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11. Extract from the Thiety-fihst Annual Eepobt of the Minister of Education. 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 Bth October, 1908, 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—viz., 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 4th February, 1909, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 437 libraries from which applications, each accompanied b,y a statutory declaration on the proper form, had been received at that date. The vote, as thus dealt with, afforded a subsidy of 3s. 3-sd. in the pound on the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £4 Bs. 10d. to £16 9s. 2d. The number of libraries participating in the vote shows an increase of twenty 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 the education districts:—

Summary of Distribution of Public Libraries Subsidy.

Education Districts. Number ol Libraries. Income. [ncorne upon whic] Subsidy is based. Subsidy. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay .. Marlborough .. Nelson Grey .. Weetland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago.. Southland Chatham Island 112 14 33 20 32 5 27 4 6 70 22 51 40 1 £ 8. d. 2,938 11 6 390 5 11 1,654 11 11 4,812 4 4 1,366 3 2 137 5 6 736 6 3 360 2 9 118 7 3 1,777 16 5 627 5 8 846 7 10 345 0 2 4 0 0 £ s. d. 4,297 19 1 660 14 11 1,574 10 9 1,142 19 1 1,510 16 5 242 19 6 1,233 7 7 304 12 6 268 7 3 2,671 12 5 980 19 1 1,964 8 11 1,345 0 2 29 0 0 £ s. d. 707 8 4 108 15 1 259 2 6 188 2 3 248 13 5 39 19 10 203 0 2 50 2 9 44 3 4 439 14 1 161 9 1 323 6 3 221 7 5 4 15 6 Totals 437 16,114 8 8 18,227 7 8 3,000 0 0