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NELSON, Takaka Roads and Bridges.—Out of this grant to the Collingwood County Council money has been expended in tarring the bridge over the Takaka at Paine's Ford. Ferntown-Pakawau Road. —The same local body was intrusted with the expenditure of the vote, and 75 chains of bushfelling, formation, metalling, ditching, &c, was done in forming a road round the estuary. Lloyd's Valley Road. —-The Waimea County Council received a grant of £100 for the openingup of this road, and 79 chains of road-formation, 17 ft. wide, with the necessary culverts, was let in three contracts, one of which has been completed, and the remainder of the work is proceeding satisfactorily. Road. —6o chains, in continuation of previously formed dray-road, has been converted from a rough bridje-track into dray-road by co-operative labour. Deviations from the old track were found necessary to improve the grade, and a few chains of rough stonewalling against the river has to be built. The work will be continued in a few months' time, and a further length made available for wheeled traffic. Wake field-Stanley Brook. —The expenditure of this grant has been intrusted to the Waimea County authorities, and contracts have been let and the work in hand for widening the existing road at several sharp and dangerous turns in the road, but no advance has yet been made. Pigeon Valley-Dovedale. —This vote of £100 has been spent in putting a light coat of gravel on 109 chains of the road. Tracks, Mount Arthur. —6 miles 22 chains onwards from the Flora Saddle of rough bridle-track through the bush has been vastly improved, and formed throughout into a good horse-track 4 ft. on the solid, overhanging trees and scrub cleared, and requisite fords made. A great deal of rock was met with, and numerous deviations had to be made to improve grades. This work, with the expenditure of £200 from the Mines vote, which was spent on this side of the Flora Saddle, enables the table-land, from which Mount Arthur and other high mountain-peaks can be climbed, to be reached with comfort on horseback, as well as affording easy access to the mining claims in the vicinity. Aniseed Valley. —An engineering survey of a very necessary deviation of the road, to avoid two rough fords, has been made, and it is intended shortly to commence road-construction with cooperative labour. Wairoa Gorge Road. —A length of 70J chains of old horse-track has leen converted into a drayroad 17 ft. wide under the supervision of the Waimea County Council. Raioson's Greek Road. —Part of the vote has been spent in the purchase of land for a new line of road, and the balance is about to be used in forming a bridle-track along it. Marahau Valley Road. —The Eiwaka Eoad Boa,rd has constructed a cart-road 16 ft. wide for a distance of 53-J- chains out of this grant. Little Sydney Branch Track. —The same local body has made a bridle-track 5 ft. wide for a distance of 127 chains. Motueka River Protection. —A very effective work was carried out under the management of the Motueka Eoad Board in the construction of protective works where there was a serious breach in the banks threatened, which, if not prevented, would have destroyed much of the farm-lands in the immediate neighbourhood. The nature of the work has been similar to what has answered so admirably in previously executed works near at hand—viz., the systematic building of sloping banks, with layers of manuka fascine, weighted at the foot with stones, bound together in a mass by strong wires, and staked with willow stakes. In addition, two crates filled with boulders were built to ace as groins, with the object of turning the course of the river. Motueka-Waiwera. —Out of this grant to the Motueka Eoad Board there have been made 22J chains of cart-road 13 ft. wide; a new line of road at Waiwera, in substitution of a badly graded one over the hills, has been bought, which will be of great service to the holdings affected. Takaka-Riwaka Road. —A mile and a half of the main road going up the hill from Eiwaka has been metalled, and 43 cubic yards of stonewalling built by the Collingwood County Council, but no money has-been yet paid out of the vote. Belgrove-Tophouse—Tarndale. —At the beginning of the year there was a small credit balance, which was laid out in repairing and gravelling the worst places from Eeay's Hill to Tophouse. Road to Torea Southwards. —34 chains has been cleared, formed, and gravelled by a grant of £200 to the Buller County Council. Tophouse-Wairau Gorge Road. —The work consists of improving approaches to fords near the place known as the " Slips," and clearing scrub and overhanging trees along the track, and general repairs to the road between Tophouse and the Eainbow Eiver. Wangapeka-Rolling River. —The reopening of this prospectors' track, which had been completely blocked with fallen timber by the heavy falls of snow last winter in that locality. Several old and dangerous bridges had to be replaced, and the track repaired generally. Tableland Horse-track. —Five miles and five-eighths from Hodges's to the Flora Saddle has been improved by co-operative labour in clearing overhanging trees and scrub and generally widening the track, especially at some dangerous points and rocky bluffs. Wangapeka-Wanganui Road. —At the eastern or Wangapeka end of this road a great deal of work was entailed in rendering the existing portion, which was blocked throughout by slips and timber (the result of the heavy snowfall of last winter), fit for pack-horses, to convey materials, stores, &c, for use of road parties before works in continuation of new road could be undertaken. This was spread over a distance of sixteen miles. About one mile of new bridle-road was made through heavy rock cutting, and ten miles of a good walking-track has been carried down the Karamea Eiver towards the junction of that river with the Eiver Crow. The bush and scrub has been cleared 12 ft. wide, and roots, logs, &c, removed, and iq a few places round shoulders of
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