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II orks Expenditure for Year. —On account of piecework contracts and day labour of ail descriptions employed upon drainage operations, pontoon-building, engineering surveys, <fee, the sum of £5,135 2s. 6d. was paid out of local imprest. The sum of £572 Is. was paid out through Treasury on account of progress-payments due on special contracts, and £3,615 6s. 3d. was advanced to contractors on account of plant, machinery, and material on ground, the value of the security on the latter amount being estimated at £6,025 10s. sd. Proposed Principal Works for next Year. —(1) Completion Rangitaiki River diversion ; (2) continued improvements to Tarawera River; (3) dredging of Mangaroa-Te Rahu outfall; (4) general development of drainage-system. Office. —Many road, Proclamation, and engineering plans and tracings were made by the office staff. The amount passed through Rotorua imprest was £4,998 ss. Id., and some 334 vouchers were certified for payment. General.— -Since commencing operations the whole of Rangitaiki Plains has progressed wonderfully, and land-values have risen very considerably, in some cases from £3 to £15 per acre. Many improvements are being effected by settlers now that the drainage operations have placed them in a position to do so. The coming year will see all drainage-work in full swing, as all the plant will then be available, the dredging machinery being due to arrive about the end of June next, and every effort is being made to have the pontoons ready awaiting same. Naturally, the first yeai- of operations of such magnitude cannot show great results, as so much preparatory work and organization has to be faced, and, as before mentioned, the long distance from any workshop base is a serious inconvenience when repairs are required to machinery, not to mention the chance of vessels being bar-bound for days at a time and export or delivery of material being hindered. Mr. 0. X. Campbell was appointed Assistant Drainage Engineer in local charge of operations, and has been indefatigable in his efforts to pusli the operations ahead, and my thanks are due to both him and my staff for the way in which the wishes of the Department are being carried out. All books are kept at Thames office by the local staff. The accompanying plan shows works in hand or completed and those proposed. .(. I!. Thompson, Land Drainage Rnerineer. The L'uder-Secretary, Department of Lands and Survey. Approximate Coei 0/ Paper. Preparation, Dot given; printing (1,350 copies, inclndtng plan and Illustrations), SS6 L.i*-

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Authority : -lons Mackay, Government Printer. Wellington—l9ll

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