CONCRETE DRAINING WORKS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4364, 11 January 1922, Page 3

CONCRETE DRAINING WORKS.

THE DEPARTMENT’S ACTIVITIES. The more one sees of the works effected by the Lands Department an.l the works in operation the more one admires the efforts of the Govern-, ment to make the swamp lands ten able and productive. Draining and reading are the principal duties of the Department on the Hauraki Plains. A great' deal has been said of the draining operations, but one branch of the draining, works is seldom mentioned to the public, ir oven given a passing thought. This particular work, which is the construction of concrete bridges, aqueducts, culverts, and flood-gates, is ah most as important as the primary draining operations, and a great deal of it is being done on the Haur,aki Plains under the direct supervision of Mr J. Murdoch. MANGAWHERO AQUEDUCT. At Mahgawhero a stream from the hills kept on continually eating away the road. To prevent this erosion an aqueduct is being constructed. When finished it will be about 20 chains long. It is being made with a sixinch bottom and four-inch walls. There is a drop off four feet about every four chains, and at every 10 feet there is a semi-arch stay- 4in by 4in. The whole is being made of reinforced concretes and is in charge of Mr Neilsen, working foreman. BRIDGES AND CULVERTS. The Department may well be proud of%he nicely-finished reinforced coni crete bridges, of which there are numbers, over the numerous streams in different parts of the Hauraki' Plains. One that perhaps calls for special mention is one at Patetonga, over the Waikaka stream. It is an arch biidge, and one of the most upto date on the Plains. There is also another well-made bridge in the vicinity bridging the same stream. Numerous flood-gates and culverts have also been Constructed, and on the few miles of road between Ngai rua and Kaihere there are four One of these is a large, four-feet floodgate, designed by Mr E. Taylor, and it is working very satisfactorily. Work on a system of flood-gates on the Awaiti block commenced to-day. The above are only a few instances of the Department’s activities in the concrete line, but there are numerous others', for instance, the making o f monia pipes at Hopai.