TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) BY THE MINISTER OF TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS, HON. W. NOSWORTHY.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1923 Session I-II, H-02

H.-2

Session 11. 1923. NEW ZEALAND.

TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) BY THE MINISTER OF TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS, HON. W. NOSWORTHY.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Minister in Charge of Tourist and Health Resorts Department to His Excellency the Governor-General. My Lord,— Wellington, 30th June, 1923. I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the report of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts for the year ended 31st March, 1923. I have, &c, W. Nosworthy, Minister of Tourist and Health Resorts. His Excellency the Governor-General of New Zealand.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER OF TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS. Sir,— Wellington, 29th June, 1923. I have the honour to submit my report for the year ended 31st March., 1923. I have, &c, B. M. Wilson, Genera] Manager. The Hon. W. Nosworthy, Minister of Tourist and Health Resorts. ANNUAL REPORT. The direct revenue from, all sources is less than last year by some £10,000 ; but this is met by a much larger decrease in expenditure of over £27,000. The total revenue for the year was £40,246, against £50,822 ; and the expenditure was £59,647, against £86,944 for the previous year. Both revenue and expenditure are, of course, affected by the leasing of the Hermitage in the Southern Alps from the Ist October last. A feature which, acted very detrimentally to the tourist traffic from Australia was the undue prominence given in papers there to the earthquakes in the vicinity of Taupo. These were greatly magnified in the Press of Australia, and stopped many intending visitors from coming to New Zealand. The local tourist traffic lias also naturally been affected by the fact of the general election taking place during one of our busiest seasons.

H.—2

2

The work of the different bureaux has been heavy, and the amount of tours booked has totalled £73,597, an increase of £4,915 over the previous year, and the amount of commission actually earned has been £3,747, an increase of £278. A number of important tours were organized by and carried out by the bureaux of the Department, including visiting tennis and football teams, the American scientists, and others. The American professors were greatly pleased with the manner in which their varied tour was arranged, and the head of the party, Professor Nutting, stated that he knew of no other country in which the visitor was so well cared for in this respect. In connection with the booking business, I would draw your attention to a complaint frequently made from the Otago and Southland Districts, that visitors are advised not to visit the South, but to confine their attentions to Rotorua. Various statements of this nature have appeared in the Press, and have been mentioned by different tourist leagues. In every case coming under my notice I have asked the sponsor of the paragraph to give specific details of any instance where a Government Tourist Agent has given such advice, but in no case have they attempted to justify the statement, which is definitely contradicted by every Tourist in New Zealand. As a matter of fact, each Agent vies with the other in endeavouring to show a bigger business than his brother Agent, and obviously there is nothing to be gained by the Auckland Agent sending people to Rotorua in preference to the South. Every person, sent to the South enables him to show a substantial commission to the credit of the office, while those going to Rotorua only are of no use in this respect, as we get no commission from the Railway Department on a mere booking to Rotorua —in fact, we cannot issue a ticket there unless in combination with another trip. It is by the commission earned on the tickets issued that the agencies are judged. These statements have also been made in regard to bookings to the West Coast and South Wcstland, and on investigation I found that practically our heaviest bookings were for people leaving Wellington or Christchurch and doing the Buller, Otira, and Franz Josef trips.

Statement showing Financial Position at Main Resorts.

Return of Receipts. The following table shows the receipts of the Department from all sources from 1916—17 : — 1916-17. 1917-18. 1918-19. 1919-20. 1920-21. 1921-22. 1922-23. £££££££ Receipts ■.. ..33,137 32,935 33,689 42,218 51,038 50,822 40,246 Return of Expenditure. The-following is a comparison of the expenditure for the past six years : — 1917-18. 1918-19. 1919-20. 1920-21. 1921-22. 1922-23. £ £ £ £ £ £ Consolidated Fund .. .. 48,732 53,656 68,858 93,720 86,944 59,647 Public Works Fund .. .. 967 1,620 6,194 19,041 17,996 5,435 The following is a summary of the work of the Department at the different resorts under its control: — Rotorua. Revenue. —The general revenue shows an increase of about £200 above the figures of the previous year. The total receipts from passenger bookings for this year are appreciably less. As far as this agency is concerned, a very material factor in the reduction of passenger-booking revenue is the keen competition in the hotels and boarding-houses, which book all their boarders for the various side trips. This practice, of course, deprives the Department of a large amount of business, which would otherwise pass through the agency.

