LEYS INSTITUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13485, 11 May 1907, Page 7

LEYS INSTITUTE.

ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS. . The, , annual ".'■■ meeting ■ of . member* •of ? tha Leys Institute, Ponsonby, , was bold,, in the. "\. institute lecture hall last evening, ;*';Mr. ( -.;W» ( v>: Cecil' Leys presided in the absence of .tha president (Mr. T. W. Leys), who is at pr»» sent on a visit to England. The committee, in presenting their annual report, stated that the year's-' operations had been of the most satisfactory character. The total 'membership on March 31 Inst wa» 500. The. value of the reference library had been greatly enhanced during'the past 12 month* by. the addition' of 853 books, ' making,a- total ,of 4975 volumes.'- The ■?***"' tendance,, both afternoon and evening, continued highly satisfactory, being at lea«i. e<|ua! to that at the reading-room of the' city library. .There were now 231 subscribers to the lending; department, bold**', 37V depositors on the roll. An addition of 329 books; had been made to the department, whioh now had ■: 3021 volumes. Th* . record of volumes issued was as. follows, Fiction, 12,334; general' literature, 1386;! magazines, 5146; total, 18,866. The largest % donations to the library were made by Mr;' '>:' T. W. Leys,(sss volumes) and Mr. Shaw" ' (257 volumes). ; Tho affiliated societies- for : : the most part had prosperous seasons. A'-'' 1 new departure last year was' the revival of: a mock Parliament, in which -* the va*»u«' ! literary f and. debating societies of the city i participated. Interest in it, however. flag- 1 : ged at • the end ;of the year; 'A: number of; lectures of a 1 highly \ instructive character % were also given during the winter. • In July 1 last .gymnasium was opened in connection) ; with the institute." The cost of the buijding ■ and furnishing was ; £1560, apart from equipmont, and tho balance"above'. the '-41360-m' ' ~ lar,« (<£ the purpose was provided |by Mr. V . f^ yH \, A plano for" the building naa" . °°M.f^ c [ by Messrs. J- Court and M.'Casev:' . . Iho balance-sheet submitted showed I thai*, the receipts exceeded the expenditure by Ml.:- - ■•-■*-. -. .The Chairman, in moving the adoption oi the report and i balance-sheet,sthought': that .the second year of the institute's existence had - afforded additional nroof of the sphere . of useful activity that "was , open in the suburb for an institution: on the lines ou which this one was conducted. . - ; ' iko Rev.- A. North, in seconding- the motion,:considered there ought to be an institute of a. like character in every suburb ot the city. .■.,-..■..;..,.■- ;...:.,".-., -~-•> -•-;-,;..--- .>;•.■ r ,}' A. J. Entrican thought .the City .Council was prepared to; do something in" ; tms way. , Newton required one badly. He had been looking about, for a suitable site «'■ [and as soon. as one could be I got ho had no? ■■■ ;doubt that.''he; woujd bo able 'to ? get the P City Council to buy it. * . " The report and balance-sheet were adopteel; and the retiring members .of the comnntteo were elected unopposed, A vote a* thanks to the officers for tbTJast JWooS eluded the business. v«v J«r cob.