DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. DRAINAGE OPERATIONS IN HAURAKI PLAINS. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1938, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNTS.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1938 Session I, C-08

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1938. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. DRAINAGE OPERATIONS IN HAURAKI PLAINS. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1938, TOGETHER WITH STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNTS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 20 of the Hauraki Plains Act, 1926.

Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, Ist June, 1938. Sir,— I have the honour to present herewith the report of the Land Drainage Engineer on operations carried out during the past year on the Hauraki Plains in accordance with the provisions of the Hauraki Plains Act, 1926. I have, &c., W. Robertson, Under-Secretary for Lands. The Hon. Frank Langstone, Minister of Lands.

REPORT OF THE LAND DRAINAGE ENGINEER. Sir, — I have the honour to present to you herewith the thirtieth annual report on the reclamation works carried out on the Hauraki Plains. The report covers the fiscal year ending 31st March, 1938. The district has been favoured with a good production season, and, with the assurance of favourable prices for dairy-produce, encouraging progress has been recorded by the farming community. None of the returns from which the year's production figures for the Hauraki Plains district are usually compiled for this report is available at the time of writing, but it is exjiected that these returns will show a satisfactory increase in volume of all the principal farm products. The rainfall for the year was above the average for the district. The weather from the middle of April to end of September was continually showery, and, though the rainfall was seldom sufficient to fill the drains, continual light rain caused saturation of reasonably well-drained fields and consequential poaching by stock. Dry weather in October continuing through to the end of January, followed by abundant rainfall in February, have been ideal summer weather conditions for this district, and the summer and autumn growth of grass has seldom been more prolific. The rainfall records for Kerepeehi since 1916 are as follows :—

Records of Daily Precipitations, Kerepeehi, Hauraki Plains.

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Number of Days, with given Daily Precipitation in Inches. C5 ■<£ oi rp oi Oi OS Ci oi Oi © m , , m , . Year. g SSSSSSSSSSSS pays! Fall Wette8t Month - Driest Month - o oooooooooooo O ©lOOinOiOOOOOO© o iOt^OlMipJ>OiOOOOO o OOT—(r—lrHrH(>lMCOTt<iCcb ; i } " ~ ~~ I 1916 .. 109 12 9 7 2 3 .. 1 .. .. 1 .. .. 144 52-19 Nov. 6-65 Feb. 1-05 1917 .. 131 11 4 4 3 1 1 1 156 45-61 Feb. 6-26 Jan. 0-65 1918 .. 145 14 6 4 1 .. .. 1 171 44-06 Oct. 7-47 May 2-24 1919 .. 122 9 1 3 2 137 27-36 July 4-52 Dec. 0-89 1920 .. 85 7 10 3 1 1 3 2 112 43-16 Feb. 6-10 July 1-73 1921 .. 93 12 5 3 2 .. .. J 116 34-43 Oct. 5-89 Feb. 0-72 1922 .. 101 17 9 3 I 1 .. 1 133 42-81 Feb. 6-62 April 1-73 1923 ..151 6 5 4 1 1 1 169 47-04 April 9-76 March 1-72 1924 ..132 8 10 5 2 5 1 1 .. 2 166 60-37 April 8-55 July 1-87 1925 .. 142 15 4 2 ] 164 37-64 June 6-67 April 0-84 1926 .. 149 15 6 4 5 2 2 183 55-53 May 8-86 Feb. 1-79 1927 .. 159 10 6 5 .. 4 184 45-33 July 6-29 April 2-01 1928 ..125 7 9 2 3 2 2 1 151 47-30 May 7-52 Jan. 0-01 1929 .. 124 19 8 3 I 155 41-05 April 5-09 Feb. 0-74 1930 ..131 4 2 2 3 2 2 146 37-72 Jan. 6-87 Dee. 0-80 1931 .. 144 10 7 4 2 167 43-23 July 7-80 March 0-98 1932 .. 126 7 5 4 .. 1 143 32-05 Feb. 4-95 Nov. 0-93 1933 .. 152 13 1 4 3 .. 1 174 38-93 Feb. 6-54 March 1-20 1934 .. 138 11 6 5 2 2 .. 1 .. 1 166 43-23 June 6-15 Oct. 2-05 1935 .. 163 15 6 4 2 2 .. 1 .. 1 194 53-42 July 9-56 Jan. 0-93 1936 .. 127 11 6 3 .. 1 2 150 40-62 Feb. 5-83 May 1-63 1937 .. 76 21 8 5 1 1 1 1 114 45-51 May 5-89 Feb. 0-51 1938* .. 11 1 4 1 1 1 1 20 13-18 Feb. 9-42 March 1-10 ' j * First three months of year onlyi Average rainfall over twenty-two years is 43-57 in.

