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Acclimatization, Dter. — During the season twenty-one licenses at a fee of &Z each were issued bo sliool reddeer stags, and each licensee was allowed two beads of not less than ten points eaoh. A Total of thirty-four heads was secured, ranging from ten to fourteen points. The red-deer herds at Mahia Peninsula and Lake Waikaremoana are now increasing, and the addition of new blood in past seasons should benefit both herds. A separate license was issued for each of these herds and several fair beads were shot, the bush stags from the Waikaremoana V orest having good heavy antlers. Some very fine slab's are reported as having been seen in this locality, l>ul they are mostly in the heavy bush country, father than near Ihe lake. One line full-grown hmd was presented to the Department by Mr. Shrimpton, of Hastings, and one fallow buck was presented to (In: Department by the Wellington Zoo in exchange for a sfa<4 , of the same species given to the Zoo by this Department. Eight Samlmr deer were captured by the Ranger in the Himatangi district, and were brought to Uotorua for liberation with the existing herds of the same species. l<'llllln , nil (rami'. —Twenty-eight young pheasants were reared by the Ranger, 132 were purchased from the Auckland Game Farm at Cambridge, ami eight from the North Canterbury Acclimatization Society. All of these (total 168) were "liberated in various parts of the Itotorua Acclimatization District. Fishing . Distribution of Trout-fry. —During the past season 105,000 rainbow-trout try were liberated in ihe following waters of the Rotorua district: Okataina Lake, l(i,()()(); Oka-reka Lake, 2,000; h'oioina Lake, 20,000; Okara Lake, 4,000; Whakatane River, 50,000; Whirinaki River, 0,000; Tahanatara River, 15.000; Tikitapu Lake, 2.000; Rotokakahi Lake. 2.000: Ngahewa Lake, Loot): Rerewhakaitu Lake, 2,(100; Waikato River, 10,000; Mokai Stream, 6,000; Rangitaiki River, 20,000. The fish in Lake Okataina are iii very good condii ion. and in compliance with numerous requests a small Launch has been put in this lake, where it is now available for hire by tishingpari ies. W'aihari niniiiiii Hatchery. —This hatchery was enlarged, and an outfit of ten new hatchingboxes was added to the plant. These were fitted with the necessary wire screens for baskets and i rays to facilitate the stripping and hatching of the requisite amount of ova and fry required to slock ii]) the lakes and rivers in the Wairoa (Hawke's Hay) County. The whole of the work of renovating the hatchery and stripping was carried out by the Ranger. The following quantities of ova were received and hatched and liberated in this district : 50,000 brown-trout ova from Marine Departmeni Hatchery. Hakataramea; 60,000 brown-troul ova stripped from Lake Waikaremoana troul ; 250,000 rainbow-trout ova from Rotorua hatchery; 205,000 rainbow-troul ova stripped from Lake Waikaremoana trout: total ova laid down in hatchery boxes, 505,000. In the lib .'mi ion valuable assistance was given to the Ranger by Messrs. George Qrmond and A. Hall, the president and the secretary respectively of the Wairoa Rod and Gu» Club. Electrical, During the year thirty-six new consumers were added, and 512, 10-' i units of energy were generated at the power-house. The usual maintenance work was carried out, and the only noteworthy fact in connection with this branch of the work is that we have now reached a stage when the machines at Okere cannot: fully nieel the public demand for energy. The fact has been recognized by the Government, and arrangements are now under way for the creel ion of a new powerhouse on the site farther down the river, where greater water-power will be available. Certain formalities are necessary in the taking of the Native land for site and roadways, and these will 1 like t ime. Walt r and Drainiuji. During the year eighteen new consumer's have been connected with the water-mains, and eleven drainage connections have been made. The wooden water-mains si ill continue to give us considerable trouble with leaks, the total number during the year averaging eleven per working day. It is satisfactory, however, to be able to record that the work of replacing these wooden mains with iron ones is now definitely in progress, and during the year a total of about 58.000 ft. of 6 in. mains has been laid in various streets. The work has been vvfy much delayed by the disorganization of shipping through strikes in Australia, but matters in thai respeci have considerably improved, and long-delayed shipments of pipes are now coming lo hand. Work f"i' other Departments. A considerable amount of work (running into several thousand pounds in value) has been carried oul by ihe works staff of this Department for the Defence ami Public Health Departments, principally the former. The work was mostly in connection with the Military Hospital on Pukeroa, and comprised plumbing, installation of pumps and pipe-line for supply of hot mineral water tor massage treatment and baths, electrical installations, water-supply, drainage, and concrete-work in connection with baths. This enables these Departments to dispense with Ihe necessity tor keeping a mechanical staff in Itotorua to carry out these works. Iliiili lUiihliuij mill Balneological Work. During the year Dr. A. S. Herbert, who was for so many years in charge of this branch oi (h<. Department's activities, found it necessary for private reasons to return to England, and the Departmeni was reluctantly obliged to part with the services of this most courteous and capable officer Arrangements have, however, been made with Dr. Eerbert to acl in an advisory capacity i,, England so that New Zealand will not be altogether deprived of his services. Ihe vacancy was filled by the appointment of Dr. .). 1). C. Duncan. Formerly in charge 0 Haumer Springs (bui who was absent for four or live years serving with the military forces al the front).