Year 1! 122-23. Year 1921-22. Resort. | i M p o a • %$ M ■» Ph »r3'S • So M PhM o n 12 e 5 t § H g is •-g I H H M B w C og * S fi o § » M PhPh s <d i 8 S § H o p8 3 'fi Q M Te Aroha Rotorua Rotorua Acclimatization District .. Waitomo Caves Lake House, Waikaremoana Queenstown Glade House and Te Anau - Milford Track £ 1,489 22,876 1,677 6,143 1,240 217 1,467 £ 3,106 28,463 1,060 3,983 1,732 747 1,940 £ 1,617 5,587 492 530 473 £ 617 2,160 £ 1,947 25,746 1,307 6,909 936 257 1,994 £ 4,354 37,420 1,177 4,929 2,275 821 2,900 £ 2,407 11,674 1,339 564 906 £ 130 1,980

H.-2

Buildings.- —Apart from the usual maintenance-work, the work of the Department was not large, and consisted of improvements to the hot-water cisterns at the main baths. The fiuming at the power-station, Okere Falls, was reinforced and braced up where required with iron tie-rods. The bridge at Whakarcwarewa near the Spout Bath, which was becoming dangerous to traffic, has been renovated, and the width reduced to 6 ft. to prevent vehicles from crossing, as the ground between that point and the State forest nursery is very unsafe for traffic. Two 12 ft. double gates have been made and hung at the entrance to the benzine-depot, and other improvements effected. The foundation and floor of the lavatory in connection with the tea-kiosk in the Government gardens have been renovated, as those were in a very bad condition, threatening the collapse of the building. Provision has been made for the free access of air to give ventilation under the structure, and a fireescape erected at the nurses' home. The usual painting and plumbing maintenance-work has been carried out during the year. Gardens and Reserves. —A waste piece of ground lying between the Duchess and Main Baths has been cleared of scrub in order to make a continuous flower border between the two buildings. Four of the grass tennis-courts in front of the northern end of the main bath buildings have been dug ujj, regraded, and sown in grass. They are now used as croquet-lawns, the growing popularity of that game having called for an extension of ground for players. This work of laying down the new winter tennis-courts has been commenced. The concrete bed has been put down and partially coated with asphalt. The old rustic bridge which crossed the Puarenga Stream, below the Papakura Geyser, was removed. A substantial new bridge 40 ft. long by 5 ft. wide with guard-rails has been erected. Water-supply. —During the year seventy-four new consumers have been added to the system. In order to prevent cattle wandering in the neighbourhood of the reservoir a substantial fence has been erected. During the year the supply to Koutu, 23 chains in length, was enlarged, the \ in. pipe previously laid being taken up and replaced with 1 in. pipe. Drainage. —During the year sixteen new connections have been made to the sewer, and the pumps have been overhauled. The debris which falls from the manholes gets carried into the pipes, and causes very serious difficulty. In addition to this, a silica formation has taken place inside the 2>ipes, which is greatly reducing the internal area. It is only a question of time until the whole system, but particularly the parts in those areas strongly impregnated with sulphur, will require to be lifted and renewed. Auxiliary Hot-water Supply to Baths. —The wooden pipes in this pipe-line running from the spring at Whakarcwarewa to Rotorua