D._ 1.

Waitati: A new villa for female patients was completed and furnished, and a new access road was formed. Health and Hospital Institutions. The chief works under this heading were the completion of additions to the Nurses' Home, erection of the porters' lodge, and a new laundry and fuel-shed at Otaki Sanatorium. Additions have also been made to St. Helens Hospitals at Gisborne and Wellington, and a new Nurses' Home has been completed at Invercargill. An additional grant was made to the Nelson Hospital Board for repairs to Nelson Hospital, damaged by the earthquake of 1929. Provision is being made this year for the erection of a building for the Raukawa Children's Health Camp, the site for which has been generously donated to the Government by Mr. Byron Brown. When completed it will provide a health camp for selected children. The net capital expenditure under this vote amounted to £17,338 for the year. Agricultural Buildings. The amount expended last year on capital works was £1,509. Additions to the Wallaceville Laboratory were completed, and an observation shed in brick has been erected. Education. The sum of £500,000 was estimated to cover the cost of the erection of school buildings, additions, sites, and teachers' residences during the year under review, the aetual expenditure being £501,344. Of this amount £203,292 was spent on primary schools, the larger works being additional accommodation at Brooklyn, Wellington ; Southbridge, Canterbury ; and new schools at Russell Street, Palmerston North ; Picton ; Eketahuna ; and Miramar Central, Wellington. Additions have been made to the Technical Schools at Auckland, Hamilton, Hawera, Wellington, and Invercargill; also to the Hastings High School, Rongotai Boys' College, and Wellington East Girls' College. Several large works are in progress at primary and secondary schools, and hostel accommodation is being provided at the Wanganui Technical School, Nelson Boys' College, and New Plymouth Boys' High School. The main building for the Massey Agricultural College is nearing completion. The recent earthquake in Hawke's Bay damaged a large number of the schools in the district, some of which have had to be demolished and are being replaced as rapidly as possible. The Education Purposes Loans Act, 1919, has been repealed by the 1931 Finance Act (No. 2), which also abolished the Education Loans Account. Amounts required for the erection of school buildings will now be paid out of the Public Works Fund as appropriated by Parliament for the purpose. The following table shows for the year ended 31st March, 1931, the amount expended on new buildings, additions, sites, and teachers' residences : — £ Public schools .. .. .. .. .. ..203,292 Training colleges .. .. . . . . . . •. . 9,080 Technical schools .. .. ..78,318 Secondary schools .. .. .. .. .. 128,594 Universities .. .. .. .. .. .. 241 Native schools .. .. .. .. .. .. 8,922 Schools for feeble-minded .. .. .. .. 5,110 Child-welfare institutions . . .. .. .. . . 1,660 School for the deaf Kindergartens .. .. . . .. .. .. 1, 747 Canterbury Agricultural College . . .. .. .. 109 Massey Agricultural College .. .. .. .. 68,825 505,898 Less credits-in-aid .. . . .. .. .. 4,554 Net total .. £501,344

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