D.—2b.

engines, and are in very good condition. The Oroua bridge has been almost entirely rebuilt, and is a fine bridge, with totara and ironbark piles, ironbark truss and beams. There are some boxculverts in totara still good. Fencing There are two or three miles of fencing out from Palmerston, after which the fences are all private, and fairly well maintained. Stations The shelter-sheds, platforms, cattle-pens, loading-banks are in good condition. At Feilding, the station-house, with post-office attached, is in good order, and neatly kept; privies and urinals good and clean , goods-shed very good condition , platform and loading-bank of limestone and timber very good , cattle-pen very good condition , tank-stand very good. At Halcombe, station-building is good and tidy, platform of timber old and patched; privies and urinals, timber posts gone at ground-level, and dirty; cattle-pen old, but fairly good, goods-shed floor worn, a few corner and covering boards rotten, rest of it good, Stationmaster's house good and tidy; tank-stand gone a little at ground-level, steam-pump and boiler in good order Mile-posts Grade-boards broken and illegible, but they are not wanted, and so are not renewed, mile-posts good. Halcombe to Turakina. Formation in good condition, generally clean , weedy in places. Permanent-way The line is in good running trim, but there are a few places where it is kinked a little, probably from hot weather on tight joints, and in a few places it is green from recent renewals. Bails are 1 mile 58 chains of 531b. steel, and 18J miles of 521b. iron , the line is mostly well ballasted, and sleepers good , towards Turakina the ballast becomes inferior. Structures A number of the bridges are concrete and ironbark, all good except one, on which we observed one pile somewhat gone. No. 46 (Eangitikei Bridge) is in very good condition, the 120 ft. span very good, the 60ft. spans all new in ironbark, totara piers good, tank-stand and screw propeller-pump in good condition, culverts all in good condition. Turakina Bridge has been extensively renewed in ironbark , many pieces are rotten, and must be taken out, which is to be done at once. Fencing Fences belonging to the railway begin again at about the 111 miles , they are alternate post-and-wire and gorse hedges, all in good order and well trimmed; gates and signboards good. Stations At Kakariki, shelter-shed and platform good, loading-bank old and dilapidated. At Greatford, all building and' station appurtenances in good condition. At Marton Junction, double platform very good, shelter-shed good, privies and urinals good and clean, platelayers' cottages good and neat, tank-stand, coal-shed, engine-shed, and Stationmaster's cottage all very good. At Marton, station-house good and tidy, platform good, privies and urinals good and clean, loading-bank a little damaged, goods-shed and cattle-yards in fair condition. At Bonny Glen platform, front posts gone at ground, and sill damaged, shelter-shed somewhat gone at ground, and windows broken, privies and urinals, posts rotten at ground, picket-fence, posts rotten, goods-shed good, but floor-posts somewhat rotten at ground-levels. Turakina platform and shelter-shed good, but front posts of platform a little rotten. Turakina station-house and platform pretty good, latter a little damaged , tank-stand and windmill good, goods-shed good, privies and urinals good and clean. Turakina to Aramoho Junction. Formation is in good condition and clear of weeds. The incline from Wangaehu River has been improved and straightened in places, it is on a grade of 1 in 35, with 5-chain curves, and might be greatly improved by spending money on it. Permanent-way The line is in good running condition. The rails are 521b. iron to 132 miles, then 531b. steel to Wanganui. Ballast is mostly sand, the line is well ballasted in places, but generally the ballast is scanty, and great difficulty is experienced between Rangitikei and Stratford to get suitable ballast. The sleepers are in good condition, very few being at all objectionable, on sidings they are not so good, as many are partly rotten. Structures The bridges have been extensively renewed or repaired, and are now in various conditions, though quite safe. Bridge 49, totara piles and ironbark beams good , Wangaehu Bridge has been extensively renewed in ironbark, and very good , Bridge 51, totara piles and caps, ironbark beams, good, Bridge 52, the same, Bridge 53, sheeting much decayed, beams severely suncracked, piles fairly good, 54, three totara piles badly gone, caps good, ironbark beams good , 55, good , 56, beams good, sills partly rotten, back planking partly gone , 57, totara piles and caps, iron beams, good, 58, totara piles and caps, three piles much gone, ironbark beams good, 59, abutment piles gone a little at ground, caps and beams good , 60, good. Wanganui Bridge (built 1878) walking planks gone at ends, several diagonal struts of truss gone a little at ends, totara planking overheads of cylinders much gone, truss wants painting , with a few repairs the bridge will be in very good condition. Fencing ; The fences are fairly good, much of it being buried in gorse-hedges , cattle-stops are often much decayed, though the beams are generally good; gates, of poor, light construction, ara mostly in good condition ; signboards good. Stations The stations are in various states of preservation, as follows : Wangaehu, platform good, shelter- and goods-shed a little decayed at ground-level, privies and urinals partly damaged. Baker's Siding, platform pretty good, shelter-shed, loading-bank, and cattle-pen good. Fordell, tankstand and platform good, station-house good and tidy, privies and urinals good and clean, cattlepens renewed in iron rails, goods-shed in good condition. Matarawa, platform pretty good, timber of front very old, shelter-shed much gone at ground, privies and urinals fairly good, but posts of shelter rotten, picket-fence posts rotten. Okoia, platform and shelter-shed good, but piles partly rotten. Aramoho, platform, station-house, shed very good, privies and urinals good and clean, coal* 3-D. 2b.

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