different errors on different machines

[Sam Steingold]

on one machine (work) I can run automake (1.9.6), although I get a warning:

$ automake gllib/Makefile
configure.in:85: warning: AC_CANONICAL_BUILD invoked multiple times
aclocal.m4:4583: CL_CANONICAL_HOST is expanded from...
configure.in:85: the top level
configure.in:85: warning: AC_CANONICAL_HOST invoked multiple times
$

(I have no idea why AC_CANONICAL_BUILD & AC_CANONICAL_HOST are invoked 
multiple times, if you have any insight, please share it, the files are 
here:
http://clisp.cvs.sourceforge.net/*checkout*/clisp/clisp/src/configure.in
http://clisp.cvs.sourceforge.net/*checkout*/clisp/clisp/src/autoconf/aclocal.m4)

at least I get my gllib/Makefile.in which I can then use.

on another machine (home) I the same (1.9.6) automake on the same files 
barfs:

$ automake gllib/Makefile
configure.in: no proper invocation of AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE was found.
configure.in: You should verify that configure.in invokes AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE,
configure.in: that aclocal.m4 is present in the top-level directory,
configure.in: and that aclocal.m4 was recently regenerated (using aclocal).
gllib/Makefile.am:18: Libtool library used but `LIBTOOL' is undefined
gllib/Makefile.am:18:
gllib/Makefile.am:18: The usual way to define `LIBTOOL' is to add 
`AC_PROG_LIBTOOL'
gllib/Makefile.am:18: to `configure.in' and run `aclocal' and `autoconf' 
again.
gllib/Makefile.am:33: @LTALLOCA@ used but `LTALLOCA' is undefined
/usr/share/automake-1.9/am/depend2.am: am__fastdepCC does not appear in 
AM_CONDITIONAL
/usr/share/automake-1.9/am/depend2.am: AMDEP does not appear in 
AM_CONDITIONAL

1. configure.in does have AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE - see the above link.
2. aclocal.m4 is in autoconf/aclocal.m4 relative to the invocation directory
3. configure.in does have AC_PROG_LIBTOOL

gllib/Makefile.am is here:
http://clisp.cvs.sourceforge.net/*checkout*/clisp/clisp/src/gllib/Makefile.am

so, what am I doing wrong?
thanks!
Sam.