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Otago Central Eailway. General. —The rails are now laid on this line to Barewood Creek Bridge, 21£ miles from Wingatui Junction; and so soon as the superstructure of each bridge is completed the rails are laid to the next one. The superstructure of all the bridges to and including the Sutton, at 33 miles, is under contract, the time for finishing them being July, 1890. The platelaying must necessarily be finished as soon as the bridges, and the formation of the Middlemarch section should also be done by that time, so the platelaying can go right on. We may therefore calculate on having this long-delayed work finished and the line opened to Middlemarch about November, 1890. In the meantime excursion-trains are occasionally run to the Deep Stream, twenty miles up, and mining-plant and wool are frequently carried by the ballast-trains for the convenience of miners and settlers. Wingatui to Sutton : Formation and Platelaying. —Work has been given to the "unemployed" of Dunedin on this section in flattening slopes, making a road to Hindon, preparing the formation for the permanent-way, and breaking stone for ballast. Most of the works in the completion of the formation and ballasting have been done by this class of labour. Silver Peaks Bridges Masonry Contract. —This work, reported as nearly finished at the end of last year, was duly completed in a satisfactory manner by the end of May. Barewood Bridges Masonry Contract. —This contract included the masonry of nine bridges, ending with that over the Sutton Stream, thirty-three miles from the commencement of the line. The works were satisfactorily completed in December. All the masonry on this railway is of particularly good quality. It is built of rough schist rock, found in large blocks on the ground. Taieri Gorge Bridges Superstructure. —This contract included the manufacture and erection of the iron superstructure of the eight bridges in the Mount Hyde and Silver Peaks masonry contracts. The work was finished in December, a little before contract time, and otherwise in a satisfactory manner. Barewood Bridges Iron Piers and Superstructure Contract. —This contract was entered into in September last. The first shipment of materials has arrived, and is being rapidly worked up. A commencement is expected to be made with the first bridge—that over Barewood Creek—in two or three weeks. Middlemarch Section. —The formation of this section has been in progress by the " unemployed " since September last, an average of sixty-six men having been engaged. The works are light, so good progress has been made. The formation and culverts on 2-J- miles are completed. A few small bridges and the station-buildings on this section will be let by contract, but the formation will probably require to be kept for the " unemployed." Middlemarch to Ida Valley. —As it is intended to deal this session with the question of extending the Otago Central Eailway beyond Middlemarch, detailed drawings, specifications, and estimates are in preparation for the length between Middlemarch and Ida Valley, 58J miles. The drawings and specifications will be in a form to enable tenders to be called for at once. They will be ready in time for the session. Sleepers. Two contracts, for the supply of 9,000 sleepers for the Mangamahoe-Eketahuna section, have been completed; and 30,000 sleepers for the Woodville-Palmerston section are now being supplied, under five contracts. HAEBOUES. Westport. *■ General. —The Government resumed control of the harbour and harbour-works of Westport at the beginning of the year. The works are carried out under the supervision of this department, and a local Board of Government officials fulfil the legal requirements of the Westport Harbour Board Act. Breakwaters. —The west breakwater, which was in progress under the late Board, has been extended 707ft. during the year. 149,190 tons of stone have been deposited from a tip-head without staging, the average cost being 3s. Id. This gives £32 per lineal foot as the cost of the breakwater. The east breakwater was commenced in June last. As the shore end is of a small section, and composed of light material, it has progressed rapidly, 2,425ft. having been done already. 81,016 tons of stone have been deposited from a tip-head, at an average cost of 3s. The wall thus costs £5 per lineal foot. Up to the 14th ultimo the work was done by day-labour, and since then by contract. The rate of progress by the contractors has been slower than before, owing to disputes between them and their workmen ; but this will be rectified before long. Subsidiary Works. —A considerable number of subsidiary works have been carried out in connection with the harbour-works proper, some of which have been finished since the Government resumed control—for instance, the railway to the east breakwater, the bridge over the Buller, protective works at the Buller overflow, and additions to plant and rolling-stock. The Buller Bridge is for both road and railway traffic. It consists of 80ft. spans of iron lattice-girders on piers of ironbark piles. A survey has also been made of the river with the view of determining what inside works are required so as to accommodate the larger class of vessels that can now come over the bar. Effect of Works. —The breakwaters are already having a beneficial effect on the bar, and I have no doubt Westport will become a safe and commodious shipping-port when the works are finished.

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