D.—l

35

employed between 34 m. 70 eh. and 38 m. 60 eh. At 36 m. 4-1 eh. a slip has been giving a considerable amount of trouble, but otherwise a month or two will sec that portion of the formation completed. Work is in hand from 38 m. 60 eh. onward to 43 m. The erection of a bridge over Beaumont Creek at 35 m. 25ch. is in hand, and abutments A, E, and D are practically complete. The permanent-way has been laid to 35 m. 17 eh., but platelaying has now ceased pending the completion of the bridge at 35 m. 25 eh. The first lift of ballast has been completed to 35 m. 8 eh. Platelayer's cottage, sixteen 24 ft. by 18 ft. hutments for married men, and twenty-three 10 ft. by 8 ft. hutments for single men were erected during the year. Orkpuki-Waiau Railway. Orawia Section (48 m. 23 eh. to 56 m. 47 eh. ; length, 8 miles 24 chains). —Work on this section has been carried out under the unemployed-relief system. The formation, with the exception of the heavy bank and cutting between 54 m. 60 eh. and 55 m. 38 eh., and the finishing of the station-yards, is completed. All culverts are complete, and 260 chains of fencing were erected. SURVEYS (W RAILWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, NEW LINES OF RAILWAY, ETC. Waikokowai Branch Railway. A contract has been let for the land-plan survey of this railway from 0 m. to 8 m. 21 eh., and plans should be completed shortly. East Coast Main Trunk Railway. Waihi Eastwards. —The permanent-line survey has been completed now between Athenree and Tauranga, and the plans are in course of preparation. Deviations were also surveyed from 12 m. 40 eh. to 14 m. 36 eh., and from 14 m. 60 eh. to 16 m. 40 eh. Tauranga Eastwards. —The permanent-line survey and plans were completed from 97 m. 40 eh. to 100 m. 10 eh. Trial lines were run through the Waimana Gorge from'loo m. 10 eh. to 105 m. 15 eh. From 105 m. 15 eh. to 108 m., near Waimana Township, several trial lines have been surveyed. The trial surveys of the whole section from 100 m. 10 eh. to 109 m. 57 eh. are now under consideration, and a start should soon be made to peg out the permanent line. Gisborne-Napier (South End). Tutira Section. —The permanent-line survey has been completed to 30 m., and the plans are now well on towards completion. Trial-line surveys have been done from 30 m. on to Wairoa, but a good deal more survey work is necessary before the final location of the.line can be determined. Waikokopu Branch Railway. The land-plan survey of this line is practically completed. Rimutaka Deviation. The various routes via the coach-road and the Tauherenikau have been carefully investigated, and detail surveys completed. The preparation of comparative estimates based on these- surveys is in hand. The completion of the survey on the Wainui route is now proceeding. Tuapeka Mouth Branch Railway. The surveys of the various proposed routes for this railway have been completed. In addition to the survey of the Rivcrbank route, which was completed some years ago, three trial lines have been run via Hillend —one from Crichton, one from Lovell's Fait via Lovell's Creek, and a third from Lovell's Flat via Stony Creek. PlanVand estimates have been prepared, and the Agriculture and Railways Departments arc now making investigations regarding the probable traffic and cost of haulage. Dunback-Kokonga Railway. From time to time various proposals have been made in connection with the extension of the Dunback Railway to Central Otago, and preliminary investigations of a proposed route were made during the year. A reconnaissance survey from Dunback to Koponga was carried out, and approximate estimates prepared. Lawrence-Roxburgh Railway. A fair amount of survey work has been in hand on this line during the year, several deviations having been tried out, and 9 miles of permanent survey completed. The trial survey is now at 49 m. 70 eh., and the permanent survey at 46 m.