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1922. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. SCENERY-PRESERVATION. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1922, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OP ACCOUNTS AND SCHEDULE OF LANDS ACQUIRED AND RESERVED DURING THE YEAR UNDER THE SCENERY PRESERVATION ACT.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 17 of the Scenery Preservation Act, 1908.

Sir, — Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, 19th June, 1922. I have the honour to submit herewith report on scenery-preservation for the twelve months ended 31st March, 1922. I have, &c, J. B. Thompson, Under-Secretary for Lands. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister in Charge of Scenery-preservation, Wellington.

REPOET. Reservations in Year. Although funds for the acquisition of lands for scenery-preservation have been very limited of late years, yet a certain amount of reservation has taken place, and the scenic areas of the Dominion have been greatly augmented during the past twelve months. The reservations have been as follows :— North Auckland Land District. —The Pukearinga Mountain, Maungaturoto, of 90 acres, was acquired and set apart. The land is also known as Taine's Mountain, and adjoins the Great North Road about two miles south of Maungaturoto. It is covered with puriri, kohekohe, taraire, tarata, tipau, karaka, toro, rimu, rata, wharangi, and other trees. The remains of Maori trenches may also be seen near the summit. In the Whangape Survey District an area of 449 acres of Crown land was proclaimed under the Act. It comprised steep and broken land covered with heavy mixed bush, and was unsuitable for settlement. In the Borough of Birkcnhead, a suburb of Auckland, the Birkdale Scenic Reserve, of 14 acres, was also secured and reserved; and it may be noted that in the borough there are now three areas set aside for domain purposes, comprising 246 acres, in addition to the scenic reserve mentioned. Two sections of Crown land in the Kaeo district, comprising 230 acres, complete the reservations in the North Auckland district. They were found to be too poor for farming purposes, and consist of high rough country in heavy bush. From a scenic point of view, however, they were an acquisition to the reserves in the locality.