D.—l.

At Greymouth the explosives magazine was extended. At Nelson additions were made to the office of the Public Works Department, New offices were erected for the Land and Deeds Department at New Plymouth : and at Wellington additional lavatory accommodation was erected for the Government Printing Office, and a new central heating system is being installed. New offices for the Meteorological Department were erected in Kelburn. The total net expenditure under this vote was £100,927. Courthouses. The new Courthouses at Upper Hutt, Papakura, Maungaturoto, and Patea, which were practically finished at the end of the previous financial year, were completed and officially opened early in the year. A Courthouse at Hamilton was erected during the year and is now in use. The grounds have still to be laid out. Additions were also made to the Courthouse at Rotorua, and will provide for requirements for many years to come. The net expenditure under the vote was £19,572. Prison Buildings and Works. The expenditure on prison buildings and works was further reduced during the year, the total net expenditure being £2,504. Extensions of buildings at Invercargill were not proceeded with on account of the need for economy, and the proposed purchase of additional farming-lands at Invercargill was deferred. Accommodation has been taxed at almost all institutions, but apart from the establishment of a new camp at Hautu, it has not been considered necessary, up to the present, to undertake further permanent extensions on a major scale to prison accommodation. _ A summary is given hereunder of the classes of work on which last year's capital expenditure was made ; the previous year's figures also being quoted :— 1930-31. 1929-30. £ £ Erection and extension of buildings .. .. .. 535 1 79] Water-supply and sanitary drainage .. 217 612 Officers' cottages and quarters .. .. . . 389 2 460 Completion of access road (Wellington) .. .. 390 ' 747 Farm buildings . . .. .. ~ 315 gg^ Estuary-reclamation (Invercargill) 534 ] 399 Quarry and laundry plant .. .. .. 124 '302 £2,504 " £8,205 Police-stations. The expenditure on police-stations for the year amounted to £8,360 out of an allocation of £10,000. New police-stations to replace buildings which had become beyond repair were erected at Cromwell, Culverden, Milton, and Palmerston South. A contract was let for the building of a police-station at Te Araroa, and the work is now in hand. Post and Telegraph Buildings. Satisfactory progress continues to be made in the execution of the Post and Telegraph Department's buildings programme. New buildings were erected at Kurow, Mount Albert (Auckland), Napier, and Te Anga. Garages were built at Albany, Blenheim (also store, &c), Ohura, Rawene, Tikitiki, and Walton. Residences for Postmasters were erected at Hinds and Kurow. A building was erected at Mount Crawford (Wellington) for the accommodation of the New Zealand receiving-station of the trans-Tasman radio-telephone service.

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