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ll.—Extbact from Ninth Annual Eepobt of the Ministeb of Education. A vote of £4,000 was passed in the session of 1885 for aid to public libraries. Only £3,967 18s. 4dwas available for distribution, the sum of £32 Is. Bd., paid on account of the vote of 1884, but within the financial year 1885-86, being a first charge against the vote of 1885. Six libraries, with an aggregate income of £1,982 15s. 9d., received £50 each instead of the larger sums which would have been due to them had they been allowed a proportional share in the distribution. Three hundred and fifty-two smaller libraries, with an aggregate income stated at £6,468 ss. 9d., had allotted to them by way of subsidy £3,667 18s. 4d. The distribution was calculated while there was some uncertainty as to the accuracy of the accounts submitted by several of the libraries. Further investigation of these accounts has led to a deduction of £20 2s. 9d. from the calculated subsidy, and this sum is lost to the libraries through errors in the accounts of some of them. A further possible loss to the libraries as a whole and a corresponding gain to the Treasury arises from the fact that owing to delays in the clearing-up of disputed questions of account £27 16s. 6d. of the subsidies allotted remained unpaid at the end of the financial year, and therefore could not be paid out of the vote. The part of this liability—£2o Bs. 4d.—that has been paid will be a charge against any new vote in aid of public libraries, and the remainder—£7 Bs. 2d.—which is still under consideration will, if paid at all, be charged in the same way. The subsidies actually paid were distributed among the different education districts as follows :—

TABLE Y.—Public Libraries Subsidy.

The case still under inquiry belongs to the Auckland District, the income of the library being stated at £5 16s. 3d., and the subsidy calculated being £7 Bs. 2d.

lll.—List showing Disteibution of Subsidy in detail. [Note. —The total distribution shown in this list exceeds the total of the statement in the annual report by £7 Bs. 2d. paid to Northcoto library, and £7 18s. Bd. to Chatham Islands library since the date of the report. The case of Northeote was under consideration at the date of the report, and the claim of the Chatham Islands was admitted after the proper time, on the ground of the remoteness of the islands. The total income shown here is greater by £37 10s. 3d. than that shown in the report. This difference includes tho income of the two libraries just named ; it also includes the differences in four cases between the actual income of libraries and the income on winch subsidy was computed in order to correct former overcharges.]

Education District. Number ol Libraries. Income. Amount of Subsidy. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawko's Bay Marlborough Nelson North Canterbury South Canterbury Westland Grey Otago Southland 87 8 16 17 28 5 27 69 8 8 8 53 23 £ s. d. 1,912 8 7 119 14 0 746 0 3 427 5 0 876 11 0 178 1 2 506 1 5 1,222 0 10 438 10 2 216 16 6 229 6 8 1,128 0 2 357 16 0 £ s. d. 883 5 7 76 17 3 251 2 3 204 18 0 365 0 2 72 17 3 283 19 2 666 15 0 135 7 6 100 4 3 103 4 4 572 11 4 224 5 i Totals 357 8,358 17 9 3,040 7 5

Library. Income. Amount of Subsidy. Auckl. .ND. £ s. d. 7 0 8 7 1 11 8 7 8 15 11 4 50 0 0 10 1 8 7 16 3 21 3 6 8 8 2 11 1 1 7 9 1 11 8 2 8 8 9 7 12 8 6 13 8 6 12 3 6 14 5 6 14 8 7 11 7 6 19 0 7 13 C 9 1.0 6 17 7 7 7 11 Uexandra \rai Vrapohue .. \ratapu .. Auckland (free) Vvondale .. 3ombay .. Cambridge Dargaville Dovonport Driving Creek Epsom Hamilton .. Helensville Henderson's [lobsonville Ilowick Huntly .. Kaeo Kaipara Plats Kaitaia Kaiwaka .. Kamo Katikati .. £ s. d. 4 5 0 4 10 0 9 17 6 39 15 0 596 12 1 16 18 9 7 10 0 03 1 6 9 19 6 20 19 6 6 0 0 22 9 0 10 2 0 6 15 0 2 16 0 2 10 0 2 19 0 3 0 0 6 10 6 3 18 0 4 7 6 2 0 0 3 12 0 5 15 0

Library. Income. Amount of Subsidy. AUCKLAND:ontinued. Kaukapakapa Kawakawa Kihikihi Kumeo Lake Takapuna Lower Matakana .. Lucas Creek Mahurangi Mangapai Mangare Mangawai Matakana Matakohe Maungatapere Maungatawhiri Valley Maungaturoto Mercury Bay Miranda Mongonui.. Mount Roskill Newmarket Ngaruawahia Northcote Ohinemuri £ s. d. 8 8 0 37 4 0 24 5 0 2 0 0 4 2 6 2 10 0 2 2 0 16 7 6 6 12 6 2 5 0 2 17 6 4 17 6 6 10 0 17 5 9 2 12 6 5 11 3 85 6 7 6 15 0 6 5 2 2 15 0 30 12 6 8 9 6 5 16 3 9 2 6 £ s. d. 8 0 7 14 19 1 11 16 0 6 9 10 7 0 1 6 12 3 6 10 4 9 18 11 7 12 1 6 11 1 6 14 1 7 3 8 7 11 6 10 3 4 6 12 10 7 7 0 26 10 7 7 12 8 7 10 4 6 13 5 13 7 5 8 0 11 7 8 2