H.—ls.

Gfodley Head. Owing to Defence requirements it is necessary to move this light and the keeper's cottage. Proposals are under consideration and work will be put in hand as soon as possible. Cape Campbell. Regular maintenance has been carried out to electrical equipment at this station. Jackson's _ Bay—A site has been levelled for an automatic light at this spot, and the necessary materials for its erection are coming to hand. Eleven chains of access track have been formed. The Harbour Board Legislation. The Acts enumerated below affecting harbour legislation were passed during the year, and the various Bills were investigated by the Marine Department before presentation to Parliament Ihe Bluff Harbour Board and Bluff Borough Council Empowering Amendment Act, 1939, authorized the Board to increase its authority to borrow from £12,000 to £17,000. The Napier Harbour Board Loan Amendment Act, 1939, authorized the Board to borrow a further sum of £125,000 to complete its scheme of harbour-works. The Nelson Harbour Board Empoweringr Act, 1939, authorized the Board to borrow the sum of £30,000 for the purpose of carrying out certain harbour works. New I lymouth Borough Land Exchange and Empowering Act, 1939, affected the exchange of certain lands between the Corporation of the Borough of New Plymouth and the New Plymouth Harbour Board lor the purpose of promoting carnivals for the object of raising funds for the maintenance and improvement of public reserves and domains. The Otago Harbour Board Empowering Act, 1939: — (1) Authorized the sale of certain land to His Majesty the King: (2) Sale of land to Dunedin Drainage Board : (3) Amended the provisions of the Otago Harbour Board Empowering Act, 1936, regarding the application of the unexpended portion of the loan : (4) Authorized the exchange of land with Port Chalmers Borough Council: (5) Authorized the lease of land to Otago Education Board : (6) Granted the Board authority to make by-laws prohibiting trespass on the Board's lands. In addition to the above legislation, sections dealing with the Harbour Board Legislation in other Acts are mentioned below: — (a) The Local Legislation Act, 1939.—Section 7 : Authorizing the Great Barrier Island County Council to expend certain moneys in wharf construction. Section 30: Empowering the Patea Harbour Board to grant a lease of certain lands to the West Coast Refrigerating Co. Ltd., Section 31 : Validating the payment of a compassionate allowance to the widow of the late A. E. Parkinson, by the Whakatane Harbour Board. Section 32 : Validating expenditure incurred by compassionate allowance to W. T. Gwyer, Eva Holland, and Allison Stanners by Auckland Harbour Board. Section 33 : Extending period during which the interest on Thames Harbour loans is reduced. Section 34 : Authorizing Napier Harbour Board to expend moneys to be received and held in trust for endowment purposes. Section 35 : Authorizing the Wairoa Harbour Board to raise special loan for aerodrome purposes. Section 53 : Authorizing the Wellington Harbour Board and Wellington Corporation to exchange land at Evans Bay for a portion of Fryatt Quay. (b) The Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Act, 1939, substituted an altered description of the part of Waterloo Quay vested in the Corporation of the City of Wellington by the Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act, 1938. Section 12 : Cancelled Order in Council relating to the Pilot Reserve, and validating and amending Orders in Council relating to the Lighthouse and Signal Station Reserve in the Town of Napier. Section 15 : Validated an agreement between His Majesty the King and the Auckland Harbour Board regarding the establishment of an air-service base at Mechanics Bay in Auckland Harbour. Adjustment and Inspection op Compasses. •I he regulations for the adjustment of compasses have been carefully administered, and compasses continue to be maintained in a good state of efficiency. The results.of the investigation of adjustments show that the work of the Inspectors and Adjusters has been carefully performed. Extra supervision has, been necessary in a few cases on account of the changes in the magnetic forces in the vessels. Admiralty Charts. The Department acts as agent for the sale of Admiralty charts and maintains a stock at Head Office and at the Mercantile Marine offices at Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin. The stock includes all charts of the Dominion and also a considerable portion of the world which practically includes passages to all places where non-regular traders are likely to go after discharging in the Dominion. A supply of about 360 different charts is maintained to meet normal demands. The charts, after their receipt, are periodically corrected to date, and to ensure that purchasers receive any further information received between the dates of correction a list of Notices to Mariners affecting the charts is maintained at each office for inspection. The sales last year amounted to 1,471 copies an increase of 20-4 per cent, for the year.

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