H.—44.

The ceiling and walls of the Government court have been completed and the floor was ready for occupation on the 15th March, and the constructional work involved in the erection of the various departmental pavilions is proceeding. Amongst the features of the court will be a decorative colour scheme of lighting and the installation of a pressure system of ventilation. Every endeavour is being made to ensure that the displays by Departments will be of a high order, as it is realized that the exhibition provides the means of setting new standards for this Dominion. To this end the services of a display specialist were engaged, and at this stage it is manifest that his assistance will prove of material benefit not only from the point of ensuring displays of high standard, but also from the point of economy. . The premises of the Department's Film Studios at Miramar have been enlarged m order to cope with the additional artistic work necessitated by the establishment of the Government court, and the Studios are now handling a considerable proportion of the requirements of Departments m this direction. The Film Studios are also taking a lively interest in the main cinema in the Court, and the actual running of the programmes will be entrusted to this Department. Contact has been made with the education authorities in order to encourage and utilize as much as possible the services of young artists and aspirants with talent. The committee has decided to issue an official guide to the Government court, and the Publicity Officer of the Department is co-operating in the production. Provision has been made in the vestibule of the court for an inquiry bureau, where an officer ol the Department will be able to deal with all inquiries relating to industry and trade. There will also be in the court itself an appropriate display illustrating the growth and many activities ot the ' Close contact has been maintained with the General Secretary to the Centennial Branch in order that matters, of common interest might be considered, and his co-operation is acknowledged The date set for the completion of the Government court is the 9th October, a month before the official opening of the exhibition, and with the continued co-operation of all Departments concerned it is anticipated that the 'objective will be achieved. PUBLICATIONS. The Department has continued to issue information on the industrial and commercial activities of the Dominion in the form of bulletins. One scries of bulletins is issued at quarterly intervals, and covers the finance, trade, and industries of New Zealand during specific quarterly and yearly periods. Graphs are included on trade, finance, production, and business activity. This bulletin, m addition to being issued to a large number of persons, firms, and organizations in New Zealand, has a wide circulation overseas. . . . „ The News Bulletin, which has an almost exclusively local circulation, contains items ot economic and commercial interest both as regards developments in New Zealand and overseas. The New Zealand Trade and Tourist Commissioners have forwarded regularly information on industrial, commercial, and political developments in their respective territories which have a bearing 011 New Zealand's economy or are of interest in this country. , ~ , , , . Numerous expressions of appreciation have been received as to the service provided by the issue of these bulletins, and requests are received regularly for copies, which indicates that the information so disseminated is of value to readers. LIBRARY. The increasing complexity of our modern industrial and economic life and the need for keeping in touch with developments in overseas countries necessitate a good deal of reference and research work from time to time in the exercise of the various departmental functions. This, in turn, has necessitated the building-up of a comprehensive and up-to-date commercial library within the Department. The number and range of bulletins, periodicals, and reports, official and otherwise, received from abroad has been substantially increased during the year. A number of authoritative works on various aspects of modern developments in industry and commerce have also been added to the library during the past year. A feature, too, has been the development of a system of overseas press clippings, from which up-to-date and useful information on developments in commerce and tourism has been derived. MISCELLANEOUS ACTIVITIES. The major activities of the Department have been summarized in the foregoing pages. The Department's work embraces all phases of commercial and industrial activity affecting the Dominion, and a brief indication only can be given of the miscellaneous nature of the inquiries and investigations which have been the subject of departmental work during the year. The scope and the activities of the Department have expanded greatly during the past year, and the following list is merely a general indication of the varied character of the subjects dealt with. , , . Overseas Trade.—lnquiries regarding overseas trade developments, and with reference to markets for wool hides skins, &c., pork, neatsfoot oil, sheep-casings, lard, tallow, frozen meat, frozen eggs, chamois 'leather, condensed milk, cotton rags and waste, health foods, liver-meal, canned provisions, fruit-pulp lioney, butter, tungsten concentrates, Maori ornaments and novelties, cheese, oatmeal, woollen rugs and blankets, rabbits in jelly, blood-meal, black granite, racehorses, dog-food, fish-meal, yarn for bathing-costumes, and grass-seed.

35