E.—lo

1911. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: SUBSIDIES TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES (PAPERS RELATING TO DISTRIBUTION OF). [In continuation of E.-10, 1909.]

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

i. EXTIIACT FItOM THE THIRTY-FOURTH ANNUAL KbPORT OF THE MINISTEB OF EDUCATION. Parliament did not appropriate any sum in 1909-10 for payment of subsidies to public libraries. Last session, however, a vote of £4,000 was granted-—an increase of £1,000 over tnost of previous years. The vote was first granted twenty-seven years ago, and amounted to £6,000. In 1886 the amount was reduced to £4,000. For twelve years after this date no grant was made, but in 1898 a vote of £2,000 was passed by Parliament. The following year it was increased to £3,000, and this amount has been regularly voted each year until 1908. The increase in the amount of the vote is due to the increased income of libraries participating. During the last ten years the number of libraries has increased from 349 to 4(15, and the income on which subsidy was granted from £9,993 to £15,954. In the New Zealand Gazette of 3rd November, 1910, a notice was inserted stating that £3,000 was available for distribution, and shortly afterwards another amount of £1,000 was voted by Parliament, making £4,000 altogether. Forma of application were sent to all libraries known to the Department. llie 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 tlie vote was distributed 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 3rd February, 1911, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 405 libraries from which applications, each accompanied by a statutory declaration on the proper form, had been received at that date. The vote, as thus dealt with, afforded a subsidy of 4s. 7'3Bd. in the pound on the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £6 4s. 7d. to £23 Is. 7d. The number of libraries participating in the vote shows a decrease of thirty-two as compared with the number aided in February, 1909. 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 grant-ed 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.

I—E. 10.

Education Districts. Number of Libraries. Income. Income upon which Subsidy is based. Subsidy. Luokland ?aranaki Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay .. larlborough .. Jelson Jrey .. Vestland forth Canterbury iouth Canterbury )tago.. louthland stewart Island Chatham Islands 97 13 31 20 29 6 25 4 5 66 19 50 38 1 1 £ a. d. 2,974 12 0 384 17 5 1,557 9 2 4,804 11 7 1,394 14 1 152 10 4 658 1 2 351 16 10 98 18 9 1,763 2 2 301 12 3 1,111 13 3 364 8 6 29 0 6 7 0 0 I £ a. d. 3,870 0 4 640 10 2 1,518 8 2 1,178 7 1 1,386 5 0 286 2 6 1.093 18 10 295 12 9 223 18 9 2,570 14 2 776 12 3 2.094 17 3 1,314 8 6 54 0 6 32 0 0 £ s. d. 892 16 5 147 15 7 350 7 6 271 18 4 319 17 7 66 0 5 252 8 3 68 4 6 51 13 5 593 2 2 179 2 10 483 7 3 303 5 9 12 9 4 7 7 8 Totals 405 15,954 8 0 17,335 16 3 3,999 17 0