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Mr. Howorth, County Engineer, reports the work done by Southland County Council to be: "Formation, 253-J- chains; ditching, 104 chains; gravelling, 352 chains; timber in culverts and bridges, 39,800 superficial feet; cuttings, 9,100 cubic yards; embankments, 22,300 cubic yards; stone culverts, 16; glazed tile drains, 68 lineal yards; and stream diversions and outfall drains, 10 chains." " Branch Boad to Forest Hill. —Formation, 170 chains ; ditching, 276 chains ; gravelling and fascining, 40 chains; timber in culverts and bridge, 11,000 superficial feet; and 29J chains of clearing. Eoad in Bush Land east of Makarewa: Formation, 130 chains ; bush-felling and clearing, 130 chains; ditching, 130 chains; timber in culverts, 3,000 superficial feet." Lake County. The County Inspector of Works reports that " the sum of £1,112 Bs. lid. has been expended in forming a road between the Crown Eange Saddle and the Cardrona Valley, thereby opening up communication by wheeled traffic been the Wakatipu, Wanaka, and Hawea Districts, and affording the settlers in the last-mentioned places an outlet for their surplus supplies of grain, &c. in the direction of Invercargill and Dunedin by aid of the Government railway-line to those places. The Lake County Council has accepted tenders for carrying the completion of five miles and sixteen chains of road, as follows : No. 2 contract, Eomans and Brodie, two miles, £1,194 7s. 5d.; No. 3 contract, Welsh and Co., three miles sixteen chains, £898 : total, £2,092 7s. 5d., of which the Council has paid in progress-payments,—No. 2 contract, to Bomans and Brodie, first payment £388 17s. Bd., second payment £368 11s. 7d.; No. 3 contract, to Welsh and Co., first payment £354 19s. Bd.: total, £1,112 Bs. lid. The road through No. 3 Section is not yet finished : frost has set in, and operations have been entirely suspended for the past six weeks. A buggy was driven over the Crown Eange lately by one of the candidates for legislative honours, but, owing to heavy falls of snow within the last few days, wheeled traffic is now impossible." The details of mileage and areas of land benefited by above lines as given in last year's return I need not repeat here. W. Aethub, Chief Surveyor.

SOUTHLAND. Seaward Forest to Coast. —This road extends from Woodend, on the Invercargill-Bluff line, and runs south-east for some three miles, thereafter trending in a due southerly direction, and terminating at Awarua Bay, the total length of the road-line being six and a half miles. Of this, at the northern end, nearly four and a quarter miles have been ditched on either side, and formed and gravelled, the remaining two and a quarter miles having, as yet, been only ditched and formed. It is satisfactory to state that nearly all the sections have been taken up as far as the gravelling extends. The road, when finished, apart from tapping the country through which it runs, will give convenient access to the Crown land abutting on the north side of Awarua Bay, the road for many miles along the beach being a natural one, and requiring only here and there a culvert or open-creek crossing to make it passable for dray traffic. A small jetty at the road terminus at the beach, to provide for water communication with Bluff, will probably prove a convenience if not a necessity of the future. Orepuki to Waiau. —This road extends from Waimeamea Eiver, near Orepuki, by a line running north-westward, roughly parallel to the Ocean Beach, for a distance of some four miles. For one and a half miles from the Waimeamea the road is formed, gravelled, and culverted in places. Beyond this the road has been cut through the bush, and formed and gravelled for a distance of over one and three-quarter miles. At the end of this section the road has been bushcleared and formed only for a further distance of some seven-eighths of a mile. The present terminus is situated only some three miles from the mouth of the Waiau Eiver. Branch Boad to Forest Hill. —This road extends from the north-east corner of Block 111., New Eiver Hundred, by a line running due east for a distance of three and a quarter miles, and thereafter by lines running north-easterly for a distance of some three and three-quarters of a mile further, terminating near the south boundary of deferred-payment block at Shark's Tooth. It has been ditched and formed for nearly the whole &f the way, fascining having been done and bridges and culverts put in in places. From Wilson's Crossing, on the Invercargill-Kingston raihvay-line, to deferred-payment block at Shark's Tooth, the road is now fit for traffic, though it is to be feared that heavy drays and the sloughing effects of winter may prevent its being used at all seasons of the year. The road, apart from giving admission to the deferred-payment block above mentioned, has opened up an old settled and. hitherto almost inaccessible part of this district, and is a boon to settlers which has been highly appreciated. A branch of this road, I may say, starts from the eastern boundary of New Eiver Hundred, and runs for nearly a mile towards the Makarewa—same having been ditched and formed in the same manner as the main road already described. Tomogalak Creek to Deferred-payment Block. —This road extends, from a point some one and a half miles above Ardlussa Station, in a northerly direction along the Mataura Eiver for a distance of some two and a half miles up the river. It has been ditched, formed, and gravelled in places, several stone culverts having also been constructed. Though the formation, &c, have not been continuous, the road has been rendered fit for traffic, the result at the time being that nearly all the sections were taken up in thejleferred-payment block which the road was designed to tap, and this at very satisfactory prices. Bay Boad to Otatat'a^Bush. —This road extends from opposite Section 1, Block XXI., Invercargill Hundred;, southerly to the south boundary of said block, thereafter due east for some half a mile, the whofe length of road being some two miles. It has been ditched, formed, and gravelled the whole way. The gravel is probably too light for heavy traffic, but it was the best material available. The upper part of the Crown block has thus been tapped, but it would be well if next season a further vote were expended in continuing the road for some distance down the heart of the

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