Wairoa District Roads.

Considerable improvements have been made on the Wairoa town roads—the greater portion of Kopu-road, Marine parade, Clyde-road, and Lahore-street, being now formed and drained.

The bridle track to Turiroa has been completed, as likewise that from the new ferry at Waihu to the leading ranges.

Bridges are required over the southern branch of the Huramoa stream, and over three small creeks on the line through Ohinepatea valley. The improvements upon the main streets of the township should be continued, and the jetty, for which the timber is ready, should be erected.

Road through 40-Mile Bush.

Contract parties are now engaged in clearing all fallen timber from the line, and making crossings over the worst creeks and swamps.

As this will leave the line in good order at the beginning of the next financial year, arrangement should be made for its maintenance by contract.

Taipo Road by Redclyffe to Puketapu.

Twenty-six chains of this line have been metalled. Some protection work should be undertaken at the base of Redclyffe cutting, as the river shows a tendency to encroach there, and the metalling should be extended ten chains to make the road good for winter traffic.

Coast Road to Pourerere.

A good dray cutting has been made from the range to the sea beach at the mouth of the Maraetotara by “grants in aid,” and a gang is employed now in cutting round the hill south of Manawaraku.

A small further outlay at Waimarama will be sufficient to complete a practicable dray-road from Napier to that point.

Puketapu to Petane.

Several culverts and about 20 chains of side-cuttings have been made between Waiowhiti and Whareponga valley; but as this line is used by all stockdrivers between the northern and southern parts of the province, the swampy parts of the Whareponga valley should be formed and drained, and the line should be continued to the foot of the Petane cutting.

Oero Bush Road.

A bridle track has been cut through the Oero bush, which the settlers are anxious to have enlarged into a dray-road, which could be done at a cost of about £40, and would be of great service to the neighbouring settlers.

Road from Ngawuroro Bridge to Clive.

The metalling of this line has been completed, and a comparatively small sum will maintain it during the coming year.

Roads through Papakura Block.

The works upon these roads have been deferred to the after part of the summer, as the floods had left them in an unfit state for operation; but now the formation of the lower Pakowhai road, and likewise that of the line from Pawhakairo to Pakowhai, are in the hands of contractors.

The line from Meanee bridge to Mr. Jeffares’ has been merely levelled and cleared of rubbish, as an amount out of proportion large would be required to make a good road upon the shifting sand—not taking into consideration the further encroachments of the river, which are not improbable, unless some protective works are undertaken.

Roads through Hikototo Bush.

The formation of these roads has nearly been completed, but a bridge is much needed over the head of the Muddy creek, for which purpose the next half year’s road levies will be ample.—I am, &c.,

C. WEBER, Provincial Engineer.

Napier, June 2, 1868.

REPORT OF INSPECTOR OF SHEEP.

SIR,—I have the honour to forward a report of the state and condition of the flocks in this province.

I have again the satisfaction to report the whole of the sheep in this province free from scab, or any infectious or contagious disease. I will make incidental allusion to two diseases, which prevailed to some extent in this province last summer, both harmless enough in themselves, although, under certain circumstances, extremely annoying. The first I will allude to was a species of ophthalmia, which suddenly appeared in nearly every flock in the province; at first appearing in a few sheep, but rapidly spreading through a considerable number of the flocks, especially so during or subsequent to a journey. In no instance coming under my own observation, did this disease prove fatal, although in many cases causing great trouble and the occasional loss of a few sheep in driving and crossing rivers. This disease has now happily passed away. From its simultaneous appearance in nearly every part of the province, I entertain the belief that it was not introduced into the province, but was rather one of those epidemics which cannot be accounted for, and has disappeared as suddenly and unaccountably as it came.

The disease known as stomach staggers has been very prevalent this year in certain localities. This disease appears to be endemical, and has been confined to low-lying alluvial pastures, such as Meanee, Clive, Papakura, and Poverty Bay. This disease, I have observed, only makes its appearance during a very dry and hot summer, and is easily and quickly cured by a change to higher land, and less rich but more varied pastures. When the autumnal rains set in it entirely disappears. Horses and cattle have been more or less subject to this disease during the last three summers, but it was only last summer that it prevailed to any extent among sheep.

Owing to a number of the sheep returns not having yet been sent in, I am unable to furnish a statement of the number of sheep in the province to date, but assume the returns for this year will be about 750,000 above 6 months old. The number of sheep imported into the province during the last twelve months only number 50, as against 614 for the corresponding period of 1866-67. This is so far satisfactory as it proves that rams are more readily procured within the province than they were formerly. On the other hand I have no doubt the depressed state of station produce has checked to some extent the introduction of fresh blood.