are not proving very satisfactory. The heat melts the asphalt coating on the pipes, and also softens the wood, so that the staples fastening the binding-wire come out easily, and thus loosen the staves. At portions where the pipe-line passes under the road they have had to be replaced with iron pipes, and as soon as funds permit the whole length of the pipeline will have to be laid in metal. The siphons at the spring gave us considerable trouble through intermittent working, due principally to the varying level of the spring. These have been removed, and the level of the pipes lowered to permit of the whole supply from the spring flowing to Rotorua by gravitation, a much more satisfactory method. Electrical Supply. —During the year the plant has been maintained in good working-order. The work of reconstruction throughout the town is steadily proceeding, and it is now possible to remove the high-tension lines from several of the streets. A maximum-demand indicator has been procured and installed. This is used to ascertain the load on some transformers which there was reason to suspect were overloaded. As a consequence of the knowledge obtained, additional transformers have had to be installed at certain points, and heavier distribution-lines erected. The lower-tension reticulation-work has been balanced to meet the altered character of the winter load. A sectionalizing switch has been erected at Te Ngae on the main transmission-line. This will enable faults on the main line to be more quickly located, and so reduce the period of interruption in cases where the fault is not easily located. The total number of units generated at Okere was 730,608, and the number of consumers at the 31st March was 905. A cclimalization. The Rotorua district is becoming increasingly popular with every class of sportsman, whether his objective is fish/ fur, feathered game, or red deer. The advent of the motor-car is contributing largely to this end, by reason of the facility with which most of the areas where the game is plentiful can speedily bis reached. The trout-fishing during April and May of 1922 was of the usual high standard of the past two seasons. The trout worm or parasite which affected the rainbow so badly from five to fifteen years ago has become almost non-existent. The general condition of the trout at the opening of the fishing season last November was much better than in any jjrevibus season for years past, and as the feed became more plentiful the recording of catches of a dozen to thirty fish in a day became a common occurrence. The most gratifying results are the recording of trout of a much heavier weight being taken this year. The largest trout known to have been taken on a rod last year was just over 14 lb. weight, and caught near the Aratiatia Rapids in the Waikato River ; but this year Taupo Lake and the Waikato and Waitahanui Rivers have yielded many hundreds of trout from 81b. upwards; 101b. and 121b. fish are quite common weights, while quite a number of 15 Ib., 161b., and 171b., and splendid fish weighing 19|lb. have been caught. Not only have the Taupo trout improved, but the catches from almost the whole of the well-stocked rivers and lakes in the Rotorua Acclimatization District go to show the excellent condition of the rainbow trout generally, while anglers are delighted with the sport provided by the fighting-qualities of their fish when hooked.

