G.—loc.

TORERE DEVELOPMENT SCHEME. (See Plan 29, G.-10.) Work bone to 31st March, 1933. Contracts. —Contracts for work estimated to cost £459 and providing work for forty-one men were authorized, and subsidies totalling £153 2s. Bd. were approved. At the 31st March, 1933, payments on account of work done amounted to £299 10s., subject to a total subsidy of £92 9s. 4d. ' The total number of men employed was 37 —individuals 29. Contracts outstanding were for discing and harrowing 64 acres, and access roading 94 chains. Total cost, £160 ; subsidies, £60 13s. 4d. Work. —The work for which payment has been made is set out in the schedule of contracts and summarized together with the work for which no labour cost was incurred. Scrub-cutting.—The area dealt with under the contracts was 312 acres, costing in labour £234, and employing 24 men. An additional area of 193f acres was also scrubbed free of cost. This makes a total area of 505f acres dealt with under this heading. Ploughing.- —The total area ploughed was 90 acres. This was done without any charge on the development funds. Draining. —Total length, 90 chains ; cost, £36 ; number of men employed, 4. This work was done on Awaawakino A (Hori Mio) and Waiohoata A 26 (Francis's lease). Roading. —This work was authorized to provide an all-weather access for the settlers up the Torere River. The access as provided by the Native Land Court was along the river-bank. Erosion had washed away most of the road and made access during floods impossible. The total length is 120 chains, and progress payments of £22 on 26 chains done were made up to the end of the financial vear. Fencing. —The only fencing contract submitted and approved was for 40 chains to close the work on Waiohoata A 26, formerly leased to a European who was eliminated by purchase. Two men were employed in the work, which cost £7 10s. The extent of other fencing, as estimated on the amount of wire issued to the individuals, is 480 chains. This is a conservative estimate, being based on fences of seven wires. No kbour costs were incurred. Sowing and Manuring.—The total area treated under this heading is 531J acres, made up as follows : (1) 441f acres being the scrubbed area, less 64 acres for discing and harrowing. This area was surface-sown and manured. (2) 90 acres, being the whole of the area ploughed. Pastures. —The total area in pasture of sorts in 1931 was estimated at 976 acres, made up as follows : _ Good grass, 419 acres ; fair grass, 151 acres ; poor grass, 406 acres : total, 976 acres. During the year just closed a field-compass survey was made by the Scheme Surveyor, and the actual position as at 31st March, 1933, is as follows:— A. R. P. Old pasture reconditioned and considered as good .. .. 801 3 32 Pastured during year 1932-33 .. .. .. .. 531 2 39 Poor pasture and rough feed .. .. .. .. .. 60 3 31 Total pasture of sorts .. .. .. 1,394 222 Top-dressing.—During the spring of 1931 a total of 424 acres was top-dressed as follows : 829 acres with super, 30 acres with potassic super, and 5 acres with basic super, at a 2-cwt.-per-acre application. Lime and super were supplied for top-dressing of pastures in the spring of 1932, and 443 acres was treated, at the rate of 5 cwt. per acre, of a mixture of above in the proportion of 5 cwt. lime to 2 cwt. super. Ragwort. —This is another Scheme where ragwort has a firm hold in the river-bed and paddocks adjacent to the river. Top-dressing with lime and sodium chlorate was tried during the year, and, while it was effective upon the plants that were growing at the time of the application, the millions that grew up afterwards made the position just as bad as formerly. The Maraenui ana Ruatoki methods of control will be applied to this Scheme, and fencing is now in progress to confine the sheep to the badly infested areas. Buildings.—The only building erected on this Scheme is the store-shed. No labour costs were incurred.

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