XIX

XIX

another, the irrigation of the Cromwell Flat from the Roaring Meg or other suitable sources. Out of last year's vote a sum of £2,794 was expended, and for the current year a vote of £30,000 is proposed. TOURIST AND HEALTH RESORTS. The principal items of expenditure during the year have been on improvements and new buildings at Rotorua, installation of natural gas at Te Puia, boring for further supplies of hot mineral water at Hanmer Springs, and on the construction of the new hostel at the Mount Cook Hermitage. For the current year a vote of £15,000 is proposed, mainly absorbed by the Nurses' Home, drainage and watersupply at Rotorua, extensions to Waitomo House, the completion of the Mount Cook Hostel, and improvements at the various resorts under the control of the Department. i'ELEGRAPH EXTENSION. The expenditure on telegraph and telephone extensions during the year amounted to £147,692. The length of the lines erected was 489 miles, the total lengtli of wire used being 2,153 miles. Among the principal land lines erected or under erection are the following : Auckland-Wellington new line, W'hangarei-Kawakawa (trunk telephone circuit), Auckland-Pukekohe (metallic circuit), Ngaruawahia-Mercer, Rotorua-Tauranga, Taumarunui-Hamilton (metallic circuit), Whakatane-Opotiki, Takapau-Ormond-ville-Waipukurau, Aohanga-Porangahau, Pahiatua-Dannevirke, Mastertou-Tinui -Castlepoint, Wellington - Palmerston North, Hororata - Lake Coleridge, TimaruGlenavv, Lawrence-Dunedin. Dunedin-Balclutha. The telephone-exchange construction shows an increase of 154 miles of poles and 4,432 miles of wire. The total telegraph and telephone construction was, therefore, 643 miles of poles and 6,585 miles of wire. The total mileage under all headings in use at the end of the year amounted to 13,343 of poles and 77,242 of wire. The erection of high-power wireless stations is being carried out at Awanui and Bluff, and low-power stations are nearing completion at Auckland and Wellington. The vote of £200,000 asked for this year for telegraph and telephone extensions, embracing wireless telegraphy, includes liabilities amounting to £111,372, principally for telegraph and telephone material under order at the commencement of the financial year. I.I(iHTHOUSES, HARBOUR-WORKS, AND HARBOUR DEFENCES. Lighthouses. The lighthouse-works undertaken during the year were—the commencement of the erection of the new lighthouse on Castle Point, and of the automatic light on the Chickens Islands ; the re-erection of the lighthouse on Tuahine Point, which had to be. temporarily dismantled on account of heavy landslips ; the replacing of the old light on Dieffenbach Point, Picton, by an automatic acetone-gas light; the completion of erection of the fog-signal on Patiti Point, Timaru ; and the purchase of the lantern and apparatus for the new light on the North Cape. The new works to be provided for in thejpurrent year are—a lighthouse in Cook Strait; an automatic light on Channel Island, Uauraki Gulf: the removal and re-erection of the Marine Department's Store at Pipitea Point, owing to the present site being required for railway purposes ; and the improvement id' the road to Godley Head Lighthouse. For these works, arid for the completion of the works commenced during the previous year, a sum of £10,000 will lie required this year. Harbour-works. The works carried out during last year were—the erection of a new Louse for the Boatman at Hokianga ; river-improvements at Waipu and Matakana ; erection of a beacon light at Shelly Beach. Kaipara Harbour ; removal of rocks at Kaipara ; cutting-up and roading the Manukau Harbour endowment for leasing purposes; river-improvements at Karamea ; repairs to wharves at Half-moon and Horseshoe Bays. Stewart Island. For the current year, in addition to providing for the items unexpended last year, it is proposed to provide for the following works : Improving the navigation of Wade River; harbour improvements at Matakana; wharves at