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Alexandra-Kawhia Road.— This road has been maintained in as good order as the funds provided would allow. Extensive repairs are now in hand, and are near completion, of the part between Pirongia and Te Bauamoa. Kihikihi-Waotu Road. —A substantial stone culvert has been built and 21 chains of dray-road made at Lawson's Creek ; half a mile of old road has been improved in other parts. Besides these works, the settlers and Maoris have done other improvements, consisting of side-cuttings, formation, and waterways to the value, I should think, of about £100. More works are required to grade this road; the only other part that has been done at public cost is the south approach to the Waikato Bridge. The north approach should be graded as soon as possible, and culverts with approach grades to them made at the stream-crossings. Pirongia-West Road. — This is being made by the Te Bauamoa settlers under co-operative contracts. It leaves the Alexandra-Kawhia Boad at the north-west corner of the settlement, and runs towards Pirongia Mountain. It will open up fair and good bush-land, which I understand has been acquired by the Government. The road is now made for one mile and three-quarters from the junction ; it is being felled from 1 to 1-J chains wide and formed 9 ft. wide. Tokanui-Wharepapa Road. —Nothing has been done under this head, as, owing to the land offered for sale in the Wharepuhunga Block, to which the road would give access, not having been taken up, the road is not at present required, unless thought advisable to construct it as a means of inducing settlement. Te Kuiti-Awakino Road. —During the year seven miles and three-quarters of 6 ft. bridle-road has been converted into a 16 ft. dray-road, and 37 chains of new 16 ft. dray-road made, making a total of 8 miles 17 chains dray-road at the southern end, which, added to that previously done, makes fifteen miles of dray-road at that end. Of this, however, there is half a mile which has not been finished, but which will be very soon properly completed. In addition to the above, 2 miles 27 chains of dray-road, with temporary culverts, has been made in the Paemako Improved Farm Settlement, making a total for the year of ten miles and a half. The whole length at the southern end is in pretty heavy side-cutting and bush-country. The average cubic yards per chain in the part widened, exclusive of the previously-made bridle-road, is earthwork 80 and rock 14 ; in the 37 chains of new dray-road 142 and 16 respectively. At Paemako, in 1 mile 37 chains, the average is earthwork 48 cubic yards and rock 2-J cubic yards; the other 70 chains at this part is surface forming, costing 6s. per chain. In addition to the above, 2,040 cubic yards of slips have been removed on contracts during the execution of the work, and paid for to the contractors. The maintenance and removal of slips on the part previously-made has cost for the year a little over £360, but there are still slips to be cleared that will cost about £100. I think the slipping has now passed its worst stage, and in future the expense will be very much less. Two miles and a half of bush has been felled, burnt, and grassed with cocksfoot and clover. Mangauika A Ik. —20 chains of dray-road, 15 of which is side-cutting, is all the work done on this block; it gives the only three settlers who are at present there cart-access to their holdings from the end of the Maoris' Boad, which enables them to cart to and from Pirongia and other places. Kihikihi-Otorohanga-Te Kuiti Road. —The only work done has been a few small repairs, and building a temporary cart-bridge across the Mangaorongo Stream, towards which Mr. Ellis, a settler near there contributed one-half. The further forming of this road will be put in hand as soon as possible, as it is really very much required. Wharepuhunga No. I. —No construction-works have been undertaken. An engineering survey of 27 miles 34 chains of roads giving access to and within the block has been made; plans and quantities are ready for starting the construction whenever desired. Stratford-Ongaruhe Road. —North end: no additional length has been added to road-con-struction. Three bridges across tributaries of the Ohura have been built, of a total length of 202 ft., and timber cut for another bridge of 34 ft. in length. The road from its junction with the Taumarunui-Ohakune Eoad to where it crosses the Ohura, a length of twenty-five miles, was put in good order early this summer, but recent heavy rains have caused many small slips, and one scour out of a small embankment. The road is now being cleared again, and shortly will be ready for wheel-traffic. Taumarunui-Ohakune Road. —End of railway at Te Porootarao Tunnel to Taumarunui. Three new culverts have been built, with necessary approaches and embankments, and 20 chains of road made, including the approaches to the Maramataha fords. Floods on the 29th and 30th January and the 27th February last have damaged two of the small bridges by cutting away the streambanks and scouring the beds, and also washed away two small embankments, which have now been repaired. The bridges have been made passable for horsemen, but before they are safe for wheeltraffic they must be taken to pieces and rebuilt; one of them will probably have to be lengthened. This work I propose doing directly I have time to arrange the necessary details. The road is in good order for any kind of traffic from the end of the railway to the junction with the StratfordOngaruhe Eoad, and is being thoroughly repaired between that point and Taumarunui. Karu-o-te-Whenua. —The work done was one mile and a half of dray-road in open land, mostly side-cutting, but does not include culverts which were not done the previous year. Miscellaneous Roads and Bridges in Native Districts. —About fifteen miles of bridle- and carttrack has been maintained and improved in places between Te Kuiti and Paemako, and eight miles has been very much improved on the track between Paemako and Pukerimu, on the StratfordOngaruhe Eoad, near Nihoniho Settlement. Wherever possible, and in the great majority of cases, the works have been done by co-opera-tive contract. No new country hitherto unexplored has been entered during the year's operations, and nothing remarkably interesting met with. C. W. Huesthouse, Eoad Surveyor.
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