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During the summer, fires have caused more trouble than has been experienced since a fire district comprising the peat lands was constituted in 1933. During the four years that the fire district regulations have been in force there has not been one instance of fires getting out of control where the fire regulations have been observed, and this fact is conclusive proof that with the willing co-operation of all the settlers the fire risk and heavy annual cost of fire-fighting can be considerably reduced. The works carried out by the Drainage Branch now fall into two general categories :• — (1) The reclamation of swamp lands by flood protection, drainage, and the construction of access roads. (2) The preparation of waste lands for settlement by pasture establishment, stocking, the erection of farmhouses, buildings, and fences, and the provision of water-supplies and other amenities. The first of these has been in progress since the inception of the Hauraki Plains scheme ; the second has in the past been associated with small-farm-development schemes outside the Hauraki Plains district. This year the foundation has been laid for a progressive scheme of pre-settlement development of the Hauraki Plains lands, with the advantage of a planned long-term programme of work. The number of men employed on the works controlled from the Kerepeehi office have varied between 156 and 207, and these figures do not include extra labour employed for short-term seasonal undertakings such as drain-cleaning. Most manual labour operations are carried out under the co-operative contract principle, with very satisfactory results to the Department and the workers concerned. The following is a general review of the works carried out during the year : — Dbedges. One floating dredge and three drag-line excavators have been in commission during the year, and the combined output of these machines was 261,347 cubic yards. One item that seems worthy of mention is the successful refloating of No. 2 Priestman dredge. This plant was engaged almost continuously from the inception of the Hauraki Plains reclamation works in 1908 until 1932, when, to preserve the timber pontoon, it was purposely submerged in the Maukoro Canal. To dock this dredge on the slip at Kerepeehi would have necessitated dismantling the machinery and superstructure to pass the pontoon under a concrete highway bridge at Waitakaruru, and also the removal of a temporary dam controlling the water-level in the canal to prevent bank-caving. After thirty years' exacting service, the pontoon of this dredge is still sound, and the machine will shortly be put into commission on the Maukoro Canal. This canal extends inland several miles from the shore of the Hauraki Gulf at Waitakaruru. Below spring-tide level the canal is excavated in alluvial soil underlying peat originally varying in depth from about 1 ft. near the coast to 25 ft., six miles inland. As the result of drainage provided by the canal this peat has considerably subsided, and No. 2 dredge will be used to deepen the upper three miles of this canal, and at the same time provide a continuous alluvial-spoil bank above the peat which will eventually be used for a roadway, but will in the meantime provide support for a bank-operating drag-line excavator to be used deepening the canal as the banks subside. No. 23 steam dipper dredge was engaged deepening the Awaiti and Blstow Canals from April, 1937, to March, 1938, when the dredge was laid up and the crew transferred to No. 2 Priestman dredge. The dipper dredge removed silt accumulated as the result of upstream dredging in the Awaiti Canal above the temporary dam at peg 6 miles 30 chains, and deepened the Elstow Canal for its entire length of 5 miles 35 chains. This canal is excavated in soft peat, and movement of the canal banks and bottom will necessitate periodical redredging until the peat consolidates. The output of this dredge for the year was 71,024 cubic yards and the unit cost 7-65 d. No. 15 Bucyrus drag-line excavator has been engaged enlarging the Reservoir Canal leading to the Kerepeehi Block pumping-station. This work is nearing completion, and the machine, after overhaul, will be used on the Piako River improvements works upstream from Kerepeehi Wharf. While widening the Reservoir Canal an effort has been made to smooth and shape the spoil-banks with the machine so that implements can in future be used to control growth of noxious weeds. The drag-line operating with a 50 ft. boom and half-yard Page bucket excavated and placed 56,757 cubic yards of material, at cost of 6-sd. per cubic yard. No. 16 drag-line excavator has made good progress on the Maukoro Canal, which it is enlarging. Working along the left bank, the canal has been widened and the canal side road completed to peg 3 miles 74 chains, where the excavator crossed the canal on the temporary dam and has since worked downstream on the right bank to peg 2 miles 23 chains. Three operations will be necessary to complete the canal-widening and road-construction on the right bank. The approximate finished dimensions of the Maukoro Canal will be : Top width, 80 ft. ; depth, 10 ft. ; bottom width, 20 ft. ; and the roadway along the right bank is to be placed to leave a space 75 ft. wide between the canal and road for spoil from maintenance dredging. Using a half-yard bucket and 50 ft. boom, this machine handled 69,021 cubic yards at unit cost of 5-86 d. No. 29 drag-line excavator has done excellent work. During the first seven months of the year it was employed raising the Waitakaruru Stream and Canal stop-banks. On the completion of this work, by arrangement with the Hauraki Plains County Council, the machine was used to remove silt from one mile of main drains of the Miranda drainage system. Mounted on a trailer, the machine was taken by road to Orongo, where it has since raised 59 chains of stop-bank on the foreshore of the Ngataipua Block. Operating a f-yard bucket and 30 ft. boom, the very creditable output of this excavator was 64,545 cubic yards, and the average cost 2-78 d. per cubic yard.