3

H.—2

The scientific investigation of the thermal lakes in the relation of their insects, plants, and acquatic life as trout-food has been taken in hand. Some hundreds of trout-stomachs have been examined, and many waters chemically analysed, while the various forms of plant and weed life, with their myriads of minute insect-life, have been carefully tabulated. Fur-opossums. —The open season last year for the taking of opossums was for one month—from the Ist June to the 30th June. Some seventeen licenses were issued at a fee of £2 10s. each, and a total of .1,654 skins were taken. Many of the licensees were novices, and the catches ran from less than a dozen to the highest tally of 320 skins per man. ' Feathered Game. —The season for feathered game was opened last year for a period of two months —from the Ist May to the 30th Juno. It is quite evident to any interested observer that the game of all kinds is fast becoming scarcer every year. Even on many sanctuaries the numbers are less than in former years. It will be necessary, if sportsmen are to look forward to any shooting in a few years' time, to curtail the usual thrise-monthly season to two months ; and, later, if a district will not give sufficient game, it will be necessary to still shorten the season to one month's shooting. The rearing operations carried out by the Department's Ranger this year have been most successful, and constitute a record for any previous pheasant-raising operations undertaken by this Department. A total of 512 young pheasants have been reared, of which 400 were distributed over a very wide area of this district. The balance are being held at the pheasantry for stock-breeding selection and to provide any acclimatization society with a few birds for breeding or liberation. Red Deer. —The open season for the Rotorua red-deer herds opened from the 27th March to the 27th April last year. The Galatea herd was closed, and was very carefully inspected and culled of nineteen deer of a poor standard, and as a number of Warnham Court strain of both stags and hinds have been liberated this should result in this herd being kept up to a :high standard. The opening days of this season have already yielded from this herd some fine heads, ranging from ten to fifteen points, and of very symmetrical shape and heavy horn, which fully justified the closing and culling last year. The Rotoiti herd produced the finest head last year that was secured from any herd in the district, a beautifully shaped sixteen-pointer, which fell to the rifle of Mr. A. Bennett, of Pongakawa. The Okareka herd also produced a number of good heads, those secured by Farrow Brothers and party being the most notable, several being above the average type and carrying twelve to fifteen points. In the proximity of Okareka Lake itself, and on the open fern country with little feed and cover, the deer were not of a good type, some having narrow, thin antlers, and were very light in the horn. Owing to the complaints of damage by deer in this area, some eighteen permits have been issued to settlers and the Forestry Service to thin out these deer. This should result in keeping the number of deer reduced, and may lead to an improvement in the type of heads. The Waikarcmoana herd, contained in the great forest area surrounding the lake, is a typical bush herd, and holds some of the finest stags in this Dominion. Owing to the difficulty of " still hunting " in the dense bush cover, it is extremely hard for the average stalker, used to more open country, to successfully approach his stag close enough, to secure it with a first shot, while a second one is almost impossible. The new herd in the Taupo-Tokaanu area was open for the first time this year, on the 26th March, and so far a fourteen- and a sixteen-pointer have been secured by Messrs. R. Levin and E. Riddiford. This is the making of a specially good, herd, and will need to be carefully fostered for a few years yet. Blue Wrens. —A consignment of the indigenous Australian insectivorous birds, twelve of the blue wrens, or Superb warblers (Malurus cyanochlamys) were received from the Sydney Zoological Gardens. These beautiful little wrens were fed on insects for some two or three weeks at the pheasantry, in order to allow them to become familiar with the change of food and difference in climatic changes. They were then liberated by the Ranger in several selected localities at different places in the Whakatane, Rotorua, and West Taupo Counties. It is hoped to procure some Welcome swallows from the Director of the Sydney Zoo. They are distinctly insect-eaters, and rapid fliers, and have spread to most parts of the world, yet they are quite unknown in New Zealand. It is thus possible that the expected importation will find food conditions and climate so favourable in this Dominion that it may remain here permanently. Kaoro, Fry Carp, Tualaras, and Ferns. —In order to provide an exhibit of the fish and reptillian sections for the Empire Exhibition, the Departmental Ranger, W. Cobeldick, secured a number of specimens"of the unique indigenous little fish Galaxias huttoni, or kaoro, from this underground rivers flowing from beneath the Tongariro Mountain into Lake Rotoaira. These, together with a number of the how rare tuatara lizards, captured on some rocky islets in the Bay of Plenty, will be sent to England with a number of other exhibits. One can of rainbow-trout fry and one of gold carp were also presented to the Wellington Zoological Gardens, and a large and varied assortment of typical New Zealand ferns was collected and despatched to Ireland to Lord Dunleath's estate. Thanks of Department. —The thanks of this Department is due to those officers of the Police Department, and to its active honorary rangers, and the executive officers of the Wairoa and Whakatane Rod and Gun Clubs, for their ready co-operation, often under difficulties, in carrying out the provisions of the Fisheries and Game Acts and regulations. Bath Buildings : Balneologist's Report. During the past year there have been fewer visitors to Rotorua, and in consequence the receipts, as shown, have decreased. This was due, no doubt, to the general financial depression and. the o-eneral election, when the people of the Dominion remained in their own districts ; also, false reports regarding the Taupo earthquakes, published in the Australian and American Press, which created a

