DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. DRAINAGE OPERATIONS IN HAURAKI PLAINS. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1939, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNTS.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1939 Session I, C-08

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1939. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. DRAINAGE OPERATIONS IN HAURAKI PLAINS. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1939, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNTS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 20 of the Hauraki Plains Act, 1926.

Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, Ist July, 1939. Sir, — I have the honour to present herewith the report of the Chief Drainage Engineer on operations carried out during the past year on the Hauraki Plains in accordance with the provisions of the Hauraki Plains Act, 1926. I have, &c., R. G. Macmorran, Under-Secretary for Lands. The Hon. Frank Langstone, Minister of Lands.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF DRAINAGE ENGINEER. Sir, — I have the honour to submit the thirty-first annual report on the land drainage and development works carried out on the Hauraki Plains during the year ended 31st March, 1939. The district has been adversely affected by the excessive rainfall in 1938, and farm production is generally below that of last year. Particulars of the quantity and value of the principal products of the district compiled from returns supplied by the courtesy of the trading concerns who handle a large portion of the produce of the district are given below. The returns received are by no means a complete record of the annual production from the district, but the information available will serve to give some indication of the high productive capacity created by the reclamation of waste swamp land. The figures in parentheses are the returns for the previous year : — Tons. Val ™- Butter 2,962 (3,373) 409,922 Cheese 3,079 (3,024) 244,024 Number. Pigs . .. .. • ■ • • 18,470 (23,372) 39,4-20 Calves .. .. 20,782 (15,509) 7,200 Cattle 14,096 ( 9,129)") Sheep 3,528 ( .. )Y 66,300 Horses .. . . .. • ■ • • 104 ( .. ) J £766,866 Cargo despatched and received over the Piako River wharves, 4,472 tons.

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The rainfall at Kerepeehi in 1938 was 58-43 in. The average annual rainfall over a period of twenty-two years is 43-85 in. The wettest montli was February, with a fall of 9-42 in., and the driest, October, with a fall of 0-84 in. Rainfall records for Kerepeehi are as follows :—

Records of Daily Precipitations, Kerepeehi, Hauraki Plains.

In May the stop-banks on the foreshore of the Hauraki Gulf and mouths of the Waihou and Piako Rivers were topped by an extraordinary high tide. An area of over 10,000 of Hauraki Plains land was flooded by sea-water, and also a considerable area at Miranda and on the banks of the Waihou River where there are no stop-banks. Extensive damage was caused to the stop-banks and drains under the control of the Hauraki United and Hauraki Plains West Drainage Boards. The settlers on the flooded areas suffered loss and inconvenience through having to remove their stock, but it is pleasing and surprising to be able to record that the land that had been flooded with salt or brackish water produced the best pastures in the district the following summer. The following is a general review of the works carried out during the year Dredges. Three bank-operating excavators and one floating dredge have been in commission during the year. The total quantity of material excavated by this plant was 206,412 cubic yards. No. 15 Bucyrus excavator completed the Reservoir Canal in June, and after essential repairs had been carried out resumed work widening and deepening the Piako River between 12 miles 40 chains and 13 miles 10 chains. The spoil was used to strengthen the stop-banks on the right bank of the river. At the end of March the river-improvement work on this reach had been completed with the exception of about 5 chains. On completion of this section the plant will be laid up for a much-needed overhaul. Using a | cubic yard Page bucket, and operating with a5O ft. boom, this machine handled 57,204 cubic yards in 184 working-days at a unit cost of 7-95 d. No. 16 Bucyrus excavator has been continuously employed widening the Waitakaruru-Maukoro Canal and constructing a road embankment on the right side of the canal. To avoid as far as possible double handling of spoil, two operations are necessary to enlarge the canal to the prescribed crosssection. Working down-stream from the 2 mile 23 chain peg, the canal was partially enlarged to 1 mile 73 chains and the spoil was placed to form a track for the machine. In the final operation it will complete the canal and place the spoil to form a road embankment. Between peg Oat the bridge on the Pokeno-Thames Highway to 1 mile 73 chains, the road was formed with spoil excavated from the canal. The total quantity of material excavated using a | cubic yard bucket on 50 ft. boom was 72-873 cubic yards in 235 working-days, and the cost was 6-31 d. per cubic yard. No. 29 Bay City drag-line excavator is a light machine which operates on caterpillar crawlers and is equipped with a pneumatic-tired trailer for long-distance transportation. The number of jobs on which this machine has been engaged during the year serves to illustrate the usefulness and adaptability of this type of machine for general construction work. During April it was employed raising the Waihou River and foreshore stop-banks in the Orongo Settlement ; from May to July it was employed on emergency work at Orongo, Turua, Shelly Beach, and Hopai, repairing breaks in the stop-banks caused by tidal overflow. Access to this work would have been impossible for a heavier

