D—l

Rangitikei Catchment District The main concern of this Board is, at present, the lower Rangitikei River, where work is in progress on channel improvement with some lengths of protection on bends. The work is being done to a previously established alignment so that ultimately, and with the assistance of the river itself, an adequate fairway will be provided over the whole length. During the year 2 miles of channel has been cleared of willows and gorse, 9 chains of diversion cuts have been excavated, and 37 chains of heavy and 48 chains of light bank-protection have been completed. Three minor tree-planting jobs have been completed and some experimental work has been done in slumping country with tripod planting of willows. A timber company has been assisted with a scheme to reclaim sand-dunes for tree-planting. So far activities have been directed towards the establishment of marram-grass nurseries and towards the fencing of the area to be planted. At Omatane 40 chains of new channel has been excavated for a stream coming off an eroded catchment which has obliterated its old course and was damaging fertile flats. Three concrete drop structures have been built and a twin concrete box culvert is under construction. Manawatu Catchment District Manawatu has been particularly active in the number of minor river works carried out, a total of seventy-one different jobs having been completed. Three minor treeplanting schemes and .l minor gully control work have also been done. The chief work has been on the Manawatu River. At Mcßae's Bend a 25-chain diversion cut was made and a timber deflector 108 ft. long built above it. At Scott's Bend 25 chains of bank is being faced with limestone rip rap and the equivalent of some 20 chains had been completed by the end of the year. Bank-protection of anchored and weighted trees interspersed with willow-plantings has been carried out at many places, while at others protection has been effected by constructing groynes of anchored and weighted trees with the subsequent planting of the bank with willows. Notable points where such work has been carried out are at Brotherston's on the upper Manawatu, at Old Foxton Road, and at Cowdrey's and Anderson's Bends. Three lengths of stopbank, aggregating 41 chains and containing 26,500 cubic yards of earth, have been set back. These are known as Saunder's, Johnson's, and Barber's No. 4; work on the first was begun during the previous year. Of the nine subsidiary drainage authorities, only four have so far applied for a subsidy on maintenance. These four have made good use of the assistance. Drainage works carried out during the year have been the completion of the Buckley Drainage Board's extension and of improvements to three drains by the Moutoa Drainage Board. The improvement of Seifert's Drain by the Makerua Drainage Board is 85 per cent, complete and that of the Manawatu Drainage Board's main drain in Taonui Basin is 55 per cent, complete. In May there was a large flood which damaged works in the Manawatu ; these have all been repaired. The same flood started erosion in other rivers in the district and gave rise to many of the minor river-works which have been carried out. A comprehensive report has been prepared on a control scheme for the Mangatainoka River and for the upper section of the Otaki, while proposals for a control scheme on the lower Manawatu are well advanced.

90