H.—22,

Industrial Accidents. —The system of statistics of industrial accidents, inaugurated in 1925, with an analysis of factory accidents, was extended in 1926 to cover scaffolding accidents, and accidents to employees of the Public Works, Railways, and Post and Telegraph Departments. So far it has not been found possible to arrange for returns of mining accidents to be furnished. Publications.—The systematic improvement of the New Zealand Official Year-book, which was taken in hand in 1921, was continued with the latest issue, which may claim to be the best of the whole series. With the yearly addition of new matter, which largely reflects the expansion of the activities of the Office and its investigation into new branches of statistical inquiry, the book has grown from 616 pages in the 1921-22 issue to 1,056 pages in the 1927 number. The inclusion, of new matter in the future will in the main be made at the expense of existing matter, where this can reasonably be condensed without affecting the value of the information. During the year a new publication was instituted by the Office—viz, the " Local Authorities' Handbook of New Zealand." This publication, which combines the former Municipal Handbook and Annual Statistical Report on Local Government, eliminating a certain amount of duplication which formerly occurred between the two volumes, has met with a. warm welcome from local authorities and persons interested in local government, and the whole of the 1,500 copies of the first number were disposed of almost as soon as the book appeared. In response to demands for a volume in handy form containing the principal essential statistics of the Dominion, the Office during the year added to its list of publications a, Pocket Compendium of Statistics, the first issue of which met with a ready sale at Is. per copy. The system of introductory notes which was inaugurated in the case of the Monthly Abstract of Statistics some years ago, has been greatly extended during the last year. The letterpress is now probably the most important part of the Monthly Abstract, and is certainly its most attractive feature. Census and Statistics Act, 1926.—Experience having shown the Census and Statistics Act of 1910 to be unsatisfactory in certain respects, it was replaced during last session of Parliament by the Census and Statistics Act, 1926. While not extending the powers of the Statistician in any way, the new Act simplifies procedure and enables circumlocution to be avoided. By treating " refusal " and "neglect" to suppily returns as being identical offences, it removes a very serious defect of the 1910 Act. The new Act increases the general penalty for default in supplying returns from £20 to £50, and also provides for further penalties if default continues after conviction has been recorded. Statistical Conference at Perth. —A conference of the Commonwealth and State Statisticians of Australia was convened for August, 1926, and was held at Perth. In keeping with the policy of cooperation in statistical matters between Australia and New Zealand, an invitation for this country to be represented was extended by the Premier of Western Australia, and Mr. Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, duly attended on behalf of the Dominion. A full report on the Conference was furnished by Mr. Fraser on his return. Canadian National Exhibition. —At the conclusion of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition, part of the exhibit of the Census and Statistics Office was loaned to the Department of Industries and Commerce for display at the Canadian National Exhibition, held at Toronto in August-September, 1926. The exhibit received very favourable comment, and was awarded a gold medal by the Exhibition authorities. Dominion Museum. Board of Science and Art.—No meetings were held during the year. Owing to the establishment of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, some of the functions of the Board of Science and Art were taken over by the new Council. The publication of the New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology has been transferred to the new Department. The manuals of the Board of Science and Art which were under way are being completed. Museum Building and Accommodation'.—Owing to the lack of suitable accommodation for the purpose it has been found necessary to take a further room in the Dominion Farmers' Institute for the storage of the collection of bird-skins. The old Museum building has been repainted. Ethnology. —During the year a large part of the Maori collection held in store has been worked over and card-indexed, and further additions to the exhibited collection made. No important additions have been made to the Maori collection. The principal accessions in foreign ethnology have been a number of objects from the Santa Cruz Islands (received by exchange), two Chinese court robes (purchased), and a number of small Egyptian objects (received from the Egyptian Exploration Society). An English brocaded gown about a hundred years old has been bequeathed by Mrs. W. J. Birch, together with an old silver spoon. An ethnographical expedition to the Kaingaroa rock carvings and to Taupo had been planned, but, owing to the resignation of Mr. J. McDonald, Assistant Director, and the appointment of Mr. H. Hamilton, Museum Assistant, as Director of the Maori Arts and Crafts Board, it had to be abandoned. Mr. Best has continued his researches on the old-time life of the Maori and has completed a bulletin on fishing, and made considerable progress with a second section of " Maori Religion and Mythology," the first section of which was published as Bulletin No. 10. Herbarium. —The principal additions to the herbarium have been the collections made during Museum expeditions in the East Cape district, at Lake Kanieri, Arthur's Pass, Doubtful Sound, and the Southern Islands. There has also been added to the herbarium a collection from various parts of New Zealand made by Mr. Oliver prior to his appointment to the Museum. A fairly extensive collection of fossil leaves of Pliocene age was made at Dunedin. Research work has been carried out in both the taxonomy and ecology of the native flora, and some part of the time has been spent on investigating the nomenclature of introduced plants. A short paper describing new native species has been published. A report on fossil plants from the Gisborne district has been prepared for publication.

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