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Sectional. —There has been 27,486 acres in 177 sections surveyed during the year, at a cost of Is. 9-3 d. per acre. The applications for land outside the area set apart for Midland Eailway purposes have increased slightly. The arrears of surveys at the end of the current year amount to 129 sections, containing 18,123 acres. The field-work of about 3,000 acres has been completed by Mr. Sadd in the Collingwood circuit, but is not yet mapped. Mineral Leases. —Surveys of several large areas for coal leases have been made in the Buller and Grey Districts. During the year companies have been formed to work these, and work has been done on lines to connect the workings with the Government railways. The output of coal from the old mines is increasing. Gold-mining Surveys. —There have been fewer of these surveys required during the year. The principal ones have been surveys of special areas granted for working the sea-beaches by improved machinery ; but, with the exception of Messrs. Taylor and Harrison on the North Beach, Greymouth, there is no machinery at work on the areas. Town-section Survey. —The Township of Hector, at the mouth of the Ngakawau Eiver, and of Mikonui, on the river of that name, have been resurveyed and pegged; the development of coal areas in the neighbourhood will probably cause a demand for sections. A few sections have been surveyed at the Hot Springs, Hanmer Plains, in connection with village sites. Other Work. —Under this heading a greater amount is returned than usual, owing to a large amount completed in the field not being returnable until the mapping is done, and to Messrs. Smith and Thompson having an extra season's work in arrear of plotting. Land Transfer. —Ninety-seven certificates and Crown grants have been prepared, requiring 292 plans; also 151 certificates under the Land Transfer Act, with 302 plans; 152 plans examined and passed, and 40 certificates of title are in hand. This work is in charge of Mr. Curtis, assisted by Mr. Spreat. Office-work. —During the year 189 surveyors' field-plots have been sent in and checked and recorded on block sheets. Two hundred and forty-one leases and licenses have been prepared, requiring 528 plans. Eight new trig, district and forty-seven new block sheets have been prepared and current surveys recorded. Seven new application-maps have been recompiled from new surveys, and six new Crown-grant maps constructed. More than 1,400 letters have been received and answered, and 790 vouchers for payments prepared. During the year Messrs. Buckeridge, McKay, and Thompson have completed their cadetship and passed their examinations very creditably. Proposed Work for next Season. —Mr. Murray to complete the triangulation and connection of old surveys in the bays. Messrs. Smith and Thompson will have several months' plotting, and then continue survey of leases and triangulation in the Amuri. Mr. Bullard, after plotting last season's work, will proceed to the assistance of the district surveyor at Westport, who is not able to overtake his work. Mr. Greenfield has also to plot his season's work, and will then continue sectional work. Mr. Sadd has 3,000 acres of sectional work to plot, and will provide for current sectional and mining work in the Collingwood District. Mr. Montgomerie will undertake mining and mineral surveys in the Eeefton and Grey Districts. John S. Beowning, Chief Surveyor.

MAELBOEOUGH. Minor Triangulation. —Of the 39,200 acres commenced and completed during the year 10,200 acres consist of subsidiary triangulation in connection with settlement and mining surveys. The stations having been permanently marked and the observations taken with the same degree of accuracy as in minor triangulation, I have included it under that heading. Stations have also been established on the Mahakipawa Flats, to afford starting points for Land Transfer surveys, and the old magnetic surveys have been fixed thereto. The remaining 29,000 acres is a topographical and trigonometrical survey of a block of rough, mountainous country in the Cloudy Bay and Linkwater Districts, not included in previous triangulations. It embraces the whole of the newly-discovered auriferous country at Mahakipawa and Waikakaho, and the flat lands lying between the head of Queen Charlotte Sound and the Mahakipawa arm of Pelorus Sound. Nearly all the stations are on heavily-wooded hills from 2,000 ft. to 3,500 ft. in altitude. The work was much retarded by wet and foggy weather. As was anticipated in last year's report, the discovery of gold in the Mahakipawa and Waikakaho Valleys and the gold-bearing reefs on the ranges at the sources of Cullen's and Waikakaho Streams has given a great impetus to mining surveys in those localities. A demand for topographical maps of this part of the goldfields has arisen in consequence. It is desirable therefore to publish maps to meet the wants of the public. With that object in view, I purpose preparing the necessary plans of the Cloudy Bay and Linkwater Districts, forward on to head office, and ask to have them lithographed. A supply of the plans will be of considerable benefit to the public, and no doubt tend to facilitate the development and administration of this portion of the Marlborough Mining District. Bural and Suburban Section Surveys. —These are all rural forest lands. Of the 4,182 acres returned under that head, 3,134 acres in fifteen sections were surveyed, upon application, under the deferred-payment, perpetual-lease, and small grazing-run systems, on requisitions from the Land Board, and, with the exception of one, are situated in the Pelorus Sound in six different localities. The remaining 1,048 acres, in five sections, were laid off adjacent to the above, and are now open for settlement. There were thirty miles of traverse in connection with these surveys (mostly beach traverses), and ten closings, which show a mean error of 1-6 links per mile. Road Survey. —This is a traverse of the recently-formed track, three miles and three quarters from Waitara Bay, Kenepuru Sound, to Clova Bay, Pelorus Sound. It passes partly through Crown and partly through freehold land, and has been constructed to facilitate the access between these sounds.