D.—l

XXIII

PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Additions have been made to Departmental Buildings at Wellington, Auckland, and Napier, and at the Government Printing Office. New departmental buildings were acquired at Wanganui. Courthouses. In Wellington a new Arbitration Court has been erected. The building is of two stories, in brick and concrete. This is the only new building erected during the year, but repairs and renovations have been carried out to a large number of Courthouses. Prison Buildings and Works. The general policy of utilizing prison labour on capital works, including prison buildings, road-construction, and farm development, has been pursued with satisfactory results during the year. Last year the monetary provision, for farm development at Hautu and Rangipo was transferred from the Public Works Fund to the Prisons vote, but there has been no curtailment of activities in this connection, and splendid results have been achieved in bringing these waste lands into productivity. Among the principal works in which prison labour was used was the conversion of the crushers at the prison quarry at Mount Eden. An up-to-date plant has now been installed, enabling the Department to produce graded metal products suitable to modern. - day roading requirements. A quarry - workshop has been constructed and equipped, which enables repairs to be done on the spot economically and with a minimum of delay, and at the same time providing facilities for training prisoners in this line of work. A baker's oven was also installed at Mount Eden. This provides another avenue of employment, besides enabling cheaper bread to be supplied to the institution. At the Waikeria Borstal Institution an. additional dairy was constructed, making a third on the farm. This is in pursuance of the extensive farming programme for the training of Borstal lads detained at this institution. Splendid work has been done in road-construction in the Waimarino area. In addition to considerable maintenance-work, prisoners have been engaged in the formation of portion of the Taumarunui-Ohakune section of the main highway. Good progress has been maintained in the building programme at the Wellington, Paparua, and Invercargill institutions. At the Invercargill Borstal Institution a building for the conducting of a wool-classing school was erected by the inmates. At Addington a well-equipped laundry was constructed, enabling women prisoners to undertake laundry-work for several State Departments. Fifty hutments were constructed from surplus timber from the Department's mill stocks for the housing of prisoners at the roadwork camps and at the prisons farms. Police-stations . The expenditure on police-stations amounted to £5,589. A new station was erected at Tokanui, and the station at Phillipstown (Christchurch) was completed. The old post-office dwelling at Paeroa was converted into a constable's residence, and an office and lock-up were built at Ongaonga. A residence was purchased for the Inspector at. Invercargill, and additional land for police purposes was acquired at Lumsden. Post and Telegraph Buildings. The progress of the Dominion is indicated by the necessity for providing at many places additional accommodation for the conduct of post and telegraph business. During the year practically all of the Department's buildings were inspected, and arrangements were made for additions and alterations to be carried out to many of the structures. There is, however, a considerable number of places at which the need for additional accommodation is pressing, but, owing to the expenditure involved, these requirements can be dealt with only in their order of urgency.