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Number of Days, with given Daily Precipitation in Inches. o> I "d* o> "H? a» I o» 0> I c? o> a o> I © m ., . m ... 2 SS22SlSSlSSSS f53£ M Wettest Month. Driest Month. O OOOOOOOOOQQO I O 010 0100,10 0 0 0 0 0 0 I O >0 t"- O (N »OII> O *0 O O O O jo O O rH rH tH ! rH OJ I <N CO lO CD . - 1917 131 11 4 4 3 1 1 1 156 45-61 Fob. 6-26 Jan. 0-65 1918 .. I 145 14 6 4 1 .. .. I 171 44-06 Oct. 7-47 May 2-24 1919 .. | 122 9 1 3 2 137 27-36 July 4-52 Dec. 0-89 1920 .. ! 85 7 10 3 1 1 3 2 112 43-16 Feb. 6-10 July 1-73 1921 .. 93 12 5 3 2 .. .. 1 .. 116 34-43 Oct. 5-89 Feb. 0-72 1922 .. 101 17 9 3 1 1 .. 1 133 42-81 Feb. 6-62 April 1-73 1923 ..151 6 5 4 1 1 1 169 47-04 April 9-76 March 1-72 1924 ..132 8 10 5 2 5 1 I 2 166 60-37 April 8-55 July 1-87 1925 .. 142 15 4 2 1 164 37-64 June 6-67 April 0-84 1926 .. 149 15 6 4 5 2 2 183 55-53 May 8-86 Feb. 1-79 1927 .. 159 10 6 5 .. 4 184 45-33 July 6-29 April 2-01 1928 ..125 7 9 2 3 2 2 1 151 47-30 May 7-52 Jan. 0-01 1929 .. 124 19 8 3 1 155 41-05 April 5-09 Feb. 0-74 1930 ..131 4 2 2 3 2 2 146 37-72 Jan. 6-87 Dee. 0-80 1931 .. 144 10 7 4 2 167 43-23 July 7-80 March 0-98 1932 ..126 7 5 4 .. I 143 32-05 Feb. 4-95 Nov. 0-93 1933 .. 152 13 1 4 3 .. .. 1 174 38-93 Feb. 6-54 March 1-20 1934 .. 138 11 6 5 2 2 .. 1 .. 1 166 43-23 June 6-15 Oct. 2-05 1935 .. 163 15 6 4 2 2 .. 1 .. 1 194 53-42 July 9-56 Jan. 0-93 1936 .. 127 11 6 3 1 2 150 40-62 Feb. 5-83 May 1-63 1937 .. 76 21 8 5 1 1 1 1 114 45-51 May 5-89 Feb. 0-51 1938 .. 54 19 13 6 4 2 1 2 101 58-43 Feb. 9-42 Oct. 0-84 1939* .. 9 2 .. .. 1 12 6-07 Jan. 3-98 March 0-46 I * First three months of year only. Average rainfall over twenty-two years is 43-85 in.

