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Rh when necessary, of a special rate upon heritable property within the respective districts. The levying of this rate was attended with so much difficulty and opposition that the Provincial Council passed a resolution in 1865 to render the continuance of the rate unnecessary, by increasing the annual fixed salaries of teachers from £50 to £100 each, and by bearing a larger share of the other expenses, the remainder being met by the school committees out of the school fees, supplemented by donations and subscriptions from the friends of the several schools.

The Ordinance of 1864 authorised the Education Board to encourage the formation of public as well as school libraries by expending on the purchase of books to be placed in any such library, moneys equal in amount to any sum or sums raised by public subscription or otherwise within the district. Advantage was taken of this provision to a very considerable extent by the settlers throughout the Province, and the Otago Public Library scheme became somewhat widely and favourably known.

The following extract relating to public libraries is taken from the Board's report for 1875—the last report published under the Provincial system:—"Books of the value of about £1,700 have been distributed among the public libraries during the past year. The amount expended by library committees on the purchase of books, or paid into the treasury by them, was