GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1941.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1941 Session I, H-32

H.—32.

1941. NEW ZEALAND.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY. REPORT OF THE CHIEF LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1941.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

To the Chairman, Joint Library Committee. Sir, — I have the honour to report on the operations of the General Assembly Library for the year 1940-41. Accessions. During the financial year 1940-41 we added 3,363 volumes to our stock, as compared with 3,837 in the previous year, 5,236 the year before, and an average of 3,451 for the last ten years. At 31st May, 1941, the number of books accessioned was 159,750. It is of interest, as an indication of the character of the Library, to show the number of volumes acquired in each class. They were : Bibliography, 132 ; newspapers, 182 ; philosophy, 29 ; religion, 147 ; sociology, 989 ; parliamentary, 251 ; philology, 15 ; natural science, 135 ; useful arts, 390 ; fine arts, 121 ; literature, 140 ; travel and biography, 549 ; New Zealand literature, 86 ; fiction, 197. In common with other libraries, we suffered a certain amount of inconvenience through loss of books in transit from England. They were fortunately fully covered by insurance, and the delay in most cases was remedied with praiseworthy promptitude by the special branch of the High Commissioner's Office which carries out our commissions. Donations. Donations were received during the year from many sources, including the Adelaide City Council (South Australia), Alberta Social Credit Board (Edmonton), Australian Aerial Medical Services (Melbourne), Australian Trade Commissioner (Wellington), Rev. J. M. Bates (Wellington), C. Graham Botha (Capetown), John Chambers and Co. (Wellington), Consul-General for Belgium (Wellington), Consul-General for Poland (Wellington), Consul-General of Japan (Wellington), Consulate of Switzerland (Wellington), H. H. Cornish (Wellington), Dominion Archivist (Canada), Ilford Municipal Library (England), Invercargill Public Library (Invercargill), A. M. Jsdaile (Wellington), London County Council (England), Master Wardens and Court of Assistants, Mercers' Company of London (England), J. F. Menzies (Sumner), R. D. Newth (Invercargill), Nova Scotian Archives (Halifax), E. Partridge (England), Perpetual Trustee Co., Ltd. (Sydney), Flying Officer Petre (Wellington), Pharmacy Board of New Zealand, Post and Telegraph Department (Wellington), Eric Ramsden (Sydney), C. H. Williams (Wellington), V. B. Wilson (Wanganui), and W. Wilson, 13. E., M.Sc. (London). Copyright and Publications. The usual Accession List and List of Copyright Publications were published during the year, as well as the interim list of accessions for the information of honourable members. The Library has also co-operated in a number of the projects of the New Zealand Library Association, including the Union List of Periodicals and the Index of New Zealand Periodicals, to both of which we make important contributions. The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, of which the first volume was published, in 1940, has now been completed. The cards which had been prepared for a subject index of this work have been placed in the research file of the Library. During the year the accessions under the Copyright Act have been of special importance for they include the various books published throughout New Zealand in connection with the Centennial celebrations. Among these may be mentioned : —■ Pictorial Surveys : " Making New Zealand," nos. 1-30. Centennial Surveys : (J. C. Beaglehole) The Discovery of New Zealand ; (W. G. McClymont) The Exploration of New Zealand ; (James Cowan) Settlers and Pioneers ; (Leicester Webb) Government in New Zealand ; (G. T. Alley and D. O. W. Hall) The Farmer in New Zealand ; (Helen M. Simpson) The Women of New Zealand ; (A. E. Campbell) Educating New Zealand ; (E. H. McCormick) Letters and Art in New Zealand; (F. L. W. Wood) New Zealand in the World ; (S. H. Jenkinson) New Zealanders and Science ; (Guy H. Scholefield) A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, 2 vol.

H.—32.

