E.—lo,

1885. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: SUBSIDIES TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES (REPORT ON DISTRIBUTION OF). [In Continuation of E.-10, 1884.]

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

I,—Extract from the New Zealand Gazette, 13th November, 1884. Education Department, Wellington, 10th November, 1884. Notice is hereby given that the sum of £4,000 has been voted by Parliament for distribution topublic libraries. The distribution will take place on the Bth February, 1885, and no claim will be considered that shall not have been sent in in due form and received by the Secretary for Education, Wellington, on or before the 31st January, 1885. Every public library maintained by rates will be entitled to share in the distribution according to its income from rates; and every public library rAaintained by subscriptions and voluntary contributions will be entitled to share according to its income from subscriptions and voluntary contributions : Provided in either case that the income for the year has not been less than £2, and that admission to the library, if within a borough, is open to the public free of charge. The net proceeds of lectures, concerts, or other entertainments on behalf of the current expenses of the library, will be regarded as "voluntary contributions." A library to be entitled to a subsidy must be public in the sense of belonging to the public, and of not being under the control of an association, society, or club, whose membership is composed of a section of the community only. As a rule, a subsidy will not be given to more than one library in the same town. The income of each library may be stated either for the year ending the 31st December, 1884, or for the year ending with that day in the year 1884 on which the annual accounts of the library were made up. The distribution will not be in proportion to the several incomes of the libraries; but a nominal addition of £25 will be made to the amount of each income, and the vote of £4,000 will be divided in proportion to the amounts as thus augmented, but so as that no institution shall receive more than £50, and that no payment shall be made in respect of income derived from endowments or grants from Borough or County Councils, or of moneys received for building purposes, and not simply for the current expenses of the library itself, or of moneys received as rent, hire, or consideration for the use of any building or room belonging to the institution. Application to share in the distribution must be made in the form of a statutory declaration by the Chairman, or Secretary, or Treasurer of the institution on behalf of which it is made; and such declaration shall be in the following form : — Declaration. I [name], of [place of abode) , [occupati<m\ , do solemnly and sincerely declare that lam Chairman [or Secretary, or Treasurer] of the [name of institution] ; that during the year ending the day of , 1884, the income of the aforesaid institution for the purposes of a library only was as follows: From rates levied by a local governing body under " The Public Libraries Act, 1869," pounds shillings and pence ; from the subscriptions of members, pounds shillings and pence ; and from voluntary contributions other than members' subscriptions, pounds shillings and ponce ; that the information hereinafter furnished by me is correct in every particular ; that the attached statement is a true copy of the audited statement of the accounts of the institution for the year herein specified; and that by the rules of the institution admission to the reading-room is open to the public free of charge. And I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true, and by virtue of an Act of the General Assembly of New Zealand intituled " The Justices of the Peace Act, 1882." Signature: f>|^ Declared at , this day of ,188 , au |s5 before me— jS-s-S*-0 55, | £J Justice of the Peace [or Solicitor, or Notary Public]. [Note. —The words relating to free admission may be struck out if the library is not in a borough. The words in brackets are not part of the form, but indicate matter to be inserted or substituted.] Copies of the form of statutory declaration may be obtained on application to the Secretary for Education, Wellington, or to the Secretary of any Education Board. Eobert Stout. I—E. 10.