E.—7a

12

to comply with this condition; to secure its fulfilment there should be suitable accommodation for students in the library of the college, with an ample supply of tables for their use. It would probably add still further to the usefulness of the library if in communication with it there were study-rooms, atTone end for the men, at the other end for the women. I consider, further, that there should be a permanent librarian in charge : he should be a graduate of wide reading, and might be a retired schoolmaster or other professional man, who would be content "with a moderate salary. I have looked at all the four college libraries, and have had an analysis of their contents made ; this appears in the appendix hereto. I may remark that a certain proportion of the books in the libraries might be considered as comparatively useless, being obsolete books without even an historical value, or mere elementary and inferior text-books, or otherwise unsuitable. I estimate the proportion of useless books as varying in the several colleges libraries from 8 or 10 per cent, to 30 percent. Some departments of knowledge are very inadequately represented, and generally there is an insufficient supply of the standard literary, scientific, and philosophical journals required for freshness of work and soundness of research. I do not think the suggestion for exchange of books a feasible one if it is intended to apply generally. The students pass through the colleges comparatively rapidly, and if a book required for reference by a student is not available when he needs it its nominal appearance in the library catalogue is of very little use to him. But the usual courtesy that is already exercised by scientific societies and institutes towards any worker in a special branch of advanced research would, I imagine, obtain also in regard to temporary loans of rare or expensive books and periodicals by one college to another. It should be understood also that for this purpose the libraries of the several branches of the New Zealand Institute are practically available in like manner, as are also other libraries, whether connected with the colleges or not — e.g., the General Assembly Library in Wellington, the Hocken Library in Dunedin, the libraries of the law societies for law students, and various public libraries. I do not consider it necessary that every college library should contain the books or journals in any branch of study that would probably be required only very occasionally, or that such books and journals should be obtained by the college library if they are already available in an outside library. There should therefore be a consultation among all the libraries concerned before any of the books or journals in question are ordered by any of them. At two of the colleges the suggestion was made that the minimum immediate expenditure required to make each of the libraries adequate for its purpose was £500, and that £250 per annum would be required to keep it up to date. After careful examination of the books that could be purchased for the sums named, Ido not think the estimate is by any means excessive. 1 think that both the capital and annual amounts required might be contributed to the colleges by the University of New Zealand, either out of its own funds or out of the fund that I shall propose presently should be placed at its disposal for the benefit of the four colleges. 3. LABORATORIES. Recurring Expenses. It ia somewhat difficult to separate the items of capital or non-recurring expenditure for laboratories and laboratory accessories from the itema of recurring expenditure—that is, for renewals, repairs, and materials —but I am convinced that for the four colleges the following figures, baaed on the accounts of expenditure for the last two years, are not far from the truth : —

Table J. —Average Expenditure Per Annum On The Laboratories Of The Four Colleges. (The salaries of mechanicians and laboratory assistants other than demonstrators are included.)

* At two colleges. Allowing for the employment of mechanicians and laboratory assistants where they are not now employed, and also for the saving in purchase of apparatus their employment would effect, and observing that during the last two years two or three of the laboratories have to a large extent made a fresh start, we may fairly consider that the following sums will be sufficient to meet the annual needs (for new apparatus, renewals, and materials) of the several colleges for the laboratories connected with the courses provided thereat. £ Arts and science .. .. .. .. .. . . 550 Engineering . . .. .. .. .. . . . . 450 Mines and home science .. .. .. .. .. 200 Medicine, dentistry .. .. .. .. .. .. 650 In other words, the amounts required for the several colleges would be — £ Auckland University College .. .. .. .. 550 Victoria College .. .. .. .. .. .. 550 Canterbury College .. .. .. ■ .. .. 1,000 Otago University .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,400 £3,500

Expenditure. Arts and Science. Mines.* Engineering. ! Medical. Dental. ;ecurring .. "on-recurring £ 1,190 800 £ £ £ 90 335 140 700 200 180 ' . ) ) £ 180 130