E;—l

XXX

Subsidies to Public Libbabies. By a vote of last session a sum of £3,000 was granted for subsidies to public libraries; the same amount was voted for distribution in 1899. The method of distribution of the vote for 1900 was the same as that adopted in the previous year, as follows : A nominal addition of £25 was made to the amount of the income of each library derived from subscriptions, donations, and rates, provided that the receipts for the year were not less than £2, and the vote was divided according to the amount thus augmented; but no library received credit for a larger income than £75 —that is, in no case did the augmented amount on which distribution was based exceed £100. In accordance with a Gazette notice of the 31st October, 1900, the day appointed for the distribution of the subsidy was the Bth February, 1901, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 349 libraries from which applications, each accompanied by a statutory declaration on the proper form, had been received. The vote, as thus dealt with, afforded a subsidy of 3s. 11 - 96 d. in the pound of the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £19 19s. Id. to £5 6s. 2d. Some libraries supplied with the proper form failed to send in formal claims by the 31st January, 1901, the date fixed by the Gazette notice, and did not therefore participate in the vote. The number of libraries participating in the vote shows an increase of thirty-seven over the number aided in the previous year. In order that the purpose intended to be served by the vote may be attained, it is made a condition for participation that the whole of the subsidy granted to each library in the previous year shall have been expended in the purchase of books. The following table shows the distribution according to education districts: —

Summary of Distribution of Public Libraries Subsidy.

Education Districts. Number of Libraries. Income. I Amount on which , . . q,, hairtv Subsidy is calculated. Amount ot bubsidy. Luoklaud ?aranaki Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay .. Jarlborough .. Jelson }rey Vestland Torth Canterbury louth Canterbury Hago.. iouthland Jhatham Islands 88 11 20 19 24 4 24 4 6 60 16 48 24 1 £ s. d. 2,114 2 1 299 18 8 856 15 5 1,810 2 9 678 4 3 105 18 4 519 5 8 189 13 9 97 0 3 1,675 13 5 558 12 10 845 9 2 224 8 8 17 7 0 £ s. a. 3,411 13 2 526 2 11 1.066 12 10 1,040 9 8 1,149 3 2 205 18 i 1.067 15 2 287 10 9 247 0 3 2,324 8 11 810 13 11 1,914 2 8 824 8 8 42 7 0 £ s. d. 681 11 7 105 2 0 213 1 5 209 1 2 229 11 5 41 2 8 213 7 4 57 8 11 49 7 4 464 9 6 161 19 6 382 8 9 164 14 2 8 9 3 Totals 349 9,992 12 3 14,924 7 5 2,981 15 0 i