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Auckland Education Board, and the land was taken under the Public Works Act for the purposes of a public school by a Proclamation dated the 15th March last. Arrangements are being made to set apart the education reserve area for the purposes of a recreation-ground, and the exchange will then be completed by bringing this area under the provisions of Part II of the Act as an addition to the domain. With a view to assisting Domain Boards to frame by-laws suitable for the management of the areas under their control the Department has drawn up a model set, the provisions of which, with minor alterations to suit any special circumstances, are applicable to almost any domain in the Dominion. Up to the 31st March by-laws have been adopted and published by eight Boards, while several others have the matter under consideration. The provisions of section 52 (1) (c) of the Act, under which any Domain Board may, with the consent of the Minister of Lands, appropriate portion of its domain for camping-sites, or parking-places for vehicles for the convenience of persons using the domain, were availed of by seven Boards during the year. A tendency has, however, been noted to ask for approval to the setting-aside of camping-sites and parking-places where the circumstances do not warrant such action. In this connection it may be stated that it is not proposed to approve of any case where the setting-apart of a portion of a public domain as a parking-place or camping-ground would absorb too much ground and interfere unduly with the free and unrestricted use of the domain by the public for general recreation purposes. The Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act, 1929, dealt with two matters affecting public domains and requiring special legislation. The reservation was cancelled over an area of 1 acre and 25 perches of the Herries Memorial Park Domain. In 1913 a residence-site license over this particular area was granted under the provisions of the Mining Act, and the holder of such license lately exercised his right to acquire the fee-simple pursuant to the Te Aroha Crown Leases Act, 1920. The legislation therefore excluded the land from the domain, and validated the issue of the residence-site license. It was provided that the purchase money is to be paid into the Domain Account for expenditure upon the remainder of the domain. The Domain Board (the Te Aroha Borough Council) approved the proposals. An area of 1 acre and 25-7 perches was vested in the Dunedin Ocean Beach Domain Board constituted under the provisions of the Ocean Beach Public Domain Act, 1892. By an agreement between the Domain Board and the Defence Department it was arranged that a portion of the domain amounting to 2 acres and 37-5 perches should be added to the adjoining Defence Reserve, in return for which the Defence Department would relinquish the area first referred to above for inclusion in the domain. The area being given in exchange by the Defence Department was declared Crown land, and the special legislation made it subject to the provisions of the Ocean Beach Public Domain Act, 1892, in order to complete the arrangement. By section 39 of the Local Legislation Act, 1929, an area of 13 acres 3 roods 22 perches, with a good beach frontage to Manukau Harbour, was vested in the Crown as a public domain. The land was owned by the Auckland Harbour Board, which body desired that it should be made available for the use of the public for recreation purposes. It is proposed to appoint the Mount Roskill Road Board as a Domain Board to have the control and management of this fine reserve. A perusal of the annual reports furnished by the controlling Boards shows that in the great majority of cases the public domains of the Dominion are fulfilling the purposes for which they were set apart, and are being maintained and improved in a satisfactory manner. It should be added that a splendid public spirit is shown by the members of the various controlling Boards in carrying out the administration of the areas placed under their care. Their services are given gratuitiously, and in many cases the amount of time and work involved is very considerable. The Department recognizes this, and is always willing in various ways to assist the controlling Boards to administer their domains in the best interests of the general public.

PART lI.—NATIONAL PARKS. The national parks of the Dominion at present comprise the following areas : —

Name of Park. Area in Acres. Reference to Constitution. 1. Tongariro .. .. .. 149,470 2. Egmont .. .. .. .. 79,000 3. Arthur Pass .. .. .. 117,000 The Tongariro National Park Act, 1922. The Egmont National Park Act, 1924. Part III of the Public Reserves, Domains, and National Parks Act, 1928. Reserved under the Land Act, 1892. 4. National Park in Minchin, Bealey, 94,060 Davie, and Hawdon Survey Districts 5. Sounds (Fiordland) .. .. 2,266,000 Reserved under the Land Act, 1892. In addition to the above the following areas are also commonly regarded as national parks : — 6. Peel Forest Park .. .. ..I 1,305 7. Hooker Glacier .. .. .. 38,000 8. TasmanPark .. .. .. 97,800 The Peel Forest Act, 1926. Reserved for recreation purposes under the Land Act, 1885. Reserved for recreation purposes under the Land Acts, 1885 and 1908. Note. —The original area of No. 4 was 150,000 acn included in No. 3. is ; but approximately 56.000 acres are now