12

E.—No. 5

wires, the one to be worked between the principal towns and important stations, and the other to be used in connection with the minor towns and stations. During the short period I was able to visit the stations and examine the line myself I kept these two lines in almost constant working, but as soon as I was compelled to give up my whole time to office duties, and had to leave station arrangements and the repairs of lines in the hands of others, the use of the two wires was found quite impracticable. Instructions to work the two lines were repeated without avail j but I doubt not, had I been in a position to see to the matter myself. I should have been able to overcome whatever difficulties had to be contended against. I have been connected with the working of Telegraphs in England, on the Continent of Europe and in other parts of the world for fifteen years, but during no part of my professional career have I worked harder or with less satisfaction to myself, as well as to those around me, than during the period I have been engaged on the General Government lines of New Zealand. This I attribute to restraint in action, and the want of being allowed competent assistance in the various branches of the Department. The low rate of salaries paid in the Department, coupled with the rule of the Civil Service, that travelling expenses cannot be allowed to officers entering upon new appointments, has prevented our obtaining the services of good operators, both in the neighboring Colonies and Great Britain. Construction of Lines. Since presenting my last Report, the construction of two short lines of Telegraph has been completed; the one extending from the Wairau Ferry (near Blenheim) to White's Bay, and the other from Wellington to Lyall's Bay. The lines were constructed for the purpose of connecting the Main Trunk lines of the two islands with a Submarine Telegraph Cable. The whole cost of these lines will be brought into the item " Permanent Expenditure" for the past year. The Military Telegraph Lines in the Province of Auckland have been purchased by the Government, but I have not introduced the cost ot them into my expenditure for the pa§t year. The Dunedin and Port Chalmers Line has likewise been purchased by the Government. A branch line connecting the Government Buildings with the Wellington Telegraph Office, and thus with the rest of the Telegraphic system throughout the Colony, has been erected and will be found of great utility to the Public Service, as well as of great convenience to the Members of both Houses of Assembly while in Session. Contracts have been let for the construction of those portions of the Main Trunk Line in the Northern Island, lying, first, between Wellington and Masterton ; and iurther, between Masterton and Castle Point. The contract price of the former is £33 per mile, and that of the latter £38 12s. per mile. About forty miles of posts have been erected and fitted between Wellington and Masterton, and twenty miles between Masterton and Castle Point. The difficult nature of the country between Wellington and the Hutt has caused some delay to the contractor, who, to avoid the use and expense of heavy poles sunk into the rocky beach, as at first directed by me, placed ordinary poles at shorter distances along the margin of the main road. The road, however, being formed of loose earth and the sea running unusually high during one of the early storms of the season, many of the poles were rendered unsafe, and, in one or two, instances were washed down. The heavy timber and long spans, as at first recommended by me and since suggested by Mr. Donovan, will now be adopted, and, I doubt not, with satisfactory results. The construction of the line across the Mungaroa and Rimutaka Ranges has been attended with more than ordinary difficulty, owing to the winding nature of the road and the wooded and rugged character of the country; and these points also have greatly retarded the progress of the works on this section. The wire for this section has been supplied to the contractor, but it is doubtful whether the full compliment of insulators can be given out till the arrival of the •'John Bunyan" from London, which ship is conveying Telegraph stores to this port a»d was expected to sail about the end of April last. On the sections between Masterton and Castle Point, and between the Tauheru river and the Taupo Rocks, in the Maungapakia Valley, the construction of the line will be attended with great difficulty, owing to the road not being formed, and the present unsettled state of the weather. I doubt not, however, but that the whole of the poles on this section will be erected shortly after the arrival of the insulators from England. Tenders have been sent in and accepted by the Government for the supply and delivery of Telegraph posts for extending the Main Trunk Line as far as Napier. These posts are all to be of a first-class description, and cut from the heart of totara. The cost per pole for ordinary lengths will be 405., for the section of the line between Castle Point and Parangahau ; and 335. for the section between Parangahau and Napier. The survey and the marking off of the north section has commenced ; and the south will be com. menced as early as possible. We may, therefore, expect to see the posts delivered along the whole distance by the end of October, and the construction of line may be completed by New Year's Day, 1868. After the sad experience of the past none but the heart of the most generally approved timbers has been admitted for telegraph posts in existing contracts; and, although matai or black pine has been allowed in some instances, still the heart of totara will in future be employed as much as possible in preference to any other New Zealand timber, owing to the imperishable nature of this wood.