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WORKS Eleven Catchment Boards are now organized and have been energetically carrying •out their functions. A twelfth Board, Otago, held its first meeting during the year and has not yet completed the appointment of its staff. During the year Catchment Boards have cleared willows and obstructions from 147 miles of rivers, protected 32 miles of river banks against erosion, built 29 miles of stop-banks, and dug 152 miles of drains. The Council's schemes for minor works at fixed rates of subsidy are now well established. These cover four types of work—viz., space planting of trees to prevent earth movement, gully control workg ; small communal drainage schemes, and river control works. The extent to which the various Boards avail themselves of the subsidies offered is a measure of the particular problems of the district concerned. Thus the Poverty Bay district has completed thirty-two minor gully control schemes, Hawkes Bay twenty-one minor tree-planting schemes, and Manawatu seventy-one minor river ■control works. The minor drainage subsidy has not been so much used, generally because most drainage schemes exceed the £250 limit on such minor works. As would be expected however, Southland has made most use of it and has completed three works. For the first time the Council has subsidized maintenance carried out under the control of Catchment Boards. This has chiefly been applied to drainage works and the subsidies paid were not high. The results, however, have been gratifying in that more work has been done, and done to a higher standard, than previously. The Council ■attaches' great importance to this work, as much of its past expenditure on drainage has been on the reconstruction of drainage schemes which had been rendered inoperative by years of neglect. Surveys and investigations have been completed and comprehensive control schemes designed for the Waipaoa, Lower Tuki Tuki, Mangatainoka, and Makarewa Rivers, while plans are well advanced for major works on the lower Ruamahanga and lower Manawatu Rivers. Negotiations have been completed for two major river works, the Motueka, on which some work has already been carried out, and the Tauherenikau, on which work will begin next summer. Hauraki Catchment District The problems of this district are those of slow-flowing silt rivers and chiefly comprise drainage, willow-clearing, and stop-banking. Only 4 chains of river-bank have been protected against erosion. The Board was one of the last formed and has only in the past year started active operations. However, it includes some well-established drainage and river authorities, including the Waihou and Ohinemuri River improvement scheme, administered by the Ministry of Works, and the Hauraki Plains Drainage District, administered by the Lands Department. From April, 1949, this district also will be administered by the Ministry of Works. County Councils and Drainage Boards have been active in clearing drains with the help of the Council's maintenance subsidy. A total of 32 miles 29 chains of main drains-have been so cleared, all by means of plant. The Thames Valley Drainage Board has cleared willows from 30 miles 28 chains of the Waitoa River and from 1 mile 40 chains of a tributary. Hormone sprays have been used to kill second growth. Willow-clearing in the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers has been carried out by the Ministry of Works, 5 miles 60 chains having been cleared and a further 14 miles ring-barked and poisoned. In addition, 6 miles 70 chains of stop-banks have been built on the Waihou. Three drainage schemes have been completed, the Tirohia-Rotokohu, the Hikutaia, and the Onetai. The Hauraki United Drainage Board's system has been extensively reconditioned, new drains dug, a tidal stop-bank built, flood-gates raised, and concrete

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