DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY: RANGITAIKI LAND DRAINAGE. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1918, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1918 Session I-II, C-11

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Session 11. 1918. NEW ZEALAND

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY: RANGITAIKI LAND DRAINAGE. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1918, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 10 of the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act, 1910.

Sir, — Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, Ist June, 1918. I have the honour to submit herewith the report upon drainage operations in the Rangitaiki Plains for the year ended 31st March, 1918, pursuant to the provisions of the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act, 1910. The report of the Chief Drainage Engineer, Mr. J. B. Thompson, is attached hereto, from which it will be seen that good progress has been made with the works during the year, although the scarcity of labour restricted the scope of operations. The accompanying statement of accounts shows the financial transactions for the year, and the position of the account as at the 31st March last. The total expenditure in connection with the operations under the Act is £126,928. I have, &c, The Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands. T. N. Brodrick, Under-Secretary.

REPORT OF CHIEF DRAINAGE ENGINEER. Sir,— In accordance with the provisions of the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act, 1910, I have the honour to submit my report on the drainage operations for the year ended 31st March, 1918. Good progress has been made with the various works during the year, but lack of labour has again restricted operations, and many necessary works have for this reason remained untouched. It is hoped in the coming year that the employment of Jugo-Slavs will help to ease the situation. Dredges. The three dredges have been busily engaged during the year in carrying out the various outfall drains. During the year under review a total of 320,614 cubic yards of spoil have been excavated, at a total cost of £4,973 18s. 5d., or an average cost of 3-72 d. per cubic yard. This includes all

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charges, wages, supplies, repairs, &c, and is very satisfactory. The following table shows the total amount excavated, and cost per cubic yard, for the past five years : — Cubic Yards. Cubic Yard. 1913-14 .. .. .. .. .. ..272,370 3-07d. 1914-15 .. .. .. .. .. .. 268,760 3-48d. 1915-16 .. .. .. ... .. .. 224,740 4-54d. 1916-17 .. .. .. .. .. .. 261,751 4-36d. 1917-18 .. .. .. .. .. .. 320,614 3-72d. Hammond Dredge. The Hammond dredge was laid up for repairs during the last six months of the year —this being a much longer time than was anticipated chiefly owing to the scarcity of material required. The dredge is now in commission again, and is at present engaged in deepening and widening old cuts from the flax-mill up-stream. During the period the dredge has excavated a total of 33,562 cubic yards of spoil, at a total cost of £1,590 7s. lid. This cost is very high, owing in a great measure to the enforced idleness of the dredge for six months. While the dredge was under repair the men were engaged in drainage operations in the neighbourhood. The actual cost of dredging done by Hammond dredge amounted to ll-36d. per cubic yard. The total amount mentioned includes repairs, replacements, supplies, and wages ; but when the men were not at work on dredge they were engaged in manual labour in the locality, the cost of miscellaneous services amounting to £722 17s. 2d. Priestman Dredge No. 3. This dredge has done very good work during the year, completing the Kopeopeo outfall as far as the Rangitaiki drain, a distance approximately 140 chains, and also starting on the new Kopeopeo outfall deviation from the big lagoon in Section 62, down the Orini Stream, through the Orini banks towards the Rangitaiki outlet, and thence to the sea. Very good progress indeed has been made on this work, and three or four months should see this outlet finished. During November and December, 1917, good dredging country was met with, the dredge doing over a mile in two months. During September, 1917, a dam had to be constructed at the entrance to the big lagoon to enable the dredgepontoon to keep afloat, and the spillway lower down the cut was taken out. During the period the dredge excavated a total of 136,202 cubic yards of spoil, at a total cost of £1,608 8s. 8d. Priestman Dredge No. 4. The dredge completed the Tarawera outlet early in the year, and this outlet is now running well and drawing well up the river, enabling the scows to navigate the Tarawera as far as the Awaiti Stream ; on two occasions coal has been delivered by this means of transit, which cheapens the cost of delivery considerably, the scows taking flax-fibre as outward cargo. The outlet has lowered the water in the various streams fully 2 ft. 6 in., and brought into profitable use land which was formerly water-logged. The drain up through Section 108 to the boundary of Section 110 was then taken in hand, and for the greater portion of the drain good progress was made. Towards the end the ground slipped considerably, but the cut was completed, and the surrounding country obtained immediate relief, and is now fairly dry. Prom there the dredge proceeded up the Awaiti Stream to the Omeheu cut, and is now engaged in that cut, and making very good progress. Previous to going up the Omeheu the dredge went a short distance up the Awaiti-Paku Stream in order to create a settlingbed for the large amount of silt, &c, coming down the Awaiti-Paku Stream from the Awaiti Road drain. During the period the dredge has shifted a total of 150,850 cubic yards of spoil, at a total cost of £1,775 Is. lOd. Main Outlet Drains. During the period seven miles of new main drains, two miles of new road drains, thirty miles of ' cleaning, widening, and deepening, four miles and a half of dredging, and three miles and a half of snagging on the Rangitaiki River have been carried out. A drain commencing at the Kopeopeo cut, and running in a southerly direction for nearly two miles and a half, has been cut. The drain will ■eventually be a dredge-cut, and will supersede the Rangitaiki drain, which is now running through high country. Another very useful drain cut is one in a westerly direction from Mount Edgecumbc catchwater. This cuts off a considerable quantity of water which formerly ran down between the. Tarawera and Rangitaiki Rivers, but is now diverted into the, Rangitaiki at the upper end of the swamp. These two drains were cut by contract. Another new drain cut was one from the Tarawera River in a southerly and westerly direction for a distance of about 180 chains. Roads. Early in the year the formation of Gow's Road was completed, and about ten months later a certain amount of maintenance was carried out on it. The Rangitaiki River East Bank Road from Section 86 southwards has now been attended to, drains being constructed on either side of the road, and the spoil excavated being scooped into the centre of formation. Arrangements have now been made between the Whakatane County Council and the owners of the land to be taken for this road between Section 84 and the south-western boundary of Section 86; and on completion of this portion, which should be early next year, there will be a good road up the east bank of the Rangitaiki River from Thornton to Te Teko. During the latter portion of the year the road down the western drain was constructed from the southern boundary of Section 84 to the northern boundary of Section 78,

