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Film Censorship. During the year 1,941 films of all classes, of a total length of 4,646,810 ft., were examined by the Censors. Of this number 5 were rejected in the first instance, 38 were passed subject to excisions, 178 were passed with recommendations that they were more suitable for adult audiences, and 5 were passed with the caution that they were not suitable for exhibition to children. No appeals were lodged against the Censors' decisions. An analysis of the work shows : —

Quota Films.—The countries of origin of tie quota films were as follows : Great Britain, 90 ; Australia, 6 ; New Zealand, 2 ; United States of America, 338 ; France, 1. Rejections. —Of the five films which were rejected, four were " quota " and one " non-quota." All the quota films were British, while the non-quota film originated in the United States of America. General. —During the year under review, as compared with the previous year, the number of rejections dropped from 11 to 5, the number of films requiring amendment from 91 to 38, and the number of films recommended as more suitable for adult audiences increased from 155 to 178. An increase in the number of films for industrial purposes has occurred during this year, no less than 31 being examined. Alexander Turnbull Library. Much as it might be desirable, it is not possible to record for every year so much of moment as for this under review. For convenience of treatment this record is divided into seven sections (1) Holdings. The present strength of the library is about 80,000 volumes, of which 48,000 are catalogued. Additions during the year have been extensive —about 16,000 volumes, of which about 500 were by purchase, the rest by gift. Further reference to these appears under the section on " Donations." The Art Section has been listed up to date to include new additions and is proving a much used part of the library. A fine group of historical water colours and sketches by Barraud was acquired, making an addition to our collection of this important artist's work. Another interesting acquisition was a manuscript letter of R. L. Stevenson to Ben Hird, one of the two to whom " Island Nights Entertainments " was dedicated, dealing with the book itself and the matter of its dedication. About 450 volumes have been bound in the year, apart from the large number of pamphlets put in special covers in the library itself. (2) Use of the Library. The number of readers, as well as visitors, has again shown an increase. Readers' tickets issued during the year numbered forty, while the attendance figures were in excess of 2,800. Subjects studied have included Maori history (especially land matters and Hauhauism), anthropology, navigation, New Zealand literary tendencies, many aspects of art, the history of gems, insurance, Rev. Richard Taylor, Walter Mantell, Catholic Missions, Fitzgerald, and immigration. One service that the library has had some call for this year is the copying of rare material here. Photographic, photostat, and typescript copies have been supplied to people not only in this country but in America, Australia, and England as well. To some extent, too, the reproduction of pictures has been required. The number of requests for valuations of books, pictures, &c., has increased, and scarcely a day passes without inquiries of this kind. Since the change-over to the unit-card system of cataloguing, the practice here has received some pleasing commendation, and other libraries are glad to receive the cards as a depository catalogue which in time will be a useful instrument for students in most parts of the country. At present cards are supplied for this purpose to the Auckland Public Library, Canterbury College, and Hocken Library, Dunedin. (3) Exhibitions. The general practice of giving visitors a personally conducted tour of the library was discontinued, though it is still followed in special cases. The feature of this plan, which was occasioning some anxiety, was that the most precious books in the library were being handled and showing wear far more than any other material. Glass show-cases of suitable style were obtained, and now books are exhibited in these. There is thus the additional advantage that the range of the library's resources can be better shown because each exhibition, devoted to a special subject, brings into view a new set of books, which under the former scheme could never have been done. So far the fields treated in exhibition have been the history of printing, rarities of the Kinsey Collection, a selection of important material (for the Christmas and holiday period), and remarkable English books of seventeenth century.

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Quota or Long Films. Non-quota or Short Films. Origin. Number. Length. Number. Length. Ft. Ft. British .. .. . ■ 98 708,890 427 427,340 Foreign .. .. .. 339 2,419,240 1,077 1,091,340 437 3,128,130 1,504 1,518,680

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