D.—l.

TRAMWAYS. Auckland. —During the year the Auckland Transport Board has carried on a progressive policy in regard to new construction, the following works being carried out and approved : Mount Eden Road, 173-26 ch. double track ; Sandringham Road, 64-50 ch. double track ; Richmond Road, 105 ch. double track ; Station Loop, 25-50 ch. single track ; Garnet Road, 58 ch. single track. Inspections and brake-tests were made for seventeen new tram-cars. New Plymouth. —Three cars were converted to one-man control, and fitted with compressed-air emergency, service, and rheostatic brakes, and automatically air-operated folding doors. These were inspected and passed. Wanganui. —-Four cars have been reconditioned and arranged for one-man control, being fitted with compressed-air emergency, service, and rheostatic brakes, and have been tested and approved. Wellington. —The following new works were carried out and approved : Aro Street extension, 3-4 ch. ; Whitmore Street extension, 10-5 ch. double track ; Customhouse Quay realignment, 26-36 ch. ; Grosvenor Terrace, 41-1 ch. duplication ; Hobart Street, Miramar, 28-9 ch. duplication. Five new cars were tested and passed for service. Christohurch. —No new lines were laid during the year, but re-laying of existing lines was carried out between Carlyle and Brougham Streets on the Cashmere Hills route, between Leinster Road and Papanui on the Papanui route, and between Fitzgerald Avenue and Bamford Street on the Sumner line. An alteration to the lines in the vicinity of the Avon River Bridge, on the New Brighton line, was effected, this being necessitated by the construction of the new bridge. Authority was granted the Tramway Board to discontinue the tram service between Papanui and the old terminus at Northcote Road. The tram-line has been taken up and the tram service has been replaced by a petrol-bus service. The institution of a trolly-bus service to serve North Beach was well forward; this service actually commenced to run on the 4th July. No new tram-cars were put into operation during the year, but seven forty-passenger trolly-buses have been constructed and were ready to be placed in operation by the 30th June.

STAFF. I would like to place on record the exceptionally good work which has been done by the staff during the past year. The numbers of men employed rose to a figure unprecedented in the history of the Department. Officers were called upon at short notice to commence works for the relief of unemployment, and responded splendidly. Had the numbers not fallen considerably later on, it would have been quite impossible to continue without very considerable increase in the staff, as many of the officers were really strained to the breaking-point, but nevertheless carried on. I would particularly like to mention the staff in the Hawke's Bay District, who stood up to the shock and immediately commenced remedial measures and the organizing of relief in a way which invoked the admiration of all with whom they came in contact.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS.—MAINTENANCE. The maintenance of public buildings has been carried out by the District Engineers and their staffs in accordance with proposals and reports prepared in District Offices. Maintenance work is, for more ready reference, included with public-building work reported on by the Government Architect.

PUBLIC-BUILDING WORKS AND ELECTRICAL OPERATIONS. For details of the public-building works and of the operations of hydro-electric enterprises please see separate reports by the Government Architect and the Chief Electrical Engineer. F. W. FURKERT, C.M.G., M.lnst.C.E., M.l.Mech.E., Engineer-in-Chief.

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