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and this will give good road access to several settlers in this vicinity. Two portions of the Railway Road—that from the western drain to Mangaroa Station (in Section E 83), and from the Awaiti Road to Section 158—are now in course of construction, and given favourable weather these should be completed at an early date. The Tarawera cross-road has been raised for practically its entire length, and now affords good road access to several valuable swamp sections which have lately been subdivided. The road-line along the southern bank of the Orini Stream from the Rangitaiki River through Sections 61 and 62 has been cleared, and for the past five months coal and other supplies have been conveyed to Priestman No. 3 by this route. Bridges and Culverts. The carpentering gang has been very busily engaged during the last six months, and two substantial bridges over the Kopeopeo outfall (one in Section 29 and the other at the eastern drain road) have been erected. A large sill bridge was also erected over the Kopeopeo deviation in Section 62; and the gang is now at Matata shifting two goods-sheds from their old sites near the old Matata entrance to the new positions on the bank of the Tarawera outlet. During the year a shipment of large concrete pipes was obtained, and these are now being used instead of wooden culverts, the result being most satisfactory. Floating Plant. This consists of two Priestman dredges, one Hammond bucket dredge, two ferry pontoons, one snagging-barge, three coal-barges, one towing-barge, three oil-launches, and various small boats, punts, &c. All the above are in good order. Buildings. About the middle of the year the machine-shop was shifted from Matata to Thornton, and placed in charge of a first-class mechanic. After a lapse of a few weeks occupied in moving and re-erecting the shop everything was in first-class running-order, and now the majority of repairs to the dredges, scoops, &c, are carried out at Thornton, at a great saving of expense. A house was erected for the dredgemaster on the Hammond dredge, in which the hut at Hallett's was used, but otherwise the buildings are the same as last year, and all are in good order and condition. The total number now stands at eighteen. Surveys. The survey staff has been actively engaged during the year, mostly in running trial levels for the various new drains and dredge-cuts which have been undertaken. Altogether a total of thirtyfour miles of levels were taken, included in which are the levels for a water-supply system at Matata. Owing to the Tarawera River being diverted the supply of fresh water to the two Maori settlements at Matata has been cut off, so it is proposed to construct a pipe-reticulation system to overcome the difficulty. In addition to levelling, several land-surveys have been carried out. Schemes for cutting up two blocks, one of which comprises some 2,000 acres, have been submitted to the Commissioner of Crown Lands and approved, and surveys are well in hand. Summary of Works performed. Excavation by dredges .. .. .. .. 320,614 cubic yards. New outlet drains .. .. .. .. .. 7 miles. Cleaning and deepening outlet drains .. .. 30 miles. New road drains .. .. .. .. .. 2 miles. Roads formed (new) .. .. .. .. .. 4 miles. Stop-banks formed, Rangitaiki River .. .. .. 7 miles. Snagging river .. .. .. -.-.— .. 3 miles 40 chains. Bridges erected .. .. .. .. .. 3 miles. General improvements, snagging, &c, Rangitaiki River ; general maintenance to existing works and improvements thereon ; together with numerous other minor services. Works Expenditure for the Year. The total works expenditure for the year, including wages, war bonus, hire of teams, repairs, supplies, &c, amounted to £18,332 13s. Bd. : of this amount £14,276 3s. sd. was paid out of Whakatane Imprest Account. Piecework contracts amounted to £2,532 4s. 6d., day-labour works to £9,674 19s. Id., hire of teams to £1,696 19s. 3d. Gkneral. The wages-sheets for day-labour and contract works are prepared in the Thornton office. Accounts for supplies, &c, are prepared in the Auckland office, where the books in connection with the works are kept. The officer in charge is Mr. J, H. Treseder, Land Drainage Engineer, and he is doing his utmost to expedite the works. Shortage of labour and the unprecedented rainfall of 1917 made the position most difficult both for -the Department and settlers. Inquiries are being made both overseas and in the Dominion for extra dredging plant. I have, &c, J. B. Thompson, The Under-Secretary for Lands, Wellington. Chief Drainage Engineer.

