15

a—la

Mural and Suburban Surveys. —Over 20,000 acres has been surveyed during the past year, at a little under Is. 7d. per acre. As this includes a good deal of bush work, I think the cost very reasonable. Town-section Survej/s. —The chief work under this head was the laying-off of the mining township at tTie Nenthorn reefs. Native Land Court Surveys. —The only item under this heading is the survey of the Native reserve*at Waikouaiti, of 3,000 acres, by contract by Mr. G. Mackenzie. Gold-mining Surveys. —Over double the area of land has been laid off this year. Out of a total of 109 sections, thirty-five were laid off in one locality at the Nenthorn reefs. Road Surveys. —The chief item under this head is forty miles of the Catlin'sto Taukupu Boad through bush-country by Mr. Strauchon. This road connects with the road-system down-'tihe Mokoreta Valley to Wyndham. Mi1. McCurdie laid off over six miles, all in dense bush, near Gatlin's Eiver. Detention by Native Opposition. —The opposition which caused the expenditure nnder this head •was not hostile to the surveyor, but, owing to contentions among the Native claimants to the different parts of the Waikouaiti reserve, a great deal of extra trouble and expense was incurred. Other Work. —The chief item is an exploration survey by Mr. Wilmot of the head-waters of the Hollyford and Bglinton Eivers. Survey Inspections. —During the year I have made three survey-inspections and three roadinspections ; also, in connection with the road-w yorks carried on by the " unemployed," I visited Tomahawk and Portobello Roads on several occasions, besides two visits to Catlin's Eiver. I was also absent one month at Milford Sound, during which time I niafle a reconnaisance survey of the Arthur Eiver from its mouth at Milford Sound to its source. I also measured the height of the Sutherland Falls, near the head of the Arthur Eiver, and found it to be 1,904 ft. In December last I spent eleven days inspecting runs for classification under the Land Acts Amendment Act of 1888, and seven days were occupied in making a tour of the Otago Survey District with yourself. District Offices. —Lawrence office is under the charge of Mr. McLean; Queenstown office under Mr. Adair : Mr. D. Barron, District Surveyor, has charge of the Naseby Office, as there is no resident draughtsman there. Dunedin Office. —During the year the following changes have taken place : Mr. Stables, cadet, resigned in December last year to proceed to Victoria; Mr. Neill, cadet, was promoted to the grade of Assistant Surveyor in Napier, and left this office in May last; Mr. Mouat, temporary cadet, having been over a year in the office, joined Mr. Langmuir's survey party in February last. Mr. Skey, with the assistance of Messrs. Wadie, Marsh, and Morrison, prepared 268 Crown grants and certificates of title, 120 perpetual leases, 64 pastoral leases, 44 deferred-payment leases, 26 occupation licenses, 8 coal leases, 9 agricultural leases, 6 exchange leases, and 59 small grazing-run leases, most in duplicate and some in triplicate, besides other incidental work, and examined and recorded 44 licensed holdings and special-claim grants. Mr. Nicolson, who is in charge of all records, including lithographs, records surveys, furnishes surveyors with data, makes tracings of surveys for Land Office, and attends to the public. Mr. Wadie has charge of the run maps, records all new surveys and alterations to boundaries, computes and checks areas, keeps record of road-improvements to open Crown lands, and executes plans on pastoral and other leases. Mr. Fynmore records new and closed road-surveys on working-plans and road, district, and county maps, reports on road matters, supplies descriptions and compiles returns of sold lands monthly, and attends to the public in connection with road affairs. Mr. Thompson checked the following plans : Land Transfer, 56; staff, 96 ; road and railway, in duplicate, 31: mining leases, 2.1; and also made the following surveys : Section No. 412, Town of Port Chalmers; disputed boundaries between Block 111., Portobello Bay, and Block IV., Otago Peninsula District; Mr. Wilson's property, same district; fixing boundaries of land contained in certificates, and producing southeastern boundary of Block XIII., Dunedin and Bast Taieri District, for the Land Transfer Department; also made survey of a coal-mining lease in Block V., Mount Hyde District. Mr. Marsh, besides assisting Mr. Skey, prepared information for the 80-chain district lithographs. Mr. Morrison, when not engaged on lithographic work, assisted the Chief Draughtsman. The Accountant, Mr. Euncie, besides the correspondence and book-keeping, recorded a precis of and indexed 3,324 letters received and sent; received, entered, and numbered 180 plans; he checked and tabulated the monthly survey and road reports ; kept and distributed stores ; paid salaries and wages in office, and proceeded to road-works with cash to pay wages; despatched all parcels, plans, and correspondence; and attended to all matters in connection with the office. Land Transfer Work. —Mr. Thompson's work under this heading is already detailed under the Dunedin Office work. Mr. Treseder, whose time is wholly occupied with this kind of work, examined and checked 46 applications, 909 transfers, 583 mortgages, 240 leases, 145 transmissions, put plans on 110 certificates, and 650 plans on certificates in lieu of Crown grants. Lithographic Branch. —Mr. Morrison reduced and drew one plan for photo-lithography and thirteen on transfer paper. Mr. Bain printed 2,570 lithographs therefrom, besides protractors' circulars, forms, &c, and mounted during the year 418 maps. The "Unemployed." —Since the beginning of the year I have had charge of the roads formerly under the Public Works Department. The section of the Portobello Eoad in course of construction was finished under my supervision. The Tomahawk Eoad-works were stopped by instructions from the Minister of Lands before they were completed, and the " unemployed " were discharged, as it was thought they could obtain harvest-work up country. On the'26th of last April, acting under instructions from the Hon. the. Minister of Lands, I sent twenty-four of them, under Inspector Cross, to clear and form roads near Catlin's Eiver. This number has now increased to forty, and applications are still coming in from men in want of work. Only married men with families to support are taken on. The country they are working is all heavily timbered, and the earthworks are