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of the plans is being considered. A preliminary investigation of the proposed site for the station at Wanganui has been made by the Public Works Department, and the matter is being pursued with a view to the preparation of detailed plans for the new building. The new stations at Omakau, Ohakune, Kingsland, and Waitara, for which contracts have been let, are also badly needed. Plans and specifications have been prepared for a number of other similar buildings which will be proceeded with if satisfactory tenders can be obtained. A considerable amount of maintenance work on police-stations, which fell into arrears during the war period, is now receiving attention as circumstances permit. Members of the Force on appointment and on transfer are faced with considerable difficulty in obtaining house accommodation at their new stations, and this has hampered the Department in carrying out necessary transfers to fill vacancies, &c. To assist married members of the Force who have to pay high rents for houses and flats, a general increase of approximately 10s. a week in house allowance has been granted. Transport.—Additional cars in serviceable condition as well as some light trucks have been taken over from the Army and Air Departments for use at the four centres, and the police at those places are now reasonably well equipped for transport and to enable motor patrols to be maintained. It is expected that a proportion of new cars will be available as the existing ones become unserviceable. Communications.—A radio system which enables the central station to communicate with police patrol cars has been installed at Auckland and Wellington and has proved to be of great assistance in the detection of crime and the apprehension of offenders. At present a one-way system only is in operation, the cars reporting back to the central station by telephone, but it is expected that a two-way system will be installed at an early date when difficulties due to the hilly nature of the surrounding districts have been overcome. Teletype machines have been installed which provide direct communication between the police-stations at Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Palmerston North, and it is proposed to extend this system to the other principal cities and towns as soon as the necessary equipment is available. The period of operation of the machines is now restricted to the evening and early morning, but it is hoped that it will soon be possible to arrange for a twenty-four-hour service. Arrangements have also been made at Wellington whereby notifications from the central station may be conveyed to all suburban stations by telephone at the one time, thus avoiding the delay in ringing up and repeating the message to each station separately. It is proposed to extend this system to the headquarters stations at the other centres in due course. Criminal Registration Branch.—At Headquarters on the 31st March, 1946, the finger impressions of 68,153 persons were on record; 2,921 were received, classified, indexed, and filed; 116 persons were identified as previous offenders who, had it not been for the finger-print system, would have passed as first offenders; 2,582 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to the Branch; the photographs of 3,654 persons (5,403 photographs) were received and dealt with; 480 photographs were reproduced in the Police Ga&eirte; 10 wanted persons were located and 2 unknown deceased persons identified by finger-prints. Finger-prints left by offenders committing 45 crimes were identified as belonging to 36 persons.

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