D.—l

7

BOADS TO OPEN UP CBOWN LANDS BEFOBE SALE. The particulars of the numerous works under this heading will be found in Table 5 of the Appendices to this Statement, from which it will be seen, that during the twelve months ending the 31st March last, a sum of £84,631 was expended. The importance of opening Crown lands by pioneer roads previous to their sale need not be enlarged on here, the question having been fully dealt with in the annual reports of the Land and Survey Departments. By stating this I am not giving my opinion whether the roads have been judiciously selected or not. Out of the sum of £268,415 on the Estimates of 1883-84, of which £205,000 was allocated out of the last; loan of £3,000,000, the sum of £103,713, including liabilities, was, on the 31st March last, available for the carrying on of the road-lines already on the Estimates. With the large public estate still awaiting settlement, the demands for this class of work may be said to be almost unlimited, but, as only a certain amount of work can be executed in each year, it is proposed to ask the House for a further vote this year of £29,595 to open up blocks of land in the several land districts which have been surveyed, but withheld from disposal by the department pending their being opened up by road. The particulars of these proposals will appear in the Estimates. BOADS UNDEB THE BOADS AND BBIDGES CONSTBUCTION ACT. Main Boads: One-fourth of cost of work to be -provided or repaid in ten years by the local body, and the balance to be found by the Government. — Under this heading the total amount of the applications received on the 30th June, 1883, when reduced in accordance with the Act of 1883, came to £224,588. Of these applications, those which were for bridges were granted in full, while, as regards those which were for road works, exclusive of bridges, the available fund only admitted of their being granted to the extent of one-fifth of the amounts applied for. The total amount thus distributed for bridges and road works together amounted to £70,681. In addition to these ordinary applications, there were also applications for repairs of extraordinary damages by floods, amounting to £19,825, and grants were made on these to the extent of £10,282. The total applied for altogether on account of main roads was, therefore, £244,413, and the total granted £80,963, of which £41,842 was for bridges, and £39,121 for other works. The amounts granted within each of the several provincial districts will be found in the following table :—

District Boads and Biver Works: Total amount granted to be repaid in fifteen years. —On account of this class of works the total amount applied for

Grants. Provincial Districts, Applications. Bridges. Eoails. Total. £ s. d. £ a. d. £ a. d. £ a. d. Auckland ,i <. 73,187 0 0 5,260 0 0 15,177 0 0 20,437 0 0 Hawke's Bay .. 14,063 0 0 4,125 0 0 1,323 0 0 5,448 0 0 Taranaki .. 8,110 0 0 3,529 0 0 1,619 0 0 5,148 0 0 Wellington 38,275 0 0 3,768 0 0 5,466 0 0 9,234 0 0 Nelson 5,048 0 0 2,079 0 0 442 0 0 2,521 0 0 Marlborough 4,756 0 0 281 0 0 876 0 0 1,157 0 0 Westland 9,977 0 0 5,000 0 0 747 0 0 5,747 0 0 Canterbury 21,240 0 0 7,566 0 0 2,218 0 0 11,253 0 0 9,784 0 0 Otago 69,757 0 0 10,234 0 0 21,487 0 0 Totals 39,121 0 0 80,903 0 0 244,413 0 0 41,842 0 0