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based on stories of the late war showed a decline, and as time goes on will probably cease to be made at all. It was noticed that a much larger proportion of feature films were based on books by well-known authors and on stage plays. There was also an increase in technicolor pictures, some of these being produced in 16 mm. size. Publicity matter relating to 343 films (features) covering posters, stills, slides, &c., was examined during the year and no amendments or rejections were necessary. ' B. Licensing of Cinematograph Operators Ninety-six new applications for provisional and assistant operators' licences were considered, as compared with 133 for the previous year. Seventy-four new provisional licences -and 84 new assistant operators' licences were issued. Since the coming into force of the Cinematograph Operators Licensing Regulations 1938, 1,365 operators and 940 assistant operators have now been licensed. C. Exhibitors' and other Licences Cinematograph Films : Licences issued under the Cinematograph Films Act, 1928, for the year ended 30th September, 1946, were as follows : exhibitors', 481 (455); itinerant exhibitors', 23 (19) ; renters', 14 (16) ; storage, 9 (10) ; miscellaneous, 12 (16). The figures in parentheses signify the corresponding totals for the previous year. VIII. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS During the period under review, New Zealand was honoured by the visit of Admiral the Lord Louis Mountbatten and the Lady Louis Mountbatten and party. At that time Lord Louis was Supreme Allied Commander, South-east Asia. Among other distinguished visitors were the Right Hon. Viscount Bledisloe and Lady Bledisloe ; Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park and Lady Park and party (at that time Sir Keith was Allied Air Commander-in-Chief, South-east Asia) Major-General K. W. D. Strong, England ; Hon. C. E. Martin, Attorney-General, New South Wales, and party ; Mr. and Mrs. L. V. Straker, of London ; representatives of the Samoan Advisory Council; His Excellency Archbishop Panico ; Very Rev. Archbishop Timotheos Evangelinides ; M. Haumont, Governor of Tahiti, and party ; Sir Archibald Jamieson, Chairman of Vickers, Ltd. ; Senator Collings and party, .Australia ; Miss Nola Luxford ; Mr. W. P. Conelan, M.H.R., Canberra, and Mrs. Conelan ; Mr. James A. Farley, ex-Postmaster L General, United States of America ; M. M. A. Tallec, Governor of New Caledonia, and party ; Mr. Christopher Chancellor, General Manager, and Mr. Walker A. Cole, Managing Editor, of Reuters ; Hon. C. L. A. Abbott, Administrator of the Northern Territory of Australia, and Mrs. Abbott; Mr. Stuart Campbell, Editor of the Sunday Pictorial, London ; Mr. Gilbert R. Mitchison, M.P., House of Commons ; Mr. C. R. C. Gardiner, representative in India of the National Patriotic Fund Board ; Dr. Carl T. Compton and party, of the Atomic \ Evaluations Board, United States of America ; Lieutenant-Colonel Natu Sir Lala Sukuna, Secretary for Fijian Affairs, London ; Commander R. G. A. Jackson, Deputy Director-General of UNRRA ; Hon. E. H. Graham, Minister of Agriculture, New South Wales, and party; Mr. F. H. Rowe, Director of Social Services, Australia ; and Mr. J. Nicoll, Colonial Secretary, Fiji. His Excellency the Governor-General, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Cyril Newall and Lady Newall, were fare welled, and the arrangements for the arrival of the Governor-General Designate, Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg and Lady Freyberg, and for the swearing-in ceremony, were made by this Section., 2—H 22

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