THE HAURAKI PLAINS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19405, 13 August 1926, Page 12

THE HAURAKI PLAINS.

PROGRESS OF DRAINAGE WORK. DREDGING AND RQADING. SETTLERS' PROSPEROUS YEAR. INCREASE IN PRODUCTION. ' [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER. ] ■WELLINGTON, Thursday. A. very satisfactory report on the Hauralci Plains land drainage scheme was presented to Parliament to-day. The report states that 1925-26 was a pros-, perous year for the settlers. Complete, returns of the primary produce from the plains would be very difficult to obtain but production figures available represent a value of over £536,000. The actual production was considerably higher. The returns available), although incomplete, afford . a striking example of the business value of the successful reclamation and settlement of wastelands. A comparison of the returns for the year with those of the previous year given in parentheses is as follows;- —Butter, 2042 tons (1848), and cheese, 1081 tons (1049). Livestock sold at the Turua, Waitakaruru and Patetonga saleyai-ds realised £32,730. More attention has been given than before to flax cultivation and the efforts that are being made to establish flax and improve its growth on peat lands by drainage and- better methods of cultivation and cutting are factors which may be expected to bave far reaching effects. The six fiaxmills now operating in the district produced 978 tons of beinp and 148 tons of tow. • Greater Use of Machinery. Regarding drainage work for the year the report states that the policy adopted during recent years of making gi*eater use of machinery has been followed whore possible and as a result better progress has been maintained. The construction equipment-now includes ten dredges engaged in canal and drain construction and flood control work. Noteworthy advances have been made with the improvement works on the Piako River and the effect of these works is evident by the depressed low water levels. Dredging operations in the Awaiti district have been pushed ahead with generally satisfactory results, but one condition which has in a measure retarded progress and caused a slight increase in the cost of the work is the failure of the canal banks to stand and permit the entire section of canal to be taken' out at one operation. In some cases at-, tempts to excavate the canal to full'section in three stages have been unsuccessful and it : has been necessary to resort to hand-dug' drains, for the purpose of consolidating . the land . ahead of ~ the dredges.; The' dredges :excavated i 556,653 cubic yards of material during the year a cost of 6.32 d per cubic yard. The averag'e daily output being approximately 2900 cubic yards. The quantity excavated jn 1924-25 was 822,286 cubic yards and in 1923-24 it was" 508,654 cubic yards. The Central District, .. ;, j In the central district a large amount Of road,- drainage, and general - construction work and maintenance has been carried out in addition to dredging Operations. A total of 505 chains of. new drains involving 23,776 cubic yards of eKcavation have been constructed by manual labour, 11,287 cubic yards were excavated in widening and deepening 867 chains of existing drains, 2091 chains of drains have been cleaned, and 132 chains of stop banks have been repaired and raised. ; The report details the amount of road Construction work carried out during the "year."- '.■■■" ic-H" >;•>>' ■'• V A feature of the years' .work in the Waitak-aruru-Pipiroa district' has been the large amount of drain improvement works carried out. , i Elston-Awaiti Scheme. ; In the Awaiti,.. Patetonga, and Tahuna districts good progress is being made with the Elstow-Awaiti drainage scheme commenced laSt year. This undertaking provides mam drainage canals for an area pf • 33,000 acres. 1 The total length of new drainage ditches constructed during the year was 19 miles 29 chains and the total constructed on the Hauraki Plains to date is 588 miles, 42 chains. Drains, 164 miles, 29 chains fong were cleaned and 64 miles, 36 chains' were'widened and deepened, j J The total expenditure for. the,, year was £375,672. , i. \ . .5 : :