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1928. NEW ZEALAND.

TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Sir, — Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, Ist June, 1928. I have the honour to submit to you the report of the Tongariro National Park Board, covering its operations during the year ended 31st March, 1928. I have, &c, J. B. Thompson, Chairman, Tongariro National Park Board. The Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands.

REPORT. During the year under review 1,205 persons visited the huts at Whakapapa, and 200 visited the Ohakune Hut, making a total of 1,405 persons. These figures show a steady increase when compared with the returns of previous years. Accommodation for Visitors. —The plans of the proposed buildings for Whakapapa have been completed, but the Board hopes that it may yet be successful in securing an applicant for the franchise offered, some little time ago. If the major scheme for the erection of a hostel does not materialize, the Board will itself make a start with the building programme referred to in last year's report. Amendment to Tongariro National Park Act. —Some important amendments to the Tongariro National Park Act, 1922, were made by the passing of the Tongariro National Park Amendment Act, 1927. Section 2 of the last-mentioned Act authorizes His Excellency the Governor - General, by Proclamation, to add areas of Crown land, or scenic and other reserves adjacent to or in the vicinity of the park, to the area comprised in the park ; and also authorizes areas to be withdrawn from the park where such withdrawal is necessary to provide more suitable boundaries, or for the purpose of effecting exchanges of land. Section 3 amends the principal Act by providing that the representative of the New Zealand Institute on the Board shall be appointed by the Board of Governors of the Institute. This is in lieu of the provision in the 1922 Act that the President of the Institute (ex officio) shall be the representative of the Institute on the Board. Section 4 empowers the Board to make by-laws— (a) excluding the public from any specified part or parts of the park ; (b) prescribing the conditions on which any persons shall have access to or be excluded from the park or any part thereof ; (c) fixing charges for admission of persons to the park or any part thereof, and for the admission of horses and vehicles to the park. Section 5 authorizes the Minister of Defence to use for military purposes that portion of the park which was originally set apart for the purpose of defence training-grounds.

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