C.—l

53

Tauhoa Block. —Nothing has been done this year. Ahuroa Block. —No work has been done this year. Maropui Block. —Under my supervision the Hobson County Council formed one mile of drayroad and maintained one mile. Avoca Block. —During the year the Hobson County Council formed 25 chains of dray-road and cleared about seven miles and a half of bush 1 chain wide along the line of roads to and through the settlement, and erected one bridge of 30 ft. and one of 53 ft. spans. Akaaka Swamp. —No construction-works have been done during the year to this swamp by the department. Works carried out by the Akaaka Drainage Board have already been reported on. Taupiri Block. —A road has been partly surveyed through this block. No other works have yet been undertaken. Okaihau-Horeke. —This vote is being expended by the Hokianga County Council in general repairs. During the year about one mile and a quarter has been so repaired. Utakura Road Deviation. —A deviation has been laid out by the Bay of Islands County, but nothing has been done towards its formation. Kaueranga. —During the year about six miles and a quarter of bridle-track have been constructed, and several bridges. There are yet, however, several bridges to be constructed. The land opened up is of fair quality, and the most of the sections have been taken up. Mangatangi Bridge. —Its plans for a bridge of three spans of 26 ft. in length, were prepared by the Whangamarino Boad Board from a sketch supplied by this office, and the bridge was erected by the Board. Tuakau-Opuatia-Kahuhuru. —This is the main road through the Eaglan County. During the year about three miles and a half of road, 14 ft. wide, have been constructed, and four miles of road are now under construction. The bridge across the Opuatia, about 70 ft. span, has also been erected, and the plans for the bridge across the Eamarama are now complete. The road gives access to some excellent land, nearly all of which along the road has been taken up. There yet remains about twelve miles to construct and improve, and seven bridges to erect, and there are several places that must be metalled to make the road available for wheel-traffic throughout the year. Genebal. About 130 plans and specifications for various county works have been examined, corrected, and approved of. In many instances new plans, &c, had to be drawn, which entailed a lot of extra work on the officers of the road branch. In nearly all cases Mr. Wright, Mr. Burd, or I have examined the works carried out by local bodies before final payments have been made. There were 287 co-operative and other contracts undertaken by this office last year, under the direct supervision of Mr. A. B. Wright and Mr. Burd, assisted by Mr. H. J. Kallender in the office, and by four inspectors in the field—Messrs. G. G. Menzies, W. C. Breakell, E. McLeod, and E. B. Menzies, and a few temporary men as occasion required. Gebhaed Muellee, Chief Surveyor.

NOBTH ISLAND CENTEAL. Hamilton Bridge. —Eepairs to this are being carried out by the local body under the usual agreement, and I believe satisfactory progress is being made. Whatawhata Bridge. —The repairs, tarring, and painting of this bridge have been satisfactorily carried out under agreement with the Eaglan County. Aotea-Raglan Road. —Maintenance: Only a small balance of old authority has been spent by me during the year. The road requires repairing. An agreement has just been entered into with the local body for expending £100 on it, and the work will be put in hand immediately. Raglan-Waipa Road. —£loo has been well spent on this road, under the supervision of the Eaglan County, in maintenance, repairs, and a little metalling. The road is in fair order, but the grades are too steep to allow of its ever becoming a first-class road. Whatawhata Swamp. —Nothing, so far, has been done to the road crossing this swamp. Waitomo Caves Road. —Owing to the very small traffic nothing has been required so far this year for maintenance, but the road will be cleaned up shortly so as to be in good order for the approaching winter. Te Rore Bridge. —Nothing has been done to this as yet, but the specification for repairs, painting, &c, has been submitted to me by the Eaglan County Council for approval. Waitetuna-Waingaro Road. —The widening of two miles and a half of this road from a dilapidated bridle-track to a 9 ft. dray-road is in hand, and nearly completed. This is all the work that can be done for the amount voted, and will make the road passable for drays in fine weather. It is, however, very narrow, and should be widened as soon as possible, and repairs done to other parts which are urgently needed; also a small bridge built across a stream near Waitetuna, to cross which when in flood travellers have to trespass on private property. Waitetuna-Aotea Road. —Under this name I include all the expenditure on the cart- and bridle-road to open up Blocks X. and XL, Karioi Survey District, and also work on KarioiAlexandra Boad. The work done embraces four miles of dray-road and eleven miles of bridle-road, all in bush-country, and mostly side-cutting, but not of a- heavy nature. The road opens up a good forest-country of a somewhat hilly nature, but generally speaking the hills are not steep. It will make a good grazing- and dairying-country, the soil being good, especially the inland part. A further vote is required to extend the road to the open country at Te Kauri, in the Kaniwhaniwha Valley, when it will connect with the roads in the old settled district, and to convert the bridle-road already made into a dray-road.