Road No. 14.

A road along the boundary between the Townships of Brower and Lamarche across Concessions 2 to 6 inclusive, a distance of 5 miles, was cut out and grubbed in the usual way and the northern mile burned off. A bridge was constructed across Brule Creek in the 6th Concession.

This road passes through a good agricultural section; the soil a clay or clay loam; well timbered with spruce, Balm-of-Gilead, white birch and poplar. Several settlers have already commenced clearing land along this road and a small saw mill is in operation on the 4th Concession. It crosses both the National Transcontinental Railway and the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway.

On this road $3,850 was expended.

Road No. 15.

Townships of Fox and Brower.

A road along the boundary between the Townships of Fox and Brower was cut out the full width and well grubbed across the 1st, 2nd and part of the 3rd Concessions to the National Transcontinental Railway, a distance of about 214 miles. It was found very difficult to construct a crossing over the National Transcontinental Railway owing to the high embankment, and it was considered advisable to construct the road between the 2nd and 3rd Concessions in the Township of Brower, a distance of 1 mile, across Lots 1 and 2, and construct the road between Lots 2 and 3 across the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Concessions in the Township of Brower in lieu thereof, to the north boundary, a distance of four miles. This road will be more in the public interest and will serve a greater number of settlers and cross the railway at Brower Siding, a very suitable place for a station and a very casy crossing. These 714 miles of road were cut out the full width and grubbed, and 21⁄2 miles graded and ditched.

On this road $5,200 has been expended.

The land along this road is first class: the soil clay or clay loam and well timbered. The country along the banks of the Abitibi River is high above the bed of the stream: the clay banks of which rise to an elevation of from 20 to 75 feet.

The river has an average width of from 400 to 500 feet: the water is deep and the current swift. It is one of the largest of the many tributary streams of the Moose River and the land along the banks or in the valley is all well adapted for agricultural purposes. The timber is of the usual character common to Northern Ontario, spruce predominating, reaching from 4 inches up to 18 inches on the high land the poplar, Balm-of-Gilead and white birch along the banks is from 6 inches to 20 inches or over in diameter. There is a small sawmill situate on the 5th Concession. The land is all located and good progress has been made; the road passes through one of the best settlements east of Cochrane.

Road No. 16.

A road was cut out along the south boundary of the Township of Fox across Lots 11 and 12, and along the south boundary of the Township of Brower and along the south boundary of the Township of Lamarche across Lots 1, 2 and 3, a distance of 811⁄2 miles. The road was cut out the full width of 66 feet and the centre 26 feet grubbed, and is now ready for grading with the exception of the burning of the timber.

On this road $5,200 was expended by day labour.

The easterly 42 miles of this road passes through a good agricultural country, the land is high, the soil a good clay loam, the timber of the usual character-spruce, balsam, Balm-of-Gilead, poplar, and some white birch. The balance of the road. passes through low swampy land with small spruce timber. There are no settlers along this road. The road, as cut out, will give access to settlers who may hereafter locate on the higher land on the easterly 42 miles of the road to the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. Part of the low land, when properly drained, will make fairly good meadow land.

Road No. 17.

A trunk road was cut out along the north side of the right of way of the National Transcontinental Railway, passing through this township for a distance of 61⁄2 miles, from Lot 14 to Lot 34 inclusive. The road was cut out the full width, and well grubbed, and is ready for grading.

On this road was expended $4,949.43.

It is proposed to extend this road easterly to the Quebec boundary, a further distance of 42 miles.

This road passes through a very fine section of land; the soil is all a rich clay loam. In this township, which was surveyed last season, there is over 75 per cent. of the land suitable for agricultural purposes; and, in order to promote settlement in this township, it will be necessary to complete the road to the Quebec boundary, and to construct two roads crossing the railway at right angles, so as to give access to the lots in the rear of the township. A few hundred yards east of the Quebec boundary, in the Province of Quebec, the railway crosses the Okikodosik River, which has a width of over 150 feet, and is navigable south into the Abitibi Lakes. At this point there is a station bearing the same name as the river, and a small settlement has been started by the Quebec Government, and roads are being cut out in advance of settlement by the Government of the Province of Quebec.