4

H.—2

5

feeling of alarm, and prevented,many overseas travellers from visiting our district. However, since the beginning of the current year there has been a marked increase in the general receipts. In accordance with the need for the strictest economy, expenditure has been kept down to a minimum, and no new works of importance have been carried out. The increased accommodation of the sanatorium and installation of treatment-rooms have enabled me to maintain the hydrotherapeutic work with the maximum of comfort for the patients, and the high percentage of cures effected have well justified the usefulness of the institution. In the past year 20,000 treatments were given at the bathhouse and sanatorium. This is exclusive of baths. With regard to my work as Government Balneologist, I wish to express my appreciation of, and indebtedness to, the various members of my staff, who have by loyal service in all departments aided me in carrying out the work of this spa. In December last the Council of the International Society of Hydrologists did me the honour of electing me a member of their society. This will give me fuller opportunities for intimate contact with the progress of hydrologioal science in Europe and America. In conclusion, I would again urge the necessity for a more expansive policy regarding the popularizing of our Dominion spas. Judicious advertising, better travelling-facilities for invalids, and a general policy of keeping up with the times are all essentials in bringing before the world the greatest natural asset of the country. Statement of Receipts. 1923. 1922. £ s. d. £ s. d. Bath fees .. .. .. .. 3,384 4 1 3,496 411 Treasury credit . . . . . . 54 9 0 Players' fees . . .. .. .. 810 7 3 889 1.6 3 Out-patients' fees .. .. .. 548 5 6 613 16 6 Sanatorium loses .. .. .. .. 2,794 11 10 3,269 11 0 Treasury credit . . .. .. 313 511 151 18 2 Massage fees .. .. .. .. 1,259 8 9 1,358 14 0 Te Aroha fees .. .. .. .. 270 0 3 318 13 4 Radium water .. .. .. .. 0 6 9 3 11 3 Miscellaneous .. .. .. .. 13 0 0 8 0 Totals .. .. .. .. £9,436 2 4 £10,102 13 5 Waitomo Caves. The cash returns show a decrease of £767 ss. 7d. compared with last year. The wet summer helped to reduce the number of visitors, especially motorists, who were prevented by bad roads from visiting the caves. Road-improvements arc being carried out, which will shortly give a metalled road from Auckland to the caves ; the same applies to the route from Waitomo to New Plymouth. At the Awakino Valley a new road has been formed, and is being metalled. When completed motorists will have a good road right through to Wellington. During the year a passenger motor service between New Plymouth and Te Kuiti has been inaugurated, and already we have had a large number of visitors via this route. Also, all buildings, fences, and tracks have been maintained in good order, and a start has been made with the following works : Painting of the hostel and outbuildings ; regrading and metalling of the private road between the post-offices and the hostel; and the material for the new bridge over the Waitomo Stream, leading to the Aranui Cave, has been delivered on to the site. This year 5,548 pieople visited the hostel and the caves, being 633 less than last year. Te Aroha. The receipts at Te Aroha show a falling-off from the previous year, being £1,489, against £1,893, and. the number of baths taken has fallen from 31,000 to 24,000. Bath Buildings and Drinking-springs. —All the necessary work in connection with the upkeep of these buildings, &c, has been carried out, and the working of the institutions has been very satisfactory. There has been no trouble with the mineral-water supply, and water from No. 15 Spring has been forwarded to Rotorua as required. Gardens and Playing-lawns. —These have been kept in good order, and there has been a fine display of flowers during the season. Players have spoken very highly of the excellent condition of all the playing-lawns, &c. The head gardener and his assistants have had a very busy time during the year. Night Bowling. —During the year night bowling was instituted, one of the greens being lit up with electric light. On fine nights players turned out freely, and it is safe to predict a lot of play at night during the next season if the weather conditions are favourable. General. —The general work of the whole domain has been carried out very satisfactorily. During the year this agency of the Department generally-suffered a severe loss by the death of Mr. G. F. McGirr, who was for years the Resident Agent at To Aroha. Mr. MoGirr was a most capable and courteous officer, and of great value to the Department. He has been replaced by the transfer of Mr. C. E. Christensen formerly Head Masseur at Rotorua, who will continue the duties of Tourist Agent and Masseur, and it is hoped that the establishment of massage in Te Aroha will have the effect of attracting many visitors and increasing the revenue.

