9

C—la

chiefly in open country, front and direction pegs only put in. Of these, 39 are in Port Underwood, lin Pelorus Sound, and 21 in Queen Charlotte Sound. In several of the bays in Port Underwood a very great difference was found to exist between the coast-line and that shown on the old plans, whilst in others they appear to be no better than mere sketches. In two cases sections on the old plans were found on resurvey to be in different bays altogether, and in four places only were there any indications of the original ground-marking to be found. In connection with this work, there were 20 closed traverses, the mean error being 1-7 per mile. I am glad to be able to report the completion of these erratic blocks ; their relative positions can now be correctly established on the working-block and record-maps, whereby the dealing with the adjacent Crown lands will be much facilitated, as well as materially reducing the cost of future surveys. Town Section Survey. —This allotment is part of an old river-bed, the stream having been diverted into a new channel. Surveyed under instructions (S. G., 10929/1) for Borough of Picton. The boundaries of five abutting allotments had to be determined. lioacl and Bail/way Surveys. —Two separate land-plan surveys on the Picton-Blenheini Railway, for the Public Works Department. Office and Land Transfer Work. —During the year 27 surveyors' plans have been received and checked, and 14 block sheets, 5 Crown grants, and 2 Land Transfer record-maps were prepared. In the Land Transfer branch 16 plans were examined and passed. Those represent dealings with 83 original sections, in 39 allotments, embracing an area of 14,533 acres. Five applications, 4 leases, 75 mortgages, and 79 transfers were examined ; and 49 certificates of title, representing 98 marginal plans, prepared. The Crown Lands Department made the usual demands for certificates in lieu of grants, timber, pastoral, deferred-payment, and miscellaneous licenses, small grazing-runs, and perpetual leases, descriptions for Proclamations, tracings, &c. The requirements of the Public Works Department, and the various Eoad Boards, in the examination of railway land-plans, and deviations, and exchanges of roads, were attended to. The work done for the Property-tax Department consisted in the revision of plans and schedules for the corning triennial assessment, searching particulars in the Deeds' Office of subdivisions made during the last three years, and preparing subdivisional plans, schedules, &c. The office staff were engaged dn this work for about six weeks. Proposed Operations. —The work of this season commences with 4,100 acres of section survey, the greater portion on application for sale, perpetual lease, and small grazing-runs. Exploration, grading, and specifications for clearing a driving-track up the Eai Valley, from the main road at the junction of the Eai and Brown Eivers to the head of the Eai, and theuco over the dividingrange into Tuna Bay, Tennyson Inlet, about 17 or 18 miles. Grading and specifications for forming track from Ti Mautua-a-Maui Bay, Kenepuru Sound, to Wet Inlet, Pelorus Sound. It is anticipated, from the recent discovery of gold in Cullen's Creek, at Mahakipawa, and other indications, that this part of the district will turn out a payable field. Should this prove correct, there will, no doubt, be a demand for mining surveys in the locality. At present true bearing is not available, and our knowledge of the topography is very meagre indeed. To meet these, and the wants of a mining population, I would recommend an extension of the Linkwater triai:gulation over some 20,000 or 25,000 acres of the Mahakipawa country; and I propose to do this if circumstances require it. We shall also have the usual calls for section and other surveys on requisitions from the Land Office and other sources to attend to. Of these I can form no estimate as to what may be required. Plenby G. Clark, Chief Surveyor.

NELSON. Topographical and Trigonometrical Survey. —Mr. W. D. B. Murray has triangulated 20,062 acres in the Pelorus, in connection with sectional work, at a cost of 3d. per acre, and traversed 43 miles of bay and coast-line, picking up and connecting a number of old surveys, and establishing permanent stations for future reference. This work has been absolutely necessary, as the old maps of the coast-line of this part was taken from the Admiralty chart, and was not sufficiently accurate to locate land surveys. Messrs. Smith and Thompson have completed the field-work of a block of country between the Boyle and Waiau Eivers, of which there was no topography. This is required by the Waste Lands Board for the apportionment of area under application which has been made for frontages to valleys, thus leaving country at the back shut up, for which no rent has yet been received, and for which no one is responsible under the Scab or Eabbit Acts. 96,000 acres have been covered, and the plot is now in hand ; when completed the subdivision boundaries that are decided upon can be easily marked on the ground. About 30,000 acres more remains to be done to complete the triangulation from the Hurunui Saddle to Mount Franklyn, and the main range of mountains forming county and other boundaries will then be defined, and replace the sketch boundaries hitherto in use, and the cause of constant disagreement between plans. The field-work of the triangulation extended by Mr. J. Snodgrass from the Mokihinui to the Karamea circuit in last year has not been completed this season, as that officer has been fully employed on mining and other current surveys. A number of trig, stations in the Kaiteriteri and Takaka Districts have been renewed by Mr. T. Sadd in connection with sectional work. Sectional Surveys. —During the year 247 sections, containing 35,641 acres, have been surveyed, at an average cost throughout of Is. 10d. per acre. Most of these are adjoining old sections, the boundaries of which have to be run again, the old pegs having disappeared. Mr. G. H. Bullard has surveyed the isolated applications made down the Buller and other valleys, which had accumulated for two years, the cost of which is always large in such a mountainous part. There are no arrears of survey within the block set apart for the Midland Eailway, except one or two in the Amuri, the boundaries of which have yet to be determined by the Waste Lands Board. The applications for land in other parts are slightly in excess of last year. The arrears of current 2—C. lα.