DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1943.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1943 Session I, H-22

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1943. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1943.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 17th May, 1943. Sir ~—■ I have the honour to submit herewith the annual report of the Department for the year ended 31st March, 1943. I have, &c., J. W. Heenan, The Hon. W. E. Parry, Under-Secretary. Minister of Internal Affairs.

REPORT.

I. TASMAN TERCENTENNIAL. The Tercentennial of Tasman's discovery of New Zealand fell in December, 1942, and various celebrations were organized in connection therewith. A strong delegation of Netherlander, headed by Dr. Charles van der Has, visited New Zealand in connection with the Tercentennial and were present at all the celebrations. The first celebration to mark the 300 th anniversary of Tasman's sighting New Zealand was originally planned to be held on the 12th December at Okarito, where a memorial had been previously erected by the Westland County Council to mark that part of the coast first sighted by Tasman. Owing to floods the celebrations could not bo held at Okarito, but were held at Hokitika. The Netherlands delegation subsequently visited Okarito. At Tarakohe a memorial was erected to mark the spot nearest to which Tasman approached land during his visit to the New Zealand coast. This was unveiled on the 18th December. The third celebration was the dedication of the Abel Tasman National Park, a reserve of some 38,000 acres fronting Tasman Bay, which had been set aside as a permanent memorial to Abel Tasman. It was originally proposed to hold the celebration at Torrent Bay, in the heart of the National Park, but weather conditions proving unfavourable for the boat trip, the celebrations were held at Kaiteriteri, at which place His Excellency the Governor-General declared the National Park open. The Netherlands delegation also visited many of the West Coast and Nelson towns and districts and wore accorded civic receptions in a number of places. 11. HISTORICAL BRANCH. The main work of research on which the staff is now engaged is the Centennial Historical Atlas, the preparation of which is still going forward slowly, with post-war publication in view. The Branch took charge of the typographical preparation and publication of a new edition of N. R. McKenzie's " The Gael Fares Forth." It also produced for publicity among the American forces a booklet entitled " Meet New Zealand," of which thousands of copies have been distributed locally, and which was reprinted and circulated in the United States by the New Zealand Legation. Much work was done in connection with the monument raised at Golden Bay as part of the Tasman Tercentennial Celebrations. The branch also supervised the production of a commemorative booklet entitled " Abel Janszoon Tasman and the Discovery of New Zealand," as well as programmes for the main functions involved. . _ The design and production of commemorative wooden plaques for erection in new Maori meetinghouses at Rotorua has also been part of the Branch's work, with a programme of the ceremonies. Pompallier House, at Russell, Bay of Islands, the residence of the first Catholic Bishop of New Zealand, and headquarters of his missionary work, was inspected and its purchase by the Government recommended as a historical monument. The Branch has co-operated with the Archives Branch of Army Headquarters in the production of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force surveys. A good deal of work has been done in taking photographs of important aspects of the New Zealand war effort, both in industry and in the forces. Copies of these have been released for publicity overseas. During the year the Branch has continued to act as a clearing-house of historical information relating to New Zealand. Sales of the Department's Centennial publications have continued steadily. Several of the series of book surveys are now out of print. Reprintings of several of the earlier numbers of the pictoria surveys " Making New Zealand " were made to replenish stocks.

