D.—l.

TRAMWAYS. Auckland. —During the year one tram-car, No. 252, was inspected and placed in commission on 20th December, 1939. Wellington. —Cars Nos. 239 to 256 inclusive were inspected and certificates issued. New tracks at Hamilton, Calabar, Tirangi, Darlington, Onepu, and Seatoun Roads, at Endeavour, Yule, Resolution, and Allan Streets, and at the Kilbirnie Car-shed have been inspected, passed, and put into use. Ghristchurch. —The duplication of the track on the Cranford Street line has been completed, and plans for an extension of the double track for 25 chains beyond Colombo Street have been approved. Further duplication of tracks have been accomplished over 12 chains of the St. Albans line along Barbadoes Street. On the Sumner line a loop and minor relocations have been constructed in Grafton Street, Sumner, to enable the proposed lifting of the track through Nayland Street to be proceeded with.

DESIGNING OFFICE. Prior to the outbreak of war the volume of work in the Design Office had been as heavy as for the previous year. Since August the amount of incoming work has not diminished, although during the latter part of the period under review the number of local-body proposals received for examination, as well as departmental proposals for road and highway bridges, showed a slight decrease. The amount of work undertaken for the Defence Services has considerably increased, and other work, even though relatively urgent, has had to be left in abeyance, so that at the present time almost the whole staff of the Design Office is engaged on work pertaining to defence. A shortage of trained staff is still being experienced., and the position has been further affected by the enlistment of staff for military service. Work carried out in connection with Air Force Stations has included the adaptation and preparation of plans for further hangars, bulk-fuel installations, fire-fighting services, and water-supply and drainage schemes. For the Army, consideration has been given to the planning of fire-fighting services and watersupply and sewerage schemes for the various mobilization camps. Further bridges for railways under construction have been designed, but, for the reasons already stated, plans for railway structures are not as far advanced as would otherwise have been the case. The Design Office was responsible .for the exhibit of models at the Centennial Exhibition showing typical structures designed and constructed by the Department in recent years. While this exhibit did not attract public attention to the same extent as others of a more popular nature it proved to be of considerable interest, and served to convey to the public some idea of the Department's activities. The checking of the designs of bridges for main highways and roads, prepared in district offices and by local-body and consulting engineers, was carried out as usual, and, in addition, proposals for the Local Government Loans Board and other Departments were examined and reported upon. During the year the number of proposals submitted for checking and examination totalled 325.

HOUSING CONSTRUCTION. During the year the Public Works Department undertook a large programme on behalf of the Department of Housing Construction in connection with the survey, planning, and construction of new roads, and. the installation of storm-water, sewerage and water-reticulation services 011 areas of land preparatory to the erection of dwellings. In the Auckland district properties dealt with were at Orakei, Mount Roskill, Point Chevalier, Mount Albert, and Mount Eden, while in Wellington a block of land at Miramar was developed for housing purposes. The construction of a large sewer through the Hutt Valley was commenced, of which 1 mile 37 chains were completed during the past year.

PUBLIC-BUILDINGS WORKS AND ELECTRICAL OPERATIONS. Details of public-buildings works and of the operations of the State hydro-electric undertakings are contained in the separate reports, included herewith, by the Government Architect and the Chief Electrical Engineer. I have, &c., J. Wood, M.lnst.C.E., Engineer-in-Chief.

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