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Arowhenua Native Road. —Amount voted, £50. This work will comprise about 34 chains of formation, the construction of an embankment about 3 ft. high over a gully, and the putting-in 6 in. pipes under same. After considerable negotiation with the Natives I agreed that they should be allowed to carry out the work in their own time, on the co-operative system, under their headman, no payment to be made until the satisfactory completion of the work. Orari Bridge. —The expenditure on this work was £1,200, which is inclusive of £200, the cost of the retaining-walls to restrict the width of the river, the Government vote-in-aid being £500. The structure is a plain wooden one 336 ft. in length, built on piles in fourteen spans of 24 ft. each. It is 11 ft. wide between the curb beams, but the hand-rails having an outward cant of 1 ft. on each side, thus leaving 13 ft. between the top rails. The bridge is built on the Main North Eoad crossing of the river, and was a very necessary public work, for in flood-time traffic had to be suspended. The work was carried out under the supervision of the Geraldine County engineer, and in accordance with the plans and specifications prepared by him. Pukaki-Omarama Boad. —Amount voted, £100, the greater portion of which has been expended. The work comprised the gravelling of about 57 chains of road to a width of ft., improving the road at the Quail Burn Saddle, and the approaches to the Ohau Bridge on both sides. The gravelling was done by contract, and the other works by day-labour, under the supervision of the Waitaki County Council. Fairlie-Pukaki Boad.- —Amount voted, £200. This work, which is in progress, comprises new formation, shingling, general surfacing, and removal of rocks where required on four sections of the road, situated two on each side of the Tekapo Bridge, and is being carried out under the supervision of the Mackenzie County, who are providing the necessary plant for the purpose free of cost. Mount Cook Boad. — The amount expended on this work during the year was carried out partly on the co-operative-contract system and partly by day-labour. The co-operative work comprised the formation of 1 mile 42 chains of road, which was carried out under the supervision of a Government and in a very creditable manner, the men giving no trouble. All the culverts and fords, however, in this section were constructed by day-labour, chiefly because the stone had to be carted some distance, and the men had no horses and carts. Keeping all the accounts, arranging for feeding and transporting the men to ground, paying part of their wages to their wives, receiving orders for accommodation, fares, &c, add considerably to the cost of supervision. The work performed by day-labour, assisted by the drays, ploughs, scoops, &c, comprised 1 mile 60 chains of formation, 16 ft. to 18 ft. wide, shingling 67 chains, constructing nineteen culverts (20ft. in length), lft. by lft., two culverts (20ft. in length), 2ft. by 2ft., nineteen fords, and 1 mile 10 chains of catchwater drains. In addition to the foregoing the drays have carted the firewood used by all classes of workmen from a place eight miles distant, at the rate of two loads per week, the co-operative men having cut it in their own time. Part of the above formation was flat, the remainder ordinary cutting and embanking, the material clay, gravel, boulders, and rock. The culverts and fords are most substantially built of stone. Some of them entailed a large amount of labour, as they are of considerable size, and in a few cases the stone had to be carted a long way. All this work was executed in a first-class manner, and will, I trust, last for years. The work done by the two surface-men has been very satisfactory. In addition to the constant attention the fords have required, they have been much improved by clearing out the road cuttings and chipping off the line of tussocks which had grown in the centre. There have been many floods during the year, nevertheless, the coach has been running regularly, and to my knowledge has not been detained a single day ; when the creeks were high the surface-men have piloted the coach through them. The works in progress consist of widening the road by cutting off points and embanking with material in the old Glentanner Section, and gravelling about 6 chains near same, re-forming a wet place, and putting in culvert about three miles down Lake Pukaki; formation of about 10 chains where the road leaves Lake Pukaki to go over hill. After the work here enumerated has been done I have instructed the overseer to discharge the men for the season. Work to be done: New road round Lake Pukaki, or else considerable repairs to old one, £1,500; repairs to old formation on lake; re-forming section near Jack's Creek, and clearing cuttings between Bush Creek and the rabbitfence, £300; two surface-men, £100: in all, £1,900. The road is in very good order throughout except between the Ohau finger-post and the lake, which is the piece that would not be used if the lake-side route was adopted. Part of it has never been properly formed, and it is getting into a very bad state, and should have something done to it next season, if the other is not to be formed. The £300 I have put down for clearing the cuttings and widening and forming here and there would have to be spent if the road is to be made really good, but there is no immediate necessity for it. The surface-men are indispensable, because of the everchanging creeks and damage by flood. The coaching company have now an excellent lot of horses and coaches on the road, and have been running all the season without any hitches or breakdowns. Hooker Bridge. —The work of strengthening this bridge is now complete, and District Surveyor Brodrick, who had the supervision of it, states in his report that Mr. Riddle, the carpenter in charge, did his work very creditably, and that all the ironwork ordered in Christchurch for the bridge fitted in a satisfactory manner. The only changes from the original design were in using railway-irons for anchors instead of concrete, and in lengthening the cables by the addition of part of the old Ohau cable to get better places to sink the anchors, both of which alterations are an improvement. The decking is now 2 ft. wide instead of 1 ft.; the hand-rail is of wire rope instead of a single wire ; and the whole structure is infinitely stronger and stiffer than it was originally. The decking and all underground ironwork received three coatings of tar, and the whole bridge wa3 painted. Altogether it is very much improved in appearance, and I do not think even very nervous people will be afraid to cross it, as many used formerly to be. Just after the new cables had been hung, but before the attachments were made to it, the old bridge was completely wrecked by a terrific

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