Evening star., 1937-07-08
ACTION SCHEDULED
ON LIBRARY FUND
House District Committees
Fund Decision Is Due
Wednesday.

The House District Committee is
expected to take action at its regu-
lar meeting next Wednesday on a
bill authorizing an appropriation of
s2,500,000 for construction of new
main building for Washington free
public library system.
The path was cleared for commit
tee action at q tWo-hour hearing on
the bill yesterday, at which more
than half dozen civic and business
leaders, as we'll as trustees and Off
cials Of the library, stressed the urgent
need Of adequate library facilities.
The only opposition came in the
form of report from the Commits
sioners, who said they recognized the
need OF increased library facilities
but could not approve the bill at this
time in view of the Districts serious
financial condition.
Librarian Cites Overcrowding.
Representative Ross Collins, Demo-
crat, of Mississippi, sponsor of the
bill, told the committee, however, he
believed the Federal Government
would loan the District sufficient
funds without interest to finance the
proposed new library, as we'll as other
badly needed projects. The library
trustees have proposed an amend
ment, approved by Collins. which
would make the new library eligible
as Public Works Administration
project by including the purchase of
the site and construction of the
building within the provisions of the
act authorizing the Commissioners to
obtain by grant or loan up to s1O,-
100000 for municipal projects. Only
$6,375,000 has been loaned to the
District up to this time.
DR.. George F. Bowerman, chief
librarian of the Public Library, said
existing facilities are so inadequate
that the library Is hampered in its
work and Crowded beyond descrip-
ton" His testimony was supported
by a statement from the Public Lii
brary Committee of the Washington
Board Of Trade signed by B. NJ Nc
helWay, us chairman.
Need for early erection Of a new
main building, the statement declared
is recognized by the committee "as
one Of immediate emergency, because
the present demands on the library
system have grown far beyond the
facilities afforded by the present build
ing.
Others Who Urged Library.
Among others who stressed the need
OF q new central library were Miss
Mary Downey, chairman of the Lii
brary Committee of the District Fed
GRAFTON Of Women's Clubs; Miss Ade-
laide Hasse of the District Library
Association; Dorsey W. Hyde, jr., pres
ident of the Georgetown Library AS
sociation; Clarence A. Aspinwall and
Mrs. Lyman B. Swormstedt of the
Board of Library Trustees.
Miss Amy Winslow, vice president
OF the American Library Association
presented to the committee for the
record q statement prepared by DR.
Joseph L. Wheeler, librarian of the
Enoch Pratt Free Library in Balti.
more, which outlined suggestions a!
to site for the new building. Sh1
said the statement contained thre,
alternatives as to the building sit,
and 4 suggestion for remodeling tn.
present central library building, which
DR.. Wheeler does not regard as ad'
vantageous.
Representative Nichols. Democrat
OF Oklahoma indicated he would op
pose the plan to finance the proposed
new library building with p. w. A
loan while there is dire suffering
among the people in the country O,
relief He said he did not believ'
there would be opposition If the prof
ect Is financed out of District ia:
revenues.