C—la

28

Improvement of Richmond Hill Horse-track. —A sum of £100 was contributed by the Government towards this work. From the summit of the hill to the main road in the Aniseed Valley, a new line of 3f miles was laid off on dray-road grades, averaging about one in twenty, and two traverses constructed on the Richmond side to ease steep pinches. Contract No. 28 was completed at a cost of £251 14s. 4d., of which the company contributes £151 14s. 4d. Amuri Horse-track —The total length of this line as surveyed from the junction of the Lewis and the Boyle Rivers, Upper Waiau, to the Maruia Valley, with dray-road gradients, is 15f miles and gives access from the Amuri District to a block of 10,000 acres of Crown lands in the Maruia, and forms a portion of a stock-driving road from Canterbury to Westland. During the year a length of 6 miles, from the top of the Lewis saddle to Maruia Valley, has been constructed, being let in Contracts Nos. 29, 30 and 31, in two-mile sections. The cost is £1,300 16s. Id. The timber is cleared sixty-six feet wide, formation sft, metalling 3ft. This portion of the line has relieved the travelling through a very dangerous part of the old track, known as Cannibal Gorge. Pigeon Valley, Wakefield to Bovedale. —A length of 4f miles on the top of the saddle has been surveyed with dray-road grades, for the Waimea Road Board, at a cost of £62 135., to be refunded to the Government. John S. Browning, Chief Surveyor.

WESTLAND. Teremalcav, to Bell Sill. —Giving access to 12,000 acres of good agricultural lands (vote, £1,400). A road extending from, abreast Lake Poerua to the Crooked River. The construction of it, under the supervision of the Resident Engineer, Greymouth, was recently placed in the hands of the Grey County Council. Kumara to Beach. —Giving access to 4,000 acres of fair settlement lands (vote £1,000). A dray road, 2 j miles in length, formation width fourteen feet, metal ten feet; constructed by the Westland County Council under my supervision. About 2 miles of it were completed during 1884 to 1885, and the remainder in September last. The total cost of the work was £1,086 145., the County Council defraying the cost (£B6 145.) in excess of the vote. Waikukupa to Cook's River Flat. —Giving access to 4,000 acres of very good agricultural lands (vote, £1,000). A continuation of the Main South Road, length 2f miles, formation width nine feet, metal five feet. The work contracted for amounts to £1,113 10s. Nearly half of it has been completed, but progress payments to the amount of £112 10s. only, have been made. The road is being constructed by the County Council under my supervision. Gillespie's to Cook's River Flat. —Giving access to 7,500 acres of very good agricultural lands (vote, £1,920). Length, 8 miles, formation width seven feet, metal four feet. The contract for part of the work amounts to £1,022, and provision needs still to be made for the forming and metalling of above 1 mile of swampy ground, and for the bridging of two of the creeks. It was considered advisable by the County Engineer and myself to postpone contracting for these works until the bush clearing, throughout the whole length of the road, had been effected. Moeraki to Otumotu. —Giving access to 2,500 acres of very good agricultural lands (vote, £1,500). This road, 9 miles in length, formation width five feet, metal three feet, was in process of construction at the beginning of the Departmental year. About 3 miles of it had been completed in the preceding year, and the remaining 6 miles since July, 1885. The contract amounted to £1,386 155., and extras, £28. Thus bringing the total to £1,414 15s. The work was completed in November, 1885. Cascade Valley Road. —Giving access to 16,000 acres of good, and 4,000 acres of fair, agricultural lands (vote, £1,120). Length 4J miles, formation width five feet, metal three feet. Tenders for this road close this month (July, 13th) ; it, like the two preceding roads, is being constructed by the County Council under Departmental supervision. Cedar Creek Road. —Giving access to about 1,200 acres of fair settlement lands (vote, £3,000). Length 6i miles, formation width ten feet, metal eight feet. The construction of this road, and the others following, has been undertaken for the purpose of giving access to auriferous lands, and should, strictly speaking, appear on the Goldfields Roads and tracks ; but, inasmuch as they (with the exception of two of them) make Crown Lands suitable for settlement accessible, and are works carried out under my supervision, I enumerate them here. 4 miles of this Cedar Creek Road are now under contract; about 2 of these are completed, and the subsidy paid by Government towards the construction of these is £l ? 000. Browning's Pass Reef Road. —Giving access to about 3,000 acres of fair settlement lands (vote, £2,000). Length about 24 miles, clearing ten feet wide, and formation and metalling where necessary, to admit of pack-horse traffic. Up to the present the County has expended about £1,400 on this road, but no subsidy has as yet been paid by the Government towards it. By the Arahura Valley, about 13 miles of the track are now fit for horse traffic, and in the Styx Valley, the old track has been cleared up to the Arahura' Saddle. The County surveyors are still engaged at the marking out of the upper portion of this road. Larrikin's to Loopline. — Giving access to about 1,000 acres of indifferent settlement lands (subsidy, £333 6s. Bd.) Length 2f miles, formation width six feet, metal three feet. This road also was partly constructed in the preceding year, and finished in February, 1886. Its total cost was £449 11s., towards the payment of which Government contributed £299 14s. Bough- Wainihinilii to Upper KawhaJca Dam.— Giving access to about 1,200 acres of indifferent settlement lands (subsidy, £300). Length, 3 miles. Contracted for last month (12th June, 1886). Amount of contract, £598. Work on this road has been commenced.