RANGITAIKA DRAINAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 177, 26 July 1913, Page 8

RANGITAIKA DRAINAGE.

■ m* i — ■ ■ ENGINEER'S REPORT ON THE SCHEME GOOD PROGRESS. ' (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) ' WELLINGTON.. Friday. The Under Secretary of Lands, reporting upon the Kangitaika Land Drainage - Works which are being carried out by X the Department, states that the area to t be benefited is 57,100 acres, and last 5 year's expenditure was £15.203. making a . total to date ot" £27.343. The drainage . engineer. .Mr Thompson, states that the l works are now well in hand, and the - benefits that will result from the scheme - of drainage are fast becoming apparent. . The country (particularly the southern - part I is being rapidly imwatered and ' turned into pasture land, a noticeable 1 feature being the sweetness of the coun- * trv and tbe ease with which it is "brought r in.'' Settlers are as yet mostly engaged in cattle raising and fattening (the - swamp being already noted for its fat i bullocks), but the whole area must even's tually become dairying country. A cheese r factory has already been opened on the. - co-operative system, the suppliers being s all on the svvarr.p. and the butter factories * at Matata and Whakatane are. each drawe ing supplies of cream from settlers on the n swamp lands. e Ovv ; ug to the slow progress and eventual abandonment of tho Rangitaika River p diversion contract, let to Messrs Rich and '" .Teffreys. end the various unavoidable dec lavs that occurred in procuring the no.oosr sary dredging machinery, little actual 5 work lias as yet been done on the main * outfalls. However, works are now well s in train, and judging from results ob- ? tained from the minor works executed he " is expecting big changes dnring the coming year, and looks forward with more e confidence than ever to the ultimate comp plote sucees.s of the scheme. The river p diversion channel will, he expects, be comc pleted ill thirteen months. The principal works to be carried out during the cur c rcrt financial vear are continuance ar.< - maintainanee of works in hand with nrob "" able completion ol" the Ran<ritaika T.ivet diversion and the Terahu-Mangaron out falls, erection of hridsres over outfall; r-nrl continuance of road construction. -I ,