C. -1.

Reefton-Hokitika-Ross Road.—The maintenance of this road extends from Kumara to rail-way-station, and from Kumara to Hokitika and Ross at Donnelly's Creek Bridge, being a total distance of 38 miles 31 chains, which during the past twelve months has been kept in excellent order throughout, considering the extraordinarily heavy rains we have had from time to time. A large amount of heavy traffic in sleepers, sawn timber, firewood, mining machinery, and the supplies necessary for the district passed over it, which required a deal of labour in its maintenance. At Arahura the deviation from Greyhound Hotel via the railway-bridge on to junction of old road, being a distance of 77 chains, has been widened to 16 ft. on top, and gravelled with pit gravel and broken metal 12 in. deep. All the bridges and culverts along the route are in fairly good repair, but their strength will be put to test when the heavy dredging machinery passes over them. The repairs to Lower Arahura Traffic-bridge will be commenced on an early date, and already some of the timber is on the ground. At Ross, on the upper side of Donnelly's Creek Bridge, a breastwork 600 ft. long, of driven piles sheeted with sawn timber, has been constructed, which will protect the south end of the bridge and the southern embankment. At the upper end of Stafford Township a stone crate 180 ft. long, 14 ft. wide at bottom, 8 ft. at top, and 8 ft. deep was constructed, so as to protect the bridge and approach, which was in danger of being swept away. All the bridges require three coats of tar. New Road, Stafford-Awatuna. —The sum of £9B has been expended in gravelling a portion of this road, which is much required, and I would recommend its speedy completion, which will be of large benefit to the general public in this locality. Karangarua Bridge.—The expenditure upon the above work was £Bl 155., which has been judiciously expended on the approaches to the bridge. Gillespie's and Galway Bluff Track.—The track from Gillespie's to end of the above bluffs has been put in good repair, and a new track completed over the bluff, so that now travellers have not to wait for the tide as before. I have also formed a track to get past what is called the " hollow rock," .which enables the public to pass along at any state of the tide. The amount expended on above was £299 9s. lid., which includes survey-labourers' wages when at survey of deviation. Okuru Ford Track.—The sum of £146 16s. 7d. was expended upon this very necessary track, which was much required, as it now leads to a good ford over Okuru River, which saves boating at the mouth of river as formerly. Hokitika-Jackson's.—The sum of £97 9s. Id. was expended upon general maintenance of road and culverts, which is now all in good order and repair. W. G. Mubbay, Chief Surveyor.

CANTERBURY. Waipara-Cheviot Road.—A portion of the £250 voted for improving this road was expended in the formation and shingling of the deviation at the Omihi Saddle, about 35 chains in length; 20 chains of catchwater drains were also constructed, and four pipe culverts laid down. A further sum of £lOO as a pound-for-pound subsidy has been granted, and will be expended this year in renewing the Omihi Creek Bridge, situated about three miles from Waipara. The work was carried out by the Waipara Road Board. Oxford Bush Roads. —The rubble-and-concrete arched bridge over Gammten's Creek, mentioned last year, is now completed. The work was carried out by day labour, under the supervision of the engineer to the Oxford Road Board, and on inspection I found it to be substantially and well built. After commencing the work the Board decided to increase the width of the span from 18 ft. to 20 ft. on noting the volume of water carried by the creek during a heavy flood, and this, they state, has added a good deal to the cost of the work. The Board has applied for a further grant to carry out the works to completion. Culverden-Hanmer Plains Road.—Amount of vote, £lOO, out of which £6B ss. has been expended. During the year a surfaceman has been employed with horse and dray repairing creek and river crossings after every flood, filling in ruts, patching bad places with shingle, cleaning out cuttings and water-tables, also clearing away the loose rock in the rock-cutting at the Ferry Bridge. The Amuri County Council is supervising the work. Highbank Settlement Roads.—Amount of vote, £5OO, out of which a portion has been expended during the year on five contracts for metalling these roads. A total length of 474-4 chains was let to the settlers on the co-operative contract system last October, but so far only two of them —a length of 2 miles 27 chains—are completed; the others, though nearly so, are put off till after harvest. In the completed contracts the average wage earned per man per day of eight hours is Bs., exclusive of cost of horses, dray, tools, &c. Owing to the absence of all the surveyors in the southern part of the district I was glad to avail myself of Mr. March's services to arrange'for and carry out the above contracts, and the work has been carried out in a satisfactory manner, and the men appeared to be satisfied with their earnings. Arowhenua Native Road.—This work is now completed, and the amount of the vote, £5O, paid over. The work was carried out on the co-operative system by a party of four of the Natives in a very satisfactory, though intermittent, manner, and owing to this circumstance a close record of their earnings has not been kept, further than they worked 143 "days, which gives a rate of 3s. 7d. per day, after deducting amount paid for horses, dray, plough, and scoop. The work comprised about 35 chains of formation, the construction of an embankment about 3 ft. high over a gully, and the laying-down of two culverts and one ford. Pukaki-Mount Cook Road.—Altogether fifteen men were employed, nine of whom were co-operative labourers. The works carried out comprised 1 mile 15 chains of formation; ten

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