Hard road metal is spread upon the line, and with proper caie will form a lasting crust. The traffic on this line is not nearly so great now as it was befoie so many of the troops were lemoved to Taiauaki, but it is still veiy consideiable. The line between Papakura and Drury, which was all but impassable last winter, and in a dangerous enough state during the greater portiou of the summer, is now all but finished. The heavy contract work will be fiuished this week, and there will then be dneot communication opened to the Waikato from Auckland, without any break on the line. The energy with which this work was pushed on reflects ciedit upon the Provincial Govern ment. We understand smface men will be employed on the Great South Eoad during the winter Con sideiing the advanced period of the season when the Provincial Government came into office, the forward state of the public works generally, and the amount and quality of the woik done, reflect veiy great credit upon them. Hard Soap. — In many families in cities, domestic soap may be made from refuse grease at a small ex pense. Instead of using wood ashes or potash, a cuistic lye of soda can be made, which by boiling the jjrease in it will make hard soap. The way to make the lye is to mix up about three-fourths of a pound of fresh-slaked lime in a gallau of water, then dissolve a pound of sal soda in another gallon of water, stir the two together, aud allow the mixtuie to settle for about six hoius. A white precipitate of chalk vi ill fall to the bottom of the vessel and the clear liquid will be a caustic lye. The giease is boiled in this until it unites with the lye and forms soap, when it may be run into moulds. It will form hard bar soap when cold. The quickest way to make caustic soda lye is to boil the sal soda and the lime together foi fifteen minutes, then allow the liquid to cool and settle and thus obtain the clear lye. The great seoiet of success in soap makingls to use an alkaline lye of sufficient strength and continue boil ing until the chemical uniou of the giease and alkali is effected. 