185

I shall now summarise those items and their cost,
the execution of which I thought necessary, as well as
those which may probably be required before long.

Extensions of Horse Road to Addi-
soa's Flat ... ... ... £125
Additions to New Court-house,
Westport ... ... ... 360
Examination Shed, Wharf, West-
port ... ... ... say 200
New Custom-house ... ... say 400
Gaol, &c. ... ... ... say 500
Salary to Sub-Overseer, Maintenance
of Roads, till end of financial
year ... ... ... 140
Probable amount of Repairs ... say 300
Dray Road to Woodpecker Bay, 143
Repairs to Road up Grey... say 50
Ahaura Road ... ... say 600
ditto metalling ... ... say —
Hospital at Westport ... say 1000

ROAD UP THE BULLER.

This is now open for horses from Nelson as far as
the Lyell, 112 miles, between which, and the Inan-
gahua, there still remain about 2 miles of stony side-
cutting to complete, at the Lyell end.

Below the Inangahua there is a portion, say 2
miles, of entirely new road to make, mostly side-
cutting and some of it solid rock, in order to avoid
climbing over the Ohika Hill, Hawkscrag Hill,
and Blackwater Hill. I determined on this course
after a careful examination of the ground, as pro-
ducing a road comparatively level and more satisfactory
in every way than by the old line, which of itself
would require a large expenditure to improve it, and
even then, from its steepness and great elevation, be
a source of perpetual dissatisfaction, besides being
almost useless for packing.

Below this point, Ohika, the road requires
improving in many ways to make it useful as a horse-
track, chiefly in clearing it of scrub and improving
the cuttings, as well as gravelling all the softer parts.
I roughly estimate that it will require the expenditure
of an additional £2000 to complete this track, and
would strongly urge the completion of it without
delay.

The connection between Nelson and Westport will
even then be incomplete, without some means being
provided for crossing the Buller above the Lyell. The
establishment even of a punt for horses, &c., would
be most difficult owing to the nature of the river
and its banks—the river being so swift and the banks
being so rocky and inaccessible. One of the greatest
difficulties would be to secure the punt safely in
heavy freshes, there being so little room at the sides
of the river. From the measurements and observa-
tions I took in connection with the site for the pro-
posed bridge, I should not expect that a bridge could
be erected and made to it for less than £3000
or £4000, and at the best it would be a difficult
undertaking.

I propose to prepare a plan and estimate of a
structure suited to the locality, and to submit it to his
Honor for consideration.

A considerable portion of the North Buller road
above the Maruia, particularly about the Owen river,
is in a very muddy state, and at one or two places is
rather dangerous; but I left these to be dealt with at
a future time, as the traffic is not actually impeded

• These sums, (£1068), will certainly be required
  the rest are open for consideration. The new Court-
  house, Westport, will require fittings, not included in
  contract, probably £100.

thereby, and more important works demand our first
attention.

I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your Obedient Servant,
JOHN BLACKETT,
Provincial Engineer.

TO THE PROVINCIAL SECRETARY, Nelson.

SIR,—In forwarding an estimate of the probable
additional revenue and requisite expenditure on the
South-west gold-fields, for the financial year ending
March 31, 1868, I have again the pleasure to report
a considerable increase in the population and pros-
perity of the district.

The very large outlay during the last six months
on roads and other public works on these gold-fields,
which has considerably exceeded the gold-fields
revenue, has not been rashly undertaken without
first duly considering the cost and the probable re-
productive nature of each work, but has been in-
curred advisedly and wholly expended either upon
buildings absolutely necessary for the carrying on of
the Government, such as gaols, court-houses, and police
stations, or upon necessary harbour works, or upon
opening and maintaining in repair the main trunk
lines of communication along the coast and along
the course of the main valleys of the Grey and
Buller.

No branch roads to new diggings or any other
roads have been made except such as were clearly of
a reproductive nature, requisite for the conveyance
of provisions to the miners, or to connect and open
up communication between important districts. And
that the whole expenditure has been of a reproduc-
tive nature, is shown by the fact that the revenue
means of raising this province to that proper position
which it should always continue to maintain, namely,
the chief gold-producing province in New Zealand;
including that of Nelson for the quarter end-
ing September 30th, having exceeded that of either
Canterbury or Otago.

The roads upon which the money has been prin-
cipally expended are—1. Three miles of dray-road
over Cape Foulwind through good flat bush land,
and one mile near Charleston. By means of these
four miles of road, connecting the beaches, the whole
road, of twenty miles in length, between Westport
and Charleston has been made available for the
drays and daily coaches, and a large tract of excel-
lent land has been opened for settlement.

South of Charleston, and north of Brighton, the
coast road has only been made wide enough for
drays for a short distance from the town, for the
convenience of the neighbouring diggings, and the
intermediate hilly country is traversed by a good
bridle track, which is now in an excellent state of
repair, as is also that portion of the road between
Brighton and Cobden, upon which a very large out-
lay was found necessary in the construction of the
road and blasting of the rocks over the extremely
rugged rocky bluffs in the neighbourhood of the
Ten-mile creek.

About £3000 has been expended on the bridle-
track from Westport to Skibbereen, distant eight
miles, the whole of which it was necessary to form,
and metal, and drain with deep ditches. This road
follows for four miles the Buller valley road, and then
diverges from it to the southward for four miles
along the foot of the hills, and that it is much re-
quired is shown by the fact that from forty to fifty
loaded pack-horses go out every morning to
supply the population of about 3,000 men who are