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Board towards the cost of a boat haven('). Similar powers are vested in County Councils( 2 ). Road Boards are authorized, subject to the consent of the Governor-General, to carry out harbour-works in areas where there is no Harbour Board, and may for that purpose be constituted a Harbour Board( ). Most of the powers exercised under the Municipal Corporations Act, the Counties Act, and the Road Boards Act, however, are concerned with small local works, such as the construction of jetties and facilities for small coastal or pleasure craft. In actual fact the relative importance of these works is small. The important harbour-controlling authorities are the Harbour Boards, of which there are 47 in existence at the present time. For 21 of these Harbour Boards the territorial local authority is constituted the Harbour Board. Seventeen County Councils operate as Harbour Boards, 2 Road Boards, and 2 Borough Councils. In all of these cases the harbours are relatively small, and serve merely the area of the local authority in control. In the remaining 26 harbour districts the Board is a separately constituted body. Several of the smaller Harbour Boards have been dissolved in recent years, and their functions taken over by the territorial local authorities as such. For instance, Waitomo County Council is responsible as a County Council for the Mokau Harbour ; Opunake Borough Council for the collection of rates for the expenses of the now non-existent Opunake Harbour ; Clutha River Board for Port Molyneux ; Thames Borough for the Thames Harbour ; Waitara Borough for the Waitara Harbour ; Chatham Islands wharf is administered by the Chatham Islands County Council. Three harbours—Westport, Picton, and Kaipara—are administered directly by the Government. Some of the harbours noted above as being of recent years placed under the direct control of the local authority are now practically non-operative as harbours. Some of the smaller harbours under Harbour Boards are to-day practically unused, and the question arises as to whether there is any justification for their continuance except to pay for existing liabilities. In at least one case, no ship has been in the harbour since 1937, and the Harbour Board continues to administer and draw revenue from rents and certain properties which it owns, though it does not operate as a Harbour Board. L. LAND DRAINAGE AND PROTECTION New Zealand is primarily an agricultural country. In the early days of New Zealand those lands were used for agriculture which were nearest to centres of settlement, and which could be used without much breaking in, other than the clearing of the native vegetation. As the population of the country developed, and as the pressure on land became more acute, it became necessary to take in lands which were not so immediately suitable for agricultural purposes. A good deal of land which was otherwise suitable was either subject to floods or so water-logged as to prevent its being used effectively. Historically the first problem was flooding, and in 1868 provision was made for river-protection works in Hawke's Bay. Counties and boroughs were from time to time( 4 ) given power to carry out drainageworks, but the progress made was not sufficient to make a real contribution to the solution of the admittedly serious problem, and hence, in 1893, the Land Drainage Act was passed. More recently still it has been recognized that both land drainage and river protection were part of a much wider problem of soil conservation and river control, and in 1941 an Act, under this title, was passed to give an overall control. So many New Zealand rivers are subject to heavy flooding that from time to time it has been necessary to make provision for control. By the Public Works Act, 1928, the primary responsibility for the control of all drains—and the term " drain " has been decided to include a non-navigable riveris vested in the County Council of the area in which the drain is to pass. More specific provision for the control of rivers is included in the River Boards Act, 1908, which makes provision for the setting-up of a River Board to control the whole or such portion of the river, stream, or watercourse within the district defined in the document setting up the River Board. The general power of a River Board is defined as the construction of any works necessary to " prevent or lessen any damage which may be occasioned by the overflow or breaking of the banks of the" river(''). River Boards are also given power, in consultation with the County Council, which has the primary responsibility for any drains, to take over the drainage works for which the County Council may be responsible. The responsibility for drainage, as stated above, is placed primarily on the County Council(°). Similar powers are vested in Municipal Corporations^). Quite a number of County Councils do, in fact, maintain drainage-works. Since drainage problems, however, are likely to affect only relatively small integrated areas within a county, provision is made by the Land Drainage Act, 1908, for the setting-up of specific boards for that purpose. These Boards have very wide powers and are responsible generally for the effective drainage of their areas. Both Drainage and River Boards have made a very distinct contribution to the development of New Zealand. As stated in a previous Section, some of these Drainage Boards are of almost microscopic character, and there is a question as to whether County Councils should not be compelled to assume the responsibility for which they have authority in the Counties Act. Because Drainage and River Boards in general are confined to relatively small areas, and are unable to deal with the wider problem of catchment control, the Soil Conservation and River Control Act was passed in 1941, which made provision for setting up a further series of Boards concerned with this problem. It is too early as yet to examine in detail the operations of the Catchment Boards which have been set up, or proposed to be set up, under this Act, but, generally, their responsibilities arc to provide an over-all service in the catchment area, so as to guarantee that everything necessary is done to prevent further deterioration in the area under their control. Catchment Boards are vested with powers to supervise and control the work of interior Drainage and River Boards, and may, under certain circumstances, undertake the actual work of drainage and river protection.

(') Municipal Corf orations Act, 1933, sections 336 and 337. ( 2 ) Counties Act, 1920, section 189. ( 3 ) Road Boards Act, 1908, section 141. C) A Drainage Act, 1881, gave certain drainage rights to private individuals, but did not set up Drainage Boards. ( G ) " River," in terms of a River Board, includes navigable river. ( 6 ) Public Works Act, 1928, sections 260-261 ; see also Counties Act, 1920, sections 167-182, ( 7 ) Municipal Corporations Act, 1933, sections 219-242,

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