D.—No. 1

PAPERS RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS IN THE NORTH ISLAND.

WAIKATO DISTRICT. No. 1. Begulations for the Employment of Armed Constabulary on Public Works. [Note. —Aa the road work in the Waikato District has been wholly performed by the Armed Constabulary, and in some other districts partially so, the following letter to His Honor the Superintendent of Napier is inserted, containing the conditions under which the labour of the Armed Constabulary when required is now made available in all district* for Public Works.] Mr. Knowles to His Honor J. D. Ormond. Sib,— Public Works Office, Wellington, 12th April, 1871. I have the honor, by direction of Mr. Gisborne, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 28th ult., with reference to the mode of charging the pay of the members of the Armed Constabulary employed on road works at Taupo, and the supervision of such works by Mr. Bold. In reply, I am to inform you that in future the whole of the ordinary pay of the Armed Constabulary will be provided out of Armed Constabulary votes, and the working pay, Is. per diem,, out of Public Works funds. Mr. Bold should give monthly estimates of the value of the work performed, and the amount of such estimates, minus the working pay, will be credited to Armed Constabulary vote out of the funds of this department. Tour Honor should certify to the correctness of the account; and, in doing so, take care that the works come within " The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870." Tour proposition as to the manner in which Mr. Bold is to certify to the monthly estimates and returns from the Armed Constabulary is to be carried out. I have, &c, John Knowles, His Honor J. D. Ormond, Napier. Under Secretary.

No. 2. Memorandum on the Roads in the District of "Waikato (Upper). 1. Nyaruaicahia to Alexandra, via Whatawliata. — Distance about twenty-two miles. The Newcastle Boad Board have made part of the road through their own district, including several cuttings and three bridges. One of them is a very poor structure, another is rough but substantial, and the third is good; this latter cost £87, out of a grant of £100 given by the Provincial Council. The Boad Board complain that for three miles the road runs through suburban lands, still the property of the Government, which pay no rates. On entering the Whatawhata District a great difference is seen, as there being no settlers no Boad Board exists, and the bridges are all broken down. The line I followed is practicable for horses only, and after a fresh is impassable. There is nodifficulty in the way of this road, but the Mangapiko (Alexandra) Boad Board propose another line instead of it: this would run nearer to the river, and would be shorter. It is a surveyed track, and Mr. Allwright, the Provincial Engineer, estimates its probable cost at £2,120, £300 of which, however,, were meant for a bridge over the Mangapiko, which has been since finished. The rates give only about £100 per annum, apparently not sufficient to cover the expense of repairs. The Harapipi settlers seem anxious to have the road running on their side, but this entails crossing the Waipa at Alexandra and again at Te Bore, besides which there are several nasty gullies on the line, and the communication would be exposed to an attack from the flanks of Pirongia. 2. Alexandra to Hamilton, by Oliaupo. — Distance, tioenty-one miles. This is an important line, as at present it forms the only means of communication between Alexandra and Lower Waikato. One portion of it passes through a low level, which any continuous rains transforms into a difficult swamp : this requires draining. The bridges are in charge of local Boad Boards, but that of Hamilton West is repairing in a superficial manner, which will do little good. 3. Hamilton to Cambridge. — Distance, twelve miles. The Waikato is crossed by a flying bridge, and the whole road is good. A little above Cambridge a bridge has been thrown across the river, and requires only one arch for completion. Beyond this the road is practicable to the edge of the Moana Tua Tua Swamp, which Messrs. Douglas and Walker have undertaken to drain. They have already cut nearly one hundred miles of drains, and have commenced a causeway leading straight across to Bangiaowhia; this requires finishing, and about two miles more of swamp are yet untouched.