E.—l3.

2

ll.—Exteact from the Thibtieth Annual Report of the Minister of Education. 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 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 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 number 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 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. ocome upon whicl Subsidy is based. Subsidy. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke'e Bay .. Marlborough .. Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago.. Southland 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. d. 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. d. 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