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12 county maps; made 402 tracings of various sizes, checked 151 traverse sheets, drawn four tracings for photo-lithographing; put plans on 122 Crown grants and leases (in triplicate) representing an area of 23 271 acres ■ and on 157 certificates of title (in duplicate), dealing with 55,779 acres. The posting up for of the triangulation records in the books printed for the purpose has been most satisfactorily performed by Mr. Douglas, who has had to recompute a large portion of the older and more doubttui work in order to bring it into " terms " with that which had been finally determined Work for Next Year— \s well as can be forecast at present, the field-work tor the ensuing year will consist chiefly of subdivision for settlement in the Egmont, Ngatimaru, _ Huiroa, and Ngaere Survey Districts by three members of the staff. Mr. Buckendge's subdivision of Mangaminei if not retarded, should be completed by September. The subdivision of Mangaere and Kaimanuka lands, by Messrs. Finnerty and Annabell respectively, on contract, will I presume, go on Mr Bullard, Assistant-Surveyor, who has just been transferred from Nelson, will be employed in surveying roads, under warrant, through the Toko, Huiakama, Matemateonga, and other blocks It is unnecessary for me to reiterate what I have said in previous reports as to the advisability of standard and alignment surveys of the larger towns being made before permanent buildings are erected, &O. . .. -. . In the office we have an ever-increasing amount of arrears piling up, as detailed in my return, furnished some months ago. It will be noticed that not a single block sheet was prepared during the past year, against nineteen got out the previous year ; and little or no progress has been made with the Land Transfer record-maps. This does not arise from any lack of energy or industry on the part of the'staff, who, on the contrary, I am happy to say, both as regards the field and the office, are most desirous of doing their utmost, but rather from the fact that the current work taxes their best efforts to keep it up to date. Sidney Weetman, Chief Surveyor.

HAWKE'S BAY. TricuumUttion.—Oi minor triangulation 17,400 acres have been executed at a cost of slightly over id an acre. This was found necessary to govern the settlement surveys now being carried on in the Motu Country. The field-work of an additional 12,000 acres m the Mohaka district has been finished, but the mapping of it is not done. . Topographical Survey for Selection under Land Act of 1887.— Two blocks in the Mataand Alotu Survey Districts, of 29,800 acres in extent, have beeen prepared by Messrs. Price and Weill, and are now offered for selection ; and another, with an area of 17,600, situated near Waikaremoana Lake has been completed by Mr. Mountain, and is now about to be thrown open, lhe average cost per acre is 54-df, which is very reasonable, as it includes the expense of grading and traversing the necessary road lines, and much of the boundaries. In addition to the foregoing completed work a further 129,000 acres in the Motu, Waikaremoana and Nuhaka North districts are in the hands of the surveyors. At the present time 25 miles of road have been located, and a survey-of 40,000 acres is nearing completion. The weather of late has been so bad in these localities that it has been found necessary to withdraw the parties for a time. _ . . no n(1 . Rural and Suburban.— Under this heading eighty-seven sections, comprising _ 23,024 acres, have been surveyed at a cost of 10d. an acre; but, as the greater part is the subdivision of blocks that appeared in last year's return under " Topographical Surveys for Selection under Act of 1887 as having cost 6d. an acre, the actual expense from first to last on the 23,024 acres now returned is at the rate of Is. 3fd. an acre. - , „ Native Land Court Surveys.—There have been 2,962 acres in two blocks surveyed by the staff at a cost of £54 155., equivalent to 4*d. an acre. Thirty-four blocks, with a total area of 25,<340 acres surveyed by authorised surveyors at the cost of the owners, have been examined and passed Boad Surveys.-Other than those inside blocks prepared for settlement, 119* miles of road have been carefully located, graded, and traversed. There have been 44f miles laid off by staff surveyors at the rate of £9 6s. 9d. per mile ; the balance by authorised surveyors at £12 13s. bd. _ lhe neatest length executed by any one surveyor is 56f miles of the new road line from Napier to Wairoa, by Captain Turner, at a cost of £10 14s. 7d. per mile. It has been a work of great difficulty, and the manner in which it has been performed reflects great credit on the surveyor The remaining 17 miles of the section will be finished in about a month. Messrs. HaUett and Lain* have a contract for an engineering survey of the road from Frasertown to Waikaremoana, and from Wairoa to Mahia, a distance of about 50 miles. The field-work of the former is finished ; but the mapping not having been done, it cannot appear in this year's returns of completed work. Other Work— The sum of £953 Is. 9d., which appears in the return, represents the expense incurred on various works that cannot be brought under the other headings, and, being so considerable requires explanation. Of it £389 Is. Id. was the cost of running the east boundary of the \warua Block, i.e., the boundary between the Land Districts of Wellington and Hawke s Bay as determined by the Eoyal Commission. The length of traverse was 28 J miles, mostly along the summit of the Buahine Eanges. On the standard survey of Napier for Land Transfer purposes £100 14s 4d was expended, and £132 17s. Bd. on the survey of several small grazing-runs. The principal other items were for surveys and attendance on Supreme Court, inspection and grading of lologaMangatokerau Eoad, and assistance rendered to Marine Engineer at Gisborne. Inspection —Through my having so very lately taken charge, I have been unable to do more m this direction than visit the Gisborne office and vicinity, but I learn that my predecessor, Mr Williams inspected the 74 miles of road, laid out by Captain Turner, from Napier to Wairoa; the brmond-Opotiki Eoad, on which maintenance and contract work has been carried out by the department ■ road works near Waiapu; and also the settlement surveys at Waikaremoana Nuhaka North and'Motu Mr. Goldsmith, the District Surveyor at Poverty Bay, has examined on the ground ten small scattered Native Land Court surveys executed by authorised surveyors, and some

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