C.—3

2

Boad, Just-in-Time to Pumpkin Flat. —This is a dray road from the Just-in-Time and other mines to Mr Curtis's crushing-battery at Pumpkin Flat, to enable the claim-holders to send their quartz to the battery. Its estimated cost was £300, of which £150 was authorised as a subsidy ; of this amount £120 has been paid. Extension, Just-in-Time Boad, Coromandel. —This road was required, as machinery had to be placed on Blagrove's Freehold to enable mining operations to be carried on. The estimated cost of the extension is £300, of which amount £150 was authorised as a subsidy. Track, Kapanga to Paul's Creek. —This portion of the track completes the road between Coromandel and Cabbage Bay. Its cost was £200, of which £100 was paid as subsidy. Track, Mercury Bay to Kuaotunu,. —This is a horse-track between the end of the sea-beach drayroad to the mines and Mercury Bay, and opens up a good line of communication between the two places. The cost of the work has been £360, of which amount £180 was paid as a subsidy. Thames County. Subsidies on ten different roads and tracks in this county have been authorised, but the County chairman, on my recent visit to the district, informed me that the financial affairs of the county would not admit of nine of these works being at present undertaken. The estimated cost of these is £1,902, on which subsidies are authorised to the extent of £951, but it is expected that some of the works will be undertaken at an early date. Boad, Upper Tararu to Sylvia Mine. —This road was formed several years ago, but never metalled. As mining operations have, within these last two years, extended greatly in this vicinity, the traffic cut the road up to such an extent that it become impassable, and had to be metalled at a cost of £750. A subsidy was authorised to the extent of £375; of this amount £342 3s. 6d. has been paid. Ohinemuri County. Boad to Waitekauri. — A new dray-road is in course of construction to avoid a steep hill on the road leading from Ohinemuri Valley to Waitekauri. The estimated cost of the work is £360, of which a subsidy of £180 was authorised ; of this amount £166 17s. has been paid. Boad, Karangahake Hill. —This work consists of widening and metalling the hill-track between the site of the new bridge across the Ohinemuri Eiver, at Karangahake, and the old Hauraki Mine. The cost is estimated at £200, of which £100 was authorised as a subsidy ; of this amount £16 9s. has been paid. Boad, Karangahake through Gorge. —This road was completed early last year, but it has not yet been metalled. There seems to be a good deal of traffic on this road, as it is now greatly cut up, and will be very bad this winter unless something is done towards metalling it. A direct grant of £1,000 was given towards its construction, and afterwards a subsidy of pound for pound to the extent of £100, all of which has been paid. Boad, Owheroa to Waihi. —This is for the construction of a deviation to avoid the steep hill between the Ohinemuri Eiver and the Waitekauri Creek. The road is in course of construction, and will cost, when completed, about £600. A subsidy of pound for pound has been authorised to the extent of £300, none of which has yet been paid. MIDDLE ISLAND. Waimea County. The County Council applied for and obtained two subsidies on pound for pound principle to the extent of £110 for repairs to track between Baton Eiver and Karamea, and for constructing a track from Dove Eiver to Baton Saddle, and from Boiling Eiver to Wangapeka Saddle, but none of these subsidies have yet been paid. Inangahua County. Boad, Globe to Merrijigs. —This was at first constructed as a horse-track, and is now being widened for dray-traffic. It may be said that the whole of the ground on the line of reefs between Eainy Creek and Merrijigs is held in claims, some of which are giving fair returns. This road will give a means of communication with the whole of the claims. The estimated cost of the work is £1,500, of which £750 was authorised as a subsidy; of this amount £698 13s. has been paid. It is now found that the balance of the money will not be sufficient to complete the work. Track, Larry's Creek. —A horse-track was constructed some years ago between Larry's Creek and Coal Creek, and last year this track was extended, and is still in course of construction. The total cost is estimated at £1,220, of which £610 has been authorised as a subsidy; of this amount £530 17s. 6d. has been paid. Boad up Mangles Valley. —This is a road up the valley of the Mangles Eiver from its junction with the Buller Eiver to McGregor's station. The estimated cost of the work was £1,200, of which £600 was authorised as a subsidy; of this amount £300 has been paid. There are four other roads on which subsidies have been authorised, namely : Horse Terrace to Hunter's station, £640 ; Golden Lead to Battery, £150 ; extension of road to Cumberland machinesite, £200; and extension dray-road to Boatman's, £50. Some of these works are said to be in progress, but no subsidies have yet been paid. Buller County. Boad, Waimangaroa to Sea-beach. —This is a road to give the miners working on the sea-beach means of communication with the Township of Waimangaroa. The cost of the work has been £390, of which £195 was authorised as a subsidy; out of this amount £120 has been paid.