9

EL—l4

being paid for back services prior to 1865, by S. Locke, Esq., R.M. Several of the Maoris were arrested and fined in various amounts by the Resident Magistrate. The party remained in the town patrolling regularly for some days, till the Natives had withdrawn to their homes. Conveying Mails and Despatches. —An orderly leaves Waikare Moana early every week for Te Ariki andTe Kapu, with mails and despatches from Ruatahuna, Te Teko, Galatea, Mangapowhatu, &c, returning again to the Lake on Saturday. By this means constant communication is kept up with all parts of the Urewera country except when stormy weather renders the passage across the Lake impracticable. The orderly stationed at Maru Maru carries mails and despatches to Te Kapu biweekly. Despatches to Napier have been frequent in consequence of the weekly mail not being sufficiently speedy for some services, such as the reporting the stoppage of the telegraph survey by Natives in April last, and Native affairs generally. Escorts, Guards, Sfc. —Lieut.-Colonels Gorton and St. John have had escorts from Te Kapu to the various stations in the district, and subsequently to Napier. Mr. McDonough, Government Annuities lecturer, had an orderly sent with him to Mohaka, that road being new to him. Mr. Locke, R.M., had an orderly placed at his disposal when travelling in the district. Guards are mounted as follows : —At Te Kapu, one man does duty as watchman for twenty-four hours ;at Te Ariki and Maru Maru, two men nightly; and at Onepoto, three men nightly. The man on duty at Te Kapu has to attend at certain hours at the District Office, and convey orders, &c, to the various parts of the station, report all arrivals, and keep Natives from the vicinity of the magazine and store. The services of a constable have been given to the Assistant Engineer, for superintending the operations of the Natives when using blasting powder on the roadworks, when required. Making and Improving Target Banges. —The site of the old target range at Te Kapu having been fenced in and cultivated, a new one had to be formed ; this was completed on the 17th February last. No good site could be selected on tho Te Kapu side of the river, so that one had to be chosen on the other side. Permission was obtained from the Natives, and a range up to 750 yards cut thirty feet wide through dense Manuka and other scrub. Iron targets were received from Napier on the 11th October and conveyed to the ground. At Onepoto, jthe range has been improved by reclaiming a portion of a small lake and erecting fresh marking butts. Issuers and Storekeepers. —Constable Williams still holds the appointment of sub-storekeeper for the district, and meets with the entire approval of the Inspector of Stores. No issuers are required, as the force mess themselves at each station. Erection of Bedoubts and Stockades.— At Onepoto, the redoubt has been partially levelled and reerected, a flanking angle built on the south, and the whole thoroughly repaired. The two flanking angles, one on the north and the other on the south, are so formed that they can be held by the force even if the redoubt itself were taken from them. Civil Duties. Steps taken for the Prevention of Crime. —On the 25th December last, Alexander Campbell, alias Barclay, was arrested on a charge of illegally having Government arms in his possession, with the intent to do grievous bodily harm. The case was dismissed, however, at tho Resident Magistrate's Court, the evidence being insufficient; but the weapon (a central-fire revolver) was confiscated, and forwarded to Major Withers, Napier. The same man was on the 29th December last re-arrested on another charge of having threatened the life of John Finucane, and was released at the Resident Magistrate's Court on his promising to leave the settlement forthwith. For this latter arrest, Sergeant Orbell, who followed the prisoner some considerable distance, was awarded the sum of £3 from the Constabulary Reward Fund. Excepting some minor convictions in the Resident Magistrate's Court for drunkenness, &c, nothing further has been done under this head, no occasion offering requiring the interference of the Armed Constabulary. Attending Civil Courts. —A sergeant or constable has attended the Resident Magistrate's Court whenever required by the Resident Magistrate. Public and Useful Works. Nature and Extent of Boad Works. —The majority of the roads in this district have been formed by contract or Native labour; the work performed by the force has therefore been confined to making approaches to these, and constructing pieces not provided for by contract. At Te Kapu cuttings have been made at the approaches to the ferry on the AVairoa River; about 100 yards road made and fascined between the camp and Scamperdown Creek, and the principal surveyed streets in the township of Frasertown cleared from scrub (which was growing so thick as to stop all traffic) and levelled. The tools forwarded by Major Withers for the use of the Natives working on the Te Kapu and Waikare Moana road have all been conveyed from Wairoa to Te Kapu by the force. At Wairoa, the road to the Cemetery has been improved, and that to Wereroa cleared of a large land slip which impeded traffic for some time. At Te Ariki, various portions of the old road to Te Kapu (which had to be used up to the present date) were improved, fresh cuttings formed to avoid crossing the Waiau River, and small creeks fascined. At Onepoto, 13 miles of road has been repaired between that station and Te Ariki, by clearing scrub and bush, reducing gradients, and fascining swamps ; the party working on this piece were out about a month, and encountered rough weather fully half the time. At Maru Maru, the road made by contract labour has been repaired by removing land slips in various places. Building Bridges and Culverts. —Two bridges over the Awatere Creek, on the line'of road from Wairoa to Te Kapu, having been carried away by floods); temporary bridges were erected by the 2—H. 14.