To the east of the township of Sargent, in Quebec, there is a large area of fine land similar to that in the Township of Sargent, and there is every reason to believe that on completion of the roads, settlement will take place on both sides of the Inter-Provincia! boundary. Already several settlers have located in Sargent. The Quebec boundary is distant 72 miles east of the town of Cochrane.

Road No. 18.

In the neighbourhood of the town of Hearst, a divisional point of the National Transcontinental Railway, 130 miles west of Cochrane.

A main trunk road was begun near the town of Hearst and constructed west with a view to connecting the said town with the Algoma Central Ontario Railway running north from Sault Ste. Marie and Michipicoton Harbour and 160 miles north therefrom for a distance of 114 miles. A contract was let to P. Turgeon to cut the timber on the road, burn it, and grub the centre portion 26 feet in width, at $650 per mile. The road is now cut out and grubbed, but part of the timber has not yet been burned off. $625 has been paid on account of this contract. The road will be ready for grading as soon as the timber is burned off.

This trunk road was extended easterly through the town plot of Hearst along the main street which is contiguous to the southerly limit of the right of way of the National Transcontinental Railway station grounds. This road was stumped,

corduroyed in places, and graded for a distance of one mile, and will serve as part of the main trunk road along the line of railway between Hearst and Cochrane, which towns are 130 miles apart.

The 9th street in the town of Hearst, which intersects the railway a short distance from the station, was stumped and partly graded for a distance of a quarter of a mile, to the bank of the Mattawishquia River, or Southern boundary of the town plot. This road, when produced southerly through the township of Kendall (surveyed last season), will form part of the main trunk road projected south through the centre of the township.

On the roads in and adjacent to Hearst, in addition to the $625 already mentioned, a sum of $3,866.71 has been expended, or a total of $1,491.71.

Road No. 19.

On the line of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway, 25 miles south of Cochrane, a trunk road was constructed east and west from Iroquois Falls Station, at the junction of the Porcupine Branch of the said railway, and at the junction of a branch line of the said railway now being constructed to the Pulp and Paper Mills under construction at Iroquois Falls on the Abitibi River, situate about 714 miles in a north-easterly direction from the station bearing the same name. The road was cut out and grubbed west of the railway along the boundary between the townships of Calvert and Clergue, and between the townships of MeCart and Dundonald for a distance of about 7 miles to the Frederickhouse River; and east of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway to the Abitibi River, about 6 miles, or in all, a distance of 13 miles. This road was also connected, by a road 1/4 of a mile in length, with Iroquois Falls Station on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. The road passes through a country heavily timbered with large spruce, Balm-of-Gilead, poplar, white birch, and balsam. The land is rolling, and in several instances east of the railway, ravines, or gullies were met. with. To the west of the railway, the road passes through a sandy plain about 14 miles in width, which is locally known as the Nellie Lake Jack Pine District. On this road is also met a high rocky exposure about 1/4 mile in width, rising to an elevation of over 75 feet. A detour was made around the foot of this mountain to the south side. On this road, a bridge 130 feet in length was built, crossing a ravine at the end of a small lake on Lot 3. Also a bridge across a small stream on Lot 9. With the exception of the sandy plain above referred to, and the rock exposure, the land both east and west of the railway is fairly good agricultural land. A few semi-muskegs were met with, and in some instances the land is low. The road will require cross-laying in places, but it can all be drained at a moderate expense. Settlers have located on almost every lot in the township of Clergue, and on the 1st Concession in the Township of Calvert; also on lots in the 6th Concession of the Township of Dundonald, as far west as Lot 5.

This trunk road was constructed with a view to giving access to settlers who might hereafter locate in the townships of Little, Evelyn, and the townships to the west thereof, west of the Frederickhouse River; and also to give to settlers located in the townships of Teefy and Walker, east of the Abitibi River, access to the railway. It will be necessary to construct on the Frederickhouse River a bridge at the foot of Frederickhouse Lake. At this point, no great difficulty will be encountered in constructing a bridge; on the Abitibi River it may be practicable to construct a ferry, as the river is wide at this point.

This road was cut out the full width; the timber well piled, and the centre portion, 26 feet in width, well grubbed.

$10,625.71 was expended on this road.