DRAINAGE OF PLAINS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5018, 25 August 1926, Page 1

DRAINAGE OF PLAINS.

ANNUAL REPORT TO PARMAMENT.

DEPARTMENT’S OPERATIONS.

Fuller details, than those telegraphed of the operations of the Lands Drainage Department in aurawi ,Plains during the year ending March 31, 1926, are now available, a copy o the Chief Drainage Engineer’s eighteenth annual report to Parliamenthaving come to hand recently. The report states that normal weather conditions prevailed, and the rainfall recorded a,t Kerepeehi during the year was 40.29 inches, ram falling on 117 days. • The average rainfall at Kerepeehi during the past ten years was 40.92 inches, and the totals for the previous, two. years wera 52.42 inches and 52.56 inches, respectively. A prolonged storm in Jun<e and July produ'ced severe floods in the Piako and Waitoa rivers, but as there; was no overflow from the Waihou River on this occasion no serious, flooding occurred on the reclaimed areas. “It is pleasing,” says the report, to be able to report l a prosperous year for the settlers. Complete returns, of the primary . produce from the Plains would be very' difficult to obtain, but production figures- available represent a value of over £536,000. The actual, production was considerably higher, but the 'returns available, though incomplete, afford a striking example of the business value of the successfu. reclamation and settlement pfi waste la,nds. A comparison of the returns for the year, with those of last year given in parenthesis, testiflesi to an increasing productive efficiency. The year’s output of butter is 2042 tons (184'8), and cheese 1081 (1049) tons. Live stock to the value of £32,730 was sold at Turua, Waitakaruru, and Patetonga saleyards. River steamers carried 5309 tons of cargo to the Piako River and 3200 tons from the Piako River, and a large amount of cargo wan carried by scows.

“This year more attention has, been given than before to flax cultivation, and the efforts that are being made to establish flax and improve its growth on peat lands by drainage and better methods of cultivation and cutting are factors which may be expected to have far-reaching effects. The six flaxmills, now operating in the district produced 978 tons of hemp apd 148 tons of tow. DREDGING OPERATIONS. “The policy adopted during recent years of making greater use o£ machinery has been follo.wed where possible, and as a result better progress has been maintained. The construction equipment now includes ten dredges engaged in canal and drain .construction and flood-control work. Noteworthy advances have been ma,de with the improvement works on the piako River, and the effect of these works, is evident by the depressed lowwater levels.

“Dredging operations in the Awaiti district have been pushed ahead with generally satisfactory results, but one condition which has in a measure retarded progress and caused a slight increase in the cost of the work is tne

failure of the canal-banks, to stand and permit the entire section of canal to be taken out at one operation. In seme cases attempts to excayate. the canal to full section in three stages have been unsuccessful, and it has, been necessary to resort to hand-dug drains for the, purpose of consolidating the land ahead of the dredges. “The dredges excavated 856,653 cubic yards of ma.terial during the year, at a cost cf 6.32 d per cubic* yard, the average daily output being approximately 2,900 cubic yards.

ROADING WORKS. “The. new road-construction carried out included the formation of the Awaiti Stream Road (37 chains), Awaiti Canal eastern embankment road (96 chains), Kerepeehi Block roads (50 chains), Puhanga Canal western emb? ikment road (150 chains), 11 chains of Kerepeehi township road, and 158 chains of road on southern side of the Reservoir Canal. 3,322 cubic yards of clay were carted for. filling bridge approaches, and 405 chains of earth road were re-formed; and a tempo; ary ro„d was, formed on western bank of the Piako River from Puhanga to Ka.ihe.ee, a distance of 125 ch ins. “For the formation tnrough deep peat cf the Torehape road, 459 fascines and 4,509 cubic yards' of clay' were carted by tramway, 4,242 cubic yards of metal and'3,B72 cubic yards, of clay were carted and spread on the Kaihere Landing Road, and 620 cubic yards of metal delivered and spread on the Kerepeehi-Kaihere roa.d. Working parties have also l been engaged cutting and hauling 543 kahikatea piles for strengthening canalbanks, splitting 3,675 sleepers, cutting and ringbarking willows on the riverbanks. . WAIT AKARURU-PIPIROA? ‘‘A feature o£ the year’s work in this district has been the large amount of drain improvement carried out: 63,992 cubic yards of spoil have been excavated for the improvement of 2763 chains, and 17,581 cubic yards have been excavated for the construction of. 397 chains of new drain; 5491 chains of drains have been cleaned, and 196 cha.ins of stop-banks repaired. Road formation carried out with the department’s tractors-, graders, and scoops comprised: Maukoro Canal western embankment road (70 chaihs), and Hopai West Road (34 chains) ; 5059 cubic yards of clay and 3620 fascines hSJvQ been carted for the formation of a section of 84 chains of Hopai West and Central roads through peat lands,; 954 cubic yards of metal have been delivered with the department’s launches and punts from Thames, and dumped on the canalbatik for the metalling of the Maukoro Canal western embankment road. Minor undertakings include the construction of two small road bridges, cartage of coal for dredge, and construction of temporary dam in the canal behind the dredge. AW AITI-PATETONGA-T AHUNA. “Good progress is, being made with the Elstow-Awaiti drainage scheme, commenced last year. This undertaking provides main drainage canals, for an area of 33,000 acres. Up to th® present about three miles of canal is, completed, and the first cut of a further six mil s of canal excavated. About 10 miles of machine-excavated drains have also been completed. General maintenance'of drains and roads involved the cleaning of 4810 chains of drains asd grading of 580 chains of earth roa.d ; 23,732 cubic yards of spoil were excavated for the improvement of 1526 chains of existing drains, and 5015 cubic yards of clay we,re carted by tramway for .reclaying the Patetonga Tramway road. Freight charges for the conveyance of goods on the tramway amounted to £604 14s 9d. TOTAL. DRAINAGE. “The total length of new drainage ditches constructed during the year was 19 mileq 29 chains, and the total ccnstructed on the Haura,ki Plains to date is 588 m’les 42 crains. “During ihe year 146 miles 29 cha’is of (Lains were cleaned, 64 miles 36 chains of drains were widened and deepened, involving- the handling of 99,005 cubic yards of spoil; new drains totalling 12 miles, 77 chains were constructed by .manual labour and 6 miles 32 chains by machinery. Improvements to 4 miles 8 chains of stop-bank involved the. handling of 4540 cubic yards, of spoil. BUILDINGS, ETC. “A benzine store has been built at Kerepeehi, and additions were made to the. office and to two cottages.. Structures for housing five automatic stage-recorders have been erected at various points on the Piako and Waitoa rivers. Five bridges were constructed and minor repairs' carried out to buildings and wharves.. The total number of buildings connected with ths works- are : Houses, 21, huts 41, sheds 25, houseboats 5, staff quarters 3, offices 2, workshops 2. Rents •received amounted to £485 Bsi 2d. SURVEYS.

“During the year just gone a large amount of useful’ survey work has been accomplished. In the execution of engineering and hydrographic surveys 90 miles of levelling and ll¥z miles of traversing have been carried cut. Frequent cross-sections, have been i akti over a length Of six miles of river, which is at present being improved by dredging. Additional topographical apd soil-survey data have been obtained. Owing to the progress made by the Public Works Department with the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers improvement scheme no overflow of the Waihou into' the Piako River occurred this, year, aiiid observations- were possible of the river action and the operation of the flood basin under conditions approaching those that will obtain when the scheme for the control of flood-waters is, completed.”