Publications by local Centennial Committees include (Melville Harcourt) The Day before Yesterday ; (J. G. Wilson) History of Hawkes Bay ; (H. E. R. L. Wily) South Auckland ; (W. E. M. Jacobson) Akaroa and Banks Peninsula, 1840-1940 ; (John Brown) Centennial History of Ashburton ; (Gifford and Williams) A Centennial History of Tauranga ; (J. Garcia) History of Whangamomona County ; (C. W. Vennell) Such things were ; (C. J. Roberts) Centennial History of Hawera and Waimate Plains ; (Rutherford and Skinner) The New Plymouth Settlement, 1841-1843 ; Felton Mathew papers, Founding of New Zealand ; (Mrs. E. Tapsell) Historic Maketu ; (Chappie and Veitch) Wanganui; (Alan Mulgan) City of the Strait; (Auckland University College) 1840 and After ; (A. D. Mcintosh) Marlborough : a Provincial History ; (E. J. Lord) Old Westland ; (K. C. McDonald) History of North Otago ; (Basil Howard) Rakiura ; Petone's First Hundred Years; Raglan Old Settlers Souvenir Booklet; (Earle Vaile) Pioneering the Pumice ; Yesterday and To-day in Otago. Other Centennial publications : (James Cowan) Sir Donald Mac Lean ; (F. Waite) Port Molyneux ; (F. W. Williams) Through Ninety Years, 1826-1916 ; Tales of Pioneer Women ; (H. C. Fancourt) The Advance of the Missionaries ; (H. Beattie) The First White Boy Born in Otago ; (Edmund Smith) Early Adventure in Otago ; (H. Beattie) Tikao Talks ; (E. M. Smith) A History of New Zealand Fiction ; (S. C. and L. J. Matthews) Matthews of Kaitaia ; Lower Hutt Past and Present: Jubilee ; (E. C. Studholme) Te Waimate ; (M. C. Thomas) Yeomen of the South ; (D. W. Malloch) Early Waikouaiti; Two Maoriland Adventurers : Marsden and Selwyn ; (Beryl McCarthy) Castles in the Soil; (Auckland Lyceum Club) Silhouettes of the Past; (T. A. Pybus) It happened in Otakou ; (J. R. Elder) The History of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand ; (J. Comrie) The Presbytery of Auckland ; (Sydney Waters) Clipper Ship to Motor Liner ; The Story of the New Zealand Shipping Company, 1873-1939 ; (Frank C. Bowen) The Flag of the Southern Cross : the History of Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co., Ltd., 1858-1939; History of Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, Limited, 1875-1940. Staff Work. The amount of historical research done in the Library since the termination of the Centennial celebrations has been noticeably less. On the other hand, research in the economic and sociological sections remains fairly heavy. During the past year the Library has been able to provide facilities for a number of members of the Public Service specially chosen for post-graduate courses. The Assistant Librarian, Mr. W. S. Wauchop, who had been seconded for duty as pageant master for the Centennial celebrations, returned to the Library early in 1941. The staff has, on the other hand, suffered further reduction by officers going on war service. In addition to Messrs. B. D. Zohrab, C. H. Constable and R. McEwan, who joined up last year, Mr. J. 0. Wilson and Mr. I. K. MacGregor have now left on active service with the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm respectively. The vacancies thus occasioned are being filled temporarily. Mr. Wilson has completed his degree of B.Com. During the year the five hundredth anniversary of the invention of printing was celebrated. A special exhibition showing the history of New Zealand official printed papers, early New Zealand books, and examples of fine printing was arranged in the Library, and was visited by parties of school-children as well as by the general public. In addition, the General Assembly Library contributed a display of early Wellington newspapers to the bigger exhibition which was arranged at the Wellington Public Library. Inter-Library Lending. This branch, which is in effect an activity of the National Library, again shows considerable expansion. During the year we lent 302 volumes to thirteen other libraries and the Country Library Service, as compared with 155 last year and 85 in the preceding year. Again about two-thirds of the loans were made through the Country Library Service to meet the requirements of small libraries all over the country. The balance were to the larger public and special libraries. We received forty-five requests for books which we could not supply. The type of book requested from us is shown by the following analysis : History and biography, 134 ; sociology, 56 ; literature, 44 ; useful arts, 24. The General Assembly Library borrowed 10 books, as compared with 19 last year and 6 in the preceding year. International Exchange. As agent in New Zealand for the International Exchange Service, the General Assembly Library last year received from abroad 3,214 packages and 14 cases of official and scientific publications, as compared with 3,046 packages and 10 cases in the preceding year. Most of this material was for the General Assembly Library itself as the National Library of New Zealand, the balance being redistributed to Departments, libraries, and private addresses. During the last few years the Library has come into possession of a considerable body of duplicate publications of the League of Nations. As this material is of great interest to students of history and economics, it was thought desirable to distribute it so as to make it available throughout the Dominion. Duplicates have therefore been offered to some of the principal libraries which are interested and which already have a certain amount of the League publications. Map Collection. A good deal of attention has been given this year to the arrangement and cataloguing of the map collection. This includes a great number of (a) early maps of considerable historical value ; (b) maps published by the Lands and Survey Department since its inauguration ; (c) Admiralty charts and ordnance maps from Great Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

2

H.—32.

