Today there are few legislatures without a library of some kind.
Parliament works best when its members are well briefed and have access
to good sources of information. The shortest speech often requires the
verification of facts to be found in books, and the most economical and
satisfactory solution is a library. The General Assembly of New
Zealand, to give Parliament its more correct title, was not long in
deciding this. It met first in 1854 and again in 1855 without a
library. At the beginning of the session of 1856, however, the need
seems to have been evident for on 6 June Mr W. T. L. Travers from
Waimea moved in the House that a library should at once be formed, and
a Select Committee set up to consider the best means of establishing
one. Three weeks later the Legislative Council followed suit with a
similar motion, though here it is interesting to note that Dr
Richardson stated that the Councillors had been using the library of
the Attorney-General.
The Assembly shared its meeting place with the Auckland Provincial
Council, which had in 1853 formed its own library. It was decided that
it would be to the advantage of both legislatures to possess a joint
library, and on the motion of the chairman the Council was approached
to find if it had any objections. The Council did not have any, and in
addition offered to provide the librarian and an equal grant for books
as well as fittings if the Assembly would provide a room.
On 28 July 1856 the report was laid on the tables of the two Houses, a
list of books for purchase given to the Speakers, and a recommendation
made that the sum of £100 be placed on the estimates for books. The
money was voted, after which Parliament was adjourned, not to meet
again until 1858.
The Committee was once again set up, and the situation was such that
once again the terms of reference were to consider the best means of
establishing a library. The books ordered in 1856, principally on legal
and constitutional matters, were there branded "General Assembly" but
they were not a library; members had to rely largely on the Provincial
Council collection which comprised nine-tenths of the total books
available. In its report, the Committee suggested that £300 be devoted
to library purposes, and recommended a list of books to be purchased
even if they cost more than the £320 available--£20 had not been spent
in 1856.
The Committee was not happy about the joint Library, but as matters
stood thought it hardly desirable to end the arrangement. It was,
however, of the opinion that as soon as practicable the Library should
be placed on an independent footing.
To ensure that its recommendations were carried out, and to control and
report on the work of the Library, the Committee suggested that an
officer, the Librarian of the General Assembly, should be appointed.
This was done and the first Librarian was Major F. E. Campbell, the
Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Two other matters also were considered of sufficient moment to be
mentioned. One was the supply of newspapers that had been cancelled as
the Government had promised to supply files from Government offices.
The other was the acquisition of British Government publications, which
would be of great value to the Library. The Committee noted the
successful approach of the Canadian Parliamentary Librarian to the
British Government and proposed that either Mr J. E. Fitzgerald, who
was in England, or the Colonial Agent should be asked to see if the
Library could not be given such documents.
Once again two years elapsed before Parliament met again, and the
Librarian reported that there were now books, separated from the
Provincial Council Library, but in an adjoining room. The approaches to
the British Government had not been entirely fruitful, but there was
promise of success.
1860-1870
The Library now possessed books and a librarian and the next 10 years
were to be amongst the most adventurous of the Library's story.
However, they began quietly when in 1861 the Committee recommended the
appointment of a permanent messenger for the Library instead of a
sessional one.
Next year the session was held in Wellington in the Provincial Council
Chambers. A case of books was sent for use of members. Unfortunately it
was lost when the _White Swan_ carrying the Governor and Auckland
members was wrecked near Castlepoint. The published list gives 50
books, mainly reference works on constitutional and economic matters,
but the greater loss was that of the House, which was deprived of not
only its documentary records but also most of the early printed papers.
The Committee, nothing daunted, recommended that the books be replaced
and used the mishap to have the vote raised to £500 for the year.
The sessions of 1863 and 1864 were both held in Auckland. In the latter
year the Librarian was instructed to prepare cases so that the books
could be moved to Wellington along with the other Government records.
Parliament took over the old Provincial Council Chambers in Wellington
but they were enlarged to meet its requirements. The Library had a new
home built specially for it costing £1,800 which was, with extensions,
to provide an uneasy resting place for the next 35 years. In one paper
the new library was described as "a very lofty handsome building with
large painted windows". In another, "The Library is a fine room,
handsomely decorated and the walls are fitted with bookshelves." It was
of wood.
Details about the administration of the Library during the early years
are few, but it appears that the Committee was undoubtedly the
mainspring of the organisation. It contained men such as Carleton,
Fitzherbert, Travers, and Domett, to mention only the best known, who
were interested not only in the Library for its own sake but also in
the part it could play in parliamentary affairs and in providing
pleasure to members.
The Committee was responsible for book selection, carried out mainly
during the session. While control over the Library in the recess lay
with representatives of the House and Council, from the first H. F.
Carleton, Chairman of Committees of the House, and a classical scholar,
was responsible for seeing the books were obtained and that the funds
were expended.
