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heavy in some places. The men are put on piecework, and good progress is being made ; although, owing to the clay soil and wet weather, planks have to be used in all cases for wheeling on. This causes extra expense, and I estimate that the work could be done at 20 per cent, less cost in summer. _ Proposed Operations. —Owing to the increased demand for bush land in the Glenomaru, Catlin, and Woodland Districts I propose to employ three surveyors in that locality during the coming season. Messrs. Strauchon and McCurdie are at work there at present, and Mr. D. M. Gainer proceeds there on completion of his work at Moeraki. Mr. Barron will be fully employed making settlement-surveys on the Maniototo Plain and attending to the mining applications as they come in. Mr. Langmuir, on completion of a settlement-survey in Blocks VIII. and XIII., Tuapeka West, will proceed to Duuedin to extend the standard survey there. This work has been hold over from' year to year, but it must be done this summer, and is urgently required to base the Land Transfer surveys on. As there are no pressing mining applications in the Queenstown Survey District at present, Mr. Wilmot might be spared to make a rough topographical survey of the country near Te Anau Lake. He could examine the country between the north-west arm of the middle fiord anS George Sound, and then grade and locate the best line of road up the Clinton Valley. He would thus have an opportunity of comparing McKinnon's Pass with the passes he has lately explored between the Hollyford and Cleddan Eiver systems. In this office I should like to devote more time to the preparation of 80-chain maps, and to the renewal of several county maps which are so much worn that they are almost unserviceable ; but with the limited staff I have at present I cannot do more than keep the ordinary routine work going. C. W. Adams, Chief Surveyor.

SOUTHLAND. Field-work. —There have been executed during the year 238 surveys, embracing 13,564 acres. Eighty-three of these surveys have been of township sections, embracing 21 acres. The remaining surveys consist of forty-two subdivisions of Native reserves, covering 6,275 acres; of eleven rural applications, covering 1,027 acres; of thirty-two saw-mill areas, embracing 3,527 acres; of seven special claims (gold-mining), embracing 320 acres; and of sixty-three tin-mining areas, amounting to some 2,394 acres. As will be seen from the return, many of these surveys were executed on the fee-system, fees in accordance with the regulation-scale having previously been deposited by applicants. In addition to the surveys which have been completed, and the plans of which have been sent in, a considerable number of mineral areas (tin) have been surveyed in Pegasus district, Stewart Island ; but, as the surveyors (Messrs. John Hay and H. E. Dundas) are still engaged with adjoining surveys, and have not yet had time to complete the plans, these surveys will necessarily be carried forward into next year's report. In connection with the work done by Mr. Hay during the year, I may say that the completed surveys consist entirely of subdivisions of Native reserves. These were mostly in bush-clad country, and involved long coast traverses. In addition to the surveys on the mainland and on Stewart Island, the Island of Ruapuke was subdivided, the subdivisional survey involving an accurate survey of the whole island and a coast traverse of some twenty miles. In the Native subdivisional surveys Mr. Hay had to locate the various family blocks, and to adjust the various disputes that arose among the claimants during the progress of the survey. In carrying out the work Mr. Hay had a task of no small difficulty, and, as he brought all the parties to an amicable settlement, and completed the surveys in reasonable time, considerable credit is due to him for the tact and good-nature displayed by him under the circumstances. In regard to Mr. Strauchou, I need scarcely say that for the greater part of the ysar he has been engaged in the Otago District, the work done by him in this district having simply been taken up in due course and as it came to hand. Mr. Strauchon will soon again return to the Catlin's country, where, I understand, a considerable amount of work awaits him. It will be seen that a considerable number of saw-mill areas have been applied for and surveyed during the year. This has been partially and, 1 have no doubt, large!}' owing to the demand for New Zealand timber that has recently arisen in Victoria and New South Wales, &c. The large amount of competition in the saw-mill trade is still keeping the price of timber extremely low, but I think that, as the demand is arising and increasing in the neighbouring colonies, the prospects of the millers are probably better than they were. I may say that the surveyor who makes the survey also makes the valuation of the timber. One of the surveyors on the fee-system has made a speciality of the work of valuing, and 1 am glad to report that the system works extremely well. The surveyor does the work of surveying and valuing for the single survey fee ; but he is permitted now to make compass-surveys, and this concession, which eases the operations of the surveyor, enables the double work to be done without extra cost either to the Government or the saw-miller, the survey being still sufficiently accurate for the purposes required. Throughout the year we have had a few applications to purchase un surveyed land, and several special claims on the goldfields (at Longwood, Waipapa Beach, &c.) have been applied for and surveyed. At Pegasus (Stewart Island), however, there has been quite an outburst of mining excitement during the year, owing to the discovery, first, of alluvial and thereafter of lode tin. Considerably over a hundred mineral areas have been applied for at Pegasus; at Kopack, a locality nearly midway between Pegasus and Lord's Eiver, about a dozen applications have been made; and in Paterson District several applications have also been made. Mr. T. S. Miller, authorized surveyor, being available at the time, was first sent to the field. Owing to the nature of the country, he had a deal of rough work to contend with, and, as over a hundred areas were rapidly pegged out in mingled bush and scrub, where access was difficult and where disputes were almost inevitable, the success that attended the work of adjustment and survey bears ample evidence to the care, tact, and efficiency with which Mr. Miller performed his duties. He has now returned to the mainland,