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111. CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS. The responsibilities of the Department in the constitutional field included the following : — (a) Action by the Under-Secretary as Clerk of the Writs in connection with the issue and return of the writ for the by-election in the Christchurch East Electoral District: (b) The terms of appointment of thirteen Legislative Councillors expired and two vacancies occurred through death. Sixteen appointments were made to the Legislative Council: (c) Action in respect of the appointment and resignation of members of the Executive Council and Ministers, and the appointment of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries : (d) The prorogation and summoning of Parliament: (e) Appointment of Deputy of the Governor-General. IV. LOCAL GOVERNMENT. A. General Organization. The services of the Local Government Branch of the Department were, as usual, utilized to the maximum extent in carrying out the Department's statutory functions arising out of the local government legislation and in giving advice and assistance to local authorities and others interested in local government. Amongst the more general matters dealt with were— (a) The constitution of new fire districts : (b) Alterations of boundaries of various local districts : (c) The abolition of the system of separate riding finance in counties. Seventy-three County Councils have now abolished this system : (d) Various approvals and other actions affecting the financial requirements of local authorities : (e) Miscellaneous activities relating to local-body by-laws, including provision with respect to earthquake conditions in certain districts : (/) Eating and valuation questions, including urban farm-land rating: (g) The election or appointment of members of local authorities. As a war measure, local authorities were empowered, in lieu of holding by elections, to appoint qualified persons to fill extraordinary vacancies. This does not apply to Mayoral vacancies : (h) The continued administration and rehabilitation of Thames Borough and Matakaoa County : (i) The proposals of Mr. A. D. Wilson, of the British Fire Service, for the reorganization of the Fire Services generally to meet wartime conditions. The Department was represented on the special Committee set up to report to the Government thereon. B. Legislation. (1) Statutes Amendment Act, 1942. Several sections in this Act amended Acts administered by this Department. One provision altered the period of Fire Board appointments and elections from a biennial to triennial basis. (2) Local Legislation Act, 1942. A total of forty clauses was included in this Bill as finally passed. The Act dealt with a wide range of local government activity. (3) Local Acts. Seven local Bills were submitted to the Department for examination and report, and these wore duly passed into law. V. TOWN-PLANNING. Town-planning activities were severely restricted on account of the war. Most attention was devoted to the metropolitan schemes under preparation for Auckland and Christchurch and to matters arising out of certain appeals. The Town-planning Board was reappointed, but no meetings were held. VI. LAND-AGENTS AND AUCTIONEERS. During the year 708 (688) land-agents' licenses were issued and 6 (11) transfers granted ; 432 (466) auctioneers' licenses were issued, 0 (6) transfers granted ; and 31 (74) changes of endorsement of seller made (last year's figures in parentheses). VII. PRISONERS OF WAR. During the year progress was made in obtaining information with regard to persons of New Zealand origin in enemy-occupied territory, including the Far East. The High Commissioner for New Zealand in London was able to secure information as to the whereabouts of a number of merchant service and civilian internees, and in every case the next-of-kin or relatives were advised. Some NewZealanders were repatriated under exchange arrangements with enemy Governments, and the Department assisted them in every possible way on their arrival in New Zealand. The next-of-kin of the personnel of merchant ships lost by enemy action were advised in every case, and the Department made the necessary transport arrangements on the arrival of the personnel in New Zealand. A number of New Zealand Merchant Service men were also on an allied vessel sunk in the Pacific, and all but one were rescued. Appropriate advice was sent to the next-of-kin. VIII. PHYSICAL WELFARE AND RECREATION. Several of the male officers have been drawn into the armed forces, in which their special qualifications as instructors and demonstrators in physical training and recreation are being put to good use. As far as conditions have permitted, beneficial activities have been carried on for the Home Guard (particularly in unarmed combat) and various civil welfare units. The main service has been for the Air Training Corps. In addition to the maintenance of full programmes for physical training and recreation (including inter-squadron tournaments), the officers have assisted importantly in recruiting campaigns.

