D.—i.

Details of progress to date are as follows :— Stop-banks : 260,430 cubic yards of spoil have been placed in lOf m. of bank, which is now ready for topping up by drag-line. Dewatering drains : Two miles have been excavated by machine in pumped areas. Subsidiary drains : 8f m. of drain of 3 ft. to 5 ft. bottom width have been completed. Lateral drains : 79 m. of drain have been completed of 12 in. bottom width by 3 ft. deep. Water drive : Excavation and lining completed (174 ft. long), also portals. Pumping-stations— North station : Excavation for foundations has been completed. 1,400 lineal feet -of steel sheet piling and 325 lineal feet of concrete piling have been driven. South station : Excavation for foundations is complete and pile-driving in hand. South floodgate : An earthen coffer-dam has been built around the site" and excavation for foundations has been completed. Roading : Approximately 3m. of access road have been formed, culverted, and metalled. Taumarunui District. Pururu Block. —Good progress has been made with the developmental work on fourteen sections. 112 acres have been sown in permanent pasture, 50 acres in swedes, and 26 acres in oats and barley. 1 m. 30 ch. of road was metalled and 4 m. 31 ch. of boundary and subdivisional fencing was completed. One cow-byre was built, and water-supply has been provided to four cow-sheds. Waitanguru Block.—The year's programme of developmental work comprised 10 m. 76 ch. of boundary and subdivisional fencing, the repairing of 3 m. 30 ch. of existing fences, a small amount of road-formation, and the stumping and clearing of 85 acres. In addition 170 acres were sown in permanent pasture, and top-dressing was carried out over 311 acres. Some 20,000 odd battens were split for fencing-work, and nearby farmers took advantage of the Department's organization to fell and burn 72 acres of bush, also to stump and clear 46 acres. Ngatamahine Block. Work in this block has been continued, sm. of boundary and subdivisional fencing being erected and 75 ch. of existing fences repaired. 2m. 25 ch. of road was formed and metalled, 93 acres was cleared and some 182 acres was sown in permanent pasture, and the construction of new drains and the deepening of others also received attention. Owen Block.—Work was commenced in this area during the year, 1 m. 30 ch. of road-metalling, 127 ch. of fencing, and clearing and stumping of 65 acres having been completed. In addition an area' of 27 acres was ploughed, and ragwort was treated over 110 acres. Lee's Property.—This scheme will shortly be completed as far as developmental work is concerned. The year's operations comprise 245 ch. of fencing, 106 ch. of road formation and metalling, 9 acres of clearing and stumping, 114 acres sown in grass, 163 acres ploughed, 43 acres in crops, and 181 ch. of drains. Four houses, four cow-sheds, and one manure-shed were built. Metcalfe's Estate.—Settlement work is still being carried out on this 335-acre block, the year's progress being evidenced in 139 ch. of fencing, 95 ch. of temporary fencing, 163 ch. of drains, and 173 acres of clearing. There are now 196 acres in grass, and 3,500 shelter-belt trees were planted.

HARBOUR WORKS. Westfort Harbour.—No further construction was carried out during the year, and there was very considerable fluctuation in bar depths. In the early part of the year, up to June, there was a considerable improvement, soundings giving a monthly mean depth of 16 ft. From then onwards there was a steady reduction in bar soundings, the mean depth having fallen to 12 ft. at the end of the year. In the fairway the average working-depth was 23 ft, 6 in. as against 24 ft. in 1934-35, and 24 ft. 10 in. in 1933-34, the decrease for the past year being due to shoaling. Dredging operations were carried out by the suction dredge " Eileen Ward " ; the bucket dredge " Maui " and the suction dredge " Rubi Seddon " being out of commission. During the period 171,323 cubic yards were dredged from the bar, 97,277 cubic yards from the lower river, 76,453 cubic yards from the berthages, and 11,582 cubic yards from the floating basin— a total of 356,635 cubic yards, all of which was transported and deposited at sea. The dredge worked on 127 days for an average cost of 8-01 d., a higher rate than that for 1934-35 of 6'499d. The rainfall recorded on the harbour gauge for the year was 73-33 in., rain falling on 178 days. For the three preceding years the figures were—l 932-33, 66-99 in., 179 days ; 1933-34, 81-27 in 174 days ; 1934-35, 79-57 in., 169 days.. The " Eileen Ward " was sent to Wellington for annual overhaul, and was well maintained during the whole period. The shipping in the harbour proved to be practically the same as last year, the total tonnage entering port being 260,111 tons, an increase of 7,070 tons on that of last year. Coal shipped from the port was 291,041 tons, a slight decrease on that of the previous year. The tug " Mana " was only required once to tow a vessel from the port, but was utilized on several occasions in dragging for submerged objects. Running repairs to the dredges and plant kept the workshops staff fully employed. Karamea Harbour— Owing to the alteration of the course of the river at its mouth, the port is not now workable. Little Wanganui Harbour.—Owing to the lack of sufficient floods and to adverse sea conditions, the entrance at times shoaled sufficiently to interrupt working, which is only possible during spring tides. Since the a.s. " Fairburn " was wrecked on the Westport Breakwater, the harbour was not used for a short period, but another vessel is now taking up the trade.

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