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Tiraumea Bridge {Hull's Grossing). —The grant for this bridge is £500. Plans have been approved, and a contract for its construction let, but nothing worthy of mention has yet been done n the way of work. The Pahiatua County Council are in charge of it. Mangatainoka Bridge, on Bridge Boad. —The sum of £150 was granted to the Pahiatua County Council for this work, £53 of which has been paid them. Woodville-Aohanga Boad. —Two miles and three-quarters of horse-road formation have been constructed, with three bridges of from 45ft. to 60ft. spans, and have also been maintained. This has all been done at the Makuri end of the road, in extension of about two miles of dray-road formation done by the Pahiatua County Council, leaving a gap of some five miles in length between it and the work at the Tiraumea end of the road, along which gap.the settlers have to get as best they can ; and I have strongly to recommend that the formation should be completed through as rapidly as possible. Te Aupapa Boad. —A grant of £200 has been made to the Pahiatua County for metalling and improving 78 chains of this road. The work was being done at the end of the year. Makuri Bridge {near Township). —A bridge of about 45ft. span, with a land-span of about 12ft., has been built over the Makuri Biver by the Pahiatua County Council, the Government contributing the sum of £295 towards it. The contract was let by the county long before the grant was obtained, and neither the plans —which had to be considerably amended during the construction of the bridge—nor the bridge when built, was approved of, and the grant was paid subject to the condition that the county was responsible for its re-construction in case of loss. Makairo Boad. —3o chains of this road, being a connecting link between the Upper Makuri and Mangatoro dray-roads, have been widened from 6ft. to 16ft., and nine miles and a half of the road have been maintained for horse-traffic throughout the year, the total cost being £348. Makairo-Kumeroa Boad. —The possible routes for this connecting road have been inspected and reported on, and the sum of £200 granted to the Kumeroa Boad Board towards its location, survey, and construction. I understand, however, that they decline to accept the grant, not approving of the route proposed by the Government. Towai Boad. —Two miles and a half of engineering surveys have been made, and three miles and a half of road have been maintained. About £200 are at my disposal for the maintenance and extension of this road, which sum should be considerably augmented with a view of extending it through the Eising Sun Block. Parties will be put on shortly to take the formation as far as funds will allow. Upper Makuri Boad. —This was gazetted a county road in July of last year. The department have, however, kept one man constantly employed on it ever since, with the view of assisting the county with its maintenance. Makuri Township Boads. —These roads —being in length a mile and a half —have been maintained, and half a mile of metalling has been done on them. A foot-bridge has been put over the Turakina Creek, and the fords across that stream and the Makuri Eiver have been kept in good order. Makuri Aohanga. —Of this road two miles and a quarter of horse-road formation were done, the surveys and plans for which were made by Mr. T. Hughes, and eight miles of the road were maintained for horse-traffic. The formation from Makuri is now connected with that from the Eakanui end. Makuri-Pongaroa Boad. —The engineering survey of this road was made by Messrs. J. D. Climie and B. P. Greville, whose plans for twenty-six miles of the road-formation have been completed during the year in this office, and six miles of formation from 6ft. to 10ft. in width have been constructed, completing the road for horse-traffic from the Township of Makuri to that of Pongaroa, which formation includes five bridges, varying in span from 25ft. to 60ft. During the past year portions of the Township of Pongaroa have been sold, and many of the settlers on the blocks adjacent to it have taken up their holdings, thereby considerably increasing the traffic and requirements of the road, and convincing me of the necessity of widening out and metalling it for drays, and thus assisting and insuring the settlement of the country on the eastern slopes of the Puketois. Mangatoro Township. —On this reserve an area of 60 acres of bush has been felled and burnt, and the clearing thus made sown with grass. I would suggest that the remaining 40 acres be cleared during the coming season. Hall Special Settlement Block. —On this block seven miles and a quarter of road reserves have been cleared of bush, burned, and sown with grass-seed; engineering surveys have been made of four miles, the remainder being now in hand. As the country is of such a rough nature that most of the holdings will be inaccessible until the roads are formed, I have to urge the necessity of this work being undertaken as soon as possible. The whole of the works carried out by me during the past year have, with the exception of bridge-construction and road-maintenance, been done on the co-operative system, entailing a considerable amount of detail work both in the field and office, particularly in the latter, in proportion to the amount of expenditure, which is appreciably greater than for any former year. My transactions in connection with local bodies have also been of greater extent than formerly, both as regards the amount of work done and the unpleasantness of its nature ; and, as you are aware, I have made many reports on special matters connected with my district, all of which require time and application. Eobert H. Eeaney, Eoad Surveyor.

Central and Eastern Districts. Mangawhio Boad. —This refers to the Mangawhio Valley and Eidge Boad. A sum of £200 was granted, and has been expended in widening the road in the valley from an Bft. track to a 12ft. dray-road for two miles and a half, removing land-slips which have come down during the previous