Time Travellers in Essendon, Flemington and the Keilor Plains

Libraries-Hygienic-Public-Circulating

Continued from  Early-Libraries-In-Essendon-and-Flemington

Early Libraries in Essendon and Flemington. Part 2

by Lenore Frost

Throughout the 1930s Depression, compulsory retirement of municipal workers reaching the age of 65 began to be discussed in municipal councils, generally with reference to widespread unemployment, and the intention to provide work for younger unemployed men.  The Collingwood Council discussed it in late 1930,[53] and it slowly spread to other suburban councils. It was not until 1938 that the Essendon Council made the resolution to compulsorily retire their older workers, after considering a superannuation scheme for them.[54]  By this time Sarah Windsor was eighty-eight years old and had been in the Council’s employ for over 54 years.[55]  

With her retirement imminent, interviews with this venerable lady gives us a last opportunity to have a look at what was on the shelves.

“Mrs. Windsor's manner and her under-standing of the tastes of customers have endeared her to the thousands of people who have visited the library. "The tastes of readers have changed considerably," she said yesterday. "Many readers keep abreast of the times both in general literature and in novels, but a few of the older ones still ask me when Mrs. Henry Wood is going to write a new novel! [56] There is little demand for classics”.

"Children always ask for Mary Grant Bruce and Ethel Turner's books and also for 'The Little Black Princess,' but they no longer seem to read fairy tales. The boys never tire of Jules Verne."[57]

"Far fewer really good books are read by the young people of today," she continues.  "They seem to go in so much for the light literature - film magazines, detective magazines, and pictorial magazines".[58]

“Mrs. S. Windsor, who has been city librarian at Essendon since March 1, 1882, has asked the council to release her from her duties after the Easter holidays”.[59]

A number of elderly council staff were farewelled with presentations from the Mayor Cr L T Thompson – Murray Pullar, the city surveyor, and John Oliver, the city curator, along with eight members of the ‘outdoor staff’ were presented with wrist watches, rugs, and a cheque as a retiring allowance.  Mrs Windsor was to continue as librarian until a new one was appointed.[60]   

On 12 March 1940, The Age announced:

Essendon Library Closed

Essendon council last night decided to close the municipal library. The decision followed a recommendation by the finance committee. The council also adopted its recommendation that the resignation of the librarian (Miss M. Dillon) be accepted, and that no more appointments to the position be made. The mayor, Cr. Lewellin, asked that his vote should be recorded against the proposal.

Cr. Divers said some of the books were bound in the days of Queen Anne, if someone could name one good book in Essendon municipal library he would eat it. "We have seven people who patronise the library regularly. They come down for a sleep every Tuesday, and they get it", he said.[61]

Queen Anne, who reigned over us from 1702 to 1714.  The present library would be only too

pleased to have books bound in her time.   Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria, H27390.

Outraged citizens swung into action, with local resident Gordon Hartnett and the Chief Librarian of the Public Library in Melbourne, Ernest Pitt, protesting strongly at a later Council meeting.

“The public gallery of the Essendon council chamber was crowded last night when a deputation waited on the council, and urged that the decision of the council to close the council's free lending library should be rescinded. The library has existed in the town hall, Moonee Ponds, for many years. Mr G Hartnett said the deputation represented thousands of ratepayers who considered that it would be a most undemocratic and retrograde step if the library were closed. E R Pitt, chief librarian of the Melbourne Public Library, said he regretted the decision of the council. He had inspected the library, and he did not think it was worthy of Essendon, it might be that it was better than none at all. He suggested that Essendon should embark on a ten-year programme, starting with £700 per year and increasing by £200, each year. At the end of ten years they would be spending £2500 per annum. There were very good reasons why the council should start with such a scheme, and there was a possibility that the council might even make a charge for lending works of fiction. Cr. Thompson said he would not advocate spending money on a library when the streets and footpaths were in such need of attention. Cr. Newing said he was appalled at the condition of the city. While the roads were in such a disreputable and muddy condition as existed at present, he would not vote for a large expenditure on a library. During a long debate only four councillors spoke in favor of retaining the library. The mayor (Cr. Lewellin) thanked the deputation, which withdrew without any motion for the rescinding of the resolution having been moved.”[62]

It was only five years since it was reported, “The Essendon City Council has decided to apply to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for a grant of £1,500 to establish a Carnegie library at Essendon”.[63]  The grant had evidently not been forthcoming, but the application does support Cr Divers’ contention that the library stock was run-down and poorly patronised, with which Ernest Pitt agreed. Nevertheless, the closure of the library would be felt in a community that would be asked to work hard in the war effort, particularly women staying at home with families while their husbands were away or working long hours, and little money to spare for entertainment. It was a petty cost-cutting decision.

It presented, however, an opening for the canny small-business person.  Although circulating libraries had been scattered about the district for many years, the numbers of additional libraries which sprang up in 1940 were notable.  They had a mainly unobstructed opportunity for the next nearly 30 years while the Council refused to concede the need for a free public library.  In 1967 Essendon became one of the last municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne to provide a public library.[64]

Footnote 53 missing.

[54] SUPERANNUATION PLANS. (1938, March 15). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 6. Retrieved November 9, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11172938.

[55] Librarian for 56 Years. (1938, April 8). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11178314.

[56] Mrs Henry Wood, as mentioned earlier, wrote a book in 1860, recommended for the Flemington-Kensington library by Edward Dale Puckle in 1888.

[57] Librarian for 56 Years. (1938, April 8). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11178314.

[58] Essendon Gazette, Thursday April 1938.

[59] PERSONAL. (1938, March 31). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 10. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11154587.

[60] PRESENTATIONS AT ESSENDON. (1938, May 7). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 2. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11157081.

[61] Essendon Library Closed. (1940, March 12). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204421445.

[62] Essendon Library. (1940, May 7). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 6. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206774555.

[63] GENERAL. (1934, May 24). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 1. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10939702.

[64] Two: Assessment of Community & Administrative Facilities: Funeral Parlours, Kindergartens, Exhibition Building, Masonic Centre,  Municipal Libraries and Council Offices. Prepared for Heritage Victoria by Built Heritage Pty Ltd. Croydon, 31 May 2010.