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area the supply is poor, being from small streams and springs, which dry out in the summer Before settlement takes place, development work, consisting of pasture establishment, draining, clearing, and water-supply, is necessary. There are no buildings on the property. At the present time sheep and cattle are being run 011 this block, OTcahulcura (Locality : Wellsford). —This area of 9,041 acres was purchased in March, 1945, and is situated on the Kaipara Harbour, twenty-four miles south-west of Wellsford. Approximately 2,400 acres consists of fairly steep hills of poor quality ■covered in scrub, fern, and scattered gorse. The balance of the area is flat to undulating with some 1,500 acres of sandy ridges, tidal flats, and islands, 625 acres in fair to run-out pasture, and 4,516 acres covered in gorse, manuka, and lupins with open patches of runout pasture. Owing to the very thick growth of gorse and manuka, large-scale development cannot be undertaken until ample supplies of fertilizer and fencing-materials are available. The block is not naturally well watered. Indications are that good supplies •can be obtained from bores, but the water-supply scheme will present a major problem. During the year repairs and renovations have been effected to the old homestead and farm buildings. Shearers' quarters and huts for workmen have been erected. Fifty acres were cultivated and sown in swedes, and an area of 400 acres has been cleared ■of gorse and manuka and cultivated for future crop areas. An eight-wire pig-proof fence is being erected to enclose approximately 2,000 acres which will be cleared and grassed and then used as the main grazing area while the balance of the workable land is being developed. At the present time sheep and cattle are being run, but until better grass areas are obtained good returns cannot be expected. Ultimately some forty dairy farms should be established. Orini (Part Edgecumbe Block). —Work on this block during the year has been confined entirely to the essential maintenance and the care of live-stock. Only one man has been continuously employed, but other men have been employed from time to time as required. Parts of this block are very low lying and are drained by open drains feeding into the Reids Central Canal. At high spring tides and at flood times Water flows up these drains and inundates the land. At some time in the near future it will be necessary to consider placing flood-gates on these outlets and improving the stopbanks to prevent this inflow. At a later date the provision of some sort of flood-pumping scheme will have to be considered. This matter is, however, closely linked with tentative schemes under consideration for the provision of a flood-control channel to deal with overflow water from the Rangitaiki River in flood times, and consideration of it will have to be deferred until a decision on these schemes has been reached. The work done on the block during the year has comprised care of live-stock ; mustering, drafting, droving, &c. ; repairs to fences, gates, and bridges ; cutting and burning of blackberry and ragwort; grubbing of rushes ; cleaning of 406 chains of drains and deepening of 20 chains of drain with excavation of 130 cubic yards of spoil; and erection of 110 chains of new fence and dismantling of 40 chains of old fence. Wharere (Locality : Bay of Plenty). —As has been the case for the last few years, ■only a few men have been employed on the block during the last year, the number varying from ten to thirteen, and they have been engaged almost entirely on essential maintenance work, very little development work being carried out. As has been mentioned in. previous reports, there is a large programme of work awaiting the attention of a mechanical excavator. A machine was purchased during the year for this purpose and was shipped to Pongakawa early in January. Some 20 chains of the Waerenga Road Drain were improved by this machine up to the end of the year, but most of its time has been spent in assisting with the construction of the suction bay for a new flood-pump station that is now being erected to serve the area north of the Tainui Road. This suction bay is now well under way. A tractor was employed in constructing 800 chains of cattle-tracks through the scrub and blackberry on the east of the Wharere Canal and also on levelling blackberry and scrub. This work was discontinued in July and not started again until February, when further levelling was- done, bringing the total for the year to 350 acres. Late in March this tractor was sent to Thornton and one from Pouarua Block transferred to Wharere Block to carry on this work. Other work carried out

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