D.—l

41

Bjirnham.—B,epaka and water-supply completed at Industrial School. Sunnyside Asylum. — The drainage works and erection of new closets completed, besides numerous minor repairs. Eepairs as required in all other public buildings have been attended to. Otago. Waikaia.— Courthouse contract completed and handed over in November. _ Winton.— Courthouse and police-quarters contract completed and handed over in September. Gore. —Additions to Courthouse in hand. , Alexandra South.— Constables' quarters completed and handed over in November. Clyde .—Police stables completed and handed over in March. Portobello. —Lockup completed in September. Orepuki. —Police-station in hand. Pembroke. —Constables' quarters in hand. Jnvereargill— Additions and alterations to police-quarters in hand. Bluff —Post and telegraph office completed and handed over m January. Wyndham.— Additions to post and telegraph office completed m January. Palmerston.— Post and telegraph office completed in March. _ ...... , General repairs and maintenance of other departmental buildings m the district have been >e\tacliff Lunatic Asylum.— A portion of this building was affected by the unequal subsidence of the foundations, causing cracks in the walls and damage to the plaster inside. These damages have been made good, and no further complaints have been made as to any farther subsidence; as a precaution against which measures are now being taken to thoroughly dram the ground where the subsidence took place. The long dry summer produced apprehensions that the watersupply might fail; measures were taken to avert this, and two additional sources of supply were utilized the largest from the Omimi Creek, at an elevation sufficient to command the present reservoir. The supply now seems ample, but it may be worth while to build another storage reservoir, to guard against any possibility of a want of water in the future. DEFENCES. These works have been planned by the military officers, on surveys made by this department; but the contracts have been prepared and the works have been carried out under the immediate supervision of the Public Works Department, directed by the military officers. ' In this way extensive batteries and other defence works have been established at Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Dunedin. I have, &c, John Blackett, The Hon. the Minister for Public Works. Engineer-in-Chief.