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1885. NEW ZEALAND.

Presented to both 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, 12th August, 1885. I have the honour to present the report on the surveys of New Zealand for the twelve months ended the 30th June, 1885. The work in the field and in the office proceeds on a well-defined system, so that the operations from year to year are very much of the same nature, any variation being more in the amount of work done than otherwise. Thus, during the twelve months under review, there is a greater return of trigonometrical and topographical survey than usual, and a less area of sectional survey. The falling-off in the returns of the latter is mainly due to the •arrears in the Middle Island being nearly all worked off, and in that class of survey a nearer approach made than ever before to the condition of the department getting abreast of and keeping pace with the demands for settlement surveys. The reports of the several branches by the officers in charge will be found in the appendices, and the out-turn of work is tabulated and mapped in the same manner as formerly. The following statement shows in general form the amount of field-work completed during the year : — Field-work. Area. R e ate P Gr A 7 ore- „ Cost' . S s, d. £ s. d. Major triangulation ... ... 2,936,798 acres 0 0 0£ 3,021 8 2 Minor triangulation ... ... 580,209 „ 0 0 T39 3,305 15 10 Topographical and trigonometrical survey... 1,950,939 „ 00 0'97 7,899 2 7 Rural.and suburban settlement survey ... 300,774 „ 0 2 T2 31,672 15 4 Town section survey ... ... < —904 ii" t \ l 1 U per lot 2,107 11 3 Native Land Court surveys ... ... 316,378 acres 0 0 4"2 5,563 9 0 Native Land purchase ... ... 17,339 „ 0 0 6'l 440 11 4 Gold-mining surveys ... ... 1,230 „ 0 14 7 896 19 0 Road, railways, water-races ... ... 612'8 miles 12 10 7 4 per mile 7,679 4 1 Miscellaneous and detention ... ... ... ... ... 7,601 10 3 £69,188 6 10 Geodesical Survey. During the greater part of the year Mr. Adams was engaged in observations for latitude by means of the zenith telescope at stations principally in the North Island where there were uncertainties as to the latitudes of several stations, which have now been cleared up, and the results, so far as computed, are as follow: — I—o. la.

SURVEYS OF NEW ZEALAND. (REPORT FOR 1884-85.)