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(2) River Districts There were 33 River Boards in 1941-42, of which 13 are in the North Island. They are concerned primarily with the problem of flood-prevention arising from overflow or from the breaking of banks of rivers. By their very nature, statistics as to area are unavailable, and, in fact, useless in illustrating their value. Some idea of their relative importance can be gained from statistics as to their revenue in 1938-39 (the last normal year prior to the war) and in 1941-42 : — Table showing Receipts (both, Capital and Revenue) of River Boards for the Year 1938-39 and 1941-42 Amount. Number of Boards. £ 1938-39. 1941-42. 0 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 2 1-99 .. .. .. .. .. .4 4 100- 199 .. .. .. .. .. ..8 2 200- 299 .. .. .. .. .. 4 300- 399 .. .. .. .. .. .... 1 400- 499 .. .. .. .. .. ..2 500- 749 .. .. .. .. .. ..4 4 750- 999 .. .. .. .. .. ..3 1,000-1,999 .. .. .. .. 6 5 2,000-4,999 .. .. .. .. .. ..1 3. 5,000 and over .. .. ~ .. .. .. 8 8 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 37* 33 Twenty-one Boards out of 35 (60 per cent.) in 1938-39 and 17 out of 33 (51 per cent.) in 1941-42 bad receipts under £1,000. A further picture is given in the next table, showing revenue receipts for 1938-39 and 1941-42 respectively:— Table showing Revenue Receipts, from Rates and other Sourcesf, of Drainage Boards for the Years 1938-39 and 1941-42 respectively Amount. Number of Boards. £ 1938-39. 1941-42. 0 .. .. .. .. .. .... 1 2 1- 99 .. .. .. .. .. 4 4 100- 199 .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 2 200- 299 .. .. .. .. .. .... 4 300- 399 .. .. .. .. .. ..3 1 400- 499 .. .. .. .. .. 2 1 500- 749 .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 4 750- 999 .. .. .. . . .. .. 3 2 1,000-1,999 .. .. .. .. .. ..2 2 2,000-4,999 ... .. .. .. .. ..4 3 5,000 and over .. .. .. .. .. .. 5 8 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 37 33 Twenty-six out of the 37 (70 per cent.) in 1938-39 and 20 out of 33 (61 per cent.) in 1941-42 had a revenue under £1,000. In 1938-39 the Employment Promotion Fund provided £144,057 for capital works. The Boards with the small revenue to-day may have completed their heavy construction work, and have little maintenance work to do to-day. This, of course, would be an argument for their absorption by territorial local authorities. (3) Catchment Districts The Drainage and River Boards respectively are essentially local in their operations, and are not equipped to take account of the broader question implied in the expression the " catchment area." As previously noted, these problems include the conservation of the soil resources of the Dominion, the prevention of damage by erosion, and the making of more adequate provision than in the past for protection of property from damage by flood. The area of service of a body charged with such duties must obviously be the catchment area of a particular district. At the other extreme such a body must be intimately concerned with the actual work of Drainage and River Boards. By the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act, 1941, provision was made for the setting-up of Catchment Boards with just the powers defined above. This work is still in its formative stage. Although only 10 Catchment Boards have been established up to the present timej (May, 1945), it is anticipated that ultimately there will be 24 such Boards covering practically the whole of New Zealand§. Catchment Boards are charged with the duty of supervising the work of interior River and Drainage Boards, and, where necessary, suggesting the reorganization or abolition of any such bodies. Superimposed on the Catchment Boards, on which are elected and appointed members, is a National Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council, charged with the task of supervising generally the work of the Catchment Boards so that their operations will conform to an overall national policy. The Council, in fact, delimits the catchment areas and arranges for. the constitution of Catchment Boards. Because of their character, catchment districts vary considerably in size, and since catchment areas seldom coincide with the boundaries of territorial local authorities one part of the area of a territorial local authority may be in one catchment district and another part in another.

* Since 1938-39 four Boards have gone out of existence. t Chiefly rates. J Another is about to be set up. § For certain areas no Catchment Board is at the present proposed. These are for the most part isolated and spxrsely populated areas where there are no large river catchments.

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