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LIGHTHOUSES. HARBOUR-WORKS, AND HARROUB DEFENCES. Lighthouses. The lighthouse works undertaken during the year were —the completion of the new lighthouse on Castle Point and the automatic light on the Chickens Island, and the erection of a new automatic light at the entrance to Whangarei Harbour, towards the cost of which the Government contributed a pound-for-pound subsidy. The apparatus for the new automatic light in Cook Strait has been ordered, and should arrive in the Dominion shortly. Arrangements are now being made for the construction of the tower. The apparatus for the new automatic light on Channel Islet, in the Hauraki Gulf, has arrived in Wellington, and the erection will be commenced shortly. A contract has been let for the erection of a new store for the Marine Department in Wellington, and the erection of the structure has been commenced. A new road to connect Godley Head Lighthouse with Lyttelton is under construction. The sum of £7,375 will be required for lighthouse-works during the current financial year. Harbour-works. The works carried out during last year were—the erection of a section of a breastwork along the face of the reclamation at Kohukohu ; the erection of wharves at Tangaihi (Kaipara), Ruakiwi (Whaingaroa), Lemon Point (Kawhia), Little Wanganui and German Bay (Akaroa), and the completion of the wharf at Half-moon Bay, Stewart Island ; removal of rocks in the Kaipara River ; improving navigation of the Wade River ; roading the Manukau Harbour Endowment ; improving the entrance to Awakino River ; erection and equipment of Meteorological Observatory in Wellington ; harbour-improvements at Takaka and Karamea ; and the installation of a more powerful oil-engine winch for the fishermen's boat-slip at Nugget Bay. The new works to be provided for during the current year are —further grants for the Kohukohu reclamation breastwork ; the deepening of the Mahurangi River ; the Karamea River improvements and the Nugget Bay fishermen's landing ; grants for ferry-slips at Raupo and Tikinui (Kaipara) ; improving navigation of Taheke, Wade, and Waikato Rivers ; wharves at Pahia (Bay of Islands), Whangamarino Falls, Raglan, Kutarere (Ohiwa), Collingwood, and Taieri Mouth ; and harbourimprovements at Wairau. An authorization of £15,811 is required for harbour-works, on account of which a vote of £11,000 is proposed for the current financial year. Harbour Defences. A 6 in. Mark VII battery at Auckland has been constructed, principally by prison labour, and other minor works have been carried out in other parts of the Dominion. The expenditure last year was very small, but a vote of £3,000 is asked for the current year. GROSS TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS. In addition to the votes already specially mentioned the estimates make provision for the undermentioned services : — £ Departmental .. ~ .. .. .. 64,200 Immigration .. .. ... .. .. 36,000 Contingent defence . . .. .. .. .. 50,000 Lands improvement .. .. .. .. 31,700 thus bringing the total amount of the proposed appropriations, including special accounts, up to £3,427,325, as against £3,143,111 voted, and £2,520,799 actually expended last year. CONCLUSION. The rapid increase of settlement necessitates year by year a corresponding increase of road and bridge construction, and the end thereof is not yet in sight. There are still far too many settlers who have had for years past either no access or quite inadequate access to their properties, but the number of these I am pleased to say is diminishing. Once these arrears have been overtaken it will be a much easier task to provide only for the needs of new settlers.

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