C.—lo.

An area of a little over 6 acres at Kokatahi was made a public domain to provide for the recreation requirements of the district, and was placed under the control of a Board of local residents. Two small portions of the Rangitoto Island Domain were set apart under the Public Works Act for defence purposes during the year. The reservation over a small area of 1 acre 0 roods 24 perches of the Featherston Domain was cancelled, and the land sold to an adjoining owner for the purpose of providing access to her property. An area of 1 acre of the Poukiore Domain was converted into a reserve for a resting-place for travelling stock. The Domain Board agreed to the proposal, and the Rangitikei County Council, at whose request the action was taken, paid the fencing, survey, and other costs involved. An area of 109 acres 1 rood 9 perches of the Opotiki and Waioeka Domain was selected as the most suitable site in the district for an aerodrome, and was made available for that purpose during the year. The domain contained a total area of 299 acres, and the portion dealt with for aerodrome purposes was not required as a recreation-ground. A portion of the Omaka Domain at Blenheim was dealt with in a similar manner. In this case the area concerned was one of 242 acres set aside for recreation many years ago, but not required for sports purposes. The area is now regarded as absolutely essential for aviation purposes, ani has therefore, with the consent of the controlling authority, been formally reserved as a site for an aerodrome. The appointments of the Sunnyside and Mangamahu Domain Boards were revoked at the request of those concerned, and the administration of the reserves has been taken over by the Department. Arrangements were made at the request of the Domain Boards concerned for the control of several domains to be taken over by local bodies. The cases dealt with in this way were — Local Authority appointed. Domain. Mangonui County Council . . .. .. • • • ■ Kaimaumau. Kaikohe Town Board. . .. .. .. •• Reed Park. Waiuku Town Board .. . . .. .. ■ • • • Massey Park. Howick Town Board . . .. .. ■ ■ • • • • Cockle Bay. New Plymouth Borough Council .. . . . . • ■ Huatoki. Hutt County Council .. .. • • • • • • Korau Park. Orders in Council were issued appointing forty-nine Domain Boards to control domains for further terms, while forty-seven vacancies on various Boards were filled by the appointment of suitable persons nominated by the residents of the various districts concerned. The Garth and Ahaura Domains were united to form one public domain. The name of the Waihou Domain was changed to that of the Te Aroha Sports Domain. Permission was granted in sixteen cases for Domain Boards to increase the charges for admission to their domains on special occasions during the year. Five sets of by-laws were approved, and approval given in four cases to the setting-aside of camping-sites and parking-places in domains. Under the provisions of section 13 of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1932, rental concessions were granted in fifteen cases during the year. Numerous proposals to lease domain lands were carefully scrutinized, and the advice and assistance of the Department made available to Domain Boards in that connection. During the year it was found desirable to provide that the consent of the Minister should be obtained before any part of a public domain could be set aside for any specific purpose of public amusement or recreation. The relative statutory provision dealing with this aspect of public-domain administration was accordingly appropriately amended by section 64 of the Statutes Amendment Act, 1936. The Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act, 1936, also dealt with several matters affecting public domains and requiring special legislation. Immediately outside the New Plymouth Borough boundary there is an area of 48 acres 2 roods 32 perches generally known as the Huatoki Domain, and used extensively for recreation purposes. One portion of the area, containing 12 acres 2 roods 20 perches, comprised the actual Huatoki Domain, the control of which was vested in a special Board. Another portion of the area, comprising 9 acres 3 roods 15 perches, was a scenic reserve, controlled by a separate Board appointed pursuant to section 13 of the Scenery Preservation Act, 1908. The Scenic Board had control over a further portion of 8 acres 2 roods 11 perches, which it was acquiring from the Crown for scenic purposes pursuant to the authority contained in section 26 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1922. The balance (17 acres 2 roods 26 perches) of the area first mentioned was freehold land purchased from the Crown by the Borough Council in order that the native bush thereon might be preserved. It was considered advisable that the whole area should be constituted a public domain, and the control thereof vested in the Borough Council. The Council, the Domain Board, and the Scenic Board were all agreeable, and action was therefore taken to revoke the appointment of the Domain Board, and to appoint the Borough Council to control the actual domain area. The Council's property of 17 acres 2 roods 26 perches was transferred by the local body to the Crown and later added to the domain. Special legislative authority was, however, required to revoke the reservation for scenic purposes over the area of 9 acres 3 roods 15 perches, and to determine the right of the Scenic Board to acquire the area of 8 acres 2 roods 11 perches, and to add both those areas to the domain, and the necessary, provision was made in section 12 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act. Adjoining the Lyttelton and Heathcote Domain is an area of 2 acres 1 rood 13 perches of railway reserve, which since 1912 has been held without statutory authority for the purposes of a recreation reserve by the Lyttelton and Heathcote Recreation Trust on a year-to-year tenure under a deed of lease from the Railways Department. The Trust was constituted by statute in 1877, and was thereby

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