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EDUCATION BUILDINGS. The gross expenditure on school buildings, additions, teachers' residences, and the purchase of sites amounted to £580,470 during the year ended 31st March, 1941. This sum includes £24,898 provided by the Consolidated Fund to meet the cost of minor works. The following table shows the capital expenditure on school buildings and sites during the last four years. 1937-38. 1938-39. 1939-40. 1940-41. £ £ £ £ Public schools .. 331,558 467,255 583,918 381,547 Education Board offices .. .. .. .. 3,850 15,816 4,100 Secondary schools .. .. .. 58,924 56,819 69,545 72,305 Technical schools .. .. .. 97,740 82,568 60,283 20,218 Training colleges 1,984 27,071 29,325 5,929 Native schools .. .. .. .. 34,180 39,632 77,666 70,773 University colleges ~ .. .. 39,086 58,710 22,456 1,384 Child Welfare institutions .. .. 351 .. 5,344 21,828 Special schools .. .. .. .. 312 840 12,683 2,287 School for Deaf, Sumner .. .. .. 4,841 6,295 N.Z. Institute for the Blind .. .. .. 1,000 Kindergartens .. .. .. .. 881 1,181 1,734 99 Refund portion purchase-money sale of Education Board Offices ~ .. .. .. 1,500 Gross total .. .. ..569,857 746,721 878,770 580,470 Less Credits-in-aid .. .. 7,913 66,411 7,600 14,436 £561,994 £680,310 £871,170 £566,034 TELEGRAPH EXTENSION. The expenditure on telegraph extension by the Post and Telegraph Department during the year in respect of telephone, telegraph, and radio facilities throughout the Dominion amounted to £256,054, as against £416,778 for the year ended the 31st March, 1940. The establishment of military camps and other defence, activities necessitated the provision of improved and additional toll outlets in various parts of the Dominion to meet the demand for toll service. These increased facilities were arranged principally by the establishment of the following carrier-current telephone systems : — Hamilton - New Plymouth : One single-channel system. Hamilton-Ohakune : One single-channel system. Ohakune - Palmerston North : One single-channel system. Waiouru Military Camp - Hamilton : One single-channel system. Waiouru Military Camp - Palmerston North : Two single-channel systems. Wellington-Seddon : One three-channel system. Christchurch - Hanmer Springs : One single-channel system. Westport-Greymouth : One single-channel system. The installation of the additional Wellington-Seddon three-channel system enabled the Department to increase the number of direct telephone channels between Wellington and Christchurch from seven to eight, while the allotment of direct toll outlets between Wellington and Blenheim was increased from three to four. A twelve-channel carrier telephone system is on order to provide for the establishment of twelve additional telephone channels over the Cook Strait coaxial submarine cable to meet expected inter-Island traffic developments in the near future. Better facilities were also provided between various centres by the erection of new lines and/or the rearrangement of existing circuits. A four-channel carrier-frequency telegraph system was brought into operation between Christchurch and Greymouth in June, 1940. All the principal West Coast stations now have direct telegraphic outlets to Christchurch.

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