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Further good progress has been made in the formation of Provincial Councils of Sport. The new centres comprise Auckland, Whangarei, Wellington, Christchurch, and Timaru, in addition to the establishments at Hamilton, Dunedin, and Invercargill. There is now a solid basis for whole-hearted co-operation throughout the Dominion. The women officers have continued effective activities for the Women's War Service Auxiliary and other organizations. Two of the officers have been engaged to organize physical training and welfare activities for the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and another for the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. In many ways the men and women officers have worked well in the planning and maintenance of physical welfare and recreational programmes for young folk in voluntary movements as well as for older people. Attention has been given to the selection and training of suitable volunteers for leadership. Recreation Leadership Certificates have been issued to trained leaders. Group Travel projects have been persevered with, despite transport difficulties, and a limited amount of this activity successfully arranged. Week-end and holiday camping outings for those engaged in industry, particularly war workers, have been a successful feature of the year's activities. The Physical Welfare Officers are steadily and strongly winning the confidence of representative men and women throughout the Dominion, and have prepared the way for important progress as soon as the conditions become favourable. IX. PATRIOTIC PURPOSES. A. Patriotic Purposes Branch. The work of the Patriotic Purposes Branch during the year under review has increased considerably with the acceleration of the intake of men and women into the armed forces. A full report of the activities of the National Patriotic Fund Board is presented to Parliament each year. A summary of the receipts and payments of the National Patriotic Fund Board and Provincial Patriotic Councils for the year ended 30th September, 1942, is set out below : —

Provincial Patriotic Councils.

National Patriotic Fund Board. £ Balance as at Ist October, 1941 .. .. .. •• 457,610 Receipts from Provincial Patriotic Councils and from other sources .. 788,078 1,245,688 Less payments .. .. .. .. • • • • 807,795 Balance as at 30th September, 1942 .. .. .. £437,893 Details of Board's receipts and payments are as follows : —

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Payments by Councils. Balances at . Balances at — 1st October, Rereints Account n ,, 30th Septem1941. Receipts. National Fund ber, 1942. Budget. Payments. £ £ £ £ £ Auckland .. .. 188,509 191,289 145,688 65,699 168,411 East Coast .. .. 25,362 27,210 15,840 3,654 33,078 Hawke's Bay .. 38,343 68,563 53,258 12,416 41,232 Taranaki .. .. 62,035 50,447 42,464 8,943 61,075 Wellington .. •• •• 187,141 181,413 174,229 53,173 141,152 Marlborough •• •• 18,135 14,121 13,697 3,800 14,759 Nelson .. •• 45,297 36,624 21,874 3,450 56,597 Westland .. .. .. 26,424 13,053 13,123 1,850 24,504 Canterbury .. .. 79,029 132,373 81,698 46,617 83,087 Otago .. ■■ 110,443 145,760 62,132 15,166 178,905 Southland .. .. .. 64,546 58,671 33,851 7,585 81,781 Totals .. .. 845,264 919,524 657,854 222,353 884,581

Receipts from Provincial Patriotic Councils and Payments during Year Budget (estimated Exother Sources during ended 30th Septem- penditure for Year Year ended 30th Sep- ber, 1942. ending 30th September, tember, 1942. 1943). £ £ £ General 569,568 564,575 567,000 Sick and wounded .. .. 57,562 107,687 114,000 Prisoners of war .. .. 160,948 135,533 448,500 Totals .. .. 788,078 807,795 1,129,500

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Since the approval of this budget by a conference of patriotic bodies in November last the Government has decided to make a grant of £337,000, which is the estimated cost of supplying prisoners of war food parcels and £3,500 for censoring food parcels. This will reduce the sum budgeted for, to £789,000. The work of the National Patriotic Fund Board is to provide comforts and amenities for men'and women on active service overseas and in camps in New Zealand, and the work of Provincial Patriotic Councils is to provide sports gear for men in camps in New Zealand, woollen goods for men in New Zealand and overseas (through the Board), quarterly gift parcels, hospitality services while men are on leave, and to provide welfare on the return of men to New Zealand after service overseas. The administration expenses of the Board for the year ended 30th September, 1942, were 2s. Bd. per cent, of receipts which compares favourably with the New South Wales Division of the Australian Comforts Fund which was £2 7s. 7d. per cent. This comparison may be offset to some extent by the fact that the salaries and office expenses of the New Zealand National Patriotic Fund Board are paid by the Government, whereas in New South Wales these charges are presumably made against patriotic funds. The satisfactory results achieved again justify the wisdom of co-ordinating war comforts work within the framework of the organization laid down by the Patriotic Purposes Emergency Regulations 1939. B. Patriotic Raffles. One hundred and fifteen licenses to raffle gifts of real or personal property for patriotic purposes were issued. Returns to haiid indicate that the gross proceeds from licenses issued by the Department were approximately £18,000 and the net return £17,500. X. CINEMATOGRAPH. THEATRES. A. Film Censorship. During the year, 1,668 films of all classes, totalling 4,421,510 ft., were examined. Of this number, 3 were rejected outright, 3 were deferred for the time being as unsuitable for exhibition owing to the war situation, 125 were passed subject to excisions, 117 were passed with recommendations that they were more suitable for adult audiences, and 24 were passed with the caution that they were not suitable for children. No appeals were lodged in the case of the 3 films rejected. An analysis of the work shows :—

