610

the last two contracts have proved to be the best of the gravelled portions, and have remained in good condition throughout the winter.

This road was in winter so very bad in some places, that in order to keep it open for traffic, it was found necessary to make arrangements for fascining fifty-six chains within seven miles of Invercargill, and also for fascining a small portion in the neighbourhood of Campbelltown. These works £644 14s 10d. A few labourers were employed during the early part of the year in maintaining the gravelled portions of this road.

It is very desirable that before next winter, works, as follow, should be executed on this line of road, otherwise a repetition of the fascining will be inevitable.

Between Invercargill and Green Hills, two hundred chains of formation and gravelling at £7 per chain ... £1400
Forming and metalling near Campbelltown, forty chains at £16 per chain ... 640

... £2040

An additional expenditure of £1242 0s 9d has been incurred on this road in the following manner.

The contractors for the greater portion of the metalled road between M'Hardy's Cove and Campbelltown, claimed a larger sum than I considered, after a careful examination and measurement of the works, that they were entitled to.

The matter was referred to arbitration, and the above sum was awarded to the contractors.

WALLACETOWN TO RIVERTON.

This line of road is about fifteen miles in length. The expenditure which had been incurred on it at the commencement of the past year was £4262 4s 5d, and the improvements consisted of one hundred and eighty-four chains of forming, forty chains of gravelling, and five small bridges; eighteen culverts had also been constructed.

This road is, for the greater part, on the natural surface of the ground. About one mile from Wallacetown, the Oreti River is crossed by the iron bridge lately erected; after crossing the river, the road passes through a flat country, consisting of dry terraces intersected at intervals by swamps. Embankments have been thrown over most of those swamps; but nevertheless, some of them become very bad in winter. In order to make this road available for the winter traffic, the following works should be performed.

One hundred and forty-four chains of gravelling at £7 per chain ... £1008
One hundred chains of ditching at 10s. per chain ... 50
Ten culverts at £12 each ... 120
One hundred and twenty chains of formation and gravelling at £10 per chain ... 1200
Bridge over Waimatuku Stream ... 150

... £2528

RIVERTON TO OTAUTAU.

The expenditure on this road on the 30th September, 1863, amounted to £6244 19s. 2d., and three contracts had been entered into, on account of which the sum of £4259 9s. 7d. has since been paid.

This road, the length of which may be estimated at eighteen miles, was at the commencement of the financial year much in the following condition.

Immediately after leaving the town of Riverton, the road entered on an open country, and continued so, until a point about one mile from the Aparima River; a very bad swamp extending to a point about forty chains north of the Aparima was then crossed. The road through this swamp had been imperfectly formed and drained, and gravel had been laid down in a few places, but these works had been of little use, as invariably on the approach of winter, the road became almost impassable. A good timber bridge was placed across the Aparima River.*

The road, after leaving the swamps of the Aparima valley, again entered upon an open country, a succession of hard dry ridges, intersected at intervals by swampy valleys, being crossed by it.

The three contracts already referred to, were for the construction of the road in the swamps between the Aparima and the Otautau; they provided for the drainage of four miles of road, for the formation of four and a-half miles, and for the gravelling of four and a-half miles, also for the construction of about twenty culverts.

Since the 30th September, 1863, the contracts which were in operation at that date have been completed, and another one entered into for the construction of the road, through the swamp, on each side of the Aparima River. The works executed under this contract, were three

• This bridge was provided for, by a separate vote.