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erected and stocked with all the necessary culinary articles and mess requisites. This building contains a large cooking-range, and has an abundant supply of hot and cold water laid on, which is not only a great convenience, but an aid to cleanliness, which is a feature of the camp. The camp proper consists of twenty-one tents, neatly erected in three parallel, lines, with the doors facing to the north in order to take advantage of the sun. The tents are 10 ft. by 12 ft., and have tongued-and-grooved wooden floors well raised above the ground, and are erected on frames, which makes them as comfortable and as hygienic as it is possible to make a tent. Each tent accommodates two men, and stretchers, blankets, &c, have been provided. The camp stores are carted from Rotorua once a week by the Department free of charge, so the only necessity which the men have to pay freight on from Rotorua is meat once a week, and during the winter this may be avoided. By the foregoing it will be seen that every consideration has been shown to the men in the organizing of the camp, and it can safely be said that there is nothing approaching it provided for casual labour anywhere in the Dominion. Notwithstanding the efforts made to make the conditions of employment attractive, a considerable proportion of the men who have been sent to the camp by the Repatriation Department have remained only a short time. Many of these were of the class that can be most easily described as " wasters " ; others were suffering from wounds and ill health as the result of their active service abroad, and were physically unfit to undertake the, work. Many who were willing to work and eager to get back into civil life have benefited by the generous treatment accorded them by the Government in establishing this camp. But in justice to such men it is advisable that the utmost discrimination, be shown in selecting men who are deserving of assistance. The camp should not be considered a dumping-ground for men who have made a nuisance of themselves in the cities and forfeited their right to be assisted ; neither is it the, place to send men who through age or injuries received are, incapable of performing a fair day's work. It may rightly be considered as a place for the industrious type of man whose health will not permit of him accepting any but outdoor work. The portion of the Waiotapu Plantation on which Waireka Camp is situated was taken over as a separate working unit on the Ist November last, since which date an area of 615 acres has been cleared. This includes 150 acres which has been reserved as a forest township site, and 465 acres for tree-planting. It is anticipated that, at least another 200 acres will be cleared for planting this season. A road connecting the camp with the. Galatea Road, about half a mile, has been formed and roughly graded, and a telephone-line erected, linking up the camp with the Kotorua telephone system. A horse-paddock, approximately 10 acres, has been ploughed and laid down in grass, and if all goes well will supply an urgent want next season. Pitting operations were commenced about the middle of February, and 74,025 pits were dug during the month, at an average cost of lis. 9d. per 1,000. On Block 24, 44,644 [fits which were not planted last season will be available, bringing the total up to 118,669 ; but it is confidently anticipated that over half a million pits will be available for planting this season. The average daily number of men employed during the period Ist November to 28th February is 15-26. Kaingaroa Plains Plantation. (Area, 33,355 acres ; altitude, 1,800 ft., approximately.) During the year an area of 1,085 acres was planted, thus making a total area in trees of 6,007 acres. The number of trees planted on new ground was 1,193,950, and those used to replace failures in last year's planting numbered. 229,625. With the exception of 6,500 eucalypts, which were planted for trial purposes, all the trees used, were Corsican and Monterey pines. The results are remarkably good, and the failures which did occur were chiefly amongst the Monterey pine. Experience has proved the wisdom of acclimatizing all the trees used on this plantation by lining them out in the temporary nursery for at least a year before they are planted permanently. The growth throughout the older blocks has been good. A late frost in 'December affected the Douglas fir to a slight extent, but very little permanent damage was done. Formation Work- The surveyor and party who were engaged in subdividing the reserve and laying off roads and fire-breaks broke up their camp in July last. Since, then detail and stock maps have been made of all the area surveyed, but there, is still about another six months' field-work required to complete the whole of the reserve. It is hoped that this will be gone on with at an early date. Roads. —The principal north-and-south road which passes through the centre of the reserve crosses two large gullies, but apart from these the road is on level country and easily formed. The prisoners have been engaged at intervals through the summer in road-formation in the gullies referred to, and have formed about a mile, 12 ft. in width, in the solid. About 5 chains of this formation passes through more or less solid rock, where the work was slow and a large quantity of explosives had to be used. The, gradient is 1 in 20 and 1 in 19 on the south and north sides of the gully respectively. Once this cutting is completed, access to a very large area of country will have been provided, because the level land can be safely traversed with vehicles, if necessary, without forming the road. Should circumstances permit, it is proposed to continue the formation of this and other principal roads, and endeavour to have road access to the various blocks before they are planted.