NELSON INSTITUTE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 52, 2 March 1874, Page 2

NELSON INSTITUTE.

The annual general meeting of members, oi this Institute was held on Friday evening. The report aod balanco sheet having been read and adopted, the Committee and officers of the last year wero re-elected. Tho following is the report ;— - The Committee, in presenting the annual balance sheet and accounts of tbe Institute, are Borry to have to report a further decrease in the numbers as compared with previous years. The causes which have led to this gradual failing off may be attributed, as suggested in our last year's report, to the existence of circulating libraries, which have materially increased, and to the fact that your Committee have not heen in a position to supply the demand for tbe literature of tbe day from want of funds. LIBRARY. During the past year 67 volumes have been added to the Library, os against 80 in 1872, but it must be explained that 24 out of the 67 volumes have been handed over to tbe Institute by the Scientific Association, in return for the use of a room by the latter body. Of the 43 volumes tbat remained to be selected by the Committee, 40 are books of fiction, one is biographical, one religious, and one a book of travels. The total issue of periodicals for 1873 has been 5559, of bound books, 4200, in all 9759, beiDg a decrease of 1879 as compared with the circulation in 1872. The -relative falling off in new subscribers has been still greater, as there were 32 new members in 1872 against 19 in 1873. These significant facts, when taken into consideration with the constant complaiqts both of present and past subscribers that tbe Library Committee fails to provide sufficient inducements to intending subscribers, fully warrant the Committee in pointiog out that all such strictures have their foundation either iu ignorance or disregard of thia ordinary laws of supply and. demand. No hody of men can be reasonably expected to involve an institution in debt in order to provide for a purely hypothetical increase in subscribers, and the Committee wish it to be clearly understood that if tho inhabitants of the town of Nelson really wish to have among them a Public Library worthy of the name, they must begin by contributing a much larger sum than the £74 lis, that represents the subscriptions from both Library and Reading-room during the paßt year. No public library can be expected to thrive which is dependent upon the annual grant of the Provincial Council for the payment of its librarian and for the repairs of the building; and to which the members contribute scarcely more than would be considered a reasonable expenditure upon a private library. ;, \y MUSEUM. Since the recent repairsjto the building,, and tho alteration of the rooms, much

additional space has been acquired which was greatly needed. The cases of minerals have been rearranged and put in order. It is proposed that more wall-space be appropriated and other improvements made during tbe ensuing year. Space has been afforded for the display of the valuable and interesting specimens of haematite iron, from the ore to the manufactured state, viz., grey and calcined hsematite, pig and bar iron, screw-bolts and nutsand horseshoes presented by Mr Webster from the Collingwood Company. These coupled with the specimens of ironstone, limestone and coal from Pakawau, the fine specimens of coal from the Grey, a slab of stone from Wangamoa presented by Mr Mirfin, and marble from Para Para amply demonstrate the riches of the various districts'! of the Province. Specimens of gold-bearing quartz from various claims in Inanga hua; antimony from the same district, and Bome fossiliferous shale and limestone have be3n presented by C. Broad Esq, other presentations are: — Two' land snail shells (Helix Hochsletteri) by Dr. Williams; specimens of Teredo navalis or ship worm by Mr Bullard; a Mexican Baddle by the Rev A. M Garin; Carapace of Tortoise from bed of kaolin clay, from Stanley Brook by Mr Orr; and a fine specimen of the large Black . Petrel prepared and presented by Mr Mr Huddleston. house. A new roof has been put on the Institute Building, and the wa'ls and linings have been put in repair at u considerable cost as wiil appear by tho balance sheet, and tbo building is now being painted under contract. The committee have aiso determined to have the gas laid on in the Library and Reading Room, other repairs are in progress which when completed will make tho Institute more, comfortable nnd useful. The committee have given up the room on the ground floor for the purposes of the Museum, ond now use the room over the Library as a - reading room. This was absolutely necessary to make room for the number of articles presented to the Museum. An inspection of tho published abstract oi accounts will show that the debit of £35 12s 3d.,' with which the Committee began last year bas been reduced to £5 5s 6d.