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Tatari Ferry. This contract should have been completed on the 5th June, but was stopped on account of bad weather. No metal has as yet been laid on.

3rd. F. K. Williams—Forming and metalling one and three quarter miles, commencing at the southern end of contract 2nd. This contract should have been completed on the 31st July. About one mile is now finished.

Day Labor.

The road for two and a half miles to the south of contract No. 1 has been formed, and is now ready for metalling. The next one and a quarter miles have been formed and gravelled by daily labour. This portion of the road is in good condition from the southern extremity of contract No. 3 to the Mill, Tokomairiro, a distance of about four miles. The road was gravelled before the term.

The maintenance of this portion was kept up by daily labour. This was a work of more cost than might appear at first sight. The gravel was so much cut up by the heavy traffic that it was found necessary during the winter to spread scrub over the surface of the road to prevent it from becoming perfectly impassable.

Remarks.

This section, about 17 miles in length, is now in this state:—Two miles are metalled, and contracts embracing four miles more are in progress; six miles have been gravelled; three miles of the gravelled road has been so cut up by the immense traffic which has been on the road during the past summer as to require complete renewal—it is quite evident that simple gravelling is not sufficient to bear the traffic on this section. Sixty chains of the road between the bridges, Tokomairiro, had been gravelled shortly before the beginning of the half-year; during the winter months this part was nearly as bad as the adjoining portion of the road, which had never been touched.

Expenditure.

Contract 1 ........................ £719 0 0
" 2 ........................ 105 0 0
" 3 ........................ 777 10 0
Daily labour ..................... 3711 3 6
Tools, repairs, &c. .............. 513 10 1
Balance of Contract completed before six months, due to Mr. Hardy .................. 287 16 1

Total expenditure ............... £6113 19 8
Unexpended balance .............. 886 0 4

Amount of vote .................. £7000 0 0

TOKOMAIRIRO RIVER TO CLUTHA FERRY.

(Inspector Pitcairn.)

All that has been done to this section during the six months is repairing a few culverts and cleaning out ditches at the side of the road. This work was done by private contract by Mr. Graham.

Two contracts were entered into with Mr. M’Innis:

1st. Two Bridges at Stoney Creek.
2nd. A Bridge at Level’s Creek.

They were completed about the commencement of the term.

Remarks.

This section is about eighteen miles in length; it is not metalled in any part at present except on the approaches to the Bridges, nor is the traffic at present sufficiently great to warrant the expenditure which would be incurred in metalling. The Inspector reports that side cutting will be required at some parts of the road. He estimates the cost at £2000.

Expenditure.

Private contract with Mr. Graham .................. £308 16 6
Unexpended balance ............................... £1691 3 6

Amount of vote ................................. £2000 0 0

CLUTHA FERRY TO MATAURA FERRY.

(Sub-Inspector Small.)

This section of road is about 55 miles in length. During the half-year but little appears to have been done. The Inspector reports that he has metalled the Kahiku and Waiwera Bridges.

The road through Popotuna Gorge for two miles has been widened from twelve to fifteen feet. This is a work of more magnitude than would at first sight appear, as the cutting is almost entirely through rock.

The Inspector also reports that twenty chains of side cutting have been finished, fifteen stone culverts built, and two bridges erected, one of which was done by contract.

The report of Inspector Small is so extremely meagre that it is impossible to give more detailed information.

Expenditure.

Wages to labourers ................ £570 18 0
Provisions, tools, repairs, &c. ..... 415 12 7

Total expenditure ............... £986 10 7
Unexpended balance .............. 1013 9 5

Amount of vote .................. £2000 0 0