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The following table shows the quantities excavated by the dredges during the past seventeen years, with the average unit cost for each year : — ' " Year. Cubic Yards. Cost per Cubic Yard. 1921-22 .. .. .. .. .. 246,022 7-29 d. 1922-23 .. .. .. .. .. 440,092 8-20 d. 1923-24 .. .. .. .. .. 508,654 7-27 d. 1924-25 .. .. .. .. .. 822,286 5-86 d. 1925-26 .. .. .. .. .. 856,653 6-32 d. 1926-27 .. .. .. .. .. 647,182 7-42 d. 1927-28 .. .. .. .. .. 652,413 7-32 d. 1928-29 .. .. .. .. .. 619,911 6-54 d. 1929-30 .. .. .. .. .. 595,565 6-25 d. 1930-31 .. .. .. .. .. 536,692 8-32 d. 1931-32 .. .. .. .. .. 390,611 7-99 d. 1932-33 .. .. .. .. .. 200,954 8-00 d. 1933-34 .. .. .. .. .. 116,224 5-96 d. 1934-35 .. .. 52,517 10-02 d. 1935-36 .. .. .. .. .. 164,046 8-26 d. 1936-37 .. .. .. .. .. 171,717 8-69 d. 1937-38 .. .. .. .. .. 261,347 5-72 d. Kerepeehi-Awaiti District. With a view to reducing the cost of cleaning drains, a weed-cutting launch was used experimentally in some of the large machine-dug drains in this district last autumn ; 3 miles 43 chains of draincleaning was carried out by this method, at about two-thirds the cost of cleaning by manual labour. A total length of 7 miles 31 chains of drains were cleaned by hand. The metalling of Wani Road was completed, 1,932 cubic yards of metal being used for resurfacing road for a distance of 200 chains southwards from Wairou Road and laying two courses of metal along 52 chains of road between Awaiti West and Pukahu Road intersections. A camp established in 1934 to accommodate twenty to thirty men employed on drainage, roading, clearing scrub, and general land-development work on the Kerepeehi Extension Block was closed in November and the men transferred to other work. The land is now showing rapid response to drainage. Fair pasture has been established in the alluvial soil, and a large area of shallow peat is now in grass. To hasten consolidation, arrangements are being made to systematically stock a peat area of 1,100 acres. Four to eight men have been continuously employed on the Kerepeehi Extension Block clearing 393 acres of blackberry, scrub, and rushes, constructing 257 chains of field drains (7,710 cubic yards of excavation), and controlling noxious weeds. The metalling of the Awaiti Canal Left Embankment Road, commenced last year, was completed for a distance of 140 chains ; 100 chains of the Reservoir Canal Road was also metalled, and the total quantity of metal spread on these two roads was 4,281 cubic yards. Extensive alterations have been made to the office, depot, and yards at Kerepeehi. The workshop staffs have been busily employed on building, construction, and maintenance, and repairs to plant and machinery. The Piako River ferry service has been in continuous operation at Kaihere. Waitakaruru and Torehape Districts. Activities in these districts have been connected principally with the development of the Pouarua Block, an area of 11,000 acres of peat land on which intermittent development-work has been in progress over a number of years. As the result of a recent decision, a progressive scheme for the development of this area has been planned in detail, and includes not only drainage and roading, but also grassing, fencing, and stocking. The scheme marks an important advance in the method in preparing peat lands of the Hauraki Plains for settlement. Experience has shown that the peat, after an initial response to drainage, goes through a period of suspended development. Time is required for the formation of soil by the decomposition of the peat, and during this period the carrying-capacity of the land is uncertain. These variable conditions have in the past proved a real difficulty to the early settlers striving to improve sections of suitable area for farming when fully productive. Future hSPflship will now be avoided by large-scale State development, with the necessary control of stock continued until the land has reached a stage approaching stable production. Two main camps are provided for the men engaged on this work, one at Torehape, the other threajniles from Waitakaruru Township. Each has accommodation for thirty to forty men. Smaller camps for six to eight men have been established during the year at the junction of the Waikumete Stream with the Maukoro Canal, on Pitts Road, and on Orchard West Road. Two working-parties operating from houseboats have been engaged on the southern portion of the Pouarua Area. The works carried out on the co-operative contract principle comprise the excavation of 58,257 cubic yards of material in widening and deepening 2,882 cEains of existing drains, and 29,496 cubic yards of excavation in construction of 863 chains of new drains. An area of 560. acres of scrub was cleared near Waitakaruru, and this area will be burnt and sown in grass this autumn and should be ready for light stock next spring. For road-construction in the Pouarua Block 16,420 cubic yards of clay ballast has been hauled by light railway an average distance of five miles from the pit at Torehape for ballasting the peat subgrades of Central and Torehape Roads ; 5,630 fascines were laid ; and 932 willow sleepers cut on the banks of the Piako River were used for laying 54 chains of light railway. The formation of a peat section of the Orchard West Road, one mile in length, from the Pouarua Canal eastwards was commenced in January, 1938, and to date 3,085 cubic yards of clay ballast has been delivered with motor-trucks along 25 chains of this

