E.—l.

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 the Gazette notice, the day appointed for the distribution of the subsidy was the 9th February, 1903, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 364 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. 10 - 92 d. in the pound of the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £19 lis. to £5 ss. 7d. Some libraries supplied with the proper form failed to send in formal claims by the 31st January. 1903, the date fixed by the Gazette notice, and did not therefore participate in the vote. The number of libraries participating in the vote shows a decrease of five as compared with 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.

XXXV

Education Districts. Number of Libraries. Income. A —* °'S>» Luckland 'aranaki Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay larl borough .. lelson Irey .. Vestland .. .. .. forth Canterbury iouth Canterbury Hago Southland Special grant to Chatham Islands 84 15 22 18 25 5 27 5 5 65 18 50 24 1 £ s. d. 2,202 6 2 410 3 7 1,090 7 11 2,923 0 6 655 1 9 117 15 0 604 16 7 169 5 0 95 14 9 1,633 0 9 505 10 1 887 19 3 204 16 9 IS 10 0 £ s. d. 3,265 4 9 705 19 2 1,208 13 6 1,006 4 2 1,108 9 7 242 15 0 1,171 3 9 294 5 0 220 14 9 2,477 9 3 843 4 7 1,957 13 0 804 16 9 38 10 0 £ s. d. 638 8 3 138 0 8 236 6 9 196 13 10 216 14 8 47 9 0 228 19 3 57 10 10 43 2 10 484 6 2 164 16 7 382 13 10 157 6 10 7 10 6 Totals 364 11,513 8 1 15,345 3 3 3,000 0 0