The Village Library Problem. 101 produce ^"2,000. If this sum is equally divided among the forty-three parishes of Dumfriesshire, it will furnish an average income of ^"47 per annum to each. This is much more favour- able to the village library idea than if each parish were taken separately, because then, the incomes would range from less than 20 to over ^"85 per annum, and would put the smaller places hopelessly out of any practical scheme. Assuming, tlien, that every parish has ^"47 per annum for library purposes, let us see how the arrangement would work. To begin with, forty-three libraries must be organised, each with separate accommodation, fittings, service, stock, and equipment. This would cost roughly about ^"4,300, or 100 per parish ; separate items being reckoned as follows : s. d. Fittings and alterations, say ... ... 20 o o 500 volumes at 2s. 6d. each ... ... 62 10 o Printing, charging, &c. ... ... 10 o o Extras, such as proportion of rent, carriages, stationery, &c.... ... 7 10 o 100 o o The annual cost of maintaining each library would, on the basis of 4-7, probably be distributed among these items : s. d^ Rent 5 Books, &c. 15 o o Librarian ... ... ... ... ... 12 o o Light, heating, cleaning 10 o o Stationery, &c. ... ... ... ... 500 47 o o Or, even cutting down the librarian's income to 5 per annum, the 7 thus added to the available funds might very easily be absorbed in greater rent and working expenses, without in any degree increasing the efficiency of the library. It thus appears that each individual parish would have to save its income for two years, a practice not yet recognised in local government, before it could establish a library in any sense adequate to the public needs. After this, it would have a continual struggle with poverty and, perhaps, in the long run, only afford an object- lesson on the utter futility of properly serving a large parish con- taining three villages and 3,000 inhabitants with a petty col-
