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of the road already constructed. Mr. Snodgrass will also undertake gold-mining surveys and the current work required for the Mines Department within the Buller Coalfields Reserve. Mr. Montgoinerie, now assisting with surveys in the Amuri district, will be required in his own district (Reefton) if the Midland Railway "Company's lands can be dealt with during the ensuing year. Two blocks of land set apart for landless Natives in the Croixelles, containing 900 acres, are proposed to be let under contract to Mr. W. Eobertson, who is just completing similar surveys in the Marlborough District. John S. Bbowning, Chief Surveyor.

MARLBOBOUGH. Minor Triangulation. —The only minor triangulation proper executed during the year was an area of 46,900 acres by Mr. J. A. Robertson, contract surveyor, to govern his surveys of land for landless Natives, in the Sounds. The cost, 0-87 d., may be considered reasonable, as the country is very precipitous, and covered with heavy forest. The heights of the stations range from 600 ft. to 4,000 ft. above sea-level. Topographical Surveys for Selection of " Unsurveyed Land."— Although nearly the whole of the land opened during the year has been offered as "unsurveyed land," no topographical surveys have been made or necessary road-lines