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type of machine, and if carried out by manual labour the work would have been costly and difficult owing to the encroachment of the tide. From August to October the machine was used to raise the stop-banks on the Piako River downstream from Horahia, and from November to the end of March it has been filling clay into motor-trucks from a pit for the formation of Orchard West Road. The machine operates a f cubic yard bucket on 30 ft. boom, and handled 51,301 cubic yards of material during the year at a unit cost of 4d. in 192 working-days. No. 2. Priestman dredge was reconditioned last year to open up the Waitakaruru-Maukoro Canal above the temporary dam at 3 miles 55 chains. A floating plant was necessary to place sufficient spoil on the canal banks to carry a bank-operating machine. This dredge, which has been in intermittent use for over thirty years, is now beyond efficient service and is to be scrapped. The dredge excavated 25,034 cubic yards from 130 chains of canal, and the cost was 11-2 d. per cubic yard. The following table shows the total quantities excavated each year by the dredges during the past seventeen year, with the average unit cost for each year : — Year. Cubic Yards. Cost per Cubic Yard. d. 1922-23 .. .. .. 440,092 8-20 1923-24 .. ..508,654 7-27 1924-25 .. .822,286 5-86 1925-26 .. .. .. .. 856,653 6-32 1926-27 .. ..647,182 7-42 1927-28 .. .. .. .. 652,413 7-32 1928-29 .. .. .. 619,911 6-54 1929-30 .. .. . 595,565 6-25 1930-31 .. 536,692 8-32 1931-32 .. .. .. 390,611 7-99 1932-33 .. ..200,954 8-00 1933-34 .. .. .. .. 116,224 5-96 1934-35 .. .. .. .. 52,517 10-02 1935-36 .. .. .. .. 164,046 8.26 1936-37 .. .. .. 171,717 8-69 1937-38 .. .. .. 261,347 5-72 1938-39 .. .. .. .. 206,412 7-36 Waitakaruru-Tobehape Districts. Activities in these districts have been connected principally with land-development operations in the Pouarua Block which are being carried out under the small-farms scheme. About eighty men have been employed throughout the year, and cleaned 22 miles 67 chains of drains, excavated 51,000 cubic yards in widening and deepening 32 miles 47 chains of existing drains and. 114,238 cubic yards in the construction of 60 miles 71 chains of new drains ; 16,518 cubic yards of clay were hauled a distance of three to six miles on light railway for ballasting peat roads ; 265 acres was cleared and 584 acres sown in grass after burning felled scrub ; 8,000 ft. of piping was laid for water-supply, and 6 miles 48 chains of fencing erected. Forty chains of the Maukoro Canal Left Embankment Road was re-formed and metalled. For the formation of 80 chains of Orchard West Road, 17,320 cubic yards of clay ballast was hauled in motor-trucks an average lead of about 40 chains. The effect of the improvement of the main drains carried out during recent years and the extensive system of subsidiary and field drains now under construction is apparent in the gradual consolidation of the peat in an area of 10,000 acres. Road-construction is providing access to the land, and as it becomes fit for grazing it is being cleared, fenced, and sown in grass. When this stage is reached the process of soil-formation by decomposition of peat can be hastened by systematic stocking. Kerepbehi-Awaiti Districts. A party of three to twelve men has been employed on the Kerepeelii Extension Block, of 2,300 acres, clearing scrub and controlling noxious weeds on 690 acres. An area of 690 acres has been cleared of scrub and sown in grass, and 2|- miles of roadway cleared of blackberry. On an area of 1,100 acres of this block which has been brought under the small-farms-development scheme, 632 chains of fencing has been erected and a water-supply scheme installed, and stock can now be confined to limited areas, which will greatly assist in the development of this peat-swamp area. For the improvement of 7 miles 77 chains of main drains in this district 12,699 cubic yards was excavated by manual labour and 20 miles 8 chains of main and subsidiary drains cleaned ; 10 miles 27 chains of main drains were cleaned with weed-cutting launch ; 166 cubic yards of metal was used for road-maintenance. At Orongo Settlement extensive repairs have been carried out to 90 chains of stop-bank damaged by tidal overflow and also to two flood-gates ; 37,648 cubic yards of material was excavated by machine for repairs to stop-banks and enlarging 69 chains of main drains ; drains 2 miles 60 chains in length were cleaned by contractors, who also excavated 1,535 cubic yards in the improvement of 75 chains of drains.

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During the months of April, July, and August the Kerepeehi Block drainage pump operated intermittently for a total period of 267 hours. The longest period of continuous operation was 62 hours. The pumping-station has provision for two pumps, but only one pump of 31,500 gallons per minute capacity has been installed. As the result of floods in the Piako River, flood-gate action at Kerepeehi was restricted for a period of twenty-two days, but fortunately there were only two days when there were no flood-gate discharges and the pump was able to cope with the drainage. The Piako River ferry service has been in continuous operation at Kaihere. Patetonga-Tahuna District. A working-party of five to seven men has been continuously employed on drain construction and maintenance in the Patetonga district: 30 miles 25 chains of main drains were cleaned and 21,069 cubic yards of material excavated for the improvement of 10 miles 60 chains of drains. During the summer months two gangs have been employed removing the willows on the banks of the Piako and Waitoa Rivers which had previously been killed by ring-barking and poisoning. Both banks of the Waitoa River have now been cleared for a distance of 3 miles 40 chains downstream from Whakahoro Road, and a reach of the Piako River 6 miles 70 chains in length between Whakahoro Road and a point 1 mile below Barnett's Bridge has now been cleared of willows and snags. During the summer an accidental fire caused the destruction of 2,000 acres of flax which was the principal source of supply for a large flax-mill which has been operating intermittently for a number of years at Patetonga. Establishment. In the office, workshops, and store at Kerepeehi a very competent staff has been busily engaged on work connected with the drainage operations and also several land-development schemes in progress outside the Hauraki Plains district. Engineering surveys carried out during the year required 114 miles 43 chains of traverses and 75 miles 48 chains of levels. Summary. The total length of subsidiary drains constructed on the Hauraki Plains since the inception of the scheme is now 855 miles 59 chains. The principal works carried out during the year, under review on the Hauraki Plains are summarized in the following schedule : — Length. Excavation. M. Ch. Cubic Yd. Drains cleaned by manual labour .. .. . . . . 76 00 Drains widened and deepened by manual labour .. 52 19 86,303 Drains constructed by manual labour .. .. 60 71 11.4,238 200,541 Drains cleaned by weed-cutting launch .. . . 10 27 Drains improved by machines .. .. .. .. 069 7,748 River and canal and stop-bank improvement by machines .. 4 0 130,323 Clay ballast delivered on peat roads by light railway .. .. 16,518 Clay ballast delivered on peat roads by motor-lorries .. .. 10 17,320 Number. Sleepers out and delivered for tramway .. .... . . 6,860 Road-formation .. .. .. .. 2 33 Road-metalling— Cubic Yd. Resurfacing .. .. .. .. .. 1 10 166 Two courses .. .. .. .. 0 40 1,080 Acres. Area cleared of scrub, rushes, &c. .. .. .. .. 955 Area sown in grass .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,274 River-banks cleared of willows and scrub . . .. 4 58 I have, &c., R. L. Innis, The Under-Secretary for Lands, Wellington. Chief Drainage Engineer.