Quota Films : The countries of origin of the quota or feature films examined wore as follows : Great Britain, 28 ; Australia, 1 ; India, 1; Russia, 8 ; United States of America, 407. Rejections : Of the 3 films rejected, one was a quota or long picture, made in Great Britain, and the other short " featurettes " made in the U.S.A. General Remarks : During the year under review, as compared with the previous year, the number of rejections was 3, as against 2 ; the number of films requiring amendment was 125, as against 99 ; the number of films recommended as more suitable for adults was 125, as against 172 ; the number considered to be definitely unsuitable for young people was 24, as compared with 17 in the previous year. Propaganda films were, of course, much in evidence, both from Great Britain and the U.S.A., particularly since America's entry into the World War. Propaganda also forms a strong element in the feature films made by both nations for public entertainment. It was also noted that many of the films recently received from the U.S.A. present stories of Japanese espionage activities in that country prior to the attack on Manila. Minor inaccuracies in one or two American short feature subjects dealing with New Zealand's war effort were eliminated. There was a considerable increase in the number of miniature films submitted during the year, compared with the previous year's total; over 90 being examined. These were in the main subjects dealing with health and education, with also copies of short " featurettes " that had been examined previously. B. Licensing of Cinematograph Operators. Two hundred and sixty-six new applications for provisional and assistant operators' licenses were considered, as compared with 251 new applications for the previous year. Two hundred and forty-one provisional and grade licenses were is,, tied, and 183 new assistant operators' licenses were issued. This made a total of 1,022 operators and 516 assistant operators licensed since the coming into force of the regulations in 1938. A further development of the Department's activities in connection with the licensing of operators has been the gazetting of emergency regulations to provide for the licensing of male and female trainee operators after periods of intensive training and exhaustive examination. This development has been necessary to maintain the licensing system and at the same time overcome the difficulties which have arisen owing to the present shortage of man-power. C. Exhibitors and other Licenses. The following licenses under the Cinematograph Films Act were issued for the year ended 30th September, 1942 : Exhibitors, 452 ; circuit exhibitors, 32 ; renters, 15 ; storage, 18 ; miscellaneous, 34.

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Quota or Long Films. Non-quota or Short Kims. Origin. Number. Longth. Number. Length. Ft. Ft. British .. . .. .. 29 252,700 432 360,640 Foreign .. .. .. .. 416 3,108,720 791 699,450 Totals .. .. .. 445 3,361,420 1,223 1,060,090

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XI. ANIMALS PROTECTION AND GAME. A. General. (1) Bird-life. —Reports generally indicate a marked increase in waterfowl. There were no gameshooting seasons in 1942. The North Island Vermin Control Scheme has been temporarily suspended. (2) Opossums.—The number of skins stamped was 263,351, compared with 257,639 the previous year. B. Deer, Thar, and Chamois Operations. During the financial year a total of 12,571 animals were destroyed and 5,432 deer-skins saved. The Department has had to reduce the extent of operations owing to difficulties of securing the necessary man-power. By arrangement with the Army authorities, about thirty men were released from military camps and attached to the Department's deer-destruction parties. The Army Bush and Mountain Warfare Parties in the course of training have accounted for numbers of deer, &c., in areas covered by training operations. The following are particulars of animals destroyed by departmental parties, in addition to 94 cats and 209 rats destroyed at Stewart Island. The number of each species and localities are as follows :—

The following is a list of the "seasons" total numerical results and geographical analysis for comparison purposes between seasons in the same regions:— Season 1st June, 1941 to 31st May, 1942.

