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sum might be expended with much
advantage in improving the descent to
the Petane river The grant for this
work was £148 6s. 6d.

No. 10. The line from Mr. Mar-
shall's to Petane by Mangopikopiko is
merely a bridle track of local advantage;
it is very circuitous, parts of it passing
along steep cliffs. During a flood in
the Petane river it might be service-
able to travellers; any additional
outlay would scarcely be advisable.
The grant for this work was £25.

No. 11. This has been a beneficial
work, opening a communication across
a deep gorge between the Aorangi
country and the flats at the base of the
Ruahine and leading to the Kereru
bush; previous to making this short
piece of road Messrs. Lyon and Wil-
liams had to pack all their supplies
across this gorge; but they now get
bullock drays close to their homesteads.
The grant for this work was £98 17s.
6d.

No. 12. The object of opening a
track through this valley was to enable
the natives to bring supplies from Te
Harato and other maori settlements on
the Mohaka to such of them as might
be employed on the Public Works near
Puketitiri; and a further inducement
was that of connecting the communi-
cation with the Taupo road through
Tarawera; the native track is over a
high steep hill almost impassable for
horses. The amount expended was £50.

Owing to the country district having
been settled before the town, it was
deemed advisable by the authorities at
Wellington to commence the works
inland, thus differing from what has
been the system in most other Colonies,
where the roads start and radiate from
the port or chief town; and only the
worst and most difficult parts were
executed, which were naturally the
most expensive. The cost of transport-
ing plant and stores over natural roads
to the interior was much greater than
if the works started at Napier and were
pushed forward from that as a centre.
It is not a correct means of ascertaining
the cost of completing the unfinished
parts of these works by what have been
already executed; the latter as stated
before have been the most difficult and

expensive, many of them heavy forma-
tions along sidecuttings, and over
broken and wet ground, and bridging
large streams. The remainder of these
works will be comparatively easy, here
if executed under a strict system of
contract will not be expensive.

Among the large numbers who ar-
rived and were employed last summer
were many indifferent workmen, some
who were not accustomed to work, or
to that kind of work; but I observed
the same in a neighbouring province
among the immigrants introduced by
the government, and so far as the works
there came under my observation at the
time, there has been, at least, equal
value here. The Public Works here
have been expensive, but they will be
so in all new colonies, more especially
where the Government is the employer.
The scarcity of wood renders the cost
of bridges exceedingly high, and cul-
verts also, the expense of carriage being
considerable. Although interruptions
occasionally occurred in carrying on
the works through native land, yet no
serious disturbance or quarrel has ever
taken place, a fact creditable alike to
the men employed and to the maories.

In looking back at the recent time
this place has been settled—when pub-
lic works were commenced—their pro-
gress and present state, I do not believe
there ought to be any grounds for
dissatisfaction. More no doubt would
have been done with a larger staff of
competent assistants, by which greater
supervision would have been secured,
and more complete preparation made
before commencing each work; but
such assistants did not offer and the
requirements of each district rendered
it difficult to postpone any work for
which money had been voted—the
settlers being naturally anxious to
derive advantage as soon as possible
from the funds allowed for their benefit
by their representatives.

I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obdt. servant,
THOMAS GILL,
Provincial Engineer.
To His Honor the
Superintendent,
Napier.