Until 1861 the only assistance in the Library was provided by a
sessional messenger, but a full-time sub-librarian was provided from
1862. When Parliament moved to Wellington different arrangements were
necessary and in 1866 the Committee suggested that a permanent
librarian should be appointed. It was thought necessary to have
somebody for the custody of a collection increasing in value from year
to year. The House disagreed with this view, but perhaps with the hope
of making the way clear for such appointment Major Campbell had given
up his responsibility for the Library.
This left a gap which appears to have been filled by the Hon. Alfred
Domett. As in addition to being a Legislative Councillor, he was
Secretary for Crown Lands, Land Claims Commissioner, and Registrar-General
he cannot have been able to spend much time with the Library. For all
that, his influence was considerable and Gisborne, in his book _New
Zealand Rulers and Statesmen_, says "He was for many years the mainstay
of the General Assembly Library. He was, it may be said, the father of
that institution; and it is mainly owing to his love of literature, and
to his great ability in the organisation and classification of a
library that the success of the institution with comparatively small
means was so marked at the date of his departure from the Colony in
1871."
Just how long he was Librarian is not clear, but probably with the
library attendant and additional assistance during the session there
was sufficient staff to carry out all the work. It was not until 1875
that Ewen McColl, the attendant, became Sub-Librarian, though it is
possible he may have been in fact Librarian as early as 1871.
1870-1900
The last 30 years of the nineteenth century were spent by the Library
Committee in enlarging the Library and in trying to obtain an adequate
and suitable building to house it. The vote was raised to £300 in 1867
and £600 in 1874, while in addition the adoption of a new standing
order for Private Bills in 1870 gave the fees up to £25 for a Bill that
passed both Houses to the Library fund. Fines levied on members were
also devoted to the Library fund, though this has never been a
lucrative source. Among others, the fine of £75 imposed on Mr Lusk was
received in 1875, and a similar sum from the Hon. Mr Robinson, but the
historic fine of £500 inflicted on the manager of the Bank of New
Zealand in 1896 was never received.
Private Bill fees varied from nothing to £150, so that the income was
between £650 and £750. The money was not spent on books only, but
included expenditure on binding, periodicals, and on insurance. In the
eighties and early nineties insurance premiums on the collection housed
in a wooden building were £100 per annum and, though they were reduced,
even in the last years of the century, £40 had to be used for this
purpose.
Even so the Library stock was increasing annually by some 1,400
volumes. In 1871 there were 8,330 volumes, in 1877, 14,580. Five years
later the figure had increased to 21,000, and to 30,000 in 1887,
reaching 52,000 in 1902. Most of the growth was due to purchase, but
the Library had many friends, especially among members, and they were
most generous. Their gifts filled gaps specially in New Zealand
material, while others gave books of value on subjects not of great
interest to Parliament. Among such donors were Carleton, Mantell, and
Sheehan, to mention only a few.
The Library had other friends who were no less helpful. New Zealand was
represented at the Philadelphia Centenary Exhibition in 1876 by Dr
Hector. He made arrangements with the Smithsonian Institution in
Washington for the General Assembly Library to receive United States
Government papers and for New Zealand in turn to supply New Zealand
official publications to the Institution. This was the Library's first
large exchange agreement and, while the material received under it has
often threatened to swamp it, very many valuable items have been added
from this source.
The overtures to the British Government first made in 1858 do not
finally seem to have succeeded until 1883. In this year Lord Derby in a
circular dispatch to all colonies offered to exchange British official
papers for those of the colonies to be sent to the British Museum. The
Library Committee jumped at the offer; it had since 1874 been buying
sets of parliamentary papers and immediately approached the Cabinet to
authorise that New Zealand publications should be sent. As a result the
Library possesses an extremely valuable and still growing collection of
British official papers.
The Library was in addition receiving New Zealand newspapers and
publications of all kinds and it had other exchange arrangements with
Canada and the Australian States. Until 1884, 81 newspapers were being
bound regularly out of 153 received, but in this year because of the
lack of space and the expense the number was reduced to 24. For all
this the Library was adding to its holdings of newspapers at a fairly
rapid rate.
The increase in the number of books necessitated an increase in storage
space. The first attempt was made in 1869 when a motion was brought
before both Houses asking that the Library building should be added to
in order to provide additional room. The matter was deferred until a
general enlargement of the buildings took place. This was done in the
recess of 1872-73, and the Library was given the old smoking room, but
only after a division when an attempt to have a proper building for the
Library had been defeated.
There was genuine concern on the part of the Committee for the safety
of the Library. In 1875 the building caught fire which was only put out
by the efforts of members. Two days later the Committee passed a motion
stating that the time had come when the erection of a proper Library
building could no longer be delayed. Sir George Grey was asked to move
the motion in the House. This was passed and a Royal Commission set up
to superintend the construction, £5,000 being voted in the Estimates
for the job, which it was thought would take two years and cost
£14,000.
