0.—2

14

year, it is manifest that the staff will not get through with it. There are about 355,000 acres of Native block surveys now in the hands of authorized surveyors, which will be finished during the year. A considerable extension of the triangulation in the almost unknown country between Opotiki and Hicks Bay will be completed, and very probably the work will reach the King country if the present opposition of the Natives can be overcome. Two of the cadets trained by the department have passed on to the grade of assistant surveyors, and are engaged on surveys at the present time, and three more will have fulfilled their three years of service before next June. There is ample work for all of them. S. Peecy Smith, Assistant Surveyor-General,

Auckland Trigonometrical and Chain Closures 1882-83.

HA WEE'S BAY. Triangulation. —The area triangulated is 214,500 acres. Mr. Hallett's surveys are 30,000 acres of major trig., cost per acre 0-25d., and 167,000 acres of minor trig, and topographical surveys, cost per acre 0-62d., extending over the Kidnapper, Te Mata, Waimarama, and Oero Districts. Mr. Irvine has made one small triangulation, 17,500 acres, connecting Portland Island with the mainland. Settlement or Section Survey. — Out of the 35,800 acres surveyed, 18,773 acres are resurveys of old work, in which there is an excess of about 1,500 acres, sufficient; to pay for the resurvey. The remaining 17,027 acres represent the blocks prepared for settlement and the lands purchased on application. The average cost for surveys in the open country is 9d. per acre; and in the bush, for sections containing from 30 to 320 acres each, Is. 6d. per acre. Native Land Court Surveys. —Only one block has been completed, a private survey, containing 244 acres. Native Land Purchase. —A reserve of 3,000 acres for the Native owners has been marked off in the Baikaitai Block. .Roads.—There have been 123J miles laid out in exercise of the road rights under the Crown Grants and other Acts, and through blocks which have been surveyed, but are not yet Crowngranted. The cost of the road surveys is subject to more variations than any other kind of work done in the district. In open and settled country the cost generally runs from £6 to £9 per mile, while in outlying and mountainous districts the price varies from £10 to £20 per mile. Standard Surveys. —Mr. Bochfort has completed the field-work of the standard survey of the Town of Napier, and is now engaged upon the plans. Land Transfer Surveys. —The area surveyed by licensed surveyors which has passed through and been examined is 38,984 acres, in 636 allotments, on 44 plans. The surveys of two large estates have also been examined, but will have to be carried on to next year's returns. Office. —The tabular returns show that 327 plans have been drawn on Crown grants, certificates of title, and memorials of ownership. The maps completed, or commenced, under the present system number forty Crown-grant and land-transfer record-maps, twenty-seven trig, sheets, eighteen

n'gonometrical. Chain. Surveyor, Number of Closures. Mean Difference of Bearing of Closures. Moan Patio of Difference of Number of Closures. Number of Traverse Lines. m , , Mean Total -d t- c t „„„n. Ratio of Len8fch Error oi . Traverse n , T ■ Closures Lines -»., in Miles. V e\ Mll a m Links. Closures per Mile in Links. I. W. Williams* >. Weetman 3. C. Goldsmith j. Cussen ... i\ Simpson ... . Baber i\ H. Edgecumbe i. Neumann >. B. Cheal V. J. Barris . H. Balnevais i. A. Martin 3. H. Hardy I. M. Smith ). Stevens ... . Hannah ... ). W. McBarland I. A. Martin 1 13" 0-5 4 11 5 7 9 30 385 73 85 246 5-9 36-8 10-5 17 24-6 0-58 0-98 3-34 2-3 1-62 "-8 Bolygon 0-52 19 3 6 4 17 16 6 11 9 13 5 17* 235 56 134 76 406 180 99 283 158 161 81 484 39-7 8-73 40-1 4-9 32-7 20 14-8 23-2 29-2 26-6 28-1 46-2 2-2 1-59 0-7 5-1 1-9 2-9 1.15 2-3 0-53 1-3 2-5 0-7 1 3 2 2" 3" 8"-5 0-6 0-45 1-05 Totals 15 6"-6 0-62 146 3,022 390-0 1-67 * Standard survey.