E.—i.

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 4th February, 1908, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 417 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. 5 -19d. in the pound on the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £4 13s. 4d. to £17 ss. 6d. 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 the education districts : —

Summary of Distribution of Public Libraries Subsidy.

Details of the distribution of the vote are given in a separate paper (E.-13).

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Education Districts. Auokland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland Number of Libraries. 104 15 33 21 27 5 26 4 5 65 23 53 36 Income. | Income upon which j | Subsidy ib based. £ s. d. £ s. d. 2,840 11 10 4,072 19 5 371 17 6 691 9 11 1,489 13 9 1,494 3 11 4,360 10 4 1,088 7 11 1,095 16 7 1,304 13 0 158 13 5 i 262 15 5 800 12 4 1,169 17 4 348 1 6 297 10 6 81 8 3 206 8 3 1,773 5 3 2,516 2 3 515 9 3 1,014 1 9 787 17 0 2,003 7 0 346 15 0 1,246 15 0 Subsidy. £ s. d. 703 15 9 119 8 9 258 1 3 187 19 10 225 6 3 45 7 7 202 1 0 51 7 9 35 12 9 434 10 9 175 3 1 345 19 2 215 6 1 Totals 417 14,970 12 0 17,368 11 8 J --1- — _ _ 3,000 0 0