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liabilities on the 31st March last amounted to £13,987 (inclusive of £3,750 for a new Cook Strait cable laid between Oterangi and White's Bay The more important telegraph lines constructed during the year were those from Opotiki to Ohiwa, Gisborne to Nuhaka, Eketahuna to Alfredton, Feilding to Colyton, Hunterville to Ohmgaiti, Stratford to Cardiff, Awatere to Cape Campbell, Cheviot to Port Eobmson, Eoss to Hende's Ferry, Culverden to Upper Waiau and Hanmer Plains, Akaroa to Barry's Bay, Anderson's Bay to Highchffe, Gore to Waikaka, and Highchffe to Sandymount The vote proposed for the current year is £30,000, which, m addition to a new Cook Strait single-core cable, includes a number of lines, the more important of which are the following Awanui to Cape Maria Van Diemen, Dargaville to Opanake, Morriiisville to Hamilton, Whangarei to Kiripaka, Waihi to Waitekauri, Alton to Hurleyville, Palnatua to Eketahuna, Feilding to Waituna West, Ashurst to Pohangma, Fowler's to Apiti, and Lumsden to Balfour PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Our expenditure on public buildings is assuming somewhat large proportions. Last year £160,925 was voted for buildings, namely £109,775 under the Public Works Fund, and £51,150 under the Consolidated Fund. The expenditure which actually came to charge within the year was £100,202, namely £54,190 (including £15,000 for school buildings) under the Public Works Fund, and £46,012 under the Consolidated Fund. The appropriations proposed for the current year amount to £142,905, namely £96,305 under the Public Works Fund, and £46,400 under the Consolidated Fund. The principal works carried out and provided for are as follow: — Geneeal. Considerable alterations were made in the grounds of the Parliament Buildings, an entirely new system of warming and ventilating the House of Eepresentatives was introduced, and the front of the buildings was painted. Extensive internal improvements were also made at the General Departmental Offices m Wellington, a number of small and badly lighted rooms being thrown into one large apartment on each floor This has provided us with so much additional office space that we have been able to bring the whole of the Working Eailways staff into the buildings, thus enabling us to vacate two separate suites of offices which were rented by the Eailway Commissioners. The saving effected m rent alone is £700 per annum, and the additional convenience afforded by concentrating the staff is worth several hundreds more Some improvements have also been effected at Government House, Wellington, and the Government House at Auckland is now undergoing renovation. A start has been made with the much-needed additions to the Government Printing Office, and the work will now be energetically proceeded with. I have not been able to see my way, owing to shortness of funds, to provide on the Estimates for the proposed new brick library at the Parliament Buildings. There is no item the omission of which I regret so much as this. Next year, however, no matter what the necessities of the case otherwise may be, I am of the opinion that a brick building to hold the most valuable books and papers at present in the library should be erected. Judicial. The principal judicial buildings carried out during the year have been the new Courthouses at Otahuhu, Eotorua, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Palnatua, and Little Eiver, the new gaol at Dunedin, on which a good start has been made, the purchase of additional land for the Lyttelton Gaol; new police-station at Otahuhu , and renovations to police buildings at Christchurch. Numerous buildings of the judicial class are now in hand, and a few new ones are provided for, the principal being as follows New Courthouses at Kawakawa, Paeroa, Hawera (to replace building recently burned down)*, Stratford, Hunterville, Otaki, Featherston, Darfield, Milton, St Bathan's, and Arrowtown , new Law Library, Christchurch , renovations at Napier; and house