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Enclosure 1 in Appendix C. ANNUAL REPORT ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND OTHER WORKS, (ARCHITECT'S BRANCH), NORTH ISLAND, FOR THE YEAR ENDING 30th JUNE, 1879. Sir, — I have the honor to report for your information upon the various buildings designed, added to, altered, or completed, during the financial year IS7B-1879, in connection with the Architect's Branch of the Public Works Department. Designs have been made for a number of new buildings for various departments of the public service ; the chief among them being a new Supreme Courthouse and new Chief Post Office for Wellington. A contract has been let for the former building, and the work is to be completed on the 20th February, 1881. The building is to be erected in brickwork, on concrete-pile foundations ; the fronts stuccoed, and the roof covered with slates. It has also been proposed that the Chief Post Office should be erected of similar materials; the working drawings for this have been prepared, and tenders may bo invited whenever thought desirable. For the Postal and Telegraph Departments, ten new buildings have either been erected, or are in course of erection at the following places : Pahi, Port Albert, Newton, Auckland (brick building), Ohaupo, Takapau, Woodville, Masterton, Raleigh, Patea, and Otaki. Increased accommodation has also been provided by adding to the offices at Russell, Whangarei, Drury, Hamilton, Kihikihi, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Opunaki, Hawera, Greatford, Foxton, and Featherston. Police buildings have been erected at Port Albert, Papakura, Napier, Port Ahuriri, Hastings, Give, New Plymouth, Whanganui, Waverley, Masterton, Marton, and Palmerston North ; whilst many repairs and minor additions have been effected to various other offices for this department. New courthouses have been erected at Papakura, Te Awamatu, Alexandra, and Feilding. A contract for extensive additions to the Whau Lunatic Asylum, Auckland, has been let during the year, and the w rorks are in a forward and satisfactory state. This is being carried out under tho supervision of a private architect. A new wing, capable of accommodating fifty patients, has also been built at the Mount View Lunatic Asylum, Wellington; besides which, both water and gas services have been provided, and many urgently-required repairs executed to both buildiugs. New offices at Napier for the Survey Department are in course of erection, and will be completed on 12th September, 1879. Besides tho above-named buildings, a sheep-dip and quarantine station have been erected at Kaiwara, Wellington; and a contract has also been let for a similar building at Onehunga, Auckland. A great number of alterations, additions, repairs, &c., have been effected or are in progress to various buildings, the chief being additions to lodges to Government House and Parliament Buildings, additions to Government Printing Office, additions to Provincial Buildings, Wellington, additions to old Hospital, Wellington, gas service to Wellington Gaol, repairs to ministerial residences, &c. In the early part of the year orders were received to erect buildings at various places in the South Island, and I prepared designs for the following : Courthouse, at Waimate, Post Office, &c, at Timaru, Courthouse at Christchurch, Courthouse at Hyde, Courthouse at Mataura, Courthouse at Alexandra, as also a Post Office at Dunediu North ; fittings for public buildings at Christchurch, &c. It having been deemed advisable that the Engineer in Charge of the South Island should undertake al' work south of Wellington, I handed them over to Mr. Blair, together with all papers relating thereto. The total expenditure in the Architect's Branch, North Island, during the year has been, — £ s. d. Judicial ... ... ... ... ... 8,741 6 2 Postal and Telegraph ... ... ... ... 2,129 5 9 Customs ... ... ... ... ... 143 15 6 Offices for Public Departments ... ... ... 2,009 3 4 Lunatic Asylums ... ... ... ... 8,948 11 P Hospitals ... ... ... ... ... 27,675 6 4 Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... ... 16,378 16 10 £66,020 5 6 I have, &c, P. F. M. Burrows, The Engineer in Charge, North Island. Architect.

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