3

C.—s

Gold and other Mining Surveys. The past year has witnessed an increased demand for this class of survey, the area completed being 21,467 acres in 608 divisions, against 17,160 acres in 513 divisions for the previous year, the increase being principally in Otago. The surveys include licensed holdings, special claims, and dredging-areas. A large proportion of the surveys have been made by the officers of the staff, though in many cases, in order to keep the work up to date, the aid of the authorised surveyors was called in. As in all cases the fees are deposited with the applications, the cost of survey to the Government is nil. Many of these claims are situated in the new mining fields at Nenthorn, in Otago, and in the Puhipuhi State Forest, in Auckland, at Avhich latter place extensive silver-lodes AA 7ere discovered during the year. The cost of this class of Avork is always high, OAving to the isolated positions of the claims and the intermittent nature of the applications. Eor the past year the average cost was ss. 9d. per acre. Eoad and Eailway Surveys. Under this heading is included all surveys of roads, railways, Avater-races, &c, which do not form part of the systematic sectiomsing of the country. The work embraces the survey of roads laid out in exercise of the rights reserved under various statutes, such as the Land Acts, Native Land Act, etc., besides the definition of lines of roads leading to isolated blocks of Crown lands. A few miles of railway were also surveyed for Proclamation purposes, and included in the total are 144 miles of the reconnaissance survey of the road-lines leading from Taranaki toAvards Waikato, full descriptions of w7hich appeared in last year's reports. The amount of work before the department in exercising the rights of roads before the time expires within which they may be legally taken is very large indeed, and, although urgent cases are taken in hand as they arise, a very great number of cases must lapse for want of sufficient strength in the staff to carry the surveys out, especially so as the increased demand for lands for settlement purposes leaves very few officers available for this work, It is the duty of the department to again urge that, in the interests of the public, the time within Avhich road-rights under the Native Land Acts may be exercised shcukl be extended for a considerable period. Miscellaneous Work. In many cases the work performed by the officers of the department does not admit of any classification under the various heads as given in the tables : it is therefore grouped together here. The cost for the year amounted to £6,356, and the services rendered for this sum consist principally of explorations, field inspections, reports on various matters, small surveys of different kinds, and sundry other small items too numerous to mention in detail. Eoad-work generally. Since the department took over from the Public Works Department the Avhole of the constructive road-works of the colony, in January, 1889, this branch of the service has been a somewhat important one. A very large amount of the work is immediately conducted under the direction of the Chief Surveyors, with the occasional help of road surveyors and a staff of overseers specially engaged, whilst some of it is supervised by two of the Assistant Engineers, Avho were transferred to the department for that purpose from the Public Works Department. The aid of the local bodies is also made available in many cases; but the specification of the works and the final inspection of them is almost invariably undertaken by the Chief Surveyors and their staff. The reports from each district, given in the Appendix, detail the various works which have been in hand during the year: from them it will be seen that the operations extend from end to end of the colony, and that the character of the work varies a great deal according to requirements and locality. The principal work, however, is that connected with the opening of some kind of way to the Crown lands before offering them for sale. In the lands which the Crown has now to offer to the settler —consisting, as it does, almost entirely of broken forest country—it is essential that the selector shall have some means of reaching his property, in order to remove his family, furniture, stores, stock, &c, to the ground ; and it is found that, unless tracks are previously made, the lands do not readily find selectors. The necessity of continuing this system of opening the lands before sale is every day becoming of more importance. The available lands are further away from existing roads, the country is much more broken in its nature and almost always densely wooded—in fact, Avithout a continuance of the present system of "roading," there can be no reasonable doubt that settlement will fall off very considerably. It would seem to be necessary and advisable, in all cases where blocks of any size are thrown open, to construct a cart-road through them, and, in addition, that the by-roads should be formed as bridle-roads, all to be made rigidly on the permanent grades. The cost of these works is a legitimate charge on the lands themselves, and should be added to the price per acre according to the advantage each section derives from its position. During the past year a total of over 260 miles of road has been constructed or improved, consisting mainly of the following descriptions of work : — Cart-roads formed or improved ... ... ... ... 151-0 miles. Bridle-roads formed or improved ... ... ... ... 113'0 „ Graded in addition ... ... ... ... ... 29-5 „ Drains made ... ... , . ... 7'85 „ Bridges (not included*^ the above) ... ... .... ... 1,146ft. Contracts in operation on the 30th June ... ... ... 87 Outside the above works, the department hasXaintained a great length of main roads in Auckland, HaAvke's Bay, Wellington, Taranaki, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, and Otago, including therein some of the principal lines of communication in the colony which are situated outside the settled districts. Details of these operations will be found in the accompanying tables,