E.—lo

2

ll.—Exteact from Ninth Annual Ebpoet of the Ministee of Education. Against the vote of £4,000 for aid to public libraries, there was a first charge of £27 6s. sd. for payments made at the beginning of the financial year on account of grants deferred from the preceding year for consideration. On the Bth February, the day appointed for the distribution of the subsidy, the sum available —£3,972 13s. 7d.—was apportioned to 366 libraries, 6 of which received the maximum grant of £50, while £3,672 13s. 7d. was allotted to the remaining 360, so as to give a dividend of 4s. 9-J-d. for each pound of the sum on which each library's share was to be calculated. This sum in each case was the income of 1886 from subscriptions, donations, and rates, with £25 added. At the time of making the division a large number of the claims that had been made were informal or incomplete, and in every such case, if the claim appeared to be one that could probably be substantiated, a proportionate dividend was reserved. A further investigation of those claims resulted, however, in the rejection of seven of them, and the reduction of six others, by which processes £69 3s. 7d. was saved. On the other hand, it was found that two claims that had been rejected could bo established by the production of better evidence, and that two others had been understated ; and for these reasons £17 11s. 2d. was paid out of the £69 3s. 7d. that had been saved, so that the whole distribution amounted to £51 12s. sd. less than the sum available. The number of libraries that received grants was 361. A list of these libraries and of the amounts granted is given in another paper (E.-10). The distribution according to eduoation districts is as follows :—

TABLE Y.—Public Libraries Subsidy.

III.—List showing Distribution of Subsidy in Detail. [The word "income" here means income from rates, subscriptions, and donations, and net proceeds of lectures, entertainments, &c., for the year 1886.]

Education Districts. No. of Libraries. Income on which Subsidy is calculatod. Amount of Subsidy. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson 3riej Westland Canterbury 3outh Canterbury Dtago southland 85 11 14 16 25 5 30 8 9 65 10 55 28 £ 8. d. 1,853 16 9 155 5 3 616 0 2 363 0 3 854 16 5 175 9 3 473 1 1 213 4 0 229 6 6 1,292 12 5 450 10 11 1,013 18 0 526 14 2 £ s. d. 847 7 4 102 15 6 220 18 8 182 5 4 334 4 0 71 15 6 292 3 5 98 13 11 108 10 8 658 13 5 154 5 9 556 6 9 293 0 11 Totals 361 8,217 15 2 3,921 1 2

Library. I Income. Subsidy. Auokl. lND. Alexandra Arai and Mangawai Arapoliue Aratapu Auckland Bombay Cambridge Dairy Flat Dargaville Devonport Driving Creek Hamilton Helensville Hobsonville Howick Kaeo Kaipara Plats Ivaitaia Kaiwaka .. Kajno Katikati .. Kaukapakapa Kawakawa Kihikihi .. £ s. a. 18 19 2 3 0 0 5 10 0 35 2 3 616 0 6 5 10 0 76 14 6 2 10 0 11 17 5 13 18 0 5 10 0 30 17 5 4 11 6 2 5 6 4 3 2 4 11 6 9 7 0 8 2 6 2 0 0 9 2 6 4 5 0 6 8 0 37 4 6 8 7 3 3 18 0 5 2 6 3 14 0 10 17 3 4 17 6 2 15 0 2 3 9 8 3 0 2 10 0 3 12 6 £ S. d. 10 10 1 6 13 10 7 5 9 14 7 2 50 0 0 7 5 9 24 6 0 6 11 5 8 16 2 10 9 9 7 5 9 13 6 11 7 13 6 10 4 6 19 4 7 13 8 4 1 7 18 2 6 9 0 8 2 11 6 19 9 7 10 1 14 17 4 7 19 5 6 18 2 7 3 10 6 17 2 8 11 4 7 2 9 6 12 7 6 9 10 7 18 4 6 11 5 6 16 10 Kurneo Lichfield .. Lucas Creek Malmrangi Mangapai Mangawai Beach .. Mangere Matakana Matakana Lower .. Matakolie •'• I

Library. Income. Subsidy. Auckland—i continued. 6 s. a. 12 15 0 3 15 0 5 10 0 78 9 9 3 10 0 5 9 6 15 12 6 2 0 0 12 12 6 5 19 6 4 17 6 11 1 0 5 17 6 8 16 6 38 10 0 33 2 0 14 18 8 5 5 0 3 0 0 13 13 0 4 5 0 7 16 0 6 5 0 2 10 0 13 16 0 3 5 0 5 18 0 3 7 G 6 2 0 12 7 10 30 18 0 3 3 0 69 5 6 54 8 2 £ s. a. 9 0 5 6 17 5 7 5 9 24 14 6 6 16 2 7 5 8 9 14 2 6 9 0 8 19 9 7 8 0 7 2 9 8 12 3 7 7 6 8 1 4 15 3 5 13 17 9 9 10 10 7 4 6 6 13 9 9 4 7 6 19 9 7 16 8 7 9 4 6 11 5 9 5 5 6 15 0 7 7 7 6 15 6 7 8 7 8 18 8 18 7 1 6 14 6 22 10 5 18 19 5 Maungataperc Maungatawhiri Valley Maungaturoto Mercury Bay Miranda .. Mongormi Mount Eden Mount Roskill Newmarket Ngaruawaliia Northcoto Ohinemuri Okaihau Omaha Onehunga.. Opotiki Otahuhu Palii Pakuranga Papakura Paparoa .. Parua Paterangi Pokeno Port Albert Pukekohe Pukekohe East Raglan Rodney Ruatangata Tairua Tauhoa Tauranga .. .. ' To Aroha ..