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line, arrived during the year and has proved an excellent machine for this work. The R.B. 17 excavator which had been hired from the Public Works Department was returned at the end of February as it was no longer required. The dismantling, repair, and re-erection of the old Monighan excavator was continued during the year, and is now almost completed. Owing to shortage of staff and difficulty experienced in making all parts requiring renewal, the work of renovating this machine took longer than anticipated. Each year it becomes more difficult to let contracts for annual drain-cleaning by hand labour, and more and more use has to be made of the tyne drag used with a light drag-line excavator as developed by the overseer at Thornton. This year about twelve miles of the larger drains were cleaned by this method. Several varieties of aquatic weeds are spreading very rapidly in this district. Poa aquatica is gaining a strong hold in the north-western area of the plains, and in the Orini Canal the spread of a species of water lily is proving very serious, the plants having almost blocked the canal and the flood-gate on occasions. Removing these weeds with a drag-line is very expensive, and efforts are being made to ascertain if they can be controlled by using some variety of the new hormone weed-killers. The problem of accommodation for workmen has been slightly eased during the year by the erection of two houses in Thornton. Two old houses which Avere surplus to the requirements of development blocks in the district were acquired, dismantled, and re-erected at Thornton. With the addition of some new material where required, quite good houses were constructed, one being erected on the Rangitaiki River Reserve and the other on a quarter-acre section at Thornton which was purchased from a local settler. These additional buildings have not, of course, completely solved the problem of workers' accommodation. Many of the existing dwellings are very old and require enlarging and renovating. In some cases, due to the age of the buildings, renovation is not practicable and they will have to be replaced. It is hoped to proceed with this work next year. If any additional buildings are to he erected, further land will have to be acquired. During the year the Hon. the Minister of Lands gave his approval to a Committee of three ratepayers being set up to co-operate with the Department in all matters affecting the ratepayers' interests. Regular monthly meetings of the committee and departmental oificers have been held at Thornton. The innovation has proved very useful and has been of great assistance both to the Department and to the ratepayers, as it enables drainage problems to be discussed and decided to the best advantage of both parties. A certain amount of work had to be carried out again this year on repairing breaches in the left bank of the Tarawera River north of the railway-line. The river has always overflowed to some extent along this stretch, and work is confined to such as is required to prevent a major break in the bank. On the Rangitaiki River several bad bends were widened during the year, and the stopbanks on both sides north of Thornton are being repaired and raised where they have been undermined by erosion. Other work on this river has consisted of the cutting of willows and clearing of fallen trees. For several years the river has been discharging straight out to sea, but the mouth, by moving eastwards, is again giving trouble. If the right conditions prevail next year efforts will be made to open a new channel through the sandspit which is forming from the western side across the present mouth. In addition to the routine work of measuring dredge quantities, laying out drain work, and attention to automatic stage-recorders, the survey party has erected one new automatic river-stage recorder on the Orini floodgate. The topographical and soil survey of the district has continued, and the field-work of an investigation survey

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