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1925. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. SCENERY-PRESERVATION. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1925, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS AND SCHEDULE OF LANDS ACQUIRED AND RESERVED DURING THE YEAR UNDER THE SCENERY PRESERVATION ACT.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 17 of the Scenery Preservation Act,' 1908.

Sir,-— Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, sth June, 1925. I have the honour to submit herewith report on scenery-preservation for the year ended 31st March, 1925. I have, &c., J. B. Thompson, Under-Secretary for Lands. The Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister in Charge of Scenery-preservation, Wellington.

REPORT. Dubing the year just closed arrangements were completed for the reservation of over 6,500 acres of Crown lands for scenic purposes. Several small reservations were made in the North Auckland Land District, including a fine piece of native bush at the entrance to the Tangowahine Gorge, and two small but pretty islands in the Pahi River. Auckland District reservations include 450 acres situated high up on the slopes of Pirongia Mountain. In Taranaki a nice piece of native bush on the Ohura River was set aside. This is one of the few remaining areas of virgin bush in the locality, and, being in full view of the Stratford-Okahukura Railway, its preservation should be much appreciated. In the Wellington Land District an exchange was completed under the provisions of section 45 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1921-22, of an area of 17 acres 3 roods of the Hauatara Scenic Reserve for an area of 21 acres 1 rood of private land. The 17-acre portion is low-lying country not visible from the river, while the area obtained in exchange is in good mixed bush standing on a face and visible from both reaches in a bend of the Wanganui. Ten sections of Crown land on the Wanganui, situated in Blocks 111 and IV, Hunua Survey District, and containing altogether some 1,235 acres, were also reserved during the year.