269

NORTHERN TRUNK,

THROUGH DUNEDIN.

(Inspector Abbott.)

The amount voted, £5000, was handed over to the Town Board of Dunedin.

DUNEDIN TO WAIKOUAITI.

(Inspectors Oliver, Chalmers, and Cahill.)

Contracts.

At the commencement of the half-year there were two contracts for road-making in operation.

1st. Campbell and Davis, bush cutting, forming, and metalling horse track from Bush Inn towards Blueskin, about two miles.

This contract is now completed.

2nd. D. R. Evans, forming eighty-eight chains of road immediately south of Blueskin Bay.

3rd. Shortly after the commencement of the half-year a contract was entered into with Mr. Muir for the forming and metalling of one hundred chains of road, at Cherry Farm, Waikouaiti. This portion is now formed, and metal broken ready to lay on, but the works are put a stop to on account of the delay in building the bridge over a lagoon at the same place. A contract was entered into with Mr. Muir for the construction of this bridge. In the original plan it was proposed that the bridge should be built of three spans, and that embankments should be thrown up at each end. It was found that the swamp would not bear the embankment, and that it would be necessary to extend the bridge to eighteen spans. Ten of those spans are now completed. A contract was also entered into with Mr. Muir for making a large cutting near the bridge.

Day Labour.

About one mile of the road, extending from Bush Inn southwards, was metalled shortly after the commencement of the half-year. A road party of twelve men were engaged at the same time in forming and metalling horse track immediately north of Blueskin Bay. Farther north a party (toward Cherry Farm) of sixteen men were employed in a similar manner. The rate of wages of those men was 5s. per diem with rations.

In May a road party was employed in widening and metalling the road between North-east Valley and Bush Inn. In July the number of men employed on this work was two hundred and fifty: on the discovery of the Dunstan gold-fields most of those men left the works. Shortly after, however, about one hundred returned, and the works were completed about the end of September.

In the month of July a party of fifty men was employed on the road from Bush Inn towards Blueskin. In August this party was increased to one hundred in number, and at the end of September one hundred and seventy-five men were employed.

These men were engaged in widening and forming the road and building culverts. At the end of September the road was formed for two miles and a half, north of Bush Inn.

Remarks.

There is now an excellent metalled road from Dunedin to the divergence of the Port Chalmers road; from this point for two miles and a half further on, the road is formed and ready for metalling; the next three and a half miles are metalled. The road is here only sufficiently wide for a horse track; it would be expedient to close this portion for dray traffic until the formation is widened.

From the termination of the metalled track to Blueskin the road is formed.

In Kilmog Bush, one mile and three-quarters have been formed and metalled in the same manner as the horse track in Blueskin Bush.

The portion of road requiring more immediate attention are tracks through Blueskin Bush to be widened, road at Blueskin Bay to be formed, track through Kilmog Bush to be widened, and contract for making road through swamp near Cherry Farm to be completed.

Expenditure.

Contract 1 .................. £391 15 6
,, 2 .................. 427 12 6
,, 3 .................. 1500 0 0
Wages to labourers, surface-men, &c. .. 1327 10 8
Tools, provisions, repairs and private contracts .. 1863 5 4

Total expenditure ............ 6110 4 0
Expenditure in excess .......... 1110 4 0

Amount of vote ............ £5000 0 0

On this road £3644 19s 6d have been expended on daily labour in addition to the above sum of £1327 10s 8d.

Total sum expended on labor £4979 10s 2d.

WAIKOUAITI TO SHAG RIVER.

(Inspectors Oliver, Chalmers, & Cahill.)

Contracts.

1st. Grant and Kirby—Forming and