Wellington, 1st July, 1847.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 124, 7 August 1847, Page 3

Wellington, Ist July, 1847.

Sir,— I have the honor to inform you that the road from Wellington to Pai-tu-mokai, about three miles above the Lake on the Plains of Wairarupa, lias now been laid out from end to end, the entire distance being about 89| miles. Judging from what has been already executed, making the moil liberal allowance for all contingencies, and including expense* of every description, the total cost Mill .not exceed £14,130 16s. Sd., or .£9991 13s. 4d., in additioii to what has been already expended, and 1 have no doubt whatever, but that the whole road will be completed by May, 1848. The accom* panyiug statement of the expense and tracings, will show in detail what has been done,and tho relative cost of each part. On the whole liri<> tlieie will be no gradient with a greater avertfgtf inclination than 1 in 20, so that a single horse may draw either May almost as heavy a load as could be taken along the beach at Wellington. From Pai-tu-Mokift, to the head of the Likes*, there is a good nutural road, which only requires the banks of a small stream to be cut down, so that a' cart and horse may ford it, to. be immediately available. ThUof course, throw* the loud open to the present settlers at Wairarapa, who can easily bring tlieir wools, or other produce", in boats to the head of the lake, and , cart it trom thence to Wellington, without risk, and at an infinitely cheaper tate than they can . send it thither, by the present unsafe, tardy and ! most expensive way. { In a north-easterly direction fiom Pai-tu-|i Mokai, a road may be carried 1 believe, lor 30 li or 40 miles, at an almost nominal expense per • mile, and how much further 1 cannot at present ij pretend to say, most of the country being open, i, and in many cases'having a hard gravelly bed, i the only expense would be in going through the ! belts of bush, intervening' between the plains, | and in constructing bridges across rivers, many ! of which however might beAVoided, by a care- ; ful selection of the line. ! Near the Wai-o-hine, at a distance of about 1141 14 miles from' Pai.tn-Mokai, is a very large cxi tent of excellent bush land, which will most pro- , bably be the site of a future settlement; as it is I the only considerable tract in the" lower part ot the Wairarapa, that would be worth keltling, for the purpose's of agriculture, ai all the 5 bUsh {land lower down along the bank* of the ttuaj mahuugu*, is'comparatively worthless, and as tbd ; land near the Wai-o-hine, is fc'u'ch as would' not I bring in any reirt ;to' the Natives for grazing ; sheep or cattle, and as they have more ttiatt I enough of bush land for all their" pi'esent' a'nd future wants in detached' pieces, i think it '< would be no very dillk'ult matter to obtain a ! large extent of it from them. , From enquiries, 1 have made on ( the subject, I 1 believe that but one" range of hills of any {magnitude would have,to b'e'crossed between j Wttirarapa and Taiipo Ea*ke!, tfrid' I'dhtftild imagine, ffbWali 1 cud learn, that by omitting to build bridges over the larger rivers, and merely establishing chain ferries that could be worked by a'person oh either bank, a road sucK" as" would ans\vei foT piling,, dr" the" conveyance of tfx*f. presses, might be carried through with great rapidity, ut a very* mo\ler'ate-expense. B,y k making such a road not more than six feet wide at all difficult places, the expenie would be very trffling, a'nd at the 1 same- 1 time 1 vr'duld di'iftfeV for many years, for the passage of troops; tftidnarrow guage caits, that would bring them supplies, if. required for such a purpose, in'addi* lion to its, ordinary uses. From", the tracing accoiiipanying' this report', it will' be seen tha the head of the Manawatd and Wanganui rivers would be thrown open by 1 it; and 1 of cotirserender them ifo loliger the safe pluii'e ofretrtf&f they at present tiflbrd to rebellious or-disaffecttid natives, besides opening up a vast extent of country for grazing aud other advantageous* pursuits. iThe native* of Wairarapa, and those of iheir jtrib'e, (Ngatikahtinas), living at Ahuiiri, and (the East (Joasi.altlioughat'irrsfjndluied t6*ques>tion the propriety of their alfowmg tmrvoad to jjoou Imro'dedditi in ill favor, »nd ar§ now

coming in considerable numbeis to work on it and are very anxious that it should go up the valley, towards the interior, chiefly I suppose, for their own sakes, that they may all in turn benefit by woiking at it. I may here obscrfc that the *)fctem of employing them as labourers on the roads, a»peatt to have succeeded in a; most extraordinary degree, and confers an incalculable benefit on them, from a lazy, indolent tet of people, they aie now becoming quiet, active and industrious, they are fond ot money, Rnd spend it well, generally for European clothing, or for provisions, and in acquiring other useful property. And I must say aftei nearly twelve months experience, that I believe a very considerable advantage i« derived by the Government in emplojing them, for at the relative ratet of pay betw een them and Europeans, 1 think they do almost at much as Europeans, nllhongh few of them have been accnstomed. to regular work or a longer period than 8 or 9 months; as a proof of which, I may state that the contractors for portions of the rqad^ have found it their interest to employ many of them al2s. 6d per day. When they have been employed for two or three yean, and live constantly on good bolid food, 1 think they will be little infeiior to the generality of Europeans, and far surpass them in many things, especially in the facility with which they acquire a knowledge of all new kind* of woi k. How it affects them in a political point of view, it is not for me to say, but it certainly must have the effect of keeping many testl' stand turbulent spirits, usefully employed, that might be engaged in mischief, if lelt" to themselves. And with the »upply of native labour that can in futuie be com manded, 1 am sure that by proper management, works of no ordinary magnitude might be imderlaken, and cairied through, in any required time by their meant. 1 have, <ke, &c., T. H. Fitzgerald, Surveyor. To Hit Honor the Superintendent, &c , &a, &c