In addition, 85 cats and 277 rats. The keen demand for deer-skins continues. Private hunters sold 3,395 skins to the Department, and 1,508 were sent in by the Army Bush and Mountain Warfare Parties and these were resold with departmental skins. The total number sold for export overseas was 12,109. XII. ROTORUA ACCLIMATIZATION DISTRICT. A. The Fishing Season. Regulations were issued providing for any member of His Majesty's naval, military, or air forces and any member of any allied force in New Zealand obtaining fishing licenses for the Taupo District at the same fees as residents of New Zealand outside the Taupo District. Weights of some of the large fish taken and coming under notice of departmental officers are— Taupo Area : 12|- lb. ; 12 lb. ; 11| lb. ; 10-| lb. (2); 10 lb. (2). Rotorua Area : 19 lb. (2); 17 lb. (3) ; 164 lb.; 15| lb. ; 144 lb.; 134 lb. ; 13 lb.; 12 lb. (2) : 114 lb. (2); 10 lb. (2). ** B. General. (1) Fry and Ova. At No. 1 Hatchery, Ngongotaha, 2,076,500 eggs were laid down and at No. 2 Hatchery, Tongariro River, 2,104,000 were collected. Sales to acclimatization societies amounted to 480,000. All hatchery operations were on a reduced scale and the Waikaremoana Hatchery was not opened.

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I Locality. Deer. Thar. Chamois. Goats. Pigs. Total. Urewera and Lake Waikaremoana .. 1,241 . . .. .. 195 1,436 Tararuas .. .. .. .. 99 .. .. .. .. 99 Marlborough, Nelson, and North Canterbury 4,042 .. .. 203 4,245 North Otago, Otago, and South Westland .. 4,133 458 59 .. 4,650 Southland, Fiordland National Park .. 1,776 .. .. .. 1,776 Stewart Island .. .. .. .. 365 .. .. .. .. 365 Totals.. .. .. .. 11,656 458 59 203 195 12,571

Locality. Deer. Thar. Chamois. Goats. Pigs. Total. Urewera and Lake Waikaremoana .. 479 .. .. .. 37 516 Tararuas .. .. .. 724 .. .. 217 25 966 Kaimanawas .. .. .. .. 1,422 .. .. 363 .. 1,785 Marlborough, Nelson, and North Canterbury 9,567 .. 16 840 60 10,483 Otago and South Westland .. .. 1,733 37 2 38 1,810 Southland, Fiordland National Park .. 809 .. .. .. 1 810 Stewart Island .. ,. .. 439 .. .. .. .. 439 Totals .. 15,173 37 18 1,458 123 16,809

