0.—3.

Presented to loth Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency\ The Surveyor-General to the Hon the Minister of Lands. Sir, — General Survey Office, "Wellington, 9th August, 1882. I have the honor to furnish the annual general report on the operations of the Survey Department for the twelve months ended the 30th June, 1882. In the Appendices will he found the maps illustrating the progress of the several classes of survey, extracts from the Chief Surveyor's reports on the surveys conducted in the several provincial districts, and report and detail of map publicacations, also tables enumerating the work of the field surveyors, and reports on the road-works through Crown lands under the direction of the department. These items of information have been arranged in a similar manner to that in former annual reports, so as to admit of easy reference and comparison with past years. During the twelve months under review the department has addressed itself to the steady prosecution of the trigonometrical and topographical surveys over areas which had not previously been brought under survey except in the exploratory sketch of the reconnaissance surveyor. An area of 4,400 square miles has been mapped, showing correctly the features of the country, the altitudes of its main points, and the leading lines of the future main roads. The sectional surveys of lands for settlement have also progressed well, extensive areas have been surveyed in anticipation of sale, and a very considerable inroad has been made on the arrears of survey, for, while 320,000 acres were disposed of by sale and otherwise during the year, an area of 594,724 acres was surveyed, mapped> and recorded in the same period. There are also the surveys of the Native Land Court and Native Land Purchase, Gold Eields, Land Transfer, and road surveys, and other matters, which require separate notice. But, before taking these in detail, the following general statement of the complete field-work for the year is given. Area. Hate per Acre. Cost. £ s. d. £ s. a. Major triangulation ... ... ... 1,107,994 acres 0 0 023 1,065 4 1 Minor triaDgulation without topography ... 528,055 „ 0 0 114 2,529 17 2 Minor triangulation with topography ... 830,693 „ 0 0 1-26 9,932 5 4 Rural and suburban section surveys ... 534,209 „ 0 1 57 39,512 4 8 Town section surveys ... ... .. 1,025 allots. 015 26 779 13 3 Native Land Court surveys ... ... 148,459 acres 0 0 355 2,163 1 0 Native Land Purchase 43,026 „ 0 0 4'B 86112 0 Gold-Mining surveys 4,497 „ 011 35 2,469 10 11 Eoad surveys ... ... ... ... 4266 miles 12 12 1 5,377 12 0 I—C. 3.

SYRVEYS OF NEW ZEALAND. (REPORT FOR 1881-82.)

1882. NEW ZEALAND.