Page:Municipal Handbook of Auckland 1922.djvu/84

 of the testator's benevolent purpose, Mr. T. W. Leys, a brother of the deceased, and one of the trustees, offered to defray one-half of the entire cost of erecting and equipping a building and to furnish it with a library, on condition that the Corporation provided a suitable site. This proviso was readily agreed to by the City Council, and on March 29th, 1905, the Leys Institute was officially opened by the Mayor (Hon. E. Mitchelson). The building and equipment, exclusive of books, cost £3,234. In 1906 the gymnasium was erected at a cost of £1,524, exclusive of equipment, and in 1908 a new Lending Library building, the gift of Mr. T. W. Leys, was added. The gymnasium was subsequently altered into a hall specially adapted for a Boys' Reading and Recreation Room and Gymnasium. The total expenditure on buildings and equipment has been £6,604. An addition to the Lending Library building is now being made by the Trustees at a cost of about £1,200. Of the 23,290 books in the Reference and Lending Libraries, 16,817 have been presented by Mr. T. W. Leys, LL.D. These include 1,404 volumes on the Fine Arts and 2,072 on the Useful Arts and Trades, which form a separate division of the Reference Library. The total expenditure on the Institute and maintenance to the 31st March, 1922, is estimated at £15,632. The endowment created by the late Mr. Wm. Leys, which is now subject to the rights of certain beneficiaries under his will, is valued at £18,500.

The Boys' Reading and Recreation Room is open free from 7 to 9 on every night except Saturday. The