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Kawakawa (Newport) by an authorized surveyor. They have all had the usual standard points placed in them for future reference. Native Land Court Surveys. —"The Native Land Court Act, 1880," which authorizes the advance to the Natives of the cost of the survey by Government has been much more widely taken advantage of this last year than at any previous time, and it is probable that the ensuing season will show a larger increase than the last. Of the 351,659 acres surveyed only 1,500 acres were done by the Government officers, the rest by the authorized surveyors working at schedule rates. The mean cost for the seventy-two blocks completed comes out at 3-|d. per acre. In addition to this amount, eighty-five blocks, with an area of 326,498 acres, were surveyed and paid for by the Native owners or their agents. Part of this large area represents blocks which had been previously surveyed, but of which the Court had ordered subdivisions. Altogether 157 blocks, containing 678,157 acres, were prepared for the operations of the Court. As soon as the King country is fairly open to surveys extensive operations will commence. One block within that territory has already been completed. The subdivision of the old Native blocks is bringing to light great discrepancies. Mr. Inspector Barnard, at Gisborne, reports great trouble in reconciling the old with new work. Native Land Purchase Surveys. —Only 3,179 acres, in four blocks, were surveyed for the department last year, though some extensive surveys of reserves within the purchased blocks are now in hand. Roads. —Of the 110 miles laid out, about eighty were in exercise of the rights under the Native Land Acts, the rest either to open up Crown lands, or taken under the Crown grant reservations. A very large amount of this kind of work has to be done; very much more, indeed, than we shall be able to overtake before the rights lapse. Detention by Native Opposition, &c. —The sum of £388 was incurred by opposition and delays caused through Native difficulties and others of a like nature. Other Work, &c. —The principal items which go to make up the total under this head are: Inspection of surveys in the field, inspection of road works, cutting boundary lines not entered in the other columns, assistance rendered to other departments, repairs to trig, stations, and other matters which cannot be entered under an area head. Standard Surveys of Towns. —During the year Mr. Williams has considerably extended the city survey, and enclosed some of the suburbs, and Onehunga; whilst he is at present engaged in laying down stone standards in Parnell, Newmarket, and Bemuera. Mr. Barnard has also completed the Town of Gisborne. A very great deal of trouble has again been caused by some of the standards having been shifted, against which there appears to be no remedy. Land Transfer Surveys. —A noticeable increase in the number of plans sent in for examination has taken place. In this office 199 plans of 22,256 acres, and in the Gisborne office ten plans, have been passed. This branch, now under Mr. Foster's charge, keeps three draughtsmen fully employed here, and one at Gisborne. The character of the work as a whole is very good, but a reference back to the surveyor for some further particulars is a constant occurrence. Inspection. —Mr. Williams has examined a number of surveys during the year, diagrams of which, together with those by Mr. Barnard, have been sent to you from time to time. Owing to the large number of surveys received not more than 10 per cent, are examined in the field. I have visited ten of the parties engaged either on surveys or road works, having travelled 3,942 miles in the ninety-one daysl was away from the office on the service of the department. Office-work. —The Chief Draughtsman's returns show that a large amount of work has been accomplished in the indoor branches of the department at Auckland and Gisborne, but of course the greater portion does not admit of its being exactly specified. As many as 699 plans of Crown land, roads, Native blocks, and land transfer work have been registered as received during the year, nearly the whole of which have to be replotted on to the block-sheets. This is an average of over two a day. It is manifest, therefore, that a large staff of draughtsmen is necessary to keep the work up; indeed the present strength of the indoor department is not equal to the work. The number of block-sheets prepared during the last six and a half years is 1,185, some work being shown on each; but it should be added that for a few districts, where the blocks are large and never likely to be subdivided into small holdings, the sheets are on the scale of 20, making four sheets to a district instead of sixteen. The number of record-maps is 128, and the trig, sheets of districts 148. lam sorry to say that the safe will not afford room for many more record-maps, all the available space being taken up. The lithographs printed are twenty-five, with 2,800 copies, the entire cost of producing which is £88 Is. 6d, whilst the sales amount to £51 3s. 6d. Eleven tracings of survey districts have been sent to the Head Office to be drawn for photo-lithographing, and others are nearly ready. They are much wanted, as the original lithographs on the one-mile scale are mostly out of print. Mr. Kennedy, the Crown Grant Draughtsman, has placed on grant, certificate, and Native title forms 2,027 marginal plans; whilst ninety-five Native title marginal plans have been prepared in the Gisborne office. The arrears of Crown-grant certificates on hand, most of them awaiting survey, amount to 231. Mr. Sturtevent has placed 720 marginal plans on the District Land Begistrar's forms, making altogether 2,842 marginal plans for the whole district. Mr. Johnston, the accountant, has examined and passed 1,801 vouchers, representing a sum of £60,221 ss. lid., being expenditure on surveys, roads, homesteads, and Great North Boad. The correspondence, both in English and Maori, continues to increase. The refunds for surveys executed, and sale of stores, amount to £585 ss. 5d., which has been paid to the Public Account. Work for the Ensuing Season. —The surveyors have already completed in the field, but the maps of which have not yet been deposited—Triangulation, 287,650 acres; sections, 14,570 acres; roads, 19 miles. They also have on hand, under instructions issued, 71,490 acres of section work, which will be worked off during the year, together with a large amount of triangulation and road surveys. In addition to the work for which instructions have been issued there is on hand 89,451 acres of section work in 375 localities, part of which is land requiring to be resurveyed before grants can issue. If this quantity is taken in conjunction with the new applications that are sure to come in during the