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road and 930 fascines cut for the temporary support of the road on soft foundation material. At Waitakaruru the Maukoro Canal Left Embankment Road has been re-formed for a distance of 100 chains, and 1,593 cubic yards of metal used in metalling 60 chains of this road. Annual drainmaintenance work included cleaning 33 miles 74 chains of drains. Patetonga-Tahuna District. Extensive drain-improvements in the Patetonga district have been carried out during the last two years, and practically all the main drains have now been reconditioned. Six to eight men have been employed on this work throughout last year and excavated 16,939 cubic yards of material in the improvement of 437 chains of drains and cleaned 38 miles 76 chains. A 25-ft.-span hardwood bridge was erected on the Patetonga Main Road. A party of four to seven men has been engaged snagging and removing willows previously killed by ring-barking and poisoning from the banks of the Piako River. The river-banks have now been cleared for a distance of six miles downstream from the Whakahoro Road flood-gate. The work was frequently delayed by high stages of the river during the winter and spring of 1937, and the men had to be transferred to other work at Hoe-o-Tainui. A reach 2 miles 6 chains in length was cleared during the past year. In November, 1937, authority was received to commence similar work on the Waitoa River, and No. 11 Priestman dredge was prepared for this work by removing the chutes and lowering the boom. This machine cleared the river-banks of willows for a distance of 75 chains, when owing to channel-silting the work had to be continued upstream with log-hauler operating from the river-bank. One mile ten chains of the Waitoa River has been cleared of willows, it is proposed to continue this work downstream with the dredge when flooding interferes with work of the log-hauler. Surveys and Office Work. Land and engineering surveys carried out during the year comprised 4,142 chains of traverse, 3,058 chains of levels, topographical and other land surveys of 1,867 acres. Plans and specifications for contracts are prepared in the Kerepeehi office, and a considerable amount of routine work is involved in the periodical measurement of work carried out by the dredges, the preparation of fortnightly wages and contract payments, payment in cash to the men scattered over a wide area, and the receipt and issue of stores. Summary. The total length of subsidiary drains constructed on the Hauraki Plains to date is now 794 miles 68 chains. The principal works carried out on the Hauraki Plains are summarized in the following schedule: — Length. Excavation. M. Ch. Cubic Yd. Drains cleaned by manual labour .. .. .. .. 96 22 Drains widened and deepened by manual labour .. ..41 64 76,183 New drains constructed by manual labour .. .. 14 0 37,186 Total quantity of drainage excavation by manual labour .. .. 113,369 Drains cleaned by weed-cutting launch .. . . .. 3 43 River and canal and stop-bank improvement by machine construction 13 31 251,829 Clay ballast delivered on peat roads by light railway .. .. 078 16,420 Clay ballast delivered on peat roads by motor-lorries .. 0 -25 3,085 No. Fascines cut and used for road-construction .. .. .. .. 6,060 Light railway laid . . . . .. . . . . 054 Sleepers cut and delivered for tramway . . . . . . .. 932 Road metalling— Resurfaced . . .. .. .. . . 0 200") Cubic Yd. New work, top course only .. .. .. .. 0 69 J> 7,806 New work, two courses .. .. .. .. 0 -284J Acres. Area cleared of scrub, rushes, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 953 River-banks cleared of willow and scrub .. . . ..316 No. Road-bridges erected: 20 ft. to 25 ft. span .. .. .... 3 I have, &c., R. L. Innis, Land Drainage Engineer. The Under-Secretary for Lands, Wellington.