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The following figures show the number of rainbow fry planted in the various waters : — Taupo Fishing District. —Tongariro, 27,000 ; Waitahanui, 295,000 ; Tauranga-Taupo, 230,000 ; Waiotaka, 155,000 ; Hatepe, 75,000 ; Waikato, 105,000. Rotorua Fishing District. —Rotorua, 512,000; Rotoiti, 350,000; Rotoma, 132,000; Rotoehu, 65,000; Tarawera, 286,000; Rotokakahi, 166,000; Okataina, 171,000; Okareka, 143,000; Okaro, 63,000; Eerewhakaitu, 72,000; Taahunaatara, 35,000; Whakatane, 60,000 ; Waioeka, 42,000 ; Waimana, 63,000. Brown-trout Fry as under were planted : Waioeka, 20,000; Waikato, 25,000; Hamurana, 45,000 ; Ngongotaha, 16,000 ; Taahunaatara, 30,000. (2) Gulling of Trout. The number of trout culled during hatchery operations at No. 2 Hatchery was 16 males and 26 females. (3) Food-supplies for Trout. The hatch of green beetle was of short duration. Smelts in all the lakes appear to be in lesser numbers than in the previous season. (4) Black Shags, Hawks, &c. Bonuses were paid on 337 black shags, 440 hawks, 45 stoats, 4 ferrets, 5 weasels, 5 polecats, and 110 hedgehogs prior to the bonus scheme being suspended. The Department's officers destroyed 16 shags, 16 hawks, 1 stoat, 6 weasels, 5 cats, 185 pigs, 35 deer, and 25 wild cattle. (5) Game Farm. The rearing of game-birds was largely curtailed. The numbers of pheasants and mallard ducks liberated were 501 and 275 respectively. Domestic fowls have been kept and 755 cockerels and pullets raised, 362 of the former having been sold. Hen and duck eggs to the number of 19,248 were marketed. Portion of the game farm grounds was used for production of potatoes and vegetables. (6) Bird-life generally. There was a marked increase in ducks and pheasants. Generally Californian quail did well in the Taupo area. Black swans have again increased, and black teal are on the increase at Hamurana and can be seen in several bays in Lake Rotoiti. (7) Opossums. The number of skins stamped in the district was 8,733. (8) Ranging. With the absence of several officers on military duties, ranging activities have been reduced. Fines for breaches of the Animals Protection and Game and Fisheries Acts (23 in all) amounted to £90. XIII. WAR GRAVES. Seven hundred and thirty (730) notifications of deaths of returned soldiers were recorded during the year, and temporary wooden crosses were placed on 569 graves. Owing to the inability of the headstone contractors to obtain supplies of Coromandel granite, only twelve war grave headstones were supplied during the year, the contractors still having 177 unfulfilled orders on hand, with more waiting to, be placed. Endeavours are being made to have the position in regard to the stones placed on a more satisfactory basis. Additional constructional work was carried out in the soldiers' cemeteries at Bromley (Christchurch), Masterton, Taumarunui, Eastern Necropolis (Dunedin), Omaka (Blenheim), Waihi, Martinborough, Rotorua, Kaiapoi, Taruheru (Gisborne), Taihape, and Eastern (Invercargill). Veterans' graves continue to be attended to. New Zealand war graves overseas are being attended to by the Imperial War Graves Commission. XIV. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS. During the year many notable people visited the Dominion. Among them were Admiral W. F. Halsey, Commander of the South Pacific Area ; Dr. Charles O. van der Plas, Major-General L. P. van Temmen, Mr. J. van Hoist Pcllekaan, and Lieutenant-Commander H. V. Quispel, who comprised the Netherlands delegation to the Tasman Tercentennial Celebrations; Sir Harry Luke, late Governor of Fiji and his successor Sir Philip Mitchell; His Excellency Contre-Amiral G. Thierry d'Argenlieu, High Commissioner for France in the Pacific ; the Imperial Communications Commission, comprising Sir Campbell Stuart, Mr. R. J. P. Harvey, and Colonel Zambra ; Dr. Douglas A. Oliver, Dr. Knowles A. Ryerson, Mr. R. H. Fiedler, and Major S. Krikac, of the United States Economic Warfare Commission; and Mr. W. Bankes Arnery, United Kingdom Ministry of Food Representative in Australia. Arrangements were made for the unveiling of the M. J. Savage Memorial, Auckland ; the laying of the foundation stone of the Disabled Servicemens' Vocational Training Centre, Wellington ; the official opening of the Allied Services Club, Wellington ; and the United Nations Flag Day celebration. The arrangements in connection with the launching of several mine-sweepers were also made. Receptions to all sick and wounded returned soldiers were also organized. Several allied warships visited the Dominion during the year, and hospitality was extended to the officers and men. The State funeral arrangements necessitated by the death of the Hon. H. T. Armstrong were also dealt with in this section.

