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was experienced in letting the work, as good gravel-pits could not for a time be found. An excellent bed of gravel has recently been discovered, and a contract has been let for metalling about a mile of the road and the work has been commenced. No payments on account of the contract have yet been made. Tikorangi Bridge (Vote, £200). —A plan and specification have been prepared for a draysuspension bridge of 200 ft.-span over Waitara Eiver at Tikorangi, and tenders were invited for the work. They were, however, higher than expected, and fresh tenders are now invited. Tikorangi Te Tarata (Vote, £200). —This road connects Junction Eoad near Tarata with the opan land at Tikorangi in the Waitara district, and is an outlet for the Ngatimaru settlers During the year 122 chains of bridle-road, and 110 chains of dray-road formation has been completed, including 326 lineal feet of culverts, and one small bridge. The road is now open and trafficable between Tarata and Waitara. Bridge over Purangi (Vote £400). —The necessity for a bridge of some kind over the Waitara Eiver at Purangi becomes greater as settlement increases. At present there is only a wire cable and cage, on which women and children as well as men have to cross the river, and an accident may at any time occur. The cable between supports is about 220 ft. long, and is stretched about 50ft. above the water. The only other means of crossing is by a ford, which is impassable when there is even a slight flood in the river. As the cost of a dray-bridge on piers will probably be fully £1,500, and money may not be available, I would recommend a pack suspension bridge be built, 200 ft. long by 7ft. wide, which could be constructed from £500 to £600. This would serve for the passage of pack-horses and stock, and would answer for settlement purposes for some years. As there is only an Bft. pack-track for from three miles and a half the Tarata side of Purangi on towards Ohura Eoad, about 12$ miles, a dray could not get to Purangi even were a dray-bridge constructed. If it was considered necessary within a few years' time to construct a dray-bridge, the suspension pack-bridge could be taken to pieces and removed elsewhere. Junction Road to Purangi, £1 for £1 (Vote, £1,100). —The metalling mentioned in last year's report has been continued this year, the former contract, Tarata Bridge to Mataro Eoad, five miles has been completed, and a new contract for one mile and a quarter let. Of this latter about 45 chains was completed on the 31st March, and the balance is in progress. The work is under control of Clifton County Council. Moanatairi Special Settlement (Vote, £200). —The old track from Putiki, on Tongaporutu Eiver, to Moanatairi Special Settlement, has been in part recut and improved for a distance of six miles and a quarter by the settlers, who subsidised the expenditure in work £1 for £1. The work has been discontinued for a time, whilst the settlers were improving their farms. No road work has yet been done within the settlement. Tongaporutu Ferry (Vote, £100). —As a bridge over Tongaporutu Eiver with the necessary approaches would probably cost from £2,500 to £3,000, and the traffic on the road would not for some years warrant such an expenditure, I would recommend a ferry be established there without delay. The cost of a suitable punt for dray- or coach-traffic would be comparatively light, and the subsidy to the ferryman would not be over about £30 per annum. The total cost, including interest and depreciation on plant, should not exceed £50 per annum, or less than one-third the interest on the outlay for a bridge. As the river is at times very dangerous to ford, and there is no regular ferry service at present, the travelling public suffer at times great inconvenience. Moki Road (Vote, £200). —The Clifton County Council are now forming Uruti Eoad, from Mimi Eoad to Moki Eoad, out of the above grant, which they are supplementing with a £1 for £1 subsidy. The work is well in hand, but no payments have been made during the past year. The engineering survey of Moki Eoad, which was in progress on the 31st March, 1895, and of which seven miles and a half had been done, was completed during the year, on to Ohura Eoad, in Waingarara Valley. The actual length of Moki Eoad from Druti Eoad to Ohura Eoad will be 21 miles 73 chains, but the engineering survey covered 24 miles 61 chains, as, after a portion of the work was done, round a long bend of the Waitara Eiver, it was found that by making a block-cutting, about 3 chains long, through a cliff about 100 ft. high, the road could be shortened by 59 chains 84 links. It however necessitated a new survey of part of the road, to grade up to the cliff and down again, hence the increased length of survey. A good line of road has been obtained throughout the whole length, with easy grades, though some of the work will be heavy in rock-cuttings and bridges. Care has been exercised by Mr. Scaly, the engineering surveyor, to obtain the best sites for bridges, and he has succeeded admirably, that over Waitara Eiver being exceptionally good. The road will open up some fair land in Waitara Valley and some good land in Waingarara Valley. Upper Waitara-Mangacrc (Vote, £1,000). — This expenditure is towards opening up the connection, by way of Junction Eoad, of Inglewood, Tarata, and Purangi, with Ohura Eoad, and the work in this direction for the past year included 171 chains of felling, stumping and clearing, 180 chains of Bft. bridle-road formation, 847 lineal feet of culverts, and 35 lineal feet of bridge, the expenditure being £744 10s. lid. The road is now open to within a mile and a quarter of Ohura Eoad, and further contracts are in progress for over 50 chains, leaving only about 50 chains of new work to let. The connection should be completed by about the end of June. The work is being done by the Tanner and Milsom, special settlers, for whom it was reserved, to assist them in the settlement of their lands. Ohura Road (Vote, £9,800). —The line of this road has been located through the northern end of Heao Valley, where survey from Ohura end (under Mr. C. W. Hursthouse's direction) ceased; and the engineering survey has been continued from Tangarakau Crossing—to which point it was carried last year —for a further 7 miles 45 chains, viz., to 20 chains Heao side of Paparata Saddle. The whole survey will be completed by about the end of April. Seventeen miles have been felled 1 chain wide, and stumped and cleared 33ft. wide;