27

C.-l

Lees Valley Drainage. —Work was commenced at the end of the year, and three contracts were let, none of which were completed at the 31st March. Expenditure, £16 Is. Ellerslie Workers' Dwellings. —A report was supplied on the question of disposing of the stormwaters which periodically flood the locality. Expenditure, £4 4s. 2d. Waitakaruru Loan Block. —The Malmta Road has been considerably improved and will prove .-I- great benefit to settlers, especially in the winter. The drainage of the district is now more efficient than it has ever been. Total expenditure, £443 6s. Id. Thu following particulars show the principal works carried out in the various localities during the year : — Cleaning drains .. .. .. .. ..152 miles 34 chains. Widening and deepening drains .. .. . . .. 66 ~ 53 ~ Constructing new drains .. .. . . . . 7 ~ 27 „ Re-forming roads .. .. .. .. .. 7 ~ 58 ~ Outlets . . .. .. .. .. .. 7 „ 40 ~ New roads .. .. .. .. . . . . 4 ~ 0 ~ Clearing bush on roads ... . . .. . . 0 „ 66 ~ Disking roads . . . . . . . . . . . . (i ~ 20 ~ Grading clay roads . . .. .. .. . . 9 „ 75 „ Ploughing roadsides .. . . .. . . .. 3 ~ 64 ~ Gravelling roads .. . . .. .. . . 3 ~ 4 ~ Shelling roads .. .. .. . . . . 1 ~ 40 „ Metalling roads .. . . .. .. .. 4 „ 47 ~ Fencing roads . . .. .. .. .. 0 ~ 40 ~ Repairing stop-banks .. .. . . .. .. 0 ~ 55 ~ New stop-banks .. .. . . .. . . 7 „ 0 ~ River snagging and cleaning . . .. .. . . 25 ~ 0 „ Willow-destruction . . .. .. . . .. 7 „ 0 „ Groynes .. . . .. .." .. . . 997 ft. Spoil dredged . . . . . . .. .. 506,816 cubic yards. Excavation by wheel scoops .. . . . . 14,697 „ Artesian wells sunk . . .. . . .. .. 2 (number). Blood-gates built .. .. .. .. .. 2 „ Bridges built .. .. . . . . .. .. 3 ~ Sleepers laid .. .. .. ..' .. ..3,800 Gravel for roads .. .. .. .. 8,596 cubic yards. Officu. The total expenditure certified for payment during the year was £67,932 16s. 9d., the vouchers for which were prepared in the main office at Auckland. Direct Treasury payments amounted to £20,620 16s. 3d., payments through the Post Office to £498 Is. 10d., and 'transfer to £7,208 Bs. Bd. A total of £39,605 was paid out of the Thames and Whakatane Imprests. The number of piecework contracts during the year was 196 Inward correspondence, 2,270; outward, 2,520. Some 1,535 vouchers were prepared and passed though the books, but some of these vouchers cover up to twelve pages each. A considerable number of engineering, road, and other plans were made and tracings prepared. The expenditure quoted represents the amounts actually expended on the various works and passing through my books, but will not necessarily agree with the figures shown in the tables as submitted to Parliament, as portion of the expenditure may not have been dealt with in the Head Office before the end of the year.