612

local traffic during winter, would cost £300.

INVERCARGILL TO MATAURA,
BY ONE TREE POINT.

On this road a sum of £867 5s. was expended before the 30th September, principally in the construction of culverts and approaches. The road was then in fair condition, with the exception of some swampy places. During the early part of the year labourers were employed in repairing culverts and approaches, where necessary. This road was very bad in some places during winter; the cost of embanking and gravelling the worst swamps, may be estimated at £500. It is of importance that this work should be done, as this road is the only outlet of a large and populous district.

INVERCARGILL STREETS.

A sum of £4069 6s. 3d. was expended under this heading, before the 30th September, 1863, chiefly on the fascining and gravelling of the road between the Jetty and the Town Reserve, Dee-street.

It was found that the roads as constructed in this manner was unable to sustain the traffic during winter, and a contract was entered into with Messrs. McNeil & Wilson on the 8th February, 1864, for the metalling of Dee-street, and portions of Clyde and Tweed-streets, and for the gravelling of Dee-street, between Tay and Spey-streets. The entire length of road metalled was seventy-nine chains, and the length of gravelled road seventeen chains.

This work has been well performed by the contractors. The cost, including some extras on the contract, which were found necessary during the progress of the works, is £2134 11s. 6d. During the early part of the financial year, a party of day labourers was engaged on Dee and Tweed-streets; this party was discharged on the contract being taken up.

A party of immigrants has been employed in making an approach in Esk-street, to the Railway Station, and in using the material thus obtained in raising the embankment at the old bridge over the Puni Creek. The old bridge is being removed, and the place where it stood filled up with earthwork. A sufficient quantity of metal has been retained from other contracts for this embankment.

The following work should, if possible, be performed before next winter:
Metalling of Esk-street from Dee-street to the Railway Station, two hundred cubic yards metal... at 18s. per yard £180
Gravelling and forming Dee-street, from Spey-street to Town Belt, twenty-three chains at £45 per chain 1035

£1215

CAMPBELTOWN STREETS.

On the 30th September, 1863, a sum of £1171 3s. 0d., had been expended on the main road through Campbelltown, and a contract was in operation for the metalling of forty chains of the same road. £757 13s. 10d. have since been paid on this contract. The portion of the road which is metalled is in good repair, and if twenty chains more were metalled, the street would be in excellent condition. This would cost £300.

RIVERTON STREETS.

An expenditure of £688 12s. 5d. had been incurred under this heading at the commencement of the financial year. This sum was expended in partially forming Palmerston and other streets. A contract was also in existence for the formation of a footpath in Palmerston-street. The payments on this contract have amounted to £342 6s. 9d.

Two contracts for the formation and metalling of the main road through Riverton, have been entered into during the year ending 30th September, 1864. One of these contracts, which was for the metalling of twenty-seven chains of road, and which cost £640, has been satisfactorily completed; the other, which provides for the formation of thirty-eight chains of road, and the metalling of twenty-nine, was postponed on account of unfavourable weather. It is now however nearly completed. It will cost £800.

The metalled portion of this road stood the winter’s traffic very well, but the remainder was in a wretched state. It is very desirable that nine chains of additional metalling should be completed before next winter. This would cost £200.

ORETI BRIDGE.

This is an iron lattice bridge, and is placed across the Oreti River, on the Riverton Road, about one mile from Wallacetown.

The bridge is one hundred and twenty feet in length: it is a very elegant and durable structure, but is perhaps needlessly expensive for the locality in which.