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A further 59 precast piles, 18 in. square and 70 ft. long, were cast and will be driven for tlie piled foundations to the transformer pads in the outdoor station area. Further test boring and load testing was done to provide data for designing the foundation structures in the outdoor station area. Fifteen permanent houses are being built to house the substation staff. Eight of these are nearing completion. The storm-water drainage and sewerage systems for the village were completed. Approach roads have been widened and strengthened and internal roading has been formed and is being metalled. Bunnythorpe.—A contract was let for the construction of the main condenser and control buildings, and the contractor is making fair progress. Good progress was made on the construction of the many outdoor structure concretefoundations which are being built by the Department's own forces. Work has, however, been retarded by the shortage of cement. The storm-water and oil drainage system for the 7-acre outdoor station area has been completed. The sewerage system and treatment plant was completed and is now dealing with wastes from the permanent houses and the construction camps. Haywards. —A contract was let for the first section of the excavation work. This comprises the excavation of 135,000 cubic yards of material and its transportation to fill adjacent deep gullies. This contract is now nearing completion. The preliminary clearing, draining, and fencing work was done by the Department's forces. Smaller Worlcs.—During the year an extension to the switchroom was completed at Half-way Bush, and similar extensions are in progress at Oamaru and Ashburton.. Contracts have been prepared for a new workshop and switch and control room at Invercargill and for switch and control rooms at Fernhill and Longburn. IRRIGATION Central Otago.—During the past year rainfall conditions varied considerably throughout Central Otago. In the Tarras area, where extremely dry conditions obtained during the previous summer, the rainfall increased from 13-58 in. for the calendar vear 1947, to 18-06 in. in 1948, with additional good rains in the past three months. Ample water-supplies were thus available in that area, and, in fact, to all schemes west of the Manuherikia River and Alexandra. On the Omakau scheme, where water is sold on demand, the sales were short of the peak demands of the two previous seasons, being 12,935 acre feet, as against 14,080 acre feet for 1947-48, and 14,720 acre feet for 1946-47. Between Alexandra and the Maniototo Plain rainfalls were much below average. In Alexandra itself the precipitation was 11-91 in., 10-23 in., and 10-96 in. for the threeyears ended 31st December, 1948, an average of 11-03 in., as against the previous twenty-nine-year average of 13-79 in. At the Manorburn Dam, conditions were relatively worse, the respective rainfall figures* being 15-32 in., 14-52 in., and 13-23 in. (an average of 14-35 in.), as against the previous twenty-five-year average of 19-54 in. Very little snow fell during these three years, and both the Poolburn and Manorburn catchments, which supply the bulk of the water for the Ida Valley and Galloway schemes, were in a particularly dry state. The meagre run-off, coupled with the low state of both dams at the beginning of" the seas6n, resulted in the exhaustion of irrigation supplies by the beginning of" February. At this stage approximately 50 per cent, of the norma! season's quota had been supplied to the Ida Valley settlers, while those on the higher levels of theGallowav Scheme had also to suffer some restriction.

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