Nothing was done before the session of 1876 and the Committee set to
work again. Several resolutions concerning the Library, its location,
and the calling of competitive designs were passed, but though the
Government proposed to put £7,000 on the estimates towards a Library,
it was not done. The resolutions seem to have confused rather than
helped the situation.
The session of 1877 began with no further progress. To the Joint
Committee's requests for information the Minister of Public Works
replied that no designs had been settled on and in any case competitive
designs would involve reconstruction of the whole block. More debate
ensued and finally the sum of £2,500 was placed on the Estimates and a
second Royal Commission set up to superintend the erection of the
building. The money was not voted, however, and the Commission did not
meet.
The Library now occupied three rooms, with a further office for the
Librarian, but the growth was continuous. Two more rooms were taken
over from the Legislative Council in 1881 and temporarily the Library
could shelve all its books.
No success had rewarded the Committee's desire for new buildings in the
seventies, but in 1882 it seemed that luck was in its way. £20,000 was
placed on the Estimates for the partial reconstruction of the buildings
which were to include a new Bellamy's as well as a new Library. Only
£10,000 was voted, however, and this was spent on Bellamy's. The new
building had a bad effect on the Library, cutting off the sun and
making it damp, though the Committee had a consolation prize, receiving
the old Bellamy's for book storage.
So the matter dragged on. In 1886, on the initiative of the Premier,
£5,000 was voted for a new building, plans were prepared as quickly as
possible and tenders called, but none was accepted before the end of
the financial year so the vote lapsed.
By now the Committee seems to have been almost reconciled to the fact
that there was little immediate chance of a Library being erected.
Frequent requests were however made for something to be done and the
slightest possibility of a surplus in the Consolidated Fund always
raised hopes. Assurances were frequent that Cabinet was worried about
the housing of the Library, and whenever possible an extra room was
given.
In 1885 the Library was located in six rooms, some remote. More were
given later, though some were taken away. In 1892 the Librarian
reported that the building "simply cannot any longer accommodate the
books". But it was to be nearly 10 years before the new building was to
be ready for storing books.
The situation was indeed growing more and more desperate. Many books,
particularly old novels and duplicate periodicals, were given away to
hospitals and libraries, and files of newspapers were no longer
preserved, while much of the Library stock could only be located with
difficulty. In 1897 the Library was spread all over the building with
many of the rooms outside the control of the Librarian. Books were
stored in two Ministers' rooms, the ladies' tearoom, and two committee
rooms. A motion was brought up in 1896 to dispose of certain of the
lesser used books, but it was defeated and steps were taken to case the
books and house them elsewhere.
Economic conditions were somewhat better in 1897, and to the
Committee's joy, Cabinet showed signs of approving the construction and
plans were eventually sent to the Library Committee for approval.
The Government had selected Mr Thomas Turnbull as architect and he was
instructed to draw up plans not only for a Library but also for
committee rooms and an imposing entrance to the buildings generally. On
the last day of the session they were approved, but as the vote was for
only £7,000 the Library Committee drew a line across the plan and said
the committee rooms were not to be built.
Demolition of the old building was undertaken in February 1898 before
tenders closed. When they were opened, they were found to be so much in
excess of the estimate that all were rejected and it was decided to
carry out the work under the cooperative system. The lowest tender for
ordinary construction was £42,000 and for fireproof £45,300; the others
were considerably higher.
On 13 April 1898 the foundation stone was laid by the Premier, Mr
Seddon, and when the session began the walls were almost complete.
Because of the noise it was decided that the work would have to cease.
All may have been quiet there, but it was very much otherwise in the
House. On the second day the Leader of the Opposition gave notice of a
motion that the House regretted that His Excellency's advisers without
the necessary authority had greatly exceeded the specific appropriation
of £7,000, such action being a dangerous subversion of the House's
control over public expenditure. There was an acrid debate but the
Government survived.
As a result of the attack, however, the Premier decided to abandon the
idea of a three-storeyed building and to limit expenditure to £25,000.
The Library Committee initiated another debate in which members tried
to get the Government to reconsider its decision. It was unsuccessful
but during the debate some of those who had condemned the spending of
more than £7,000 advised the Government to keep to the original plans.
The architect was upset at the change and stated that the alterations
had destroyed the symmetry of the building so that it was no longer a
monument to his ability. As a result his name was removed from the
foundation stone, and today the building, which was said to be the
finest example of Victorian Gothic in the country, does not bear the
name of its designer.
The Library was completed in 1899, but took some time to dry out and it
was not until early 1901 that it was occupied. It is a fine building,
but has many defects from a library point of view. The main reading
room is probably one of the most beautiful rooms in the country, but
the high windows reduce considerably the book capacity as well as
allowing too much bright light on to the stock, and on to the readers.