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was fairly met, the routine work of the office being well up to date. The number of 80-chain maps printed and published shows a decline. Those issued were the districts of Catlin's, Huiroa, Matapiro, Waimate, and Oero. There are, however, sixteen maps awaiting final revision before printing, namely : Districts of Leeston, Carlyle, Clive, Heretaunga, French Pass, Linkwater, Bock and Pillar, Kaupokonui, Pohui, Dunback, Halswell, Opunake, Hororata, Woodville, Maraekakaho, and Oriori. Preliminary prints of these have already been taken for departmental purposes. Maps of the districts of Westmere, Ikitara, Bangitoto, and Hutt County were reproduced from old lithographs for office use only, and, until the necessary data is furnished to allow of corrections and additions being made, no further progress can be made with them. In this category there may be included Mangahao, Makuri, Tararua, and Mangaone. The miscellaneous maps published include the Towns of Pohangina, Oraka, Oban, Dunback, Huiroa, Newman, Ballance, Mackenzie, Botorua and suburbs, and Greymouth ; Blocks V. and VI., Woodland ; Egmont Trig.; and the special settlements of Medbury, Gatton, Hall, Marton Nos. 1 and 2, Kaikoura, Mecalickstone, Danevirke, Woodville, Salisbury, Clifton No. 1, Hunterville No. 3, Milsom, Masterton Beform, Lepperton, Pahiatua No. 2, Summerville, and Palmerston North Knights of Labour. These latter were compiled and drawn in the district offices. Large and small scale maps of the Cheviot Estate, and the estates of Pomahaka and Te Anaraki were also published. The geographical map of Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki, mentioned in last year's report, is still under preparation. The data required to complete it is not to hand. Amongst maps undertaken for other departments the following are of special notice, namely : 40-mile map of the colony, showing lighthouses, in three colours ; 16-mile maps of North and Middle Islands, showing post-offices, telegraph, and telephone-stations, in four colours; 16-mile map for Bailway Commissioners, in three colours ; electoral maps, in five colours ; and map of New Zealand, for Agent-General's Department, in three colours. The New Zealand flag was drawn and printed in five tints. In the preparation and lithographing of land-sale plans there has been a large increase of work which must be done rapidly and accurately. The time of one draughtsman is almost wholly occupied in drawing for this purpose. The number of land-sale plans published during the period under review was 215, viz.: of Auckland 68, of Hawke's Bay 12, of Wellington 11, of Taranaki 8, of Nelson 8, of Marlborough 21, of Westland 6, of Canterbury 20, of Otago 29, and of Southland 32. The total number of copies printed was 144,280. The demand for these plans by the public is apparent from the frequent requests for additional supplies. Besides the number just stated, 8,550 copies of special-settlement plans were printed. Of maps designed to advertise the colony as a resort for tourists' there were published a new edition of the " Grand Tour," and the Taranaki Guide-book. The former was distributed through the agency of Cook and Son and the Agent-General, and the latter principally by the Scenery Preservation Society, Taranaki. One hundred and seventy-five descriptions of boundaries for proclamation purposes were written, and the changes recorded on maps and record-books. This represents work done for other departments. The current work of furnishing data for departmental reports and papers has occupied the greater portion of one officer's time. A commencement has been made in the compilation of new county maps. Wairarapa North and South are in hand, and well advanced. This work will develop into an undertaking of some magnitude, as a great deal of the old work on most of the maps now in use is becoming obliterated by age and wear. The examining, and recording on maps, of schedules and plans of roads taken under the Public Works and Native Lands Acts, necessitated the revision of one hundred and twenty-eight descriptions and the examination of one hundred and ninety-three plans. Drawings of bridges, road-sections, buildings, culverts, and machinery were made during the year. Thirteen schedules for Local Bills Committee, House of Bepresentatives, were revised. One thousand one hundred and five maps and tracings were mounted. Six crayon drawings, twenty-eight wash-drawings of landscape scenery for " process" pictures, eight pen-and-ink drawings, and four drawings on wood were made. Corrections and additions were made on 428 stones. The out-turn of the lithographic presses and machines has been greater than that of any previous year, the number of subjects being 1,116, with 587,488 complete copies of 1,664 separate printings, or 1,069,498 impressions. The hand-presses contributed 62,119 copies to this result. Printing was done for nineteen departments of the service, the details of which are given below. It is gratifying to be able to report that the efficiency of the staff has lessened the difficulties of supervising work, although carried on in four separate buildings. In the photographic gallery an increase is shown in the number of plates taken, the out-turn being 872. This is mainly due to the extra demand for reductions of maps to the standard scales of 20, 40, 80, and 160 chains to the inch, which are found most useful for illustrating reports, &c, and for county-map compilations. One hundred and thirty-seven bromide prints and one hundred and eight silver prints were made. Satisfactory progress has been made with the " process " work, many of the pictures being a distinct improvement on Mr. Boss's previous efforts. With improved accommodation for experimental purposes, this will become a useful feature of photo-lithography.

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