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Considerable departmental activity has been directed to arranging visits of convalescent American servicemen to centres in Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki. The generous co-operation and hospitality of local authorities and other organizations and the people of these districts is gratefully acknowledged. The welfare of evacuees from the Pacific Island Territories entailed considerable activity by the Department during the year. XV. RAFFLES AND ART UNIONS. One hundred and fourteen licenses under the authority of section 42 of the Gaming Act, 1908, were issued during the year. Of these, 1 76 were for works of art, 27 for small amounts of alluvial gold, and 11 for alluvial gold to the value of £5,000 each. The following table sets out the aggregate result of the £5,000 gold art-unions : — £ s. d. Gross sales .. 204,749 15 0 Commission on sales. . 30,712 9 7 Expenses .. .. .. .. .. 27,641 7 2 Prizes .. .. .. .. 55,000 0 0 Net proceeds . . .. .. .. 91,395 18 3 Lottery duty . .. .. 20,474 19 6 Net profit .. .. .. .. .. 70,920 18 9 Of the net profit, £38,500 was distributed to the various Mayoral or other recognized central relief of distress funds and £28,938 to charitable and philanthropic organizations, including children's health camps. XVI. PASSPORTS AND EXIT PERMITS. The following are the statistics with last year's figures shown in parentheses: New passports 338 (478) ; passport renewals 53 (115); exit permits, 2,725 (6,426). In four cases where men gave undertakings to return within a specified time and failed to return at all, the bond-money was rendered forfeit. The total amount was £475. XVII. FOREIGN CONSULS. Twenty foreign countries have representation in New Zealand. Six fresh appointments were gazetted. XVIII. CHANGE OF NAME. Applications were dealt with as follows (last year's figures in parentheses) : Approved, 74 (64); declined, 1 (3). XIX. NATURALIZATION. No certificates of naturalization were granted. Thirty British-born wives of aliens made declarations to retain in New Zealand the rights of a British subject. Four persons renounced British nationality by making declarations of alienage. Regulations were enacted to prevent persons from making in New Zealand declarations of alienage renouncing British nationality. XX. RACING. For the current racing year totalizator race meetings were cut by half —120 days for racing and hunt clubs and 40 days for trotting clubs remaining. Four special totalizator licenses were granted to trotting clubs to raise funds for patriotic purposes. Particulars of totalizator investments and taxation are published in the Monthly Abstract of Statistics. XXI. WAR FUNDS, 1914-18. Latest reports from the fifty-two remaining patriotic societies show a decrease of £35,742 19s. 6d. in the sum held, which totals £563,460 18s. Id. This shows an increased expenditure of 66 per cent, over the report of last year. XXII. ADVERTISING OFFICE. Newspaper advertising recorded for the first nine months is £23,917 95., as compared with £27,658 lis. Ild. for the same period in the previous year. The decrease of £3,741 2s. lid. is in part accounted for by the careful revision of draft advertisements, enabling a reduction of cost of as much as 56 per cent, to be effected. The press clippings supplied to Ministers and Departments average over 2,100 weekly, some of the main subjects this year being stabilization of prices, rehabilitation, taxation, public accounts, and internal marketing. XXIII. EXPLOSIVES AND DANGEROUS GOODS. During the year the following licenses were issued:— Explosives. —Importations, 16 ; conveyance, 206 ; sale, 584 ; storage, 489. Dangerous Goods. —Storage, 2,173 XXIV. THE ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY. Despite disturbances due to the measures taken to defeat the malice of the King's enemies, the work of the library continues, and even flourishes,

