ARMED CONSTABULARY FORCE.

11

G—No. 14

Attending Civil Courts. —Constables have attended at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Clyde, whenever required by the Eesident Magistrate. Public and Useful Works. Nature and Extent of Boad Works. —Work under this heading has been very limited, oa account of the other duties which the force have been engaged in. At Te Ariki it has been confined to keeping the approaches to the Waiau Eiver passable, and improving the crossings of creeks in the vicinity. At Onepoto two miles of good dray road have been made from that station to a creek called the Mangakiokio ; this has been a very difficult piece of work. Building Bridges and Culverts. —A bridge 60 feet span and 10 feet in width is in course of erection over the Mangakiokio Creek, near Waikare Moana ; it will be completed in about three weeks from date. At Maru Maru temporary culverts have been made over the Amamai, "Waiparapara and Makakaki Creeks. Building Houses, Stables, Sfc. —At Te Ariki, one cookhouse, one storeroom, and three whares for accommodation of Armed Constabulary have been erected. At Onepoto very substantial buildings have been put up, comprising officers' quarters 16 x 10 feet; sergeants' ditto, 12 x 10 feet; men's ditto, 30 x 15 feet; forage store, 12 x 8 feet; these are all inside the redoubt. Outside are messroom and kitchen, 36 x 16 feet; bakehouse (with oven attached), 14 X 10 feet. These buildings, including the flanking angle before mentioned, are composed of rimu and matai slabs, battened, floored, and shingled with kahikatea. The erection and splitting of material has been all Constabulary labour. At Maru Maru slab huts are in course of erection for the accommodation of the detachment, also a guard-room : the timber for these has had to be brought from one mile from the other side of the Wairoa Eiver, and crossed by canoes and rafts. Fencing Paddocks, and laying down in Grass. —At Te Kapu a twenty-acre paddock has been fenced in with a three-rail fence, and further subdivided into two, a cross fence portioning off about sis acres round the blockhouse. It is intended to lay the larger paddock down in English grass, and authority to purchase seed has been applied for. At Onepoto about two acres of scrub has been cleared, and it is proposed to further clear about ten acres during the ensuing winter, and sow grass seed in the spring. Eemarks. In addition to the four stations at present occupied, two others, namely, Te Kiwi and Tiki Tiki, were temporarily held, but, on account of the numerical paucity of the force in the district, they were abandoned —the former in August, 1871, and the latter in January, 1872. At Tiki Tiki, on Lake Waikare-Moana, a strong palisading was erected across the Peninsula formed by the Wairau and Mokau arms of the Lake, thus cutting off all communication with that station by land. In concluding this report I may mention that at no time since the Armed Constabulary was raised have I seen so much done in the same time as the force in this district has performed during the last twelve months ; the strength has seldom exceeded forty-five constables, and five new stations have been occupied and erected within the last nine months. Te Ariki and Onepoto were taken up in the beginning of August, 1871; Te Kiwi shortly afterwards, and Tiki Tiki about the middle of October, 1871. The detachment at this latter station was withdrawn, and shifted to Maru Maru on the Ist February, 1872. At Te Ariki the total strength has never exceeded five, and latterly, has been confined to four, whose duties are ferrying, orderlies, &c, over the Waiau, and carrying despatches. About ten acres of potatoes were planted and used by the force at Onepoto. The force have always exercised a strict surveillance over the Natives at all the posts, by watching their movements, and intercepting them from passing up the rivers without permits from the Officer Commanding or the Eesident Magistrate. One constable has, for the last three months, been struck off all duty to superintend the road works which are being carried on by contract labour, and he has performed the duties of a civil engineer with marked ability, and to the entire satisfaction of Mr. E. 11. Bold, Engineer in charge. The constable is at present engaged in surveying a line of road between Te Kapu and WaikareMoana, assisted by two other constables. I have, &c, G-eo. J. Cummino, Inspector, A.C., Commanding Wairoa District.

Enclosure 6 in No. 1. Inspector Turner to the Commissioner, Armed Constabulary Force. Sm, Armed Constabulary District Office, Patea, 18th July, 1872. In compliance with the instructions contained in Circular No. 47,1 have the honor to forward my report on the duties performed by the Armed Constabulary in this district from Ist July, 1871, to 30th 3 line, 1872, as follows :— Military Duties. Average Strength of Officers and Men in District. —3 officers, and 80 non-commissioned officers and constables. Nature of Parades and Brills. —Divine Service and marching order parades once a week ; periodical drills, mounted and foot. Patrolling and Scouting. —No continued system of patrolling or scouting has been kept up ; but