1.—6.

On leaving Stratford the line follows the valley of tho Patea, which, to the Makuri Stream, isgood agricultural bush land, aiioiit. eight miles in lengtb and ten diilbs wide, with a clay subsoil ;md ; t, thick black boil on top. The timber in parts is plentiful, and suitablo for mills, consisting o£ riinu, matai, white pine, and patches of tot&ra. A road-line would connect at Makuri that would open up the country to the Mangaehu and down tho Patea Eiver, some ton miles further. Following up Makuri as far as the saddle lo Mangaotuku, it meets a practicable road-line that would come down that valley, tapping the country between the Tariki Iload and central Waitara, some forty thousand acres good furest'land, timber principally rimu, matai, rata, and white pine ; soil rich. Crossing Lhe saddle lo f.h. ; Alang.wtuku another road would come in, opening up tho country down the Mangayhu Valte\ eastward to Wangamu and head of the Wmmuakura and Waitot.aro, Rivers ; country varied, valleys good, but tho ate.eps of tho MatemaLeonga TUuges (which rise, in places 2,000 ft. above the surrounding country) would be useless lor a.^rii-ult.ii'al oi-pastoral purpose;., ■ and should bo retained as a forest reserve. The line does not run through tlii^s country, Imi soinr miles distant, abreast of it. The line follows the Valley of Mangaotuku for about twelve miles, in undulating country five miles wide : upper end swampy; in parts fern, light bush on hill slopes, easily cleared ; soil good. About half way, about t wenty-iive ■ ieil<_■ = t'voui Stratford, a road would come over a low saddl-1 from Makahu and Upper Mangaolm, wheve some, ten thousand acres of fern and light bush country could bo brought into use for settlement. On some of tho branch streams there are largo patches of white pine, and on the main ridge, above Waitara, rimu, matai, pukatea.. and iotara are plentiful. Prom Mangaotuku it crosses a saddle to the Makahu, and then on to the Whangauromona, getting into the country drained h) i lie Wanganui and its tributaries. Hero roads- would open up country down the Whangauromoua, l.owrr Tangarakau, part of the Wanganui near tbo bend at "Puketapu, some 4,600 acres. In parts tho hill-tops are covered with black bire-h, but it does not continue fai- long distances, and not generally on ilie (hit ground neat1 (he streams. Fro?u Wha.ugauromona it goos through about ten miles of rather broken and abrupt country to the Tabor ntaroa, where roads would come in from ddl'ereui, directions, opening up tlie Lower Tangarakau another part of the Wanganui \r idloy, and the up])er part o( the Wailarii. A break of good country is about hero, not very wide, but of about twelve miles in length: soil is good ; timber large and plentiful. From Tangarakau, sixty miles from Stratford, until near tlte Kao Stream, about Mix miles, the country is rugged and unlit, ibr settlement. Timber in black birch, high iind straight. Southwards towards, the Lower Eao timber is more rimn and rat a, with patches of birch. Coal crops out in different parts, indicating an extensive field. The country at tliis particular place near the coal-beds is by far tlie worst on the route. Tho stream meanders Umm;<h rid"e<-, '( LOO.r to 1,400 ft. above its level, which am abrupt and rough. Ta/ngarakau at its source is much better, the Valley of Waiiaanga inieuiug out near a stream that flows to Mokau, giving a. considerable amount of available laud. Near tho TangarEikau-Kao Saddle there are about two thousand acres of good land, hardly expected ;it is caused by the meeting of several ridges. Similar spots are frequently mot with in Once into the Eao the country changes to open fern valleys and forest-topped hills. Roads would come over from tho Lower Ohura, and Wanganui, where the country is a mixture of fern, scrub, and bush, the land near the streams and on banks of river being good agricultural, with rich soil, the European grasses that are there growing luxuriantly, ilie clover especially so. ■Following the Eao to its source, and over "to M&ngaroa, the country is good. A road coming down Mangaroa would open couut.y towards- a large branch of Mokau called Punirau. Some of the streams that come into Ohura have valleys that run considerable distances back, mostly fern and scrub. A little above Nihoniho Ohura breaks into two, the northerly branch, Waikaka, taking its rise near the tributary of ,M"okau-iti. This stream has several branches i.bat -have good fern \ alleys, and in the bends of the river the land is of good quality. Ohura proper continues towards Ougaiube, still through fern, toi, scrub, and ligbi bush its brandies also ninirn" well back two to three! miles, with open valleys. From Waikaka the line goes over into the valley of the Mokau-iti, where a chango in the character of country and soil is much more noticeable. Tho hills aiv flatter topped, valleys wider, and soil better, the outcrops of limestone, which i,, very plentiful, gi\ing an abnmt appearance to the surroundings. It continues good for a mile or two below Totoro on the Mokau, some twelve miles in length ;ind seven miles wide. The Mokau Valley (north-east), stretching for miles inland towards the Waikato district, looks good. From Totoro the horse-track turns to the Awakino, to avoid the rough country down the Mokau River. ■ From a mile or two below Totoro the Mokau flows between high hills, the spurs in places coming to the water's edge, and very steep. There are breaks where the country is good, though not many, tins end of tho valley being more suitable for coal industries than for farming purposes. As regards available eounirj opened up jit tor settlement, from Stralion! to where the line leaves Mang,iotuku—some thirty miles—-about 170,000 acres would be contiguous to the line, tbou"h (,hc branch roads that have been mentioned would bring in an extra amount of 65,000 acres. From Mangaotuku to L'iio is twentj-four miles in length, twelve miles on each side embracingWO.OOO acres, about half of wKfeh would be suitable for settlement, purposes. To counteract this, there is in the most, rugged portion the Tangarakau coal field, through which the line runs. From Eao to the Mokau-iti, some thirty-five miles by about fourteen miles wide, gives 300,000 acres. This part is a mixture of open valleys, low hills, and high ridges. Near the dividing range,.

104