E.—l.

Public Libbaeies. By a vote of last session a sum of £3,000 was again granted for subsidies to public libraries. Notice thereof was inserted in the Gazette of the 15th November, 1906, and forms of application were sent to all libraries known to the Department. The method of distribution of the vote was the same as that adopted in previous years —viz., 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 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 6th February, 1907, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 422 libraries from which applications, each accompanied by a statutory declaration on the proper form, had been received at that date. The vote, as thus dealt with, afforded a subsidy of 3s. 4-94 d. in the pound of the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £4 12s. Id. to £17 Is. 2d. The r umber of libraries participating in the vote shows a decrease of eight 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 whol 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 : —

Table M.—Summary of Distribution of Public Libraries Subsidy.

Details of the distribution of the vote are given in a separate paper (E.-13). Education Reseeves. Table Nl is a summary of the accounts of the School Commissioners, which are given in full in the Appendix.

TABLE N1.— Summary of School Commissioners' Accounts.

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Education Districts. Number of Libraries. Income. Income upon which Subsidy is based. Subsidy. Auokland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay .. Marlborough .. Nelson Grey .. Westlana North CanterburySouth Canterbury Otago.. Southlana 103 15 35 22 29 5 27 5 5 65 22 58 31 £ s. d. 2,668 6 6 394 9 3 1,536 0 4 4,276 13 11 951 14 7 154 8 0 725 0 10 211 10 6 95 15 6 1,778 8 9 579 11 9 875 12 8 277 7 2 £ s. a. 3,942 0 10 697 18 7 1,668 14 7 1,152 9 11 1,391 19 1 257 9 0 1,169 12 4 273 10 6 220 15 6 2,529 11 3 1,026 16 3 2,205 16 5 1,052 7 2 £ s. a. 672 5 8 119 1 1 284 13 2 196 11 8 237 8 1 43 18 5 199 9 7 46 13 3 37 13 1 431 9 10 175 2 5 376 4 10 179 8 11 Totals 422 14,524 19 9 17,589 .1 5 3,000 0 0

Income for the Year 1906. Receipts during Year. Provincial Districts. Balances on 1st January, 1906. Primary Reserves. Secondary Reserves. Investments and Deposits. Sundries. Total. .uckland .. 'aranaki Vellington.. lawke's Bay larlborough Jelson Vestland .. Janterbury.. )tago £ s. d. 150 14 6 819 9 3 192 7 2 771 7 8 85 9 6 161 18 11 78 10 8 2,556 15 6 2,578 0 1 £ s. d. 4,256 10 3 2,951 8 1 5,813 6 2 3,875 19 9 253 5 0 818 2 6 88 16 3 '18,716 18 7 12,854 9 4 £ s. d. 1,035 12 7 433 12 4 774 7 7 842 18 3 34 0 0 301 2 3 223 3 0 £ s. a. 104 2 4 £ s. d. 4 10 6 1,369 2 9 105 3 6 19 12 i £ s. a. 5,551 10 2 5,573 12 5 6,984 13 8 5,541 18 0 372 14 6 1,281 3 8 390 9 11 21,292 16 6 23,171 1 1 99' 9 3 32 0 0 756 16 5 417 9 6,981 15 3 U 4 8 Totals for 1906.. Totals for 1905.. 7,394 13 3 9,223 0 7 49,628 15 11 49,699 14 4 4,401 12 5 4,333 3 8 7,222 4 7 5,801 10 11 1,512 13 9 830 11 0 70,159 19 11 69,888 0 6