DUNEDIN ATHENÆUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11642, 27 January 1900, Page 3

DUNEDIN ATHENÆUM.

' t The committee of the Dunedin Athenreurh, , in submitting the annual report and balance , sheet for the year ending December 31, state:— ' * ■ I The. membership of, the institute consists o£ 37 life members, 528 yearly subscribers, 200 half-yearly subscribers, 60 quarterly, and 88 youths; in ■ all, 883 members. The balance sheet shows the total receipts for the year to be £1090 7s, the .revenue from all sources dur--Img the previous year being £111219s sd. The outstanding subscriptions amount to £70.' As the practice of employing an agent to collect subscriptions has been discontinued, the com* niittcc hope members wil! be good'enough to pay them to the librarian as they become due ihe past year 'has been a quiet and uneventful one in the history 'of the Athensnrm. The committee have, addressed themselves to' the* task of keeping the institute in as" high a state of efficiency jas ■ [the means at their disposal permitted, and ! they have the satisfaction of knowing that for its size the library of the AthcnsEuin compares favourably with that of similar institutions, both, in .the quality and the variety of its contents. The additions made -durin°- the year number 1279 volumes, distributed over 13 departments of literature. As usual, a.catalogue ot these has been compiled, of which copiea can be obtained by members on'application to ' the librarian. The. additions are not all now books,'but include a number of useful worlcs of which fresh copies were much ne«ded. In the department of periodical literature, the reading room is kept up to' date,-'and a number of new magazines and some additional papers-have been added during the'yea'r Tlio news papers and magazines regularly received are as follows:—Canadian 1, British 109, American 21, French 2 German 1, Australian 18, Tasmanian 2, New Zealand 101, Indian 2, , ' So^h -African 2, Hongkong 1; total 260. Some alterations have been made in the interior of the library, by which more shelving Space has been obtained without curtailing the public convenience, while the newspaper and Wh ! nV° Pm h. ave,>en entirely ?enovated. While the membership of the Athenssum is " maintained the committee regret that it does '■" not increase with the growing population of the town. They would like to see mbre'young- ' people on the list of subscribers. The library is well supplied .with healthy and interesting " hterature, and the committee take a personal ■ interest m securing books that appeal'to the" taste of the youthful members of the community The committee would also like to see a larger country membership. Very favourable arrangements are made for.supplying small .groups of country readers with"" boxes of books, so that for a trifling sum' residents in . the country can be brought in touch with the best and latest-literature'of the day. The committee acknowledge, with thanks, presentations received during the year from the Governments of Cape of Good Hope, New South Wales, South Australia,; and; New . Zealand; from the Otago Agricultural and ' Pastoral Society; Messrs Oliver' and 'Bbyd (Edinburgh), Rev. A. B. Todd, and from Messrs George Richardson and E. E C - yinck. Twelve meetings of the General Committee were held during the year, the attendance being as follows:-Messrs Blyth and Jeffery, 12;' Graham, 11; Moore, Pryde, and f 4 S,° nA 10; Harlow.and Park, 9; Barclay, . 8; Whetter, 7; Burton, 7. ■ , ,-