H.—ls.

difficult waters of Cook Strait and to recover for future use a large quantity of abandoned cable ; also she very expeditiously picked up and repaired two cables off the Auckland Coast. On another occasion she was called upon to aid a vessel in distress in the Pacific. The policy of the Department in progressively improving the lot of lightkeepers is proceeding. Mail and victualling services have been improved, and several dwellings have been renovated and new furniture provided. Haeboues. The Marine Department has maintained direct administration of Kaipara, Picton, Little Wanganui, and Westport Harbours during the past year. Except for these harbours and a few vested in already existing local authorities, properly constituted Harbour Boards administer the harbours of New Zealand. Kaipara Harbour. —Work here during the year has consisted of the usual maintenance of buoys and beacons in the extensive Kaipara Harbour, and a new launch for the Harbourmaster has enabled him to carry out a more direct supervision of the whole harbour. Picton Harbour.—The Department purchased a new launch for the use of the Harbourmaster during the year. This is giving satisfaction. Apart from general maintenance of the harbour, piloting, &c., the Harbourmaster now carries out a fortnightly mail and servicing trip to the Brothers Lighthouse. Little Wanganui. —Repairs and general maintenance have been carried out in connection with the wharf, and the work of reconditioning the goods-shed is proceeding. Westport Harbour. —The trade at the port fell slightly compared with that of the two preceding years, the shipments of coal, on which the revenues of the port per medium of royalties and shipping dues are so largely dependent, being decreased by some 18,000 tons on the year's working as against the previous year. At the same time, however, the total for the year, in exceeding 400,000 tons, maintained a satisfactory standard. The total quantity of coal shipped during the year was 408,380 tons, as against 426,393 tons the previous year. The demand for coal was higher than the supply from the local mines could meet, and until late in the year there was every prospect of the previous year's good total being exceeded, but industrial trouble at the Denniston Mine, the main mine in the district, in November, when there was no output from the mine for three weeks, resulted in a serious drop in output and subsequent delay in pick-up. During the year 295 steamers and 47 auxiliary sailing-vessels, aggregating 271,774 tons net register, worked the port, as against 359 steamers and 41 auxiliary sailing-vessels, aggregating 290,593 tons net register, for the year 1938-39, a net decrease of 58 vessels and 18,819 tons net register. As against the decreases detailed in the foregoing it is of interest to note, particularly in view of the adverse operating conditions which obtained during the year, that the average size of vessel which worked the port was approximately 10 per cent, greater than for the previous year, whilst there was a 15-per-cent. increase approximately in the quantity of coal transported per steamship from the port. During 1938-39 there was an appreciable overseas export trade of coal, to Noumea and Pago Pago, of 11,105 tons, but during the year now being reviewed there was no coal exported overseas, whilst there was also a slight falling off' in bunker trade, which trade is encouraged by reduced port dues on vessels calling for bunkering purposes only. Actually, the number of overseas vessels of this classification which called —viz., 23 —was similar to the previous year, the total of 36 shown in the tabulation for 1938-39 including several overseas coal-cargo vessels, fishing-trawlers, and a small dredge, which vessels do not ordinarily fall within the category of overseas bunker trade. Twenty-three vessels called for bunker coal only, and lifted, in all, 20,455 tons. The mean of high-water depths on the bar for the year was 22 ft., which was a fair improvement on the 1938-39 mean of 21 ft. 3 in. This improvement is further illustrated by the following comparisons in number of days on which the respective depths of water obtained on the bar at high water :—

The advantages to shipping which otherwise would have been gained by the improved depths of water on the bar were, however, somewhat nullified by the consistently unfavourable weather and surface conditions which were experienced during the year. The weather during the first month of the year was good, but then conditions by no means favourable to shipping set in, and there was no appreciable let-up until October and November. There was retrogression again in December to unfavourable conditions, culminating in January and February of this year in a period of adverse conditions of unusual intensity, particularly for midsummer months. Rain fell on no less than 44 days during the two months, with just on 24 in. of rainfall recorded at the signal-station, and the Buller River was under flood for a large part of the time,

2

Depth. 1929-30. 1930-31. 1931-32. 1932-33. 1933-34. 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. 1938-39. 1939-40. Over 14 ft 365 365 366 365 365 365 366 „ 16 ft. 365 365 .. 365 360 357 361 365 365 365 366 „ 18 ft. 363 340 366 350 279 353 355 356 361 363 366 „ 20 ft. 345 208 360 287 152 263 263 328 338 275 330 „ 22 ft. 276 43 252 144 42 81 90 257 222 126 184 „ 24 ft. 99 .. 53 14 .. 15 6 86 31 11 36 „ 26 ft. 11 .. 10 7 28 ft