C—2.

3

Other Work. Under this heading are included the standard survey of several small townships, baak pegging, levels for drainage and reclamation of lake and swamp lands, surveys of railwaj severances of property, of reserves of sites for schools and other public purposes, inspections and reports, and generally such miscellaneous survey-work as inevitably arises from time tc time. Publication of Maps. The photo-lithographic branch of the department, in addition to the maps and plans of the survey proper, is charged with the duty of publishing the plans and illustrations of the other public departments of the colony. The restricted room and plant hitherto at command have hampered operations very much in this important work • but with the early removal of the Government Printing Department to the new brick offices, now in course of erection, there will be an opportunity of making better arrangements for the future reproduction of plans. In Mr. Barron's report in the Appendix will be found an enumeration of the out-turn for the twelve months. Reconnaissance. In an interesting report and map in the Appendix, Mr. Mueller gives the result of his exploration during the months of January and February, 1887, of the Clarke and Landsboroughj the two principal branches of the Haast River, West Coast, Middle Island. From the mountainous nature of the country no expectation was entertained of discovering any great extent of country suitable for settlement along the courses of these rivers. It was, however, thought worth while to have certainty in the matter, and Mr. Mueller's reconnaissance has set that at rest. There are, taking all the patches of flat open valley, several thousand acres of grass land which may after a time be utilised as a cattle run ; although it must be. said the experienced gained in the occupation of similar alpine valleys has not been encouraging. There is here more to attract the adventurous traveller in quest of the grand and sublime in nature than the settler in quest of a home ; for it is the region of glaciers and snowfields, of avalanches, of precipices, of waste and disintegration of the mountain masses, on a scale which appals with its magnitude. Roads to open up Crown Lands. The importance of this work has been so often dwelt on that it would be superfluous to make further allusion to the subject, were it not necessary to point out that, unless provision be continued for opening pioneer roads into the bush very little increase of settlement can take place, During the year a great deal of road-work has been done with a corresponding impetus to settlement, for as soon as the timber on the road-line is felled and cleared, and the merest track formed, the settlers follow up and occupy the land. Notwithstanding the depression in prices of stock and crops during the last few years, there has been a very great extension of settlement in the districts opened out and surveyed during that time. Hundreds of farm-homesteads, with villages and townships interspersed, now enliven the landscape, where, but a year or two ago, solitude reigned supreme. In the road reports of the Chief Surveyors, in the Appendix, will be found detailed the numerous road-lines, each of which have been pushed forward a few miles, or it may be only a mile or so into the wilderness. All these roads are carefully selected before any works on them are undertaken, and are either surveyed and graded throughout as a first step, or, as is often done, lined out on the topographical maps, and the work of locating and grading on the ground done simultaneously with the settlement survey. In this way a complete network of roads for the future use and occupation of the country is provided, which takes cognisance of the best bridge sites, the lowest saddles on the ridges and watersheds, the best ground for sidliugs ; in short, endeavours to make the most of the natural conditions favourable to good easy road-lines. The amount and cost of road-work done during the twelve months is summarised as follows : — In Auckland 43| miles of bridle-road have been made, slf miles of cart-road, including bridges, formed, and 49| miles of roads and tracks graded ready for construction; thereby assisting to open up for occupation over 100,000 acres of Crown lands, at a cost of £19,055 Is. Id. In Hawke's Bay 4 miles of bridle-road have been made, \\\ miles of cart-road formed, and 17 miles of bush-road cleared, opening for disposal about 12,000 acres of Crown lands, at a cost of £5,714 14s. 6d.