H.—2

6

Lake House, Waikaremoana. The season has shown a marked improvement in every way on the preceding one, both as regards the number of visitors to the hostel, and the returns for the period. There was good demand for accommodation, even in slack periods, while the busy ones were rushed. These include Christmas week and Easter. In regard to the working of the hostel itself, everything worked out quite satisfactorily, except for the shortage of staff, which was particularly felt during the rush periods. The renovating of the hostel at the beginning of the season was much appreciated by visitors, tending to make their stay much more comfortable. The launch and boats, after being thoroughly overhauled and renovated at the beginning of this season, wens well patronized by visitors, many pleasing comments being passed regarding their excellent condition. The launch has been running regularly during the whole of the season, and has amply proved the wisdom of installing a new engine. The tracks of the different side trips, particularly the Waikare-iti one, were much availed of. Hermitage. The Hermitage was leased from the Ist October last to the Mount Cook Motor Company (Limited). Tenders were invited for the lease, and the company was the only tenderer. The term of the lease is for five years, and the annual rental £200. The company, owning the motor-cars, are in a position to run cheap excursions, and also to lower the tariff when considered desirable, which could not be done by the Department. It is intended to keep the establishment open during the winter months, and this experiment will be watched with interest. Ample provision has been made in the lease for the protection of the Government's interests, and for inspection by the Department at any time. A record of high ascents will also be kept by the company and embodied in the records of this Department. Te Anau-Milford Track. A good season was experienced on this track, over three hundred visitors arrived at (Hade House, and nearly all did the walk to Milford and back. Ten visitors crossed over the track from Queenstown to Te Anau. This Milford Track and the huts were maintained in first-class order throughout the season, and no complaints of any kind were received from visitors. The steamer on Lake Te Anau was leased to Mr. Govan, of Te Anau, and his service was excellent. The drawback of this trip has been, the bad state of the road leading to Te Anau, and it is hoped that this' will be much improved by next season. Good work was done on the Grave-Talbot Track by the Otago University students. Overseas Agencies. The agencies in Australia —Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide were busy during the year, and the Agents all report an increase in the inquiries and visitors to New Zealand. The expenditure at Sydney and Melbourne was as follows : — t\ Sydney. Melbourne. £ £ Rent .. .. .. .. .. .. 561. 408 Salaries and wages .. .. .. .. .. 858 964 Miscellaneous .. .. .. . . .. 168 85 £1,587 £1,457

REPORT OF THE RESIDENT OFFICER, ROTORUA. As regards works undertaken, there is nothing unusual to report. Owing to the shortage of funds, arising-from causes fully dealt with in previous reports, only ordinary maintenance-work was carried on throughout the year. From an administrative point of view the year has been an eventful one, inasmuch as control of the town has now passed from this Department to a local body. In September, 1922, the Rotorua Borough Act, 1922, was passed, and became operative as from the Ist January, 1923. The first election was held on the 27th February, and the first meeting of the Council took place on the 7th March, 1923. In the interval between the passing of the Act and the election of the Council this Department continued to exeroise all powers and functions with respect to the borough. The levy on this Town Account made by the Waikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for the current year was £258 18s. 6d., as compared with £338 2s. of the previous year. To meet this a rate of id. in the pound was levied on the capital value. The levy for fire-prevention purposes made by the Fire Board was £645 ss. 4d., as compared with ;£687 Bs. of the previous year. This was met by a rate of |d. in the pound on the value of buildings within the town area. The Library rate was in the pound. One hundred and twenty-six building permits were issued during the year for new buildings, and alterations to existing ones. The total value of the building operations was £40,572. The rateable (capital) value of the town is £625,644.

