The daily gazette., 1879-04-15
FIFTH EDITION.
The Wilmington institute.

Inc w lhUuh hDkuO0 nDBtIuWu0s
Annual Meeting Last Euening-Report
Of the Officers and Standing Commit
tees.
The annual meeting Of the stockhold-
ers Of the Wilmington Institute was
held last evening, and the reports Of the
retiring officers and committees were
submitted, read and ordered to be print
ed. After tho reading Of the reports, the
officers that were elected in February
last, were indicted into office. Below
will be found a condensation of the re-
ports of the various officers and commit
t,e,:
The Presidents report shows the fol-
lowing to have been the gross receipts
and expenditures for the past five years,
from April 1875 to April 1870:
Annual receipts, 1875, SS,393 "a; 1870,
81, 1874. ~; 1877, S6,691.03; 1878, S6,923.-
81; 1879, $9,607.36.
Annual expenditures, 1875, s7,140.3O;
1S76, $7,6o9l9; 1877, S6.S99. .63 1878,
81, 1924. 1879, $9,360.23.
"rhe balance ON hand in April 1875,
was 81, ,40l 80; and the balance In the
Treasurer's hands at this time is $32o. .55."
"The apparent increase In receipts and
expenditures is explained by the fact that
the executive committees were compelled
to renew and take up notes amounting to
about 81, 9l3 as appears blythe Treasurer's
lreport. Although there has been
falling off in our income il Is matter of
satisfaction TO note the steady decrease of
our inaeb edness. Our debt In April
1860 was $50, l50; our present indie bted-
ness is 22,300. During the past year
your committee has paid of one bond Of
$500 aud $500 of the floating debt there
remains now but $500 of the bon1ed debt
which together with $500 of floating debt
will in all probability be paid during the
present year"
The report next speaks of the decrease
of membership, which the President
considers matter Of grave concern. at
IL surprising that in community Ike
this, with such advantages as the Will
minRton Institute affords, that there
should be any decrease in our member
ship" After speaking of the opportuni
ties that the library affords, for reading
matter, he says: at ~ worth while to
consider what means should be adopted
to bring the attention OF our people 10
the opportunities afforded by our Lii
brary, and to procure their cooperation
in making the Institute what its found
CTS intended il should be, "A means OF ele.
vating our citizens by the education and
Improvements oftheir minds"
The following tabls will show the
n lumber of members and number of vol
umes, froIu 1859 TO the present time:
Members, 1869, 59l; 1870, 6S0; 1871, 591
1872, 57l; 1873, 5S5; 1874, 100; 1873, 705
1876, 66i; 1877, 604; 1873, 572; 1879, $50.
Number Of volumes-1S 1869, Hl7; 1870
9O6l; 1871, 9i67; 1872, 1862; 1878, 10 661
1874, 1O,6i3; 1875, l1.3l7; 1876. II, 200; 1877
1906; 1873, l2,3Il 1879. 1909.
During the period above mentioned
many books have been condemned ant
sold and many are missing from tho
shelves since 1869 the number of volume
have been increased about 2600.
After making various suggestions 4
| the incoming officers the retiring Presi
dent thanked the various officers an,
committees for their labors, and upoi
concluding his report introduced the in
coming President, ii. G. Conrad, Esq
who assumed the chair, and thanke
those present for the honor that had bee
conferred upon him.
The report of the Treasurer showe
that there had been collected during tn
year from various sources, the sum G
50 ,607 Sc; and expended for salaries, il
tersst, etc, 81, 800 %; leaving balance {
$328 65.
Committee, shows the number of stock
holders to he 470; subscribers, %; lii
mem bers, 80; perpetual members, 3; to
tai, 637; decrease of membership ::iurin
q the past year, 35; not paid up, not incl,
= ding subscribers, many of whom declin
or have moved away, SO; taxes receive
from stockholders and subscriber
S2,145,75; amount received from stoo
= sold, S24.5O; total, S2,l7O.25; decrease /
amount from last year, SI26.75. TIL
present Indebtedness is as follows: Tw
mortgages held by the Wilmington s.
wings Fund Society, $4,000; one bon
for $780, mortgage on adjoining proper
$500; floating debt, $500; total, S122, 80
The reports Of the Committees ON l.
brary and Newspapers and Periodical
n will be found in condensed form in 81
} report of the President.
The Committee on Donations reporte
number of hooks and pamphlets
having been donated.