BUILDING PLANS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 80, 5 April 1939, Page 12

BUILDING PLANS.

INSTITUTE FOR BLIND.

FACTORY AND LIBRARY.

PAST TEAR IN REVIEW.

The need for enlarging the factory and the library of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind was referred to at the annual meeting of contributors yesterday by the chairman of trustee*, Mr. A. J. Huk'hiiiKon. It would also be necessary, he ndded, to provide greater office accommodation, while another project under consideration was a social room where tlie blind people of Auckland could meet their friends. The high cost of building and the difficultv of obtaining workmen had delayed immediate action. An increase of only five in the number of blind persons in New Zealand was mentioned in the report of the acting director. Mr. J. E. Broadfoot, the number of blind registered being 1185. There were 177 people at the institute. Last year the library sent out 8.1.11 Braille "and Moon volumes and 4517 talking book records. The Wellington Braille Club, as usual, had given valuable service. Subscription* for the year showed a decrease of £000, being £4683, ee against £»297 last year. Salee of institute poode by voluntary agent* showed a drop, fhe figure wae £2758, against £2939 last year. Bequeste for the year amounted to £14,075, compared with £(5736 in 1938. Frequently, however, there were life beneficiaries in euch cases, *o that the institute received no benefit for a long time. Sales from the workshops increased from £12,836 to £13,114. The art union rcsi/lt* were not so good ne those of last year, being £200 less, the report continued. Three nominations were received to fill the three seats on the board of trustees. Messrs. H. C. McCoy, D. McPhee and W. H. Lunn were elected. -