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A. Holdings and Acquisitions. The number of books catalogued is now just over 65,000, and nearly 3,000 volumes were and accessioned during the year. In these numbers are included the remainder of the Hogg collection of Scottish literature, the whole of the Trimble collection of Irish history and literature, and the interesting collection of Samuel Butler's works which came to the Library with Sir Joseph Kinsey's collection. This includes a first edition of " Erewhon," which the Library had not previously possessed, and numerous other editions of that and others of Butler's works, some of them being " association copies." There is also a good deal of biographical material. The rest of the books accessioned consist of gifts and purchases, the latter being principally in the field of Australian literature, Pacific and New Zealand material generally, and modern poetry, drama, and art. B. Uses of the Library. The number of readers keeps steady at round about 3,000. This does not include casual inquiries or the numerous visitors to the special exhibitions displayed in the library. Workers on the Centennial Atlas and officers of the Army Educational and Welfare Service have made use of our resources ; and, among readers in general, books on the Pacific Islands and on naval construction and warfare have been in great demand, as have the books in the art collection. C. Exhibitions. These have been interesting and varied. Besides a general one on " Literary Anniversaries " of 1942, there were exhibitions to celebrate Shakespeare and Gilbert-Sullivan anniversaries, and the Tasman Tercentennial and topical displays from the resources of the Library on the United States, the Islands of the Pacific, and art of our Allies. D. Indexing. The indexing of the " New Zealand Journal" is proceeding, and indexes have been completed of W. Williams' " Christianity among the New Zealanders," the typescript of the diaries of W. L. Williams, the Centennial News and Art in New Zealand to the middle of 1942. E. Donations and Exchanges. Collections of various kinds continue to come to the Library as by magnetic attraction. The latest to be received consists of some hundreds of books in Esperanto, which were presented by Mr. George Gordon, and are to be available for reference to Esperantists. A Wellington Esperantist, Mr. H. Richardson, has kindly offered to do some preliminary work in classifying, and translating the titles of many of the books, which will make the task of cataloguing considerably easier. Smaller groups of books have come from the estate of Mr. W. Ball, of Napier (a collection on heraldry and flags), and from Mrs. Buick, who has presented a number of books on music and some books of New Zealand interest from the library of the late Mr. T. L. Buick. Amongst numerous other gifts space permits particular mention of only a few. Erom Mr. W. D. Eerguson, a previous donor of similar gifts, came two paintings by Samuel Butler —a self-portrait and the head of a girl. The Department of Internal Affairs sent several volumes of press cuttings relating to special events —royal tours, visits of naval squadrons, &c.—as well as a largo volume of cuttings on the death and funeral of the late Right Hon. M. J. Savage, and a beautifully bound volume of typescript, giving an account of the tour of the present King and Queen, compiled by the late Mr. J. D. S. Hyslop, formerly New Zealand press representative in London, and autographed by the King and Queen. Erom the Administration of Western Samoa came nine oyclostyled volumes containing a translation of Dr. Kramer's well-known and valuable work, " Die Samoa-Inseln," the German original of which is in the Library, and the literature and art sections have benefited by several studies in English literature from the Princeton University, and by a number of beautifully illustrated sale catalogues from the Parke Bernet galleries in New York. An advantageous arrangement has been made on an exchange basis with the University of Toronto, the Library now receiving regularly the University of Toronto Quarterly, which contains many scholarly contributions to the study of English literature. An addition to the photographic material in the Library is a collection of negatives of the Centennial Exhibition of Wellington, made by Miss Eileen Deste, which are on loan for two years, and will thereafter become the property of the Library. Additions continue to be made to the Walpolc collection, both by purchase and gifts. Included in the latter are two Walpole letters, one presented by Miss E. S. Jones, of Auckland, and the other by Mrs. Ethel L. Williams, of Wellington. Miss Jones' gift was accompanied by photographs of the house in Auckland in which Walpole was born. / Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (443 copies), £14 10s.

By Authority: E, V, Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1943, Price 6d.J

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