JACOB’S RIVER ROAD VIA WALLACETOWN.

This Road has been formed, and culverts and outfall drains made from the North Road to the Makarewa River. The bridge over the Makarewa is contracted for, and is in active progress. It is a work of some magnitude, being a Lattice Bridge 100 feet between the abutment piers, and calculated to be strong enough to sustain itself without central supports, though a central pier has been added, consisting of a single row of piles, so as to afford the least possible resistance to the violent floods of the River. After its completion, a cutting of several thousand cubic yards will have to be made beyond its Northern abutment. This material, which is in part gravel, will be brought over the Bridge, and will serve very effectually to form the small portion of Road through the scrubby bush to connect the Bridge with the present Road to the Ford.

On the other side of the Wallacetown Plain, bridges are now being contracted for over an occasional water-course at the foot of the Terrace, and over the Tomoporakau Creek. A little more work will be required to make good the Road across the river flat to the Ford of the Oreti. I trust that before long the funds of the Province will justify the construction of a Bridge over this River, a little above the Ford. The span of the Bridge need not exceed about 100 feet. The banks are perfectly hard and firm, and are so much above the level of the great river flat, that they can be very rarely, if they are ever, flooded. No doubt the most appropriate, and ultimately the least costly Bridge for this river, would be an iron one on the lattice- or truss bow and string principle, which in this situation could perfectly well be supported on pile abutments, and as the imported material could be conveyed to its destination by water. I am of opinion, but necessarily on a rough and imperfect foundation, that such a Bridge might be constructed for about £3000.

On the other side of the river two small bridges in the river flat are contracted for, and some small detached pieces of ditching and forming will have to be performed by hired labour. These works are of small magnitude, and are only intended to make the present track passable until it is superseded by a permanent Road, when the construction of the Bridge is determined on, and its site fixed. All the works of any importance required on the continuation of the Road to the Waimatuku, are already completed or in progress. They have been constructed under the local superintendence of Mr. John Wilson, and have been excellently performed.

From the Waimatuku, two Roads will branch off: one, in nearly a direct line to the village reserve at the Aparima Ford. A considerable portion of this Road is soft, but the works required upon it are not of a very extensive character. The other branch will pass North of Lennan’s Bush, and will require little doing to make it besides the construction of one small bridge.

Bridge over the Makarewa at Mossburn,

and to make about six miles of Road, for the most part on lines presenting considerable difficulty, no doubt the direct Road, in continuation of Dee-street, will then become the Great North Road. The line now adopted passes considerably to the West of Ryall Bush, and in its vicinity, crosses over several portions of a pouchy soil, on which it will require to be metalled to make it available at all seasons. After leaving the New River Hundred, it passes by an entirely new line, considerably to the eastward of that formerly used, and thereby avoids fully three miles of exceedingly wet and difficult ground. To do this, however, it has to pass through forest for 90 chains. Beyond that, in nearly a North direction, it passes along fine plains, skirting a low range of thickly-wooded hills, formed of calcareous tufa (travertine), excellent for lime, and I believe also a good building material (freestone). Six and a half miles to the Northward of Winton Bush, the Road will again enter the forest for about 70 chains, and on emerging from it, will cross a low ridge of the same limestone formation.

About ten miles further North it will join the Waimea Road, and thus render any crossing of the Oreti unnecessary in going to the Dome Pass. All the works necessary to make the Road passable for 21 miles from Invercargill, including bridges over the Tomoporakau and Winton Rivers, the culverts over smaller creeks and swampy watercourses, with the outfall drains, approaches, &c., as necessary, and the clearing the road 66 feet wide through Winton Bush (90 chains), are already contracted for. Beyond the limestone range, on which a few small sidings will have to be cut, the Road enters upon a plain forming part of Mr. M’Lean’s station, on which scarcely any work will be required. In that plain, a branch will go off to the left, across the best ford of the Oreti, to join the Road to Centre Hill. Mr. M’Arthur has laid off this Road with great care and discretion. I confidently expect that he will have completed his task—that is, up to the junction with the Waimea Road—in about a month.

Above that junction, the Road skirts round the foot of the Dome Mountain, and then enters the Dome Pass. Parts of the Road there being in very bad condition, Mr. John Finlayson was sent up in the early part of this month to conduct improvements upon it. A copy of his letter estimating the work required at about £800 is appended. As all that work will be in stone, it is hoped that it will be of a very permanent character.

4. THE BAY ROAD.

No doubt the Road by Wallacetown will be the principal one to the Jacob’s River district, as the beach by the Waimatuku is hard, and the Road by it so much shorter to Invercargill; it seemed absolutely essential to form a Road to communicate with it by the New River Ferry. The old Road through the bush could hardly have been made good at any reasonable cost; moreover, merely as a Suburban Road, ultimately to be extended to the face of the Otatara Bush, and also to open up the unsold lands of the lower Waikiwi Plain.

3. THE GREAT NORTH ROAD.

For the present this road must be carried by way of Wallacetown. By so doing, its distance is lengthened little more than a mile, and we bridge over the Makarewa, four miles of made road, and three miles of excellent natural road, are made available. Whenever the Province can afford to construct another line now contemplated to connect the limestone range and the ford. Several culverts will be required between the limestone range and the ford.