D.—l.

Mental Hospitals. During the year such services as laundries, water-supply, telephones, drainage, roading, and fire-fighting appliances have been renewed or extended as circumstances demanded. At Kingseat two villas for male patients have been completed, and the erection of the Nurses' Home has been continued. The erection of a new villa for male patients at Tokanui has been commenced, and the erection of the new bakehouse and butcher's shop at Porirua completed. The Nurses' Home at Ngawhatu has been completed, and a start lias been made on the erection of three male villas. At Hokitika two new villas have been completed. Police-stations. The gross expenditure on police-stations during the year was £65,698, the principal items included in that amount being £12,230 expended on the completion of the new police-station at Palmerston North, and £11,750 on the purchase of land adjoining the site of Central Police-station at Auckland for the rebuilding of that station. _ _ New police-stations were erected at Clive, Roslyn (Dunedin), Katikati, Little River, Mosgiel, Oturehua, and Whakatane. Offices were erected at Papakura and Waitara, a new lock-up at Blenheim, and a residence for the Senior Sergeant at Oamaru. Contracts were let for new police-stations at Rotorua and Port Chalmers, and these buildings are now nearing completion. A house and land for use as a police-station were purchased at Mount Roskill (Auckland), also a residence for the Senior Sergeant at Blenheim. Residences for the Superintendent and Inspector of Police at Wellington were acquired at Kelburn and Northland respectively. Plans are being prepared for a number of police buildings which are urgently required to replace structures that have outlived their usefulness, and these will be proceeded with as far as financial circumstances permit. Post and Telegraph Buildings and Land. During the year 1939-40 the following post-office buildings were completed : Burnham Military Camp, Mahoenui, Ngaruawahia Military Camp, Otorohanga, Papakura Military Camp, Stockton Mine, Trentham Military Camp. Residences for Postmasters were erected at Marton, Okaihau, Otorohanga, Papakura, Taumarunui, and Waimate. Other buildings completed were automatic telephoneexchanges at Mount Pleasant and New Brighton, line store and garage at- Ashburton and Whakatane, and an additional garage at Kaikoura. A new building for the district line depot and the Accountant's Branch of the General Post Office was erected at Wellington. Major additions and alterations were carried out to the chief-post-office buildings at Oamaru and Palmerston North and to the post-office buildings at Ellerslie, Kaipara Flats, Kaiwaka, Ohingaiti, Okaihau, Opotiki, and Waiau. Alterations and additions providing improved accommodation were made to the post-office buildings at Granity, Greymouth, Kaitaia, Manurewa, Mount Eden, Murchison, and Rangiwahia. Several buildings and sites which were no longer required were disposed of during the year. Sites and additional land for departmental purposes were acquired at eleven places. At the end of the year the following buildings were in course of erection : Avondale (automatic-telephone exchange) ; Awarua Radio (receiving-station); Christchurch (chief post-office, Hereford Street block) ; Dunedin (store and workshops) ; Gisborne (automatic-telephone exchange) ; Hamilton (chief postoffice) ; Invercargill (chief post-office) ; Kaukapakapa (post-office and quarters) ; Mosgiel (post-office and residence) ; Nelson (line store, garage, and workshops) ; Taupo (post-office and quarters) ; Wanganui (chief post-office). Also in progress were large additions to the chief post-office building at Auckland, alterations to the Newmarket store and workshops buildings, an addition to the Devonport automatic-telephone exchange building, and additions to the post-office buildings at Huntly, Ngongotaha, and Waikaka.

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