p.—l.

Summary oj Work Done. Miles oh. Number. Cleaning drains .. .. 278 8 Flood-gates built .. .. . . 6 Widening and deepening drains . . 31 9 Pile bridges erected . . .. . . 3 Constructing new drains .. .. 23 20 Road culverts constructed . . . . 6 Dredge-cuts and canals (new) . . . . 129 Cubic Yds River and canal improvements 25 75 M , , , , y'Ni-i-i oiir ivietai US6CL lor roads .. . . d.Oio Canals cleared .. .. .. ol 15 a. , n , i -on j- i or CJlay carted lor roads . . . . 1, boo Koads lormed . . .. . , o 5; a -i j. i i n i i i i Roads metalled 2 71 excavated by floating and dry-land -r, j ,• n . ii" i *' o 10 excavators .. .. .. 500,706 Koads partially metalled .. .. 8 18 t* 7 n nnn Oj I i j; i ook Koek excavated .» .. .. <3« 000 Stop-banks iormed .. . . . . 3 35 Stop-banks raised and strengthened . . 175 Acres. Stop-banks repaired .. . . . . 13 0 Area cleared of scrub . . .. 1,855 Fences erected . . . . .. 12 37 Area cleared of blackberry .. .. 385 Levels taken .. .. .. 133 38 Area ploughed &c. .. .. .. 914 Traverses run .. .. .. 75 58 Area sown in grass .. .. .. 1,232 Office. —The expenditure recorded totalled £87,750 18s. lid., of which amount £25,463 7s. Bd. was paid through Thames and Whakatane Imprest Accounts. Some 262 piece-work and co-operative contracts were let, and 3,107 vouchers prepared and passed for payment. The revenue collected amounted to £14,867 ss. 9d. Rates. —Drainage rates levied on Hauraki Plains, Rangitaiki, Waihi, and Kaitaia areas amounted to £20,066 175., entailing 1924 rate notices. Rates collected totalled £12,245 os. 3d. Photostat. —This machine was in operation eighty times, with a total of 7,168 prints taken, allocated as follows : Hawke's Bay plans, 2,505 ; other Departments (charged for), 787 ; other Departments (not charged for), 780 ; our own operations, 2,982 ; spoils, 114.

TABLES. Table 1. —Return showing (approximately) Position of Lands in the Dominion at 31st March, 1932.

26

Total Area of Land unfit Tnt.ni Arpi Total Atpi Crown Lands Total Area of for Settlement sold or eranted reserved leased under Crown Lands Total Area (including Total Area District. i- ?JJf- fnp all Tenures available of Area occupied in Land (exclusive of for Future Native Land. by Rivers, District, purposes. Reserves leased Disposal. Lakes, Roads, by Crown). &c.). Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. i Acres. Acres North Auckland .. 2,591,878 441,828 529,398 179,610 518,058 ; 217,428 4,478,200 Auckland .. ... 2,581,609 1,231,006 979,139 625,256 1,628,264 i 1,175,299 8,220,573 Gisborne .. 1,129,446 433,782 526.492 129,145 1,046,648 | 253,978 3,519,491 Hawke'sBay .. ..I 1,542,822 200,684 554,058 162,867 371,466 j 82,424 2,914,321 Taranaki .. .. 1,124,759 342,271 630,319 70,079 167,356: 69,647 2.404,431 Wellington* .. .. 3,573,936 1,022,104 817,558 168,356 788,675 ! 680,440 7,051,069 Nelson .. .. 656,589 2,372,615 758,035 111,104 30,051 1 786,606 4,715,000 Marlborough .. .. 788,103 353,249 1,477.494 40,513 .. 1 108,641 2,768,000 Westland .. .. 163,418 2,149,170 688,054 393.607 .. ! 469,129 3,863,378 Canterbury .. .. 3,550,825 1,449,187 3,939,425 51,801 .. I 487,192 9,478,430 Otago .. .. 1,969,964 956,496 5,471,106 28,108 .. 668,448 9,094,122 Southland .. .. 1,852,501 4,265,747 1,406,469 138,988 .. j 219,542 7,883,247 Totals .. 21,525,850 15,218,139 I 17,777,547 2,099,434 4,550,518 i 5,218,774 66,390,262 II I I _ * Includes Chatham Islands.