D.—2b.

beams are kauri, some of them are much decayed, and should be renewed soon. Bridge at 279 miles 75 chains has a few pieces in the truss a little gone at ends, but nothing of consequence. The bridge over Molyneux Eiver is now being overhauled and put in good repair. The long floodopenings, 287 miles 57 chains, has many new piers and caps in ironbark. The old totara piles are considerably decayed at ground-level, but have sound timber enough to be quite safe. When a good many renewals to piles and a few to caps are done this bridge will be good for many years yet. 4. Fences are chiefly iron. The post and wire is old, but usually good, though damaged in a few places. All cattle-stops are renewed with ironbark beams, and six of them are in concrete; six are on the old sills, but sills and frames fairly good. Some gates are renewed in iron-rail posts, the rest have timber posts, which look well, but may be gone underground. Signboards good. 5. Intermediate stations are all in good condition, except a few front posts of loading-banks and cattle-pens a little gone at ground. Signal-posts in good order. At Balclutha, windmills and tank-stands good, cottage very good; goods-shed and loading-bank in good order, platform, concrete and ashphalt, station-building good and neatly kept, privies and urinals good and clean, but timber getting done at ground, tnrntable good; coal-shed and platform very old ; engine-sheds and brick-pits very good, signal-posts very good. Clakksvillb to Lawrence Bkanch (22 Miles). 1. Formation all right. 2. The rails are 401b. iron up to 16J miles, with 401b. steel on the outer rail of curves. From 161 m ii es to 20J miles they are 521b. iron, with 531b. steel on the curves, and from 20f miles to 22 miles 401b. iron, with a few 401b. steel among them. The iron rails are frayed and scaled in a few, but on the whole they are good, and will last many years with present traffic. Sleepers are fairly good throughout, ballast is scanty in most places. The line is kept in good running trim. 3. Bridges are mostly in masonry and ironbark or matai beams, and very good. Bridge at 3 miles 41 chains has had many renewals, but there are still many doubtful pieces in lower chord and diagonals which should be taken out as soon as may be. The bridge is quite safe now, but it will not be so very much longer The over-bridge at Lawrence has some rotten uprights. Tunnels in good condition. 4. Fences are iron and post and wire mixed, the latter fairly good, but posts rotten in places. All cattle-stops but four are renewed with ironbark beams, and four have concrete sills, those on original sills have sills and frames getting very old, some of the frames are very rotten. Gates are largely renewed with iron-rail posts, and all are in fair condition. 5. Glenore and Mount Stuart, Bound Hill and Lawrence have platforms of brick and concrete, the rest have platforms of heavy timber fronts. Station-buildings, goods-sheds, cottages, cattle-pens, tank-stands, loading-banks, all in good order and preservation. Lawrence has a platform of concrete and asphalt, Stationmaster's house very good. Station-buildings in very good order, privies and urinals clean. The station-building is just beginning to show some decay at ground-level. Goods-shed very good, crane in good order Loading-bank, some posts gone. Cattle-pen posts much decayed. Tank-stand very good. Engine-shed old but good. Gatlin's Eivee Branch (14 Miles). 1. Formation good, trim, and clear of weeds. 2. There are 1 mile 9 chains of 521b. iron rails the worse for wear, and 13 miles 7 chains of very good 531b. steel rails. The sleepers are jarrah as far as the seventh mile, the rest of the line have creosoted rimu and matai sleepers, these do not last well, and many have been renewed, so that on the whole the sleepers are good. Ballast is gravel, and good. The line is kept in good running trim. 3. On the first part of the line, which is eight or ten years old, the matai bridges have been largely renewed in ironbark, and many piles and other parts must be taken out and renewed very soon , this is the case with the bridges at 1 mile 32 chains, 3 miles, 5 miles 50 chains, and 6 miles 16 chains. Further along the line the matai bridges are in better preservation, and all of them have been provided with ironbark beams, though the piles and caps are matai. From eight miles to the end the bridges are all masonry and iron girders, in excellent condition , open culverts at far end; all masonry and ironbark timber box-culverts at near end in good condition. Tunnel in excellent condition. 4. Fences, post and wire, are fairly good at near end, with some posts burnt, and very good at far end. Gates and signboards all good at the near and older end. Three cattle-stops have been renewed with ironbark beams, twenty-six have the original matai beams, and all are in good condition , but, if heavier engines are sent over this line, the matai beams will have to be propped in the centre as soon as they get old and dry 5. Stations and appurtenances—comprising platforms, shelter-sheds, goods-sheds, cattle-pens, loading-banks, and cottages—are all in very good condition. Privies and urinals good and clean. 6. Mile-posts are made of rail-ends. Balclutha to Waipahi (31 Miles). 1. Formation clean and in good condition. Many of the banks have been widened. 2. The rails are 531b. steel, in good condition, with 35 chains of 521b. iron mixed among them. This road was originally 401b. iron rails, which have now all been taken out. The sleepers are in fairly good condition, over ten miles were relaid and resleepered last year. The ballast is very good, and the road in excellent running order 3. These bridges have been most extensively renewed in ironbark quite recently, and some entirely rebuilt. Most of them have new ironbark beams; many have new piles or entire piers in ironbark or masonry The old piles are matai or totara, many of which are more or less decayed at ground-level, and among these those at 303 miles 4 chains and 303 miles 44 chains

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