7

H.—2

The following is a statement of accounts of the Town of Rotorua for the year ending the 31st March, 1923 :— Statement of Accounts of the Borough of Rotorua for the Year ending 31 st March, 1923. General Account. Receipt*. Expenditure. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Treasury— Debit balance at Ist April, 1922 .. 1,390 16 3 Bath foes .. .. 1,842 14 11 Administration — Fees and fines .. .. 8 10 Salaries .. .. .. 478 17 .11 Rents (Crown lands) .. 2,063 010 Printing and advertising .. 11 18 (i - 3,913 16 9 Audit fees .. .. 12 12 0 Sanitary-service fees .. .. .. 743 7 0 Bank charges .. .. 2 10 0 Pound fees .. .. .. .. 104 9 0 Interest on overdraft .. 59 9 (i Licenses and fees — Office expenses .. .. 14 16 7 Building permits .. .. 123 0 0 580 4 6 Vehicle .. .. .. 50 0 0 Public worksDrivers .. .. .. 8 12 0 Maintenance of streets and Publicans.. .. .. 184 0 0 roads Auctioneers .. .. 161 0 0 Labour .. .. 2,547 Hi 10 Shooting-gallery .. .. I 10 0 Material .. .. 517 3 4 Billiard-room '.. .. 28 0 o Street-lighting .. .. 200 19 3 Hails .. .. .. 24 0 0 3,2(i5 19 5 Second-hand dealers .. 015 0 Sanitary service Slaughtering .. .. 0 10 0 Labour .. .. .. 747 14 0 Dangerous goods .. .. 18 10 0 Fodder and plant .. .. 163 15 1 Dog-registration .. .. 61 17 6 911 9 1 661 14 6 Public pound—Wages, fodder, Rents— and advertising, &c. .. .. 96 3 6 Peal property .. .. 17 4 0 Public Health — Explosive magazine .. 5 18 9 Sanitary inspection .. 53 3 2 23 2 9 Epidemic expenses — TempoMiscellaneous — rary installation lighting Contributions to works .. 0 11 0 temporary hospital .. 9 14 6 Sale of by-laws .. .. 010 0 62 17 8 Guide registrations .. 15 0 Licensing expenses — Rotorua liefund of Court fees .. 0 5 0 County Council .. .. .. 17 0 5 Sale of sacks .. .. 213 4 Election exponses .. .. .. 67 10 0 Refund, freight .. .. 7 111 Miscellaneous — Refund, disinfectants .. 17 3 Insurance (lire and accident) 43 16 6 Sale of rolls .. .. 2 9 0 Dog-registration .. .. 12 18 9 Candidates'deposit s Forfeited 3 0 0 Charitable aid .. .. 2 18 2 19 2 6 Maintenance of town clock .. 31 5 0 Ten-|ier-cent. penalty on over- 90 18 5 due rates .. .. .. .. 9 2 11 Proportion of dangerous goods Debit balance at 31st March, to Internal Affairs Depart--1923 .. .. .. .. 1,022 13 2 ment .. .. .. I 10 0 Expenses Hon. Mr, Sastri's visit . . . . . . 4 3 6 Guides' badges .. .. 1 19 10 Sundry expenses . . . . 6 17 0 14 10 4 £6,497 8 7 £6,497 8 7 Separate Accounts. No 1. Hospital and Charitable Aid Account. Receipts. £ s. d. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. £ s. d. Rates— Balance, Ist April, 1922 .. .. .. 31 II 4 Arrears .. .. ..26 16 4 Waikato Hospital Board .. .. 258 18 6 Current .. .. .. 219 18 (i Printing and advertising .. .. 3 11 10 Overpaid .. .. .. 0 8 1 Proportion of cost of revising valua247 2 11 tion roll .. .. .. 5 18 4 Balance at 31st March, 1923 .. .. 54 6 11 Postages .. .. .. 0 19 8 Refund overpaid rates .. .. 010 2 , 269 18 6 £301 9 10" £301 9 10 NO. 2. FIBE-PREVENTION ACCOUNT. Receipts. £ s. d. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. £ g. d. Balance at Ist April, 1922 .. .. 86 6 S Rotorua Fire Board .. . . 655 16 0 Rates— Printing and advertising .. .. 3 11 10 Arrears .. .. .. 53 1 7 2 Proportion of cost of revising valuaCurrent .. .. .. 539 19 10 tion mil .. .. .. 5 18 4 Overpaid .. .. .. 0 12 6 Postages .. .. .. I 0 0 591 9 6 Refund overpaid rates . . .. I (i 7 Balance at 31st March, 1923 .. 667 12 9 13 3 5 v £680 .16 2 £680 16 2

