E.—l

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 a Gazette notice of the 20th November, 1901, the day appointed for the distribution of the subsidy wa-s the Bth February, 1902, and the amount of the vote was divided among the 369 libraries from which applications, each accompanied by a statutory declaration on the proper form, had been received. The vote, as thus dealt with, afforded a subsidy of 3s 10 - 25 d. in the pound of the nominal income, and the subsidies ranged from £19 ss. sd. to £5 4s. b'd. Some libraries supplied with the proper form failed to send in formal claims by the 31st January, 1902, the date fixed by the Gazette notice, and did not therefore participate in the vote. The number of libraries participating in the vote shows an increase of twenty over 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 tbe 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.

XXXVI

Education Districts. Number of Libraries. Income. 8 amount of Subsidy. I 8a Amount on which ibsidy is calculate* XL Al mount oi Subs I Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marl borough .. Nelson Grey .. Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Oeago.. Southland Special grant to Chatham Islands Totals .. j 90 ..! 14 ..! 22 .. 21 .. 20 5 24 5 5 64 18 47 27 •• I 1 , _ 369 ' 1 £ s. d. 2,406 1 3 394 7 6 962 1 11 2,221 11 8 620 2 6 156 3 3 561 17 8 181 4 0 101 12 6 1,748 6 8 515 17 4 803 10 0 295 7 (i 14 0 0 10,982 2 11 -j- £ s. d. 8,474 19 11 721 19 7 1,015 7 0 1,137 2 11 1,177 8 6 281 3 8 1,034 8 6 306 4 0 ■226 12 6 2,479 7 2 848 3 4 1,820 0 0 995 7 6 39 0 0 15,557 4 2 & s. d. 670 4 0 189 4 7 195 15 2 219 4 10 227 0 9 54 4 1 199 9 3 59 0 7 43 18 11 478 8 0 163 10 7 350 19 1 191 19 9 7 10 5 3,000 0 0 369 ' 10,982 2 11 15,557 4 2 3,000 0 0