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now been expended on metalling repairs to this road between the Tawatahia and Mount Baker Boad junctions. A further sum of £50 appears on the appropriations, for which an authority will probably be shortly issued. Flat Bush. —Authority to proceed with this work having very lately been given, no action has as yet been taken. Barton's Road. —ln my last report I had to record a considerable amount of work as having been done. Since then only 8 chains of dray-road has been formed, and the 24 ft. span bridge completed, for which 5,890 ft. of timber has been supplied. This road connects Mangamahoe and district with Alfredton and Tiraumea, and is formed for dray traffic for a distance of 1 mile 4 chains ; the remaining 3 miles 15 chains being horse-roads of such grades as to admit of future widening. It passes through felled-bush country excepting for a short distance, where the standing bush keeps the road continually wet; elsewhere it is in very fair order, and the culverts in substantial condition. Lang's Section, Wairere (Dagg's Road), £1 for £1. —A sum of £250 has been granted (£1 for £1) for expenditure by the Upper Taueru Eoad Board, which local authority has been requested to submit plans and specifications for the approval of the department. Mount Baker (Tawataia Tollgate), Mangamahoe. —A recent authorisation of £200 having been made, instructions have been issued to at once proceed with the engineering survey. Mangatainoka Valley Road. —A sum of £200 was granted to the Eketahuna Eoad Board, which has been expended by that body on this road. Besides this the department, out of an authorised expenditure of £300, has done the following works: 2 chains of road-line graded and pegged, 23 chains of bush felled and cleared, 21f chains formed 14 ft. wide, 23 chains metalled, one singlespan bridge (24 ft. long) erected, eleven culverts (of an aggregate length of 181 ft.) laid, 10 cubic yards of slips cleared, 151 cubic yards of rock excavated, and 5 chains of drains cut. This road now only requires another 20 chains of formation to complete its full length. As far as it is formed it is in good order, but requires bridging and culverting in several places, which cannot be done until further expenditure is authorised, which work will now be undertaken, and £100 (recently authorised) expended. Parkville-Mangatainoka Road. —The £250 authorised for expenditure on this road has been increased by £150, all of which is at present available. The reason for operations being delayed is the inability of the local body to perfect arrangements with some of the settlers for taking the road through their holdings. Kakaamu. —The work of construction, for which the sum of £200 has recently been authorised, will be carried out by the Masterton Boad Board, subject to the supervision of the department. Bideford Road, via Mangapeka (£1 for £1). —A sum of £200 has been granted for expenditure by the Castlepoint Boad Board on the basis of £1 for £1. Plans and specifications of the work have been approved by the department, and the work will be shortly started. Mount Holdsworth Tracks. —Out of £300 authorised for expenditure, £150 was transferred by ■ grant to the Taratahi-Carterton Eoad Board to defray the cost of erecting a bridge across the Mangatarere Stream, in the place of the one destroyed by a bush-fire some time ago. The new structure just completed is a truss bridge of a single span of 75 ft., to support which it has been necessary to put in two concrete abutments. A further sum of £83 18s. sd. has been expended in metalling, a contract for completing one mile being nearly finished. The remaining £150 was subsequently transferred and still remains to the credit of the local body to be spent on these tracks. Ruamahanga Bridge (£1 for £1), Master ton-Gladstone Road.— This is a new bridge over the Euamahanga Eiver, about five miles from Masterton, on the Masterton-East Coast Boad, which is the main connection between the East Coast district and the Town of Masterton and Wairarapa Valley. It is a substantial structure of three main Howe trussed spans of 81 ft. centres, with approach spans at each end of 40 ft. trussed and 18 ft. beam bridges. The contract for construction was let on the 22nd December, 1897, and the work was completed on the 21st February last, at a cost of £1,940, towards which a sum of £500 was granted on the basis of £1 for £1. The operations were carried on under the direction of the engineer to the Masterton Eoad Board, and have been satisfactorily completed. Makakahi Road (Kaiparoro Block). —The following work has been done on this road during the year: 5 chains graded and pegged, 1 mile 10 chains of bush and lOf chains of scrub felled and cleared, 22f chains of road formed 6 ft. wide, three culverts (78 ft. long) laid, and 5 chains of embankments formed. This road is very serviceable to settlers up the Makakahi Valley, up which it extends as a dray-road for 30 chains, and is available for pack-horse traffic for a further four miles. Te Mara Roads. —£400 stands to credit for expenditure on the roads in this block, and the necessary works will shortly commence. Tenui Valley Road. —A sum of £200 has recently been authorised to be expended on this road, and constructive works will commence immediately upon completion of the engineering survey. Tenui Bridge and Road, Taueru Bridge. —On the 10th February last a contract was let by the Wairarapa North County Council for the construction of a bridge to replace a worn-out structure over the Tenui Eiver about three miles and a half e„ast of the Tenui Township. The full amount of contract is £886 75., towards which the Government contributes £300, none of which has yet been advanced. The bridge is situated on the main Masterton-Waimata Eoad, which connects the East Coast runs with the Wairarapa Valley. The length over all is 149 ft., and consists of one beam span of 29 ft. and two truss spans—one 81ft. and the other 39 ft. The bridge is constructed of totara superstructure with Howe trusses on single Australian ironbark piles, with totara abutments and wing-walls. Six chains of approaches have been formed 16 ft. wide, and metalled to a depth of 9 in. by 12 ft. in width. The whole work is expected to be completed by the end of July next. 11—C. 1.