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Sale op Obsolete and Unserviceable Material. Several auction sales of obsolete and unserviceable material, including worn-out motor-vehicles from various Departments, were held during the year. The total value of property disposed of was £5,365 17s. 6d. This sum includes the value of scrap copper and other metals. Marine Insurance Funtj. The insurable value of stores from countries within the Empire and the United States of America covered under the New Zealand Government Marine Insurance Fund was £201,496. WORKSHOPS. Owing to the intricate and specialized nature of much of the work that requires to be undertaken in connection with the maintenance of the Department's telegraph, telephone, and wireless equipment, and to the need for ensuring that there is no delay in the servicing of the large fleet of motor-vehicles in commission for the transport of men and material to and from works, the cartage of mails, &c., it is essential to maintain at various places up-to-date workshops as part of the Department's organization. These workshops are also availed of to some extent by other Government Departments, principally for motor-repair work. It was necessary to increase the staff and the accommodation at a number of workshops during the year and to install additional plant. The total value of the work performed in the various workshops during the year amounted to £132,993, of which £10,884 represents the value of services rendered to other Government Departments. BUILDINGS AND LAND. The following works were completed during the year : New post-office buildings at Albury, Charleston, Porangahau, Rangiora and Thornbury ; a major addition to the post-office building at Cambridge ; an additional story to the newer portion of the General Post Office building, Wellington ; a building for carrier-current equipment at Kaikoura ; residences for the Postmaster, Pahiatua, and the caretaker, Wellington Radio ; combined garage, store, and line buildings at Dargaville, Hawera, Kaikoura, and Takapuna ; a store and line building at Wyndham ; a large garage at Auckland and a small garage at Te Puke. The accommodation at the following places was improved : — Hampden (addition to quarters). Mataura (addition to quarters). Newton (alterations to post-office). Norsewood (addition to quarters). Ohingaiti (addition to quarters). Pembroke (addition to quarters). Remuera (addition to post-office). Te Kauwhata (addition to quarters). Te Uku (provision of quarters). Upper Moutere (addition to quarters). Waimate (alterations to post-office). Wellington (alterations to mail-room ; additions and alterations to garage, store, and workshop buildings). Buildings no longer required at the following places were disposed of: — Akitio (post-office). Longburn (residence). Blackburn (post-office). Ngutuwera (post-office). Charleston (old post-office). Otekura (post-office). Coromandel (residence). Riverton (old post-office). Katea (post-office). Ruatoria (old post-office). Kiwitea (post-office). The former post-office building at Rangiora was demolished to make way for the new building. The old post-office building at Albury was removed to Fairlie for use as a garage. Sites no longer required at the following places were relinquished or disposed of: Coromandel (2), Hampden, Kaiteratahi (2), Kiwitea, Linwood (portion for street purposes), Mangatoki, Nelson (portion), Pipiriki, Riverton (portion), Roslyn (portion), Ruatoria, Taupaki, Te Awamutu (portion), Wellington (Mahanga Bay). Sites were acquired at Avondale (one for a post-office and one for an automatic-telephone exchange), Heathcote (for an automatic-telephone exchange), Hinakura, Kaipara Flats (for extension of the post-office site), Kaiwaka (also building), Kerikeri Central, Kumeu, Maungaturoto, Mount Albert (for an automatic - telephone exchange), New Brighton (for an automatic-telephone exchange), Sumner, Tauranga, Te Kuiti (for extension of the post-office site), Waipiro Bay (also building), Wakefield (for extension of the post-office site), Whangarei (garage, &c.). The following buildings were in course of erection at the end of the year : — Awarua Radio (residence for Superintendent). Belfast (post-office and quarters). Dunedin (chief post-office). Greymouth (power and battery building). Hamilton (automatic-telephone exchange addition). Maungaturoto (post-office).

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