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with, and banks repaired and renewed where required for a considerable distance down the Tarawera River. Total expenditure, £497 12s. Bd. Pukahu Road-formation. —This work provides an outlet from the Waihou River to the Awaiti Road, and about 50 chains of formation was completed during the year. Total expenditure, £215 13s. Opouriao Protective Works. —The system of groynes at Section 9 was completed and willows planted where necessary. This portion of the Whakatane River is now in good order, and will require little attention for some time to come. Farther down the river (at Webster's) three timberboom groynes have been constructed, and a long stretch of the river-bank protected by willows. This has been a very bad spot to deal with, but it is anticipated that the measures adopted will have the desired effect, and there should be little trouble in the future. Various other portions of the river have received attention, and practically the whole of the block is now in good order. Total expenditure, £512 15s. 4d. Waimana Protective. Works. —ln June, 1918, a commencement was made at Woodfield's cut to erect a groyne across the old river-channel below the mouth of the cut with the object of diverting the whole of the river into the new channel. This was accomplished by erecting a wire-fence groyne 700 ft. long across the channel at an acute angle to the waterflow, and behind this planting willows. The destruction of willows by wandering stock has still to be contended with, but this has been mitigated by allowing settlers to fence in waste land between their sections and the river-channel. A timber-boom groyne and a long wire-fence groyne have been erected at Addison's, but this work was greatly hindered by the influenza epidemic. This is a bad place on the river, and a great amount of work requires to be done to make it safe. The whole length of the river has been inspected and necessan' repairs attended to. There is a bad place on the river at the southern end of the settlement where encroachment is taking place, and this will be attended to at once. Total expenditure, £422 18s. 2d. Rangitaiki District Railway Road. —The road has been formed from the western drain as far as Awakeri, a distance of two miles. The road has been pumiced in all the soft places, and the formation is in splendid order. Arrangements are in hand to complete the necessary fencing. Drains have been cut on the wet portions of the road between the Rangitaiki River and the Awaiti Road, all spoil being thrown into the centre of the road-line, and the formation will be taken in hand at once. After this portion is finished a start will be made with the section from the Tarawera River towards Matata. This will be expensive, as, owing to the wet nature of the country, material will have to be carted long distances. Total expenditure, £2,315 ss. lid. Settlement Surveys, Hauraki Plains. —Owing to the difficulty in getting surveyors this work has been in abeyance for some considerable time, but a start was made in January last, and by the end of the year the field-work of approximately 4,000 acres had been completed, and will soon be available for selection. Total expenditure, £51 Bs. The following particulars show the principal works carried out in the various localities during the year :— Cleaning drains ... ... ... ... ... 207 miles 50 chains. Widening and deepening drains ... ... ... 72 „ 55 „ Constructing new drains ... ... ... ... 47 „ 30 „ Reforming roads ... ... ... ... ... 10 „ 79 „ New roads ... ... ... ... ... 7 „ 29 Disking roads ... ... ... ... ... 6 „ 20 Gravelling roads ... ... ... ... ... 1 „ 20 Shelling roads ... ... ... ... ... 0 „ 40 „ Metalling roads ... ... ... ... ... 3 „ 20 Fencing roads ... .. ... ... ... 3 „ 20 Repairing stop-banks ... ... ... ... 1 „ 48 „ Levels taken ... ... ... ... ... 40 „ 0 Spoil dredged ... ... ... ... 375,635 cubic yards. Excavation by wheel scoops .. ... 158,460 „ Artesian wells sunk ... ... ... ... 4 (number). Flood-gates built ... ... ... ... ... 6 „ Concrete culverts built ... ... ... ... 21 „ Sleepers laid ... ... ... ... ...3,650 „ Gravel for roads ... ... ... ... ...6,486 cubic yards. Facines ... ... ... ... ... ... 150 bundles. Office. The total expenditure certified for payment during the year was £108,402 13s. lid., an increase of £40,469 17s. 2d. over the expenditure for the preceding twelve months. Direct Treasury payments amounted to £29,949 ss. 9d., and payments through the Post Office to £831 12s. The amount of £75,226 Is. Bd., representing wages, piecework contracts, war bonus, &c, was paid out-of the Kaitaia, Thames, and Whakatane imprests. Some 206 piecework contracts were let during the year. A total of 2,293 vouchers were prepared and passed through the books, showing an increase of 758 over last year's figures. Some of these vouchers cover up to thirty pages each. Inward correspondence, 4,220; outward, 4,990. The amount of £743 19s. was received by the branch during the year on account of miscellaneous transactions. A considerable number of engineering, road, and other plans were made, and tracings and blue-prints prepared, by the draughting staff. Mr. Harvey, Chief Clerk and Accountant, and Mr. Slane, Senior Draughtsman, have very ably conducted the work of their respective branches.

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