LIBRARY GRANTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16492, 6 March 1914, Page 8

LIBRARY GRANTS.

THE £4OOO VOTE.

COMMENT ON EXCESS OF. FICTION. ITer Press Association.! WELLINGTON, March 5. Libraries throughout the dominion will share this week in the distribution of a grant of’ £4OOO voted bv Parliament • for their encouragement, and distributed by the Education Department upon a basis which secures for the .smaller institutions special consideration. Those having large incomes, such as the city libraries, are subsidised on’£loo of their receipts, which this year means a grant of' £23 11s 3d from the exchequer, but small libraries have a sum added to their income to make up the nominal amount on which the payment is distributed. The returns show that even in remote districts some kind of reading institution exists. No fewer than 401 libraries have applied for the shbsidy. Their actual aggregate income last year amounted to . £15,760. This sum includes the receipt of the city libraries. The Education Department is concerning itself especially about the class of book purchased with the subsidy. It particularly enjoins upon the library authorities that a due proportion of the * books purchased with the subsidy 6hall be those which have a permanent value, that is, to use the Department’s own phrase, “ books of more than merely' passing interest.’’ In making application for the subsidy library authorities have to describe the class of books bought during the previous year, and it has been found that over 90 per cent consist of fiction, and fiction of a very' ephemeral description at that. -Possibly in the near future an attempt will be, made to ensure that libraries benefiting from the subsidy shalb show a- fair range of works dealing with his-, tory, biography, travel, science and the fine arts, literature and reference. . ALLOCATIONS FOR CANTERBURY. The following allocations have been made to libraries in the Canterbury Srovince: Orth and Mid Canterbury—. Akaroa, £ll 12s 7d. Ashburton, £l6 15s 6d. Ashley, £6 10s 6d. Barr Hill, £7 Is 9d. Belfast. £7 16s lOd. , Brookside, £6 10s 9d. Burwood, £7'9s 2d. Chertsey, £7 7s 3d. Cheviot, £l2 ss. Christchurch, £23 11s 3d. Clarkville, £6 11s. Oust, £7 11s. Dunsandel, £7 2s 7d. Ealing, £ll '3s sd. Ellesmere, £7 19s. Eyreton, £6 19s. Flaxton, £6 8s sd. Glentunnel, £7 4s lid. Governor’s Bay, £6 8s Id. Greta' Valley, £6 7s lid. Halswell, £6 17s 2d.. Highbank, £6 14s fid. Hororata, £6 18s 9d. Islington, £9 8s 4d. Kaiapoi, £l6 19s 6d. Kaikoura, £9 6s 4d. Killinchy, £9 10s. Lakeside, £6 7s 9d. Leeston, ,£9 ‘4s."ld. Lincoln, £8 16s 4d. . Lin wood,. £23 11s 3d. ' Little Akaloa, £7 5s 7d. Little River, £l3 16s 2d. Lyttelton, £ll 11s 7d. Mayfield, £6 19s. Mount Somers, £6'lss Bd. New Brighton, £ll 13s Id. North Kowai, £9 12s Id. Okain’s Bay, £9 11s. Papanui, £7 • 19s Bd. Pigeon Bay, £6 17s .3d. Prebbleton, £7 3s 9d. Rangiora, £l4 14s lid. Redcliffs, £9 Is 6d. Saltwater Creek, £6 12s 2d. Southbrook, £6 12s lOd. Soutlihridge, £8 6s. South Rakaia, £lO 11s 6d. Spotswood, £7 6s 3d. Springfield, £6 7s 6d. .Springston, £8 6s Bd. St Albans, £9, 8s sd. Stoke,. £6 9s. • x ... Sumner, £2O 7s Bd. Sydenham, £23 11s 3d. Tai Tapu, £7 16s<8d: • , ■ . Templeton, £7 Is Bd. The Peaks, £6 17s 3d. Wren Hill, £6 17s 2d. Waiau, £9 7s sd. Waikari, £7 11b Bd. Waikuku, £7 3s sd. ' Wakanui, £6 17s lid. Waltham, £l2 18s Id. Waterton, £8 11s 3d. West Eyr.eton, £7 2s 4d.,. Woodend, £7 2s 7d. > . South Canterbury—• Woolston, £l3 Is Bd. Cave, £ll 8s 7d. Geraldine, £l7 14s Bd. Glenavy, £6 11s lid. Gleniti, £6 15s sd. f Hunter. £lO 2s 6d. Makikihi, £lB 12s. Morven, £7 2s 7d. Nukuroa. £7 3s 2d. Otaio, £6 13s 2di Otaio, upper, £G 11s lid. Pareora, £9 14s lOd. Rangitata, £6 12s 6d. Redcliffe, £6 9s. Temuka, £l7 3s 9d. Timaru, £6 14s lld.^ Waihao Downs, £6 17s iu. . Waimate, £lB 17s Bd. Waitohi Flat, £7 4s lid. Winchester. £9 14s 7d. Total, £B2B 3s 3d.