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General, In general, constructional work has still been restricted to a minimum by reason.of the existing situation in regard to man-power and materials, and until such time as conditions improve the tempo of work will not materially alter. It is pleasing to report, however, that soil-conservation work has increased during the year, and as the greater part of this important work is now being undertaken, without recourse to outside labour, by the land occupier himself, under subsidy from the Council, a further increase in this direction may be expected. Expenditure under the vote increased from £212,000 in the previous year to £298,000 for the period under review. Catchment Boards The election and first meeting of the newly constituted Hauraki Catchment Board was held during the year. Many of the administrative difficulties experienced by Catchment Boards in previous years have now been overcome, but as a result of experience gained by the operating Boards, and as indicated above, further amendments to the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act will require attention. A. further conference of Catchment Boardsi was held at Christchurcb in May, at which a Catchment Boards Association was constituted. Much value was obtained as a result of the conference, which in future will be held annually by the Association, assisted by the Council where necessary. Catchment Districts Existing Catchment Districts now cover approximately 40 per cent, of the Dominion. Proposals for further catchment districts, particularly in Clutha, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Marlborough Districts, are under consideration, and will be submitted to the Local Government Commission at the earliest opportunity.

The following is a complete list of catchment districts, the statistics being obtained from Local Authorities Handbook, 1941-42:

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Name. Area (Approximate) (Square Miles). Rateable Capital V (Approximal (& Million) Rural. | Urban. aluation. te) Total. Population (Approximate). Headquarters of Board. Hauraki 1,500 13-9 3-4 17-3 45,000 Te Aroha. Rangitikei 2,756 13-0 3-2 16-2 26,470 Marton. Manawatu 2,680 29-6 12-9 42-5 75,800 Palmerston North. Hawke's Bay 3,070 18-3 10-3 28-6 57,800 Napier. Wairarapa 2,230 13-8 4-0 17-8 26,250 Masterton. Poverty Bay 2,097 10-8 4-3 15-1 31,500 Gisborne. Nelson 2,460 5-1 4-4 9-5 30,570 Nelson. Westland 6,254 2-3 2-2 4-5 26,820 Greymouth. North Canterbury 4,290 21-6 35-1 56-7 162,750 Christchurch. South Canterbury 4,326 210 8-5 29-5 61,850 Timaru. Southland 11,000 17-4 9-9 27-3 71,850 Invercargill. Totals, eleven catchment districts Totals, New Zealand, 1st April, 1941 Percentage cover by catchment districts 42,663 103,416 41 166-8 311-9 53 98-2 310-8 32 | 265-0 622-7 42 616,660 1,616,070 38