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HAURAKI PLAINS SETTLEMENT SCHEME. Rate Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1939. Dr. £ s. d. Cr. £ s. d. Maintenance, completed works .. 1,91312 0 Balance brought forward .. .. .. 1,902 8 6 Remission of rates .. .. 123 16 10 Rates levied .. .. .. .. 1,780 11 3 Balance .. .. .. .. 1,738 010 Ten-per-cent. penalty added to unpaid rates for 1937-38 and 1938-39 .. .. .. 92 9 11 £3,775 9 8 £3,775 9 8 Receipts and Payments Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1939. „ . Public Works Consolidated _ Public Works Consolidated Receipts. Fund. Fund. Payments. Fund. Fund. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Rates .. .. .. .. 2,432 4 11 Drainage works: Stop-banks, clear - Law-costs .. .. .. . . 4 9 9 ing channels, and other expendiSale of land .. .. .. 18,357 6 6 ture incidental to conducting Rents and grazing fees .. .. .. 7,409 3 1 drainage operations (including Interest on sales of land.. .. .. 1,330 0 9 formation and metalling of roads) , Artesian-well boring: Interest on materials supplied, &c. .\. 12,632 19 5 advances .. .. .. .. 312 6 Material and stores .. .. 11,634 19 9 Ferry fares .. .. .. .. 191 3 9 Maintenance, completed works .. .. 1,711 1 8 Credits in reduction of expenditure 18,294 15 0 .. Refund rent and interest .. .. 200 13 5 Adjustment (amount received in Refund miscellaneous receipts .. .. 30 14 8 error) .. .. .. 0 4 6 Refund rates .. .. .. .. 4 5 0 Miscellaneous receipts .. .. .. 1,798 9 11 Kaihere Ferry expenses .. .. .. 313 14 4 Royalties .. .. . . .. 465 2 3 Adjustment (expenditure charged Transfer expenditure to Treasury in error) .. .. . . 192 7 3 Adjustment Account .. . . .. 2,024 16 0 Transfer receipts to Treasury AdTransfer expenditure to Public justment Account .. .. .. 13,398 13 10 Works Fund .. .. 24,460 I 11 .. Transfer receipts to Public Works Fund .. .. .. 36,652 16 £01,112 7 11 £15,659 2 11 £61,112 7 11 £15,659 2 II Revenue Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1939. Dr. £ s. d. Gr. £ s. d. Interest on capital .. .. .. .. 34,516 7 2 Accrued rents .. .. 7,353 4 2 Kaihere Ferry expenses .. .. .. 311 610 Interest on sales of land, &c. .. .. .. 1,731 10 11 Administration expenses .. .. .. 438 19 0 Grazing fees .. .. . . .. 7 7 9 Remissions of rent .. .. .. .. 750 12 9 Ferry fares .. .. .. .. .. 186 4 9 Remissions of interest .. .. .. 101 9 4 Hire of plant .. .. .. 2 14 0 Rebates .. .. .. .. .. 619 14 6 Royalties .. . . .. .. 467 11 7 Capital reductions under Mortgagors and Lessees Net loss carried down. . .. .. .. 27,312 19 3 Rehabilitation Act, 1936 .. .. .. 286 16 11 Irrecoverable rents, &c. .. .. .. 21 15 11 Premiums on conversion .. .. .. 14 10 0 £37,061 12 5 £37,061 12 5 £ s. d. £ a. d. Net loss brought down .. .. .. 27,312 19 3 Balance carried forward .. .. 336,605 11 0 Balance from previous year .. .. .. 309,292 11 9 £336,605 11 0 £336,605 11 0

