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1 'i n'.f'°' ; i Coal Creek. 4 miles 54 chains of bush have been felled and cleared, being to the junction with the Umutoi Eoad. Makiekie Boad. —From its junction with the Makoura Eoad, three miles and a quarter are under contract, running in a south-westerly direction, and of this 90 chains of bush have been felled and cleared at present. Umutoi Boad. —From the Pohangina Eiver, extending in a north-easterly direction, two miles of bushfelling and clearing have been done, and a contract is in progress for forming 65 chains of a bridle-track on this portion, rising up from the river on to plateau. Contracts are also in operation for continuing the bushfelling and clearing of this road to its junction with the Apiti-Norsewood Boad, a distance of about four miles and a quarter. Oroua-Coal Creek. —An engineering survey has been made of the Main Cross Boad, east, from end of old formation —about four miles and a half from Apiti—to Coal Creek, a distance of 2 miles 55 chains. To make the road passable 1 mile 52 chains of bushfelling and clearing have been done, and a 4ft. track for 61 chains made down to Coal Creek. It is intended to further improve this road so far as funds will permit. Bushfelling and clearing have also been commenced, and 14 chains done, on the road known as Surveyors' Pack Track, which branches off from the Main Bidge Boad, and leads to Coal Creek. Kimbolton Boad.- —£300 was granted and has been expended in metalling the worst portions of the road between Birmingham and Bangiwhahia. Subsequently a further £150 was granted and expended in removing mud off road, fascining holes, and otherwise making road passable near Birmingham. The money granted has been used to the best advantage, and made to go as far as possible in improving and repairing the road, but further expenditure will be necessary, otherwise portions will be impassable this winter. Pohangina Valley Forest Beserve. —A sum of £325 was granted to the Pohangina County Council, and has been used on road through Totara Beserve, Pohangina Valley. 114 chains of road, 14ft. wide, have been formed, including the construction of twenty-one culverts of varying sizes, from 12in. by 9in. to Bft. by 3ft. ; also 30 chains of metalling have been done, 10ft. wide by Bin. deep. The remaining 84 chains of newly-formed road also needs metalling through this forest reserve.• Aohanga Gorge Boad. —£Boo have been granted the Akitio Boad Board for this road, half of which has been expended. The work done commences seven miles from the Aohanga Ferry, proceeding in a north-easterly direction along the Aohanga Biver towards Pongaroa, on the main Alfred-ton-Weber Boad, and consists of forming two miles of dray-road, including the building of eighteen culverts, varying in sizes from 12in. by 10in., and of a total length of 524 ft. Plans and specifications have been submitted and approved for a further 169 chains of formation on the above line of road, beyond the Glencoe Homestead. Makuri-Aohanga Boad. —The portion of this road under my supervision is 4 miles 38 chains in length, commencing from the Alfredton-Weber Boad. It is intended for horse-traffic, and during the year 68 chains have been formed, a bridge 58ft. long erected, and fifteen culverts constructed, varying from 12in. by 12in. to 4ft. by 4ft., and totalling 473 lineal feet; also, 400 cubic yards rock were removed. 11 chains formation, and a bridge 79ft. long, are in progress. When this work is finished the road will be completed. Mecalickstone Block. — Huia Boad. —Engineering survey plans have been received for 3 miles 71 chains of this road, commencing from the Alfredton-Weber Eoad, and giving access to the Mecalickstone Block. The country through which the road passes is all bush, which for three miles has been felled and cleared. The formation has been made for 101 chains, making the road passable for horse-traffic for two miles. The work done includes the construction of fifteen culverts, 12in. by 12in. and 18in. by 12in., of a total length of 259 ft. Waihoki Boad. —Engineering survey plans have been received for 4 miles 50 chains of this road, on which work will be commenced as soon as the Huia Boad is made passable to where the Waihoki Boad branches off. Alfredton-Weber Boad. —Since my last annual report the construction of this main dray-road has been extended by six miles and three-quarters, and has now reached the Pongaroa Township, making a total distance constructed of eighteen miles and three-quarters from the Waitawhiti Stream. A further eleven miles and a quarter have still to be done before the Hawke's Bay boundary is reached, and of this distance one mile and a half is in progress. About forty men will also be put on early next month to start making the road back from the Weber end, so that rapid progress may be now expected, although this is far from being the most favourable season of the year for pushing on with the work with any great degree of success. In addition to the new formation made, repairs had to be effected on 113 chains of road previously made, owing to heavy slips—in fact, this portion of the road had to be virtually re-formed. About fourteen miles of the road have been maintained during the year. Included in the year's work is the construction of a bridge of 40ft. span, seventy-nine culverts, varying in size from 12in. by 12in. to 4ft. by 3ft., of a total length of 2,094 lineal feet, and excavating 5,253 cubic yards of rock. A temporary bridge 66ft. long has been erected over the Mangatiti Stream, at a cost of £15. This temporary bridge was made so that the works could be pushed on quickly, and owing to the difficulty of getting suitable timber in the immediate neighbourhood. For this reason, the construction of three bridges, of 20ft., 30ft., and 70ft. spans, along the road already formed have been delayed until suitable timber could be obtained ahead, as every effort to let the cutting of the requisite timber to hand-sawyers in the locality proved unsuccessful, owing to the defective condition of the totara timber. The road constructed during the year went through heavy bush for two miles and three-quarters, three-quarters of a mile ordinary bush, and three miles and a quarter open scrub and rushes, the latter being over ground of a swampy nature. Some exceptionally heavy work has been met with in cuttings, owing to the steep sidling-ground. I regret to state that, owing to the peculiar