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passed over this road before the Bluff section of the Homestead Port Boad was opened. The charges include amounts for 1893-94 which were not shown on the last annual charge-sheet. The labour employed was chiefly paid for by the day. Homestead Boad. —The expenditure includes the cost of a 20ft.-span bridge over the creek at the Willows, and the necessary pipes and culverts, and also the cost of maintenance, this being a section of the Homestead-Waipara Boad. The work was done partly by co-operative and also by ordinary contract with plough and scoop. The total charges to the 31st March are £669 19s. Bd., or about £2 15s. 2d. per chain. The only work remaining undone is the shingling, which is considered unnecessary. Hurunui Flats Section (Homestead-Waipara Boad). —The formation and shingling by ordinary contract were completed, the necessary drains cut, culverts and pipes put in, and the bridge over Benmore Creek erected. Owing to a bank and pipes being carried away, it was found necessary to put in a culvert-bridge, costing, with the inlet and outlet drains and repairs to bank, £126 18s. 4d. The road was also maintained. The total charges to the 31st March, including bridges, culverts, pipes, material, management, and maintenance, amounted to £5,267 os. 5d., or about £9 Is. 2d. per chain. Domett's Saddle Section. —Most of the work on this road was effected by ordinary contracts for both formation and shingling, though some of the ditching and pipe-laying was done by co-operative workmen and settlers. The maintenance, especially on the post-office section, was very heavy, the traffic being confined to the newly-formed road. The telegraph-crossing bridge, having concrete abutments, pile-piers, and three spans of 22ft., was built at a cost of £281 10s. sd. The total charges to the 31st March, including bridges, culverts, pipes, material, maintenance, and management, were £1,856 18s. 10d., or about £4 15s. per chain. This will be increased slightly when the shingling, for which a contract was let, is completed. Homestead Leamington Boad. —3 miles 35 chains were formed during the year, and 2 miles 75 chains shingled, chiefly by ordinary contract, the shingling costing about £1 6s. per chain. A 30ft.span bridge was built at No. 2 creek, with concrete abutments, at a cost of £171 3s. 3d., also two small 10ft. culvert-bridges, and the necessary culverts and pipes were put in. The maintenance, as on the other main roads, was very heavy during the winter. The total charges to the 31st March were £2,367 16s. 5d.,0r about £4 17s.'8d. per chain. This will be increased to about £5 10s. when the shingling, which was in hand on the 31st March, is completed. Homestead-Parnassus Boad. —5 miles 58 chains were formed during the year by co-operative workmen, and ordinary plough-and-scoop contract, and 2 miles 30 chains were shingled by contract. Two bridges —one 30ft. and one 20ft. span—were erected over Swamp Creek, at a cost of £196 10s. 10d., and the necessary culverts were also constructed. The total charges to the 31st March were £1,899 lis. 10d., or about £3 18s. Bd. per chain, which would be considerably increased if the shingling were completed on the remaining 3 miles 53 chains. Homestead-Port Bobinson Boad (including the charges against the Laundry section, also further charges against the Jed and Seddon Street Bridge). —Most of the work was done by co-operative workmen on contract and day wages, teams being provided to work with them on the shingling and metalling. The heavy charges against this road are clue to the large slips on the Bluff and Brothers sections, the cost of the broken metal with which a large portion of the road was coated, and the cost of groins to protect the foreshore on part of the Bluff section; also the heavy maintenance caused by the heavy traffic between the port and township, sections of the road having to be fascined to keep it open. In going through the charges it was found that this road was considerably overcharged in the last annual charge-sheet. The total charges to the 31st March, 1895, are £14,815 125., or about £27 19s. per chain, which will be slightly increased when the shingling and metalling of the Laundry section now in hand is completed. As showing the advantage which the construction of the Bluff Eoad is to the settlement, the following statement shows the difference in cost of cartage between Port Bobinson and McKenzie since it was opened last December to 31st May, 1895 : —

Port Hurunui Boad. —Of the work carried out on this road during the year most of the formation was done by ordinary contract with plough and scoop, but a few contracts were carried out under the co-operative system. 2 miles 30 chains were formed, 5 miles 30 chains shingled, and pipes and small culverts put in. The balance of the shingling is in hand, and the contractor is making good progress. The cost of maintenance was heavy, owing to the large amount of traffic between the Port Hurunui flats and Domett, The total charges to the 31st March are £2,823115., or about £5 6s. 7d. per chain,

Class of Goods. Weight. Number. Super, feet. Former Bate per ton. Present Rate per ton. Amount saved. Merchandise Parcels Wool, bales Chaff, bags Posts... Timber Wheat Tons. 508 15s. per ton... Is. each Is. 6d. per bale 15s. per ton of 14 sacks 4d. each 2s. per 100ft. 15s. per ton ... 8s. 6d. each ... 9d. each ... 8s. 2d. each ... Is. 8s. £ s. d. 177 16 0 6 19 6 13 1 9 4 11 0 14 7 4 137 15 0 22 8 0 279 349 183 1,724 275,300 64 £376 18 7