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Postal and Telegraph. During the year the following buildings were completed : Chief Post-office buildings at Hamilton and Wanganui; post-office buildings at Brown's Bay, Kaukapakapa, Stockton Mine, Taupo, and Waiouru Military Camp ; automatic-telephone-exchange buildings at Avondale, Birkenhead, and Gisborne ; line, store, and garage buildings at Nelson and Tauranga ; garages at Arrowtown, Culverden, Waiau, and Waiuku ; and a radio receiving-station building at Awarua. Additions were made to the post-office buildings at Culverden, Dominion Road, Huntly, Matamata, Ngongotaha, Te Mata, Upper Hutt, Waharoa, and Waikaia, and to the automatic-telephone-exchange buildings at Devonport and Onehunga. Improved accommodation was provided at Blenheim, Point Chevalier, and Port Chalmers. 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 ten places. At the end of the year the following buildings were in. course of erection: Christchurch (chief post-office) ; Dunedin (store and workshops) ; Invercargill (chief post-office) ; Katikati (post-office and quarters) ; Lower Hutt (post-office); Mosgiel (post-office and postmaster's residence) ; Mount Albert (automatic telephoneexchange) ; Te Kuiti (post-office). Also in progress were large additions to the chief-post-office building at Auckland, additions to the Ponsonby automatic telephone-exchange, and major alterations to the Auckland (Newmarket) store and workshops buildings, minor additions to the New Lynn post-office building, and alterations to the limaru chief-post-office building. Prisons. As was the case for the year ended 31st March, 1940, expenditure has again been kept down to a minimum consistent with efficient management, and until the present war is over it is proposed to follow this policy. At Auckland Prison a proposal was on foot to install an up-to-date mechanical laundry, but, although the major scheme was held over, a hydro-extractor was installed, and this will be of some assistance in the meantime. The electriclighting equipment for Rangipo Prison Camp has been received, but owing to pressure of military needs it has not so far been found possible to complete the installation. It is hoped to have this much-needed amenity completed during 1941-42. At Waikeria Borstal Institution a further cottage has been completed, and to relieve staffing difficulties it is proposed to build a further two, as these are really a necessity. Here, also, an up-to-date pasteurizing plant and additional equipment has been installed in one of the dairies to enable the local schools to participate in the Health Department's milk-in-schools scheme. Scientific and Industrial Research. At Auckland the wiring of humidity-rooms and the provision of temporary electric supply to the fruit-store were completed for the Plant Diseases Division. The surfacing of the main roads on the experimental area was also undertaken during the year. A refrigerated gas-stove was erected and equipped at Wellington for use in conducting cool-storage and gas-storage experiments on a semi-commercial scale. The erection of a cottage for the Grasslands Division at Palmerston North was commenced towards the end of the year. For the Agronomy Division, Lincoln, building extensions were completed, and a new laboratory and glasshouse were provided at the Wheat Research Institute, Christchurch. Also at Christchurch, alterations and renovations were undertaken to accommodate the local branch of the Dominion Laboratory, and a building was erected for use as a workshop and store for the Magnetic Observatory.

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