29

a—la

Gentle Annie Track Extension. —Leading to and traversing broken country only (subsidy, £146 10s.) Length, 1 mile. Contract, as in the case of last road, only entered into on 12th June, 1886. The contract price of this 1 mile (part only of the proposed extension) is £123 10s. Kanieri Lake to Humphrey's Gully. —Giving access to about 1,500 acres of fair settlement lands (subsidy £373 6s. Bd.) Length If miles, formation width seven feet, metal four feet. The construction commenced in preceding year, and it was finished in August, 1885. Total of subsidy paid by Government (two-thirds of actual cost), £279 2s. Ross to Greenland. —Traversing high lands, well timbered, but unfit for settlement (subsidy £960). Length 65 miles, formation width six feet, metal three feet. The greater part of this road was constructed in the preceding year, and it was completed in October, 1885. The total of the Government contribution amounted to £843 16s. Bd., being a subsidy of £2 for every pound expended by the County. Okarito Forks to leal Buck Greek. —Giving access to about 1,600 acres of fair settlement lands (subsidy, £400). Length, 2 miles. Tenders for this road are invited, and close this month, viz : July 13th. Gerhard Mueller, Chief Surveyor.

CANTERBURY. Blade Hills Eoad along Hurunui. —Length of road, 72 chains ; area affected, 9235 acres; Pastoral Deferred Payment Sections. The money was granted for this road to enable the settlers on the south bank of the Hurunui, principally pastoral deferred-payment people, to get down the south side of the river Hurunui -with wheel traffic, without having to cross the river, which in times of flood is very dangerous. The work was entrusted to the Waipara Road Board and is now finished, but at a larger cost than the grant of £500 covered. The road is seventy-two chains in length only, but the cross sections are exceedingly steep, in fact the cuttings are on the face of a cliff or bluff below the traffic bridge, where the river is narrowed by the rocky formation. The Blach Sills Road by the Karaha Greek.- —Length, 3 miles 41 chains ; 8,241 acres affected. This road was made before the sale of the Pastoral Deferred Payment Sections, Nos. 35,160, 35,161, 35,162. Lying on the slopes of Mount Alexander, it extends from the Main North road up the valley of the Karaka Creek and by side cuttings to a saddle near the western boundary of 35,161, a distance of 3 miles forty-one chains. The original cost of the formation, as carried out by this office, was £778 4s. lid. Since then £220 was obtained by the Waipara Road Board from the Government for making ditches, metalling, and other improvements, making total cost £998 14s. lid. Road to Pastoral Deferred Payment Lands, Teviotdale. —Length, 5 miles 60 chains; 10,800 acres affected. Originally carried out up to 4 miles forty-eight chains by this office, for the same purpose as the last named road, at a cost of £1,640 10s. Since then £150 has been granted in aid to the Waipara Road Board to extend the road to Mr. Greenwood's gate, ninety-two chains further. Besides these sums the Waipara Road Board was subsidized to improve the Omihi Cutting, which leads to this road from the railway. Road to the Upper Ashley by the Oxford Bush. —Length, 13 miles ; 30,000 acres affected. It is nowformed for 13 miles into the open country on the Townshend, about 4 miles having been done during present year. Cost in all £4,285 os. 7d., of which £3,988 10s. 9d. has been drawn, leaving a balance due to the Board of £296 9s. lOd. I have estimated that 30,000 acres are opened up, or at least made more accessible by this road, half of -which area is bush land. 2,134 acres of the latter has been divided into blocks, and is now open for application on perpetual lease, 223 acres being already taken up. This work has been done very efficiently by the Oxford Road Board. Road to Mount Cook along Western Bank of the Tasman. —Distributed over about 16 miles ; 40,000 acres affected. The work has been carried out by the Mackenzie County Council. It extends over about 16 miles, in patches, often over work previously done, either destroyed by water or imperfectly done in the first instance. I estimate that 40,000 acres have been rendered more accessible by this road, but they consist of pastoral country only, the flats being not more than sufficient for the working of the runs on the hills. A good driving road is now completed to the Hermitage, the hotel at the foot of Mounts Sefton and Cook; £1,000 has been received on this account by the Mackenzie County Council, and the balance due, £200, has been anticipated, except a small balance of £5 15s. 6d. Road to Hakateramea by the Waihao. —Length 9 miles, 10,000 acres affected, is now being constructed by the Waimate County Council, with funds half contributed by the Government, and half by the county. At present there have been a series of small contracts let, extending over about 9 miles, 5 miles on the more direct line, and 4 miles on a branch from Meyer's Creek. Tenders have been invited for a bridge over the Waihao at the junction'of these roads. By this means about 10,000 acres of Crown lands are rendered more accessible, besides that, they form connecting links with the Waimate, Hakateramea road via Meyer's Creek (leading to the lower valley of the Hakateramea), and the roads in the upper part of the same valley over the Upper Waihao and Hakateramea water-shed. All these are arterial lines, through good sheep country, although very rough, and hitherto impassable for. ordinary horse-traffic. The Hakateramea Valley is one of the most fertile in the Provincial District, and capable of maintaining a large agricultural and pastoral population, although now almost all the good land is held by large companies. Blaclcford Road towards Redcliffe. —Mr. Baxter County Engineer reports that " there has been expended during the year ending 30th June last, £204. The formation has now reached a point about 6J miles from Blackford Rural Section 33,501 to the vicinity of Terrible Gully (near Rural Section 32,428) —and further work is in progress. The Crown lands along the route are situated on broken and hilly ground, but the road now in course of formation renders them fairly accessible."