E.—l.

PUBLIC LIBEAEIES. By a vote of last session a sum of £3,000 was again granted for subsidies to public libraries. Notice thereof was inserted in the Gazette of the Ist December, 1904, and forms of application were sent to all libraries known to the Department. The method of distribution of the vote was the same as that adopted in previous years, as follows: A nominal addition of £25 was made to the amount of the income of each library derived from subscriptions, donations, and rates, provided that the receipts for the year were not less than £2, and the vote was divided according to the amount thus augmented; but no library received credit for a larger income than £75—that is, in no case did the augmented amount on which distribution was based exceed £100. In accordance with the Gazette notice, the day appointed for the distribution of the subsidy was the 6th February, 1905, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 411 libraries from which applications, each accompanied by a statutory declaration on the proper form, had been received. The vote, as thus dealt with, afforded a subsidy of Bs. 5-38 d. in the pound of the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £17 4s. 9d. to £4 13s. Some libraries supplied with the proper form failed to send in formal claims by the 30th January, 1905, the date fixed by the Gazette notice, and did not therefore participate in the vote. The number of libraries participating in the vote shows an increase of fifteen as compared with the number aided in the previous year. In order that the purpose intended to be served by the vote may be attained, it is made a condition for participation that the whole of the subsidy granted to each library in the previous year shall have been expended in the purchase of books. The following table shows the distribution according to education districts : —

Summary of Distribution of Public Libraries Subsidy.

XXVIII

Education Districts. Number of Libraries. Income. Amount on which .„,„ 4 , 0 , ., Subsidy is calculated. Amount of Subsidy. Luokland taranaki Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay .. larlborough .. Jelson .. .. 101 16 31 22 27 5 27 5 5 68 18 54 31 £ s. d. 2,608 10 7 459 17 3 1,542 9 0 3,818 11 4 752 15 11 149 18 0 682 16 9 179 17 6 76 11 9 1,727 7 10 494 14 0 934 19 11 363 15 10 £ S. d. 3,947 5 3 774 16 2 1,497 18 11 1,186 10 2 1,241 13 9 249 16 0 1,237 4 3 297 8 0 201 11 9 2,608 5 10 824 2 6 2,159 14 11 1,138 15 10 £ s. d. 680 9 7 133 10 11 •258 4 9 *204 10 10 214 1 3 43 1 3 213 5 1 51 5 4 34 15 6 449 13 1 142 1 6 372 6 6 196 5 1 Jrey .. Vestland lorth Canterbury South Canterbury )tago louthland 'hatham Islands 1 12 10 0 37 10 0 6 9 4 Totals 411 13,804 15 8 17,402 13 4 *3,000 0 0 * The subsidy to which the Mangaweka 1 sompletion of the form of application ; and the jibrary in consequence of an over-payment in tl layment out of the vote was therefore £2,99110s. jibrary would lit e sum of £1 8s. 4 he previous year, .3d. ive been entitled ( d. was deducted fi due to an error dis( £7 Is. 5d.) was not pa -om the subsidy payal covered in the form of Lid owing to the nonble to the Whareama application. The net