
Give itemized statement for
each of these years of all expendi-
lures from this source, showing to
whom bills were paid and for what
material or service.
S.-Giye exact amounts received
each year from 1909 to date from diff
ferent womens clubs who solicited or
earned funds for library purposes.
Give name of organization which
gave each amount.
4.-Give itemized statement for
each year of all expenditures from
these sources, showing to whom bills
were paid and for what material or
presume that having been county
assessor for thirteen years and treas
urer of the library board for eight
years, his experience in accurately
keeping public accounts will allow
nun 10 reply at once and clearly on
these points.
Mr.. Strain was asked by the pres
ent board to make a statement for
the city council last week on CITY
library expenses and l notice that
about half Of the published report
was on a different subject-his pre-
diction that the COUNTY LIBRARY
system would fail, though it looks like /
anything but a failure to the rest oil
us.
therefore l would like to ask Mr.
Strain to confine his answer in this
case to the four questions asked here,
eaying out the subject of taxation"
ls irrelevant in this connection.
HELEN w. ROBINSON.