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(7.) Board of Science and Art. The Board held its third annual meeting on the 30th January. 1918. In the report of the Director of the Dominion Museum a summary will be found of the Board's work during the year. (8.) Censorship of Films. During the year ending the 31st, March, 1918, 2,825 separate films, of a total length of 5,761,570 ft., were examined under (lie Cinematograph Film Censorship Act, 1916. Approval was refused in forty-three cases, while 27!) cases approval was granted only after excisions had been made to the satisfaction of the Censor. One appeal was made against the Censor's decision. The appeal was dismissed. Inspection and other fees amounted to £1,950 17s. (id., which more than covered the expenditure during the period, (9.) Hector Observatory. Much useful work was done at the Observatory during the year. The Government Astronomer's report, printed in the appendix hereto, gives a detailed and interesting description of the means whereby the Observatory works the time service. (10.) Old Soldiers' and Historical Cranes, During the year Miss Stalhani. Inspector of Soldiers' Craves, reported on some forty cemeteries in which soldiers killed in the Maori wars are buried. Though it is some five years since the Department undertook this work much remains lo be done, and information respecting lvi rial-grounds and isolated graves previously unknown is still being received. Even when the task of renovating the graves and erecting monuments is completed there will be the continuing work of maintaining graves and monuments in good condition. Among the graves to which attention was given during the year may be mentioned those of French sailors in O'Neill's Point Cemetery (Auckland), and that of an American soldier in Symonds SI reel Cemetery (Auckland). The attention of the Department was drawn to the neglected state of the graves on Great Barrier Island of passengers drowned in the wreck of the " Wai rarapa." These are being tidied up, and an obelisk will be erected. (II.) Cranes of Members of Expeditionary Force dying in New Zralantl. As a result of the appeal made last year to cemetery trustees and local bodies having control of cemeteries, special plots for the burial of members of the Expeditionary Force dying in New Zealand have been sel aside in a large number of cemeteries. Miss Stalhani has been busily engaged for some months visiting and reporting on graves of soldiers. The Department will shortly be in possession of information as to the state of every grave. When the standard type of grave has been finally decided by the Government the main work will be commenced. In the meantime stops are being taken to ensure that graves will not be left in a neglected condition, (12.) History of the New Zealand Wars. Mr. .lames Cowan has been engaged to write the history of the New Zealand wars from 1845 to 1871 . Though many books on particular campaigns, notably Featon's ''Waikato War," and narratives like those written by Sir George Whit more, Colonel Gudgeon, and Colonel MeDonell, all containing' valuable information, have been published, there is no one work dealing with tire wars as a whole -nor, indeed, any complete account of Heke's war or the Taranaki and East Coast- wars. Again, little attempt has been made to "show the inter-relation of the wars in the "sixties," and to trace the development of the anti-pakeha crusade on the various sectors, beginning with Taranaki in 1860. In the natural course of things such a history would not be written until sufficient time hail elapsed lo enable the troubled period to be viewed in a true perspective. It was felt, however. that any further delay would resuli in many sources of information being lost. In the official records of the Government, of course, there is information that will always be available for the use of historians, but it is a matter of only a few years now when the lasi survivors (both European and Maori) of the last of tin' Maori wars will have passed away. From them it is hoped that Mr. Cowan will be able to gather and place on record valuable information that otherwise would be lost for ever. The history to be written by Mr. Cowan will appear in four volumes, as follows: Volume 1 : Heke's war in the north, 1845—46—Ohaeawai, Ruapekapeka, &c—the war in the Wellington District. 1846 —the llutt, and Porirua—capture of Te Rauparaha—the lighting at Wanganui. Volume 2: The Kingife movement—the first war in Taranaki, 1860 —Waitara, Waireka, &c, — the Waikato campaign, 1863-64 — Koheroa, Rangiriri, Paterangi, Orakau—fighting in Bay of Plenty District the dale Pa, and Te Ranga. Volume •'! : The llauhau wars —fighting in Taranaki -General Chute's campaign—use of the Colonial Forces under the self-reliant policy East Coast wars— Titokowaru's war in Taranaki — engagements on the Waimate Plains-—final defeat of Titokowaru. Volume 4: llauhau campaigns on the East Coast —Te Kooli's rebellion—Chatham islands to Poverty Bay—Ngatapa, Waikarcmoana, &c. —Native Coniingents' pursuit of Te Kooti, LS7O-I—final engagements in (Trewera Country. Mr. Cowan is at present engaged in visiting the various districts involved in his work, and has already gathered much valuable material. •'!. The Wouk of the Sub-Departments during the Year. As already pointed out, the war work of the sub-depart incuts has shown a marked increase. In the performance of their ordinary peace-time functions they have been worked efficiently, with a special view to economy. Census, and Statistics Office. —Though still closely occupied with his duties under the Military Service Act and the new work of registration of aliens, the Government Statistician has found