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II,U'HAKI PLAINS SETTLEMENT SCHEME. Rate Account as at 31st March, 1938. Dr. £ s. d. Gr. £ s. d. Maintenance completed works .. .. .. 2,313 11 1 Balance brought forward .. .. .. 2,381 17 7 Remission of rates .. .. .. .. 17 13 3 Rates levied .. .. .. .. .. 1,797 1 0 Balance .. .. .. .. .. 1,902 8 6 Ten-per-cent. penalty added to unpaid rates .. 54 14 3 £4,233 12 10 £4,233 12 10 Receipts and Payments Account fob the Year ended 31st March, 1938. Receipts. Payments. Public Works Consolidated Public Works Consolidated Fund. Fund. Fund. Fund. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Rates .. .. .. .. .. 1,684 8 7 Drainage works: Stop - banks, Law-costs .. .. .. .. 17111 clearing channels, and other Sale of land .. .. .. 15,336 14 3 .. expenditure incidental to conRents and grazing fees .. .. .. 8,324 5 5 ducting drainage operations i nterest on sales of land .. .. .. 1,116 0 9 (including formation and metal-Artesian-well boring— ling of roads), materials supRepayment of advances.. .. .. 20 7 11 plied, &c. .. .. .. 18,640 18 9 Interest on advances .. .. .. 412 10 Material and stores .. .. 10,650 9 1 Instalments on buildings .. .. .. 1 18 11 Maintenance completed works .. .. 1,757 7 7 Ferry fares .. .. .. .. 204 7 6 Refund rent and interest .. .. . . 138 12 5 Credits in reduction of expenditure .. 9,865 14 1 .. Refund miscellaneous receipts .. .. 213 15 3 Miscellaneous receipts .. .. .. 317 0 9 Refund proceeds sale of land .. 5 0 0 Royalties .. .. .. .. 203 0 11 Discharged Soldiers Settlement AcTransfer expenditure to Treasury count: Recoupment in respect Adjustment Account .. .. .. 2,410 15 11 of merged transactions .. .. .. 12 11 8 Transfer expenditure to Public Kaihere Perry expenses .. .. .. 288 9 0 Works Fund .. .. .. 29,296 7 10 .. Transfer receipts to Treasury Adjustment Account .. .. .. 11,893 14 8 Transfer receipts to Public Works Fund .. .. .. 25,202 8 4 £54,498 16 2£14,304 10 7 £54,498 16 2£14,304 10 7 Revenue Account for the Year ended 31st March, 1938. Dr. £ s. d. Gr. £ s. d. Interest on Public Works Fund capital .. .. 34,659 19 5 Accrued rents .. .. .. .. 8,419 3 3 Kaihere Ferry expenses .. .. .. 293 4 0 Interest on sales of land .. .. .. 1,443 17 9 Administration expenses .. .. .. 451 15 0 Grazing fees . . .. .. .. 10 9 5 Remissions of rent .. .. . . .. 519 8 3 Ferry fares .. . . .. .. .. 199 10 3 Rebates .. .. .. .. .. 604 410 Forfeited deposits .. .. .. .. 2 0 0 Irrecoverable rents, &c. .. .. .. 0 0 6 Kaihere Ferry : Portion of loss charged to County Premiums on conversion .. . . .. 14 10 0 Council .. .. .. .. .. 002 Hire of plant .. .. .. .. 103 16 11 Royalties . . .. .. .. .. 203 011 Net loss carried down.. .. .. .. 26,161 3 4 £36,543 2 0 £36,543 2 0 £ s. d. £ s. d. Net loss brought down .. .. .. 26,161 3 4 Balance carried forward .. .. .. 309,292 11 9 Balance from previous year .. .. .. 283,131 8 5 £309,292 II 9 £309,292 11 9