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Rangitaiki Land Drainage Account. Statement of Transactions during the Year ended 31st March, 1918. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d„ Balance brought forward at Ist April, 1917 1,175 17 9 Drainage-works, stop-banks, clearing Debentures issued under Rangitaiki Land channels, and other expenditure inDrainago Act, 1910 .. .. 22,000 0 0 cidental to drainage operations .. 17,179 7 10Cash recoived from Land for Settlements Machinery and plant, &c. .. .. 296 14 S Account under section 8, Rangitaiki Management and engineering expenses Land Drainage Act .. .. 2,200 0 0 from inception of work .. .. 2,939 2 6 Thirds and fourths .. .. .. 615 0 Travelling-expenses, &c. .. .. 199 3 2 Rates recoived, year 1917-18 .. .. 145 3 9 Compensation for purchase of Native land under section 8 of the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act .. .. 618 2 11 Refund of prepaid rates .. .. 24 15 3 Cost of printing debentures .. .. 0 14 0 Balance in hand .. .. .. 4,269 16 2 £25,527 16 6 £25,527 16 & Balance-sheet. Liabilities. £ s. d. Assets. £ s. d.. Debentures issued under Rangitaiki Land Drainage-works — Expenditure in conDrainago Act, 1910 .. .. 120,000 0 0 nection therewith, including wages, Consolidated Fund — supplies, administration, and engineerInterest paid on debentures .. .. 7,825 3 8 ing expenses .. .. .. 100,963 7 1 Portion of loan repaid .. .. 608 15 0 Redemption of debentures issued by Native-land purchases — Balance owing Rangitaiki Land Drainage Board. for settlement of claims under sec- £2,000, and interest paid thereon, £100 2,100 0 0 tion 8 .. .. .. .. 714 19 11 Interest on debentures recoverable from Accumulated thirds and fourths .. 1,659 311 ratepayers (Consolidated Eund, £7,825 3s. Bd. ; Rangitaiki Land Drainage Account, £7,224 7s. 7d.) .. .. 15,049 11 3 Machinery and plant, &c. .. .. 8,206 1 2 Loan Repayment Account— Rangitaiki Land Drainage Account .. .. £241 5 0 Consolidated Eund .. 608 15 0 850 0 0 Land for Settlements Account —Balance owing under section 8 .. .. 20 0 0 Cash in hand.. .. £4,269 16 2 Less prepaid rates .. £505 9 5 Rates, 1917-18 145 3 9 650 13 2 3,619 3 0 £130,808 2 6 £130,808 2 6 • J. H. O'DONNELL, Chief Accountant.

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (950 copies), £5.

Authority : Marcus F. Marks, Government Printer, Wellington.— l9lß.

Price 3d.]

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Plan Showing Drainage and Road Operations, RANGITAIKI LAND DRAINAGE, under the Provisions of the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Act, 1910.