The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-02-24
LIBRARY BOARD
REPORT FOR 1921

To the Honorable, the Mayor and
the CITY Commissioners Of Everett,
Gentlemen;-In behalf of the Ii
brary Board of the city of Everett,
| have the pleasure of transmitting
to YOU the report Of the Public Lii
brary for the year 1921.
We would call your especial at
tention to the great progress OF the
library during the past year and we
would also call your attention to-
the injury to its future which is be-
ing threatened by the reduction M
its financial support.
On November 18th, 1919, by d.
rect vote of the people of Everett,
the City Charter allowance for Ii
brary purposes was increased from
4-1O to $40 of a mill. 1t is the
opinion of the Library Board that
the people in this community expect
the official powers that be should
honor the will of the people as eX-
pressed by a majority vote at the
polls. On the technicality that the
library budget was not submitted to
the mayor on the first day Of Sep
TENDER, a resolution was passed by
the city commissioners levying Clio
of mill only for the library for
1922. Since the library levy has al
ways been made according to the
charter allowance it was not the I'M
Outstanding of the Library Board
that a budget was expected OF them
on any specific date. Several men,
bers Of the Library Board as well as
the Librarian were out of town at the
time this action was taken by the
commissioners and had no intimation
that such a reactionary step were
possible or within the policy of the
present city administration. In point
of fact the library budget was pre-
pared and presented at the same time
of the month as the year before, l..
e. at the first board meeting in Sep
TENDER.
The Library Board realizes that
this is a period of retrenchment in
taxation, but the library had been
retrenched for so long a period al
most to the point of extinction, that
the $40 mill levy was an absolute
necessity to its normal life. 1t has
also been noted that throughout the
entire country, the general tendency,
especially when the issue has been
submitted directly to the people, has
| been to provide larger support for
libraries, even where at the same
time severe retrenchments were sane
toned in other faileds.
The library tax for 1921 amounted
to 1910 of mill, $40 to provide for
the current year and 4-10 to cover
the special appropriation of $500
| for 1920. Since the normal tax is
$40 of a mill this reduced the taxes
| for 1922 by 4-10 of a mill. When
an additional 2-10 of mill was sliced
off from the regular library allow
ance, making a total reduction of
6-10 mills, it is interesting to note
that of the 2 mills reduction in taxes
for 1922 which was announced at the
time, over one-fourth of the entire
amount is furnished by the library
The Library Board, feeling that it
is a question of lack of information
regarding library matters rather than
of any desire to inflict a lasting in
| jury on our institution, hereby invite
the city commissioners to investigate
the library as public institution anc
to cooperate with them in maintain.
ing its standards as a constructive
intellectual center for all the people
Respectfully,
| EDGAR M. ROGERS,
President
General Library Statistics
| Volumes in library January l
| 1901 10 STQ