D.—l

XIV

The work done under this heading may be summarised into three classes— main roads, district roads, and improved-farm settlements. The length of main roads maintained during the year was 1,348 miles, and the net cost £27,959. The district roads are of two kinds —dray-roads and horse-roads. Of the former 345 miles were constructed, and of the latter miles, together with 10] bridges, of an aggregate span of 8,442 ft. There were also 234 miles of district dray-roads maintained or improved, and 59 miles of horse-roads. Engineering surveys to enable contracts to be carried out were made of 562 miles. The mileage of construction and maintenance, and the expenditure in each land district, were, — Auckland ... 876-55 miles; £61,576 Otago ... 178-70 miles; £17,976 Hawke'sßay 125-79 „ 9,736 Southland ... 60-46 „ 18,960 Taranaki ... 274-46 „ 40,041 Wellington ... 701-53 „ • 62,135 Total ... ... 247,407 Nelson ... 251-09 „ 13,930 Less recoveries ... 514 Marlborough 76-08 „ 3,986 Westland ... 125-60 „ 9,463 £246,893 Canterbury... 224-57 „ 9,604 ' The mileage of new roads formed during the year, and which are included in the foregoing statement, was, — Auckland ... ... 220-10 miles. Marlborough... ... 26-40 miles. Hawke'sßay ... 23-51 „ Westland ... ... 38-41 „ Taranaki ... ... 113-34 „ Canterbury ... ... 7-18 „ Wellington ... ... 148-69 „ Otago ... ... 61-38 „ Nelson ... ... 21-10 „ Southland ... ... 52-70 „ The total net expenditure on roads leading to or passing through Crown lands or lands recently alienated was £203,024, and 1,383,886 acres of land have been made partially fit for settlement by this expenditure. The work was done mainly by settlers on the lands leased or otherwise disposed of by the Crown, and on the co- operative principle, the average number of men employed being 1,572. The principal roads constructed during the year have been,— In the Auckland District: Opanake-Hokianga, Awakino-Te Kuiti, GalateaWaikaremoana, Eangitaiki-Euatoki, and Eotorua-Te Teko. In Taranaki: Waitara-Awakino, Waitotara—Eltham,- and the Ohura Eoad. In Wellington : Alfredton-Weber, Pemberton-Mangaweka, and in the Waimarino and Te Kapua country. In Hawke's Bay, the Waikopiro Block has been partly roaded, and arrangements are being made to make a direct route to Ormondville. The road from Wairoa to Lake Waikaremoana, which is eventually to connect with the road now forming through the Urewera country, has been extended up to and some distance along the shores of the lake. In Nelson, the new road from Wangapeka to Karamea was continued for about six miles at the Wangapeka end, and work was also begun on the western end at the Little Wanganui Eiver. In Marlborough, the works are mainly for the improvement of the means of communication between the settlements in the Sounds. In Westland, the new route across the Southern Alps by Whitcombe's Pass was partly formed as a footpath for seventeen miles, leaving eleven miles to be done this year to reach the Eakaia Eiver in Canterbury. In Otago, the construction of roads in the Tautuku Forest country has been continued. In Central Otago numerous short roads have been formed to permit of settlement, and the new road from Livingstone to Naseby, via Dansey's Pass, completed, and a small party is now engaged clearing away some slips to make it fit for traffic. Eoads have also been made through the Maerewhenua Estate, leased early in the year under the Land for Settlements Act.