9

C— s

of various kinds; that the staff has also checked 164 traverse-sheets, and prepared 6 tracings for photo-lithographing ; also 199 Crown grants and leases, comprising 680 sections. In addition to this 21 plansnof Native titles, including 48 sections, and 157 plans, including 890 sections, have been drawn on Land Transfer certificates of title. Work for other departments has been executed amounting to £218 19s. 3d., and outstanding liens on Native Land Court surveys amount to £1,355 ss. 9d. Work for Next Year. —Mr. Skeet will survey two or three West Coast Commission reserves on the Upper Waitara, for which the owners have been pressing for some time. He will then subdivide the Crown land available in and adjoining the Makara Valley, between Ngatimaru and Tikorangi. The unsurveyed portion of the road to connect these settlements is now in hand by Mr. Davies. Mr. Skeet might afterwards continue the Mimi Valley Eoad eastAvards, and cut up some of the land there for settlement. Mr. Dalziell will continue subdividing in the Huiroa district, between the Makino and Makuri Eivers, including, possibly, the survey of a town-site on the latter stream. Mr. Buckeridge will continue the subdivision of the Mangamingi and Mangaehu Blocks, and afterwards survey a road through the Toko, Huiakama, and Mangaere Blocks to connect Avith the East Eoad. The standard and alignment surveys of some of the principal towns should be undertaken as soon as a staff surveyor is available. The extension of the standard survey into the suburbs of New Plymouth is likewise much needed. In the office w7e have still a large amount of arrears to workup in the preparation of blocksheets and Land Transfer record maps, although a commencement of the latter has been made, The folloAving table gives the result of the chain-closures in this district during the year : —

Sidney Weetman, Chief Surveyor.

HAWKE'S BAY. Minor Triangulation.- —Early in the summer a contract was made with Mr. A. Teesdale for the triangulation of a block of Crown land in Motu and Ngatapa districts, in order to govern the settlement surveys now in progress. The actual area included in the survey was 113,634 acres, and the cost £473 9s. 6d., or Id. per acre. 15,000 acres of Crown land in the Nuhaka district have been triangulated by Mr. A. D. NeAA'ton at a cost of Is. Bd. per acre, or £112 12s. 9d. for the AA'hole. The total area under this class is therefore 128,634 acres, at a total cost of £586 2s. 3d. Topographical Surveys for Selection under the Land Act of 1887. —31,100 acres have been dealt with under this system at an average acreage rate of 7'9d., or a total cost of £1,023 3s. 9d. Bural and Suburban. —25,567 acres have been divided into fifty-tAvo sections, averaging 491 acres, at the rate of Is. 3-6d. per acre, or £1,663 16s. 3d. for the whole. In addition to this, about 7,000 acres in Wakarara district, which were offered as unsurveyed land under the Act of 1887 some months ago, have been finally surveyed into sections, and a village settlement has been laid out at Motu; but, as the plans are not yet lodged, the w 7ork will have to be returned next year. Boad Surveys. —The mileage return for the year is 87-8, of which 67-5 miles are in Poverty Bay district. The average cost per mile Avas £15-75. Mr. G. J. Winter, Engineer to Cook County, surveyed 7'75 miles of road, under the authority of the Survey Department, for the purpose of completing a gap betAveen Waiomatatini and Eahui, in the Waiapu district; but this has not been included in. the return, because it Avas done under the direction of the county.. In addition to the foregoing, about 25 miles have been surveyed, but not mapped : this brings the total mileage up to 120. Most of these roads are through forest-country, and will give access to about 100,000 acres of Crown land. Napier and Wairoa Boad. —Late in the autumn if was decided to have a trial-survey of this line made, for the purpose of ascertaining whether it would be possible to find a practicable route, which Avould avoid the defects of earlier surveys, Avith a view to connecting Napier and Gisborne by a main road, which would enable travellers to pass betAveen those places, via Wairoa, but without risking the delay contingent upon having to depend upon coasting steamers, whose trigs are liable to interruption through stress of weather, unfavourable bars, &c. For this service Captain A. C. Turner was temporarily engaged, and commenced his survey about the middle of May; and, although the weather has been very unfavourable, he has graded and located about 25 miles, and explored a considerable extent of country. Mahicir-Gisborne Boad, via Nuhaka. —The unsatisfactory state of the old track, Avhich folloAvs the telegraph-line between these places, has long been the subject of complaiut by travellers and the local bodies concerned : but since the Crown lands at Nuhaka have been partially surveved it 2—C. 5.

Surveyor. Number o£ Closures. Number of Traverse-lines. Total Length, in Miles. Mean Difference of Closure per Mile, in Links. [. M. Skeet '. A. Dalziell I. W. Buckeridge '. K. Skinner (contract) 16 11 3 7 272 1,139 284 92 37 57-5 6 9-8 1-12 1-15 2-4 0-9 Totals and mean 37 1,787 110-3 1-39