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Registration of Aliens Act, 1917. —The Government Statistician's Report gives the registration figures as at tho Ist July, 1919. The executive machinery is now working smoothly, and aliens in the Dominion have come to the stage of regarding the necessity for registration as a matter of course. Changes of Names of Persons other than Reservists. —-A large number of applications for permission to change names were received and, where the reasons given and the result of inquiries were satisfactory, granted. War Funds Act, 1915. The ending of the war, while lightening tho work of the War Funds Office in certain directions, has increased it in others. In particular the satisfactory disposal of no less a sum than £457,125, being moneys held by societies on the cessation of hostilities, which can no longer be expended on the objects for which they were raised, is causing no little difficulty. The report of the Officer in Charge shows that voluntary subscriptions received, by societies during the year amounted to £279,298 15s. 7d. Tables setting out the transactions of 599 societies, and a summary of the total effort of i ocieties operating since the outbreak of war,, Will, as last year, be printed as a separate paper-. Sub-Departments. -The effect of the closing stages of the war on these branches of the Department is shown in the reports of the officers in charge printed in the Appendix hereto. New Zealand Gazette. —sl Gazettes Extraordinary, containing exclusively matter dealing with the war, were published during the year. National War Museum.—-The Imperial Government, having consented not to press the proposal that the authorities of the Imperial War Museum should be allowed to make the first selection from all trophies whether captured by British or by Dominion troops, but to hand over to the respective Dominion Governments the various war trophies in England claimed, by their units, the task of collecting exhibits for the New Zealand War Museum is lightened. Already a great number of trophies have come to hand and are temporarily stored in the Dominion. Museum. The Board of Science and Art suggests that the War Museum would be most economically established and administered in connection with the Dominion Museum. The matter is being held in abeyance until it is possible to ascertain what material is available for the formation of the museum. In addition to specimens of implements of war captured from the enemy it is hoped to exhibit— (1.) Arms : Munitions and equipment used by the British Army. (2.) Art : Battle pictures, &c, painted by New Zealand Expeditionary Force artists. (?>.) Photographic : Enlargements of interesting war photographs. (4.) Medical: Orthopaedic, jaw surgery, limbs, and other appliances. (5.) Sanitary : Models of sanitary arrangements in tho field, trenches, hospitals, ((i.) Allied section : Arms, clothing, and. equipment on models of all Allied troops. (7.) Disabled soldiers : What New Zealand does to re-educate disabled soldiers. (8.) Miscellaneous : Paper currency; medals, &c, in different countries. (9.) Home Service section : Exhibits of various Home Service organizations in Great Britain, her possessions, and. Allied countries. (10.) Eull-dress (parade) uniforms of crack regiments of Britain, Prance. Italy, and Belgium. (11.) A few examples of medieval armour. The official war films produced during the war will also be deposited in the museum. They are received in duplicate, one copy being kept as a record and the other hired to the New Zealand Picture Supplies (limited), which pays a fee of 6d. per foot, with special rates for feature films. 'Thi; Department has the right to declare every fourth film a feature. During the year £823 10s. 6d, was earned for film-hire. Peace. —Almost immediately after the conclusion of hostilities by the signing of the Armistice in November last preparations for the celebration of peace were begun. The first step was to provide authority (section 30, Appropriation Act, 1918) for local bodies to expend moneys for the purpose, of contributing towards funds for celebrating peace, " local body " being defined as meaning Borough Council, County Council, Road Board, Town Board, Harbour Board, River Board, Drainage Board, Education Board, agricultural and pastoral society, friendly society, and any society incorporated under the Incorporated Societies Act, 1908. The drawing-up of a suitable programme for the celebrations caused much difficulty, but a circular letter setting out the Government scheme in detail, and giving full particulars of the subsidies that would be granted, was sent early in March to all local bodies. The Government subsidy is not to be payable on anything of the nature of permanent memorials, but Parliament will be asked to authorize local bodies to spend moneys on suitable memorials. 2. 'The Ordinary Work op the Head Office. (I.) Local Government. Town-planning. —The year was a good example of how local-government activity shifts from one sphere to another. The respite from ordinary legislation caused by the war ; the circulation of the Minister's Town-planning Bill of 1917 ; the rise in the cost of building-materials, and the decrease in building operations generally (bringing with them, in Wellington particularly, where the population increased suddenly through the employment of large numbers of war workers in Government Departments and the camps at Trentham. and Feathorston, a scarcity of houses) ; the revelations of the epidemic ; the shortage of coal, the inquiries concerning which gave prominence to the conditions under which miners live —all these influences combined to make town-planning the prominent subject of interest in local-government matters. An invitation to send a delegate to the Australian Town-