H.—22

A. Holdings and Acquisitions. The number of books catalogued is now just over 65,000, and nearly 3,000 volumes were and accessioned during the year. In these numbers are included the remainder of the Hogg collection of Scottish literature, the whole of the Trimble collection of Irish history and literature, and the interesting collection of Samuel Butler's works which came to the Library with Sir Joseph Kinsey's collection. This includes a first edition of " Erewhon," which the Library had not previously possessed, and numerous other editions of that and others of Butler's works, some of them being " association copies." There is also a good deal of biographical material. The rest of the books accessioned consist of gifts and purchases, the latter being principally in the field of Australian literature, Pacific and New Zealand material generally, and modern poetry, drama, and art. B. Uses of the Library. The number of readers keeps steady at round about 3,000. This does not include casual inquiries or the numerous visitors to the special exhibitions displayed in the library. Workers on the Centennial Atlas and officers of the Army Educational and Welfare Service have made use of our resources ; and, among readers in general, books on the Pacific Islands and on naval construction and warfare have been in great demand, as have the books in the art collection. C. Exhibitions. These have been interesting and varied. Besides a general one on " Literary Anniversaries " of 1942, there were exhibitions to celebrate Shakespeare and Gilbert-Sullivan anniversaries, and the Tasman Tercentennial and topical displays from the resources of the Library on the United States, the Islands of the Pacific, and art of our Allies. D. Indexing. The indexing of the " New Zealand Journal" is proceeding, and indexes have been completed of W. Williams' " Christianity among the New Zealanders," the typescript of the diaries of W. L. Williams, the Centennial News and Art in New Zealand to the middle of 1942. E. Donations and Exchanges. Collections of various kinds continue to come to the Library as by magnetic attraction. The latest to be received consists of some hundreds of books in Esperanto, which were presented by Mr. George Gordon, and are to be available for reference to Esperantists. A Wellington Esperantist, Mr. H. Richardson, has kindly offered to do some preliminary work in classifying, and translating the titles of many of the books, which will make the task of cataloguing considerably easier. Smaller groups of books have come from the estate of Mr. W. Ball, of Napier (a collection on heraldry and flags), and from Mrs. Buick, who has presented a number of books on music and some books of New Zealand interest from the library of the late Mr. T. L. Buick. Amongst numerous other gifts space permits particular mention of only a few. Erom Mr. W. D. Eerguson, a previous donor of similar gifts, came two paintings by Samuel Butler —a self-portrait and the head of a girl. The Department of Internal Affairs sent several volumes of press cuttings relating to special events —royal tours, visits of naval squadrons, &c.—as well as a largo volume of cuttings on the death and funeral of the late Right Hon. M. J. Savage, and a beautifully bound volume of typescript, giving an account of the tour of the present King and Queen, compiled by the late Mr. J. D. S. Hyslop, formerly New Zealand press representative in London, and autographed by the King and Queen. Erom the Administration of Western Samoa came nine oyclostyled volumes containing a translation of Dr. Kramer's well-known and valuable work, " Die Samoa-Inseln," the German original of which is in the Library, and the literature and art sections have benefited by several studies in English literature from the Princeton University, and by a number of beautifully illustrated sale catalogues from the Parke Bernet galleries in New York. An advantageous arrangement has been made on an exchange basis with the University of Toronto, the Library now receiving regularly the University of Toronto Quarterly, which contains many scholarly contributions to the study of English literature. An addition to the photographic material in the Library is a collection of negatives of the Centennial Exhibition of Wellington, made by Miss Eileen Deste, which are on loan for two years, and will thereafter become the property of the Library. Additions continue to be made to the Walpolc collection, both by purchase and gifts. Included in the latter are two Walpole letters, one presented by Miss E. S. Jones, of Auckland, and the other by Mrs. Ethel L. Williams, of Wellington. Miss Jones' gift was accompanied by photographs of the house in Auckland in which Walpole was born. / Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (443 copies), £14 10s.

By Authority: E, V, Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1943, Price 6d.J

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