8

H.—l3

At Pukearuhe a forage store 12 feet by 17 feet, of corrugated iron, has been erected ; a washings room 18 feet by 7 feet, for the men added to the barrack-room ; the barracks, hospital, &c, painted, and numerous necessary repairs performed. The men's quarters at Opunake have been lined, and officers' quarters generally improved. The blockhouse at Okato has been re-shingled and otherwise repaired. The buildings at New Plymouth Station have been kept in repair, and, as in other instances, considerably improved at the expense of the men there quartered. Fencing. —The general fencing at Waihi has been kept in repair, a five-acre paddock fenced off for oats, and about 7 chains of ditch and bank erected to secure a stable paddock of about three acres. About 14 chains of ditch and bank have been completed at Pukearuhe, and several chains of other fencing; GO hurdles have also been constructed to preserve recreation ground from the trespass of cattle, &c. Eight chains of post-and-rail fence have been erected in the Government paddock, New Plymouth, and about 30 chains of ditching completed round horse paddock at Opunake. About 12 tons of oaten hay were saved from the five-acre paddock at Waihi, and about twenty acres surface-sown with rye. The men were frequently employed on other useful and necessary works of a minor nature at the several stations in the district when required.

OPOTIKI DISTRICT. Military Duties. Average Strength of Officers and Men. —Four officers, and 68 non-commissioned officers and men. Nature of Parades and Drills. —Divine service parades at each station every Sunday, and heavy marching order and inspection parades once a week ; light infantry and company drill when necessary, and when sufficient men are available. Operations in the Field. —Nil. Patrolling and Scouting. —Nil. Conveying Mails and Despatches. —A mail is carried by orderly weekly from Onepoto and Ohuka to Te Kapu, and a public mail from Te Kapu to Clyde also weekly. Despatches have been forwarded from station to station, &c, when necessary. Escorts, Guards, Sfc. —A night watchman is told off at each station, and remains till daylight, the stations not being strong enough to furnish a regular guard. No escorts were required during the year. Making and improving Target Banges. —The rifle ranges at To Kapu and Onepoto Stations have been cleared, and new butts built. Telegraph Linesmen. —None required. Issuers and Storekeepers. —The whole of the Armed Constabulary clothiug, reserve arms and ammunition, &c, is placed under the charge of a non-commissioned officer at Tauranga, Opotiki, and Te Kapu Stations, and who also act as magazine-keepers, and render their returns of the reserve ammunition, <fee, direct to the head storekeeper. The clothing is inspected by each officer in charge of a station monthly. Erection of Bedoubts and Stockades. —The redoubts at Tauranga, Opotiki, Te Kapu, and Onepoto Stations have been kept in good order and repair. Civil Duties. Steps taken for the Prevention of Crime. —This duty is performed by the police, under the command of Inspector Thomson, Auckland. Attending Civil Courts. —One second-class sergeant acted as Clerk to the Civil Commissioner at Tauranga, and also as Clerk to the Resident Magistrate's Court, up to the 30th June, 1877, when he was discharged at his own request. Attending Land Courts. —Nil. Taking Census. —Eight constables were employed collecting the census in the Counties of Tauranga, Whakataue, and Wairoa. A constable was also sent from Te Kapu to Poverty Bay with the census returns collected in Wairoa County. Public and Useful Works. Nature and Extent of Boadwork. —At Opotiki Station about 16 chains of road has been reformed and well gravelled, and 20 chains of gravel has also been placed around the Magistrate's Court. The road between To Kapu and Waikaremoana, a distance of 30 miles, has been put in thorough repair, slips removed, and new cuttings made. Two men are also employed throughout the year in keeping the road in repair from Ohuka to the Waikare-Taheka Ferry, a distance of 6 miles, as well as the road on the Te Kapu side, a distance of 3 miles. At Te Kapu Ferry a cutting along the bank of the river some hundred yards long has been made, to join the public road. This work has been done iii consequence of people passing through the Government paddocks, and invariably leaving the gates open. On the Opotiki and Ormond Road the following roadwork has been performed:—l 2,923 yards of earth shifted, 1,309 chains of road maintained, and 166 chains of road formed. The bush on each side of the road has been felled and cleared away half a chain on each side to admit sun and air. Tho length of road completed during the year on the above line is in actual distance about 31 miles. Building Bridges and Culverts. —At Opotiki two bridges have been almost rebuilt, the Waioeka and the Hunter's Creek Bridge, which were destroyed by a heavy flood. Four men have been employed on this work almost daily, under the supervision of Mr. S. Crapp, of the Public Works Department. Between Te Kapu and Waikaremoana three bridges and nine culverts have been repaired, some of the latter having to be entirely rebuilt. Five men were employed daily for some considerable time, under