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HAURAKI PLAINS SETTLEMENT SCHEME —continued. Balance-sheet as at 31st March, 1938. Liabilities. Assets. Capital Account— £ s. d. £ s. d. Improved lands handed over to £ s. d. £ s. d Public Works Fund .. .. 868,624 7 5 Land Board for settlement— Value of Crown land set apart Leased .. .. .. 152,390 8 3 under Act .. .. 45,000 0 0 Unleased .. .. .. 11,437 17 0 Transferred from Discharged Unpaid purchase-money for land Soldiers Settlement Account.. 264 15 0 sold on deferred payment .. 24,050 2 6 913,889 2 5 187,878 7 9 Employment Promotion Fund capital .. .. 8,593 15 5 Unimproved value, land not disposed of .. 41,693 311 Consolidated Fund capital .. .. .. 6,112 4 9 Improvements on adjoining Crown lands .. 7,710 0 0 Reserve for loss on Discharged Soldiers Settlement Permanent reserves .. .. .. .. 8,851 0 0 ..assets- .. .. .. .. 140 0 0 Works in progress : Expenditure on land in course Sundry creditors— £ s. d. of reclamation, including formation and metalMiscellaneous .. .. 2,423 18 10 ling of roads .. .. .. .. 624,116 14 9 Departmental .. .. 513 16 0 Capital expenditure— 2,937 14 10 Employment Promotion Fund .. .. 8,593 15 5 Rent charged in advance .. .. .. 1,900 0 0 Consolidated Fund .. .. .. .. 6,11249 Rate Account . . .. .. .. 1,902 8 6 Artesian wells — £ s. d. Payments in advance — £ s. d. Crown tenants, Hauraki Plains.. 288 8 8 Grazing fees .. .. 0 15 0 Permanent reserves and Crown Rent .. .. ... 92 7 2 lands .. 216 10 9 Rates .. . • • • 0 0 7 504 19 5 Instalment of principal on de- Buildings .. .. .. .. .. 3,89852 ferred-payment sales . . 29 0 5 Wharves . . . . . . . . .. 200 0 0 Instalment' of interest on de- Machinery and plant .. .. .. . . 17,167 4 5 ferred-payment sales .. 18 4 3 Live-stock .. .. .. .. .. 10 11 0 140 7 5 Stores .. .. .. .. .. 6,155 811 Suspense Account .. .. • ■ • • 16 1 Stamps on hand .. .. .. . . 0 10 Writings-off in Suspense .. .. .. 16,639 16 7 Sundry debtors —■ £ s. d. Treasury Adjustment Account .. .. 310,124 7 2 Rent .. .. .. 3,054 4 1 Rates .. .. .. 3,663 13 3 Instalment of principal on de-ferred-payment sales .. 94 14 9 Instalment of principal on buildings .. .. .. 4 0 10 Interest on well-boring . . 105 0 3 Interest on deferred - payment sales .. .. . . 326 5 10 Law-costs .. .. . . 132 18 0 Tram freights and ferry fares .. 16 9 3 Grazing .. .. . . 31 2 5 Miscellaneous, .. .. 5,112 3 2 Departmental .. .. 10,328 2 3 22,868 14 1 Postponed rent (Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act, 1936) . . . . . . .. 143 1 4 Postponed rent (Land Act, 1924) .. .. 92 10 7 : r- _ „ Losses in Suspense .. .. .. .. 16,639 16 7 Interest accrued but not due .. .. .. 325 0 0 Premiums on conversion .. .. .. 72 10 0 Cash in transit from Post Office .. .. 55 2 4 Revenue Account: Balance forward .. .. 309,292 11 9 £1,262,381 3 2 £1,262,381 3 2 W. Robertson, Under-Secretary for Lands. Wm. E. Shaw, Chief Accountant. I hereby certify that the Rate Account, the Revenue Account, and the Balance-sheet have been duly examined and compared with the relative books and documents submitted for audit, and correctly state the position as disclosed thereby, subject to the explanatory notes dealing with departmental Accounts generally as appearing at commencement of parliamentary return [8.-I, Ft. IV], The following comment is appended : The balance of the Works in Progress Account —viz., £624,116 14s. 9d. —appearing in the Balance-sheet greatly exceeds the value of lands the control of which has not yet been transferred to the Land Board. —J. H. Fowler, Controller and Audit-General.

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