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but, by reason of the very large increase of population that has taken place in the interval,, and also the increase of industries producing trade wastes, the extent and degree of the pollution have materially increased. 15. On receiving the 1931 proposals the Drainage Board, in addition to obtaining the approval of the Auckland Harbour Board and taking steps to have them fully considered by the local authorities affected, requested that the Committee previously referred to, which had been appointed by the Health Department in 1928, should be reassembled in order to consider them. This was done, and the Committee expressed its agreement with, the proposals and stressed the need for constituting immediately the new district and thereby ensuring effective control over the whole area. It should be mentioned that the 1931 proposals met with some criticism, especially from the Auckland Yacht and Motor Boat Association. It can be readily appreciated that yachtsmen were very interested in the prevention of pollution of the waters of the Waitemata Harbour and in safeguarding from contamination the bathing beaches of the harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. Certain prominent yachtsmen had opposed Mr. Midgley Taylor's scheme, and when the 1931 proposals were published the association appointed a committee to consider them. This committee prepared a report in 1935 which was adopted by the association, the substance of which was that strong opposition was expressed to the proposals and also to any proposal that involved the discharge of sewage or sewerage effluent to the waters of the Waitemata Harbour, the contention being that the only suitable point for discharge was in the vicinity of the Manukau Heads. The criticism of the association which was repeated in evidence given before us on its behalf, will be referred to again later. 16. In the year 1935 the Drainage Board decided that it would be advisable for the 1931 proposals to be considered by independent experts, and accordingly employed Mr. G. A. Hart (formerly City Engineer of the City of Wellington) and Mr. E. F. Borrie (Sewerage Engineer of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works) for this purpose. These gentlemen visited Auckland and made a close study of the problems of the drainage of the metropolitan area. In the result they expressed general agreement with the proposals, but recommended that before any construction was commenced a comprehensive series of float observations and other tests should be made in order to verify the accuracy of the information which had been furnished to them. These observations and tests and also certain other investigations were made, and the results are shown in a report made to the Drainage Board by Mr. Watkins in March, 1937. It was considered by Mr. Watkins that his opinion as to the soundness of the 1931 proposals was confirmed by these further investigations. Considerable criticism of the sufficiency of these observations and tests was expressed to us, and this criticism will be referred to later. 17. In the year 1937 a Commission of Inquiry was appointed to report upon the advisability of altering the boundaries of the drainage district and the constitution of the Drainage Board and also upon various other matters connected therewith. This Commission in December, 1937, presented a comprehensive report which formed the basis of the legislation which was enacted in the year 1944 (the Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Act, 1944) to constitute an enlarged metropolitan drainage district and a new Drainage Board and generally to empower the execution of the 1931 proposals. We understand that the delay which took place between 1937 and 1944 was due primarily to the outbreak of the Second World War, but it appears that opposition to the proposals from the North Shore area was also a factor. 18. The Auckland Metropolitan Drainage Act, 1944 (which will be referred tothroughout this report as " the Drainage Act " or " the Act "), the long title of which is " An Act to provide for the Drainage of the City of Auckland and the Suburbs thereof" repealed the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Act, 1908, and its amendments and constituted an '* Auckland Metropolitan Drainage District," comprising an Inner Area and an Outer Area. The boundaries of the new district are much more

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