AN ACTIVE YEAR

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1075, 12 September 1930, Page 11

AN ACTIVE YEAR

DRAINAGE OF HAURAKI PLAINS DEPARTMENT’S REPORT Special to THE SUN WELLINGTON, Thursday. An active year of construction by the department and a period of exceptional production by the settlers on the reclaimed area, is announced in the annual report of the drainage operations in the Hauraki Plains, prepared by the Department of Lands and Survey, | It is. stated that increased dairyI production from the district has been I more than proportionate to the Dominion’s record production for the season. Though this satisfactory position is mainly due to the well-main-tained condition of the pastures, as a result of a, mild winter and welldistributed rainfall, there is no doubt That increased productive capacity has been created by farm development, increased seed acreage and drainage improvement. A fact of importance in the general development of the district was the opening of part of the Iverepeehi Block for selection. Eleven sections, comprising 820 acres, were disposed of during the year and an area of 1,371 acres, subdivided into 23 sections, is being offered for selection under conditions which promise good prospects for the successful applicants. During the summer destructive swamp fires again caused heavy loss of tlax and further economic waste in expenditure by the department and flax-millers in fire-fighting. The reduction of the fire menace is the first essential to the utilisation of riverbank lands, where flax is now growing naturally, and other lands which are i unsuitable for ordinary settlement. It ] could not be too strongly urged that ; consideration be given to the question ! of fire-prevention, particularly in the j direction of the formation of fire disi tricts, as suggested in previous annual reports. Following the example of previous j years, extra work had been undertaken for the relief of unemployment. This year an endeavour had been made to increase the volume of construction in order to provide more employment and as a result much useful work had been accomplished.