H.—2

8

No. 3. Library Account. Receipts. £ s. d. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. £ s. d» Balance at Ist April, 1922 .. .. 176 211 Salaries .. .. .. 90 4 5 Rates — Books and papers .. .. 34 17 2 Arrears .. .. .. 8 13 9 Maintenance of building .. .. 4 14 11 Current .. .. .. 39 15 0 Light and fuel .. .. .. 17 511 Overpaid .. .. .. 0 1 5 Stationery and postages .. .. 3 6 8 Subscriptions .. .. .. 61 4 2 Advertising, &c. .. .. 5 4 4 Deposits forfeited .. .. 5 0 0 Proportion of cost of revising valuaRents from offices .. .. 50 0 0 tion roll .. .. .. 5 18 4 Hire of rooms for meetings .. 11 7 6 Refundoverpaidrat.es .. .. 0 2 8 176 1 10 161 14 5 Balance at 31st March, 1923 .. .. 190 10 4 £352 4 9 £352 4 9 No. 4. Cemetery Account. Receipts. £ s. d. £ s. d. Expenditure. Balance at Ist April, 1922 .. .. 40 0 1 £ s. d. £ s. d. Fees for sale of exclusive rights .. 10 0 0 Grave-digging .. .. .. 217 6 Burial fees .. .'. .. 20 3 0 Telephone .. .. .. 715 0 30 3 0 Bank charges .. .. .. 010 0 11 2 6 Balance at 31st March, 1923 .. .. 59 0 7 £70 3 1 £70 3 1 Reconciliation of Account Balances with Bank and Cash. Accounts. £ s. d. £ s. d. Rank and Gash. General Account, Dr. .. .. 1,022 13 2 £ s. d. £ s. d. Hospital and Charitable Aid Ac- District Fund Account, Dr. .. 811 811 count .. .. .. 54 6 11 Unpresented cheques .. .. 64 7 3 1,077 0 1 Fire-prevention Account, Gr. .. 13 3 5 875 16 2 Library Account, Gr. .. .. 190 10 4 Cash in hand .. .. .. 2 910 Cemetery Account, Gr. .. .. 59 0 7 873 6 4 262 14 4 Cemetery Account .. .. .. 59 0 7 £814 5 9 £814 5 9 Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31st March, 1923. Assets. £ s. d. £ s. d. Liabilities. £ s. d. £ s. d. Cash in hand, District Fund Account 2 9 10 Bank of Australasia, District Fund Cash in bank, Cemetery Account .. 59 0 7 Account .. .. .. 811 811 61 10 5 Unpresented cheques .. .. 64 7 3 Outstanding rates— 875 16 2 1922-23 .. .. .. 241 18 1 Rent paid in advance .. .. .. 5 0 0 1921-22 .. .. .. 96 9 3 Rates overpaid .. .. .. 12 0 1920-21 .. .. .. 38 9 4 Sundry creditors .. .. .. 143 7 8 376 16 8 Outstanding rents .. .. .. 208 7 5 Outstanding cemetery fees .. .. 7 18 0 Outstanding sanitary fees .. .. 561 14 .10 Outstanding sundry accounts .. .. 63 15 9 Estimated assets— Library buildings and furniture .. 500 0 0 Sanitary depot—Buildings and plant .. 180 0 0 Pound cottage, yard, fences, and stock .. 160 0 0 General working plant .. .. 360 0 0 Rowing club's shed .. .. .. 165 0 0 Office furniture- and plant .. .. 100 0 0 Cemetery ehapol .. .. .. 70 0 0 Benzine magazine .. .. .. 75 0 0 ' £3,890 3 1 £1,025 5 10 Rotorua, 25th May, 1923. Wm. Hill, Resident Officer.

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (000 copies), £10 17s. ISd.

Authority: W. A. G. Skinnek, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 923.

Price 6d.]