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HAURAKI PLAIN'S SETTLEMENT SCHEME—continued. Balance-sheet as at 31st Makch, 1939. Liabilities. Assets. Capital Account— £ a. d. £ s. d. Improved lands handed over to £ s. d. £ a. d. Public Works Fund .. .. 856,664 14 11 Land Board for settlement— Value of Crown land set apart Leased .. .. .. 138,046 13 o under Act.. .. .. 45,000 0 0 Unleaaed .. .. .. 9,266 12 0 Transfer from Discharged Soldiers Unpaid purchase-money for land Settlement Account .. 264 15 0 sold on deferred payment .. 30,513 10 2 901,929 9 11 177,826 15 5 Employment Promotion Fund : Capital .. 10,083 18 I Unimproved value, land not disposed of.. .. 35,889 11 5 Consolidated Fund : Capital .. .. .. 6,112 4 9 Improvements on adjoining Crown lands .. 7,7J0 0 0 Reserve for loss on Discharged Soldiers Settlement Permanent reserves .. .. .. . . 8,851 0 0 assets .. .. .. .. .. 140 0 0 Works in progress : Expenditure on land in course Sundry creditors — £ s. d. of reclamation, including formation and metalling Miscellaneous .. .. 155 8 11 of roads .. .. .. .. .. 633,732 8 4 Departmental .. .. 1,856 19 6 Capital expenditure— 2,012 8 5 Employment Promotion Fund .. .. 10,083 18 1 Rent charged in advance .. .. .. 1,735 0 0 Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. 6,112 4 9 Rate Account .. .. .. .. 1,738 010 Artesian wells— £ s. d. Payments in advance — Crown tenants, Hauraki Plains.. 170 8 8 Grazing fees .. .. 0 15 0 Permanent reserves and Crown Rent .. .. .. 234 3 4 lands .. .. .. 216 10 9 Rates .. .. .. 0 0 9 386 19 5 Instalments of principal on de- Buildings .. .. .. .. .. 3,727 14 7 ferred-payment sales .. 101 18 4 Wharves .. .. . . . . .. 150 0 0 Instalments of interest on Machinery and plant .. .. .. .. 16,12115 2 deferred-payment sales .. 65 3 4 Live-stock .. .. .." .. .. 18 11 0 402 0 9 Stores .. .. .. .. .. 6,573 19 11 Suspense Account .. .. . . .. 16 1 Stamps on hand .. . . . . .. 0 10 Writings-off in Suspense .. .. .. 116 0 7 Sundry debtors— £ s. d. Treasury Adjustment Account .. .. 333,969 15 6 Rent .. .. .. 1,992 15 2 Rates .. . . .. 3,052 18 4 Instalments of principal on de-ferred-payment sales .. 115 6 5 Instalments of principal on buildings .. .. .. 2 3 1 Interest on well-boring .. 92 4 5 Interest, deferred-payment sales 323 3 6 Law-costs .. .. .. 134 14 3 Tram freights and ferry fares .. 8 10 0 Grazing .. .. .. 28 15 2 Miscellaneous .. .. 5,374 9 4 Departmental .. .. 2,570 4 3 13,695 3 11 Postponed rent (Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act, 1936) .. .. .. . . 185 10 4 Losses in Suspense .. .. .. . . 116 0 7 Interest accrued but not due .. .. .. 395 0 0 Premiums on conversion .. .. .. 58 0 0 Revenue Account: Balance forward .. . . 336,605 11 0 £1,258,240 4 11 £1,258,240 4 11 R. G. Macmorban, Under-Secretary for Lands. G. I. Beeson, Chief Accountant. I hereby certify that the Rate Account, the Revenue Account, and the Balance-sheet have been duly examined and compared with the relative books and documents submitted for audit and correctly state the position as disclosed thereby, subject to the explanatory notes dealing with departmental accounts generally as appearing at commencement of parliamentary return 8.-l [Pt. IV]. The following comment is appended : The balance of the Works in Progress Account —viz., £633,732 Bs. 4d.—appearing in the Balance-sheet greatly exceeds the value of lands the control of which has not yet been transferred to the Land Board.—J. H. Fowler, Controller and Auditor-General.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (700 copies), £8.

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