REPORT UPON ROADS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1088, 1 October 1869, Page 1

REPORT UPON ROADS.

Engineer's Office, Napier, Sept. 25, 1869. Sib,— The lii;n* that has elapsed since the last report on roads has been submitted is so short that very little remains to be said. The winter having been extremely fine and there being no heavy floods, I am happy to state that the roads are in very fair order throughout the Province. For the present financial year the system of keeping the roads in repair by contract, recommended by my predecessor, has been adopted. The tenders for keeping in repair the different roads were within the sums voted, with the exception of the road from Havelock to the southern boundary of the Province. The lowest tender for this road, owing to the large quantity of metal required, exceeded the sum voted by £400 ; the tender, however, was accepted, being considered reasonable, and much lower than the work could be done by day labor.

The most of the metal required for the town roads being quarried by prison labor, and the carting done very cheaply by contract, I think the Toll-gate fund will be sufficient to keep in repair the town roads and the roads to Havelock andPuketapu. The road from Waipawa to Hampden, which was left undone during the last season, owing to the scarcity of labour, has been completed, and drays can now go between the two places without crossing the Waipawa river. No new works are in progress on the roads, and nearly all the contracts given out last season have been completed. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, Donald Boss, Provincial Engineer. His Honor the Superintendent, Napier.