Recess Privilege. Once again, owing to the several short sittings of Parliament, the use of the Library by recess privilege holders has been considerably restricted. The number of recess privilege holders has also been greatly reduced by the absence of readers on active service. The total number of privilege holders, exclusive of those who enjoy the full privilege, Government Departments, and officers of Parliament, was 289. The following table shows the figures for some years past:— 1935 .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,085 1935-36 (3 months) .. .. .. .. .. 590 1937 .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,079 1938 (9 weeks) .. .. .. .. .. 355 1938-39 .. .. .. .. .. .. 790 1939-40 .. .. .. .. .. .. 516 1940-41 .. .. .. .. .. .. 289 The occupations of privilege holders are as follows : Accountants, 6 ; advertising agent, 1 ; agents, 2 ; artist, 1 ; bank clerk, I ; barristers and solicitors, 12 ; bookbinders, 2 ; botanist, 1 ; broadcasting announcer, 1 ; business managers, 3 ; caretaker, 1 ; carpenter, 1 ; chemists, 2 ; civil servants, 42 ; clergymen, 6 ; clerks, 30 ; commercial traveller, 1 ; company directors, 2 ; company manager, 1 ; compositors, 3 ; dentist, 1 ; domestic duties, 31 ; draughtsmen, 3 ; dressmakers, 2 ; editor, 1 ; electricians, 2 ; engineers, 3; hairdresser, 1 ; hotelkeeper, 1 ; insurance manager, 1 ; journalists, 11 ; law clerks, 3 ; librarian, 1; lecturer, 1 ; manufacturer, 1 ; medical practitioners, 2 ; messengers, 4 ; meter-reader, 1 ; no occupation, 2 ; nurse, 1 ; photographer, 1 ; police constables, 4 ; printers, 3 ; railway employees, 2 ; retired, 18 ; salesman, 1 ; school-teachers, 19 ; secretaries, 3 ; shearer, 1 ; soldiers, 2 ; stock agent, 1 ; students, 33 ; tailor, 1 ; timber - worker, 1 ; trade-union ■secretary, 1 ; typists, 4 ; waterside worker, 1 ; wireless operator, 1. The number of baskets and parcels of books posted to members of the Legislature during the recess was 349. New Zealand Library Association. The annual conference of the New Zealand Library Association was held in Dunedin in 1941. A feature of the conference was a broadcast address given by the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. P. Eraser) in his capacity as patron of the Association. Many aspects of library co-operation which closely affect the General Assembly Library as a component of the projected National Library were discussed. The Library was represented by the Chief Librarian, the Hon. Sir James Allen, M.L.C., the Hon. D. G. McMillan, M.P., and Mr. P. Neilson, M.P. The Library is very much indebted to the High Commissioner and his staff for their co-operation under unusually difficult conditions in carrying out our commissions. I wish personally to express my appreciation also of the fine spirit shown by the Library staff during the year and to the Joint Library Committee for its sympathetic interest. Attached is a statement of receipts and expenditure for the year, with the certificate of the AuditorGeneral. I have, &c., G. H. SciIOLEFIELD, Chief Librarian. GENERAL ASSEMBLY LIBRARY ACCOUNT. Statement for the Year ended 31st March, 1941. Receipts. £ s. d. Payments. £ s. d. Balance . - . . • • •. ... 58 4 2 Purchase of books and periodicals in— Annual grant .. .. •• 1,250 0 0 United Kingdom and United States .. .. 535 13 8 Private Bill fees .. .. .. •. 65 0 0 Australia .. .. .. . . .. 19 7 2 Refunds, lost books, &c. .. .. .. 7 8 4 New Zealand .. .. .. .. 294 10 0 Petty expenses .. .. .. .. 0 5 7 Photostats .. .. .. .. .. 9 17 0 Bank charge .. .. .. .. 0 10 0 Cheque .. .. .. .. .. 0 10 0 Balance, Bank of New Zealand .. .. . . 519 19 1 £1,380 12 6 £1,380 12 6 4th April, 1941. G. H. Scholefield, Chief Librarian. Examined and found correct. —J. P. Rutherford, Deputy Controller and Auditor-General.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (510 copies), £4 ss.

By Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington, —1941.

Price 3d.]

3