Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-04-23
THE

A large building like the auditorium on North Fifth
street is necessarily used chiefly for public purposes. oc-
casionally the building may be engaged by some person
or organization desiring it for a private enterprise. but
these occasions are rare. Perhaps 80 per cent of it's open
ings are for gatherings from which the persons renting 1t
cannot possibly derive a profit, and from which no profit
is expected. 1t is used for public addresses by celebrities,
for large concerts, for winter fairs, for patriotic gather
ings, and for similar purposes.
1t is customary for many citizens to spend. a great
deal of time, and often considerable money in the pro-
motion Of such gatherings. They are actuated by public
spirit and local pride. And when for the promotion of
some worthy cause in which the entire ommunity is in
terested many people subscribe money literally, and 9TH
ers spend days or weeks in hard work without the thought
of compensation, the feeling is bound to exist that for that
particular purpose, and on that particular occasion, the
use of the auditorium might well be donated, or at least
given at a price only sufficient to cover the actual cash
outlay required at that particular time.
If this rule were applied on about 80 per cent Of the
occasions on which it was used, the building would be
used for the bare cost of fuel, light and labor, without
anything allowed for the actual cost of the building itself.
The auditorium has not been a profitable investment
from the money point Of view. 1t was not expected to be.
1t was built by popular subscription as a popular enter
prise, and nobody who subscribed for stock expected to
get his money back. He understood that he was making
a donation to>a worthy cause.-The he was paying a
certain o I cash 10 ad IN providing the city with
a needed convenience which could be obtained in no other
manner. These expectations have been met. The stock
holders are out the, amount of their stock, as they ex-
pected to be, and the community has, because of the ex-
istence of the auditorium, been able to enjoy many ad-
vantages of which it would otherwise have been deprived
On the building there has been carried a mortgage
Indebtedness representing but a fraction of the value OF
the structure. AS we understand it, the directors are try
ing to make the buildingproduce enough to pay the actual
Pruning expenses and to keep up the interest on the mort.
gage until some final disposition can be made of the
property. That seems not an unreasonable desire. At the
same time, it appears that in order to realize vt, there
must be fixed as the rental fee a charge which, in some
instances, will be believed by many people to be exorbi.
tant, and which will bring forth expressions of resent.
ment such as were heard at the meeting of the city coun.
Gil on Monday night.
There is one way out of the dilemma, and it is tina,
suggested in the mayors message, the acquisition Of the
building by the city at a price sufficient to clear I'D the
immediate Indebtedness, and which represents, perhaps
one-third of the actual value of the building as a struc.
ture. The city would then have a building useful fol-
private parties it could charge an appropriate sum, anc
which it could donate absolutely for all public affairs
the cost of such public openings being borne entirely, a.
it should be, by the entire community.