XIII

D.—l

for new post-offices at Dargaville, Aratapu, Paparoa, Onehunga, Mercer, Kawhia, Tolago Bay, Gisborne, Spit, Weber, New Plymouth, Toko, Inglewood, Opunake, Wanganui, Baetihi, Hunterville, Bull's, Feilding, Levin, Pongaroa, Alfredton, Carterton, Motueka, Denniston, Brunnerton, Hanmer Springs, Ashburton, Temuka, Caversham, and Gore; for new quarters at Tarawera, Kaikoura, and Tapanui; and for additions, alterations, or extensive renovations at Auckland, Dannevirke, Woodville, Hawera, Foxton, Picton, Blenheim, Benwicktown, Nelson, Collingwood, Westport, Greymouth, Hokitika, Christchurch, Lyttelton, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin (both telegraph-and-post offices), South Dunedin, and Invercargill ; and for compensation that will be payable for the land taken for the enlargement of the General Post Office. Customhouses. Only £875 was expended under this head last year, principally in connection with additions to the Wanganui Customhouse. This year provision is made for completing this work, and also for new sites and buildings at Wellington and Timaru. Lunatic Asylums. The expenditure on new works was slightly in excess of the previous year's figures. The principal expenditure was again in connection with the Porirua Asylum, which absorbed £10,587. An expenditure of over £3,000 also took place on additions to the Auckland Asylum, and smaller amounts were spent at Wellington (Mount View), Nelson, Seacliff, &c. For the current year provision is made for completing the Porirua building; for completing the additions now in hand at Auckland and Nelson ; for some necessary enlargements and the completion of the electric-light installation at Seacliff; and for minor works at Wellington, Hokitika, and Sunnyside. Schools. The amount voted for school-buildings last year was £90,655 —namely, £25,000 under the Consolidated Fund, and £65,655 under the Public Works Fund. The expenditure amounted to £58,681 —namely, £25,000 under the former and £33,(581 under the latter fund. As in former years, the bulk of this money was intrusted to the Education Boards for expenditure, the only works directly controlled by the Government being the industrial and Native schools, and School for Deaf-mutes, &c. Native schools were erected last year, or are now in course of erection, at Oromahoe, Omarumutu, Whareponga, Parawera, Kerepehi, Whakarewarewa, Tapuaeharuru, Taumaranui, and Te Haroto, and additions or repairs have been effected at Te Ahuahu, Poroti, Kaikohe, and Koroniti. This year we ask for a total vote of £85,000 —namely, £25,000 under the Consolidated Fund, and £60,000 under the Public Works Fund. Provision is made for a commencement with the new school for deafmutes, also a home for weak-minded and epileptic children, and for the following works under the head of industrial schools: namely, Completion of the alterations at Mount Albert (Auckland); clearing, draining, fencing, &c, on the new site at Levin, and for a commencement with the new building; additions, alterations, and furnishings at Te Oranga Home (Christchurch); additional buildings, &c, at Burnham ; and sundry furnishings at Caversham. Miscellaneous. Provision is also made under the public buildings vote for erections required by the Agricultural Department at Hunterville, Palmerston North, Carterton, Palmerston South, Boxburgh, and Invercargill, in addition to the new laboratories in Wellington already referred to; also for the following works under the head of hospitals and other charitable institutions: Grants-in-aid to the Waihi, Wairoa, Napier, Picton, and Greymouth Hospitals; for a cottage hospital at Kaikoura; for special wards for the treatment of delirium tremens cases at the four principal centres of population ; and for a commencement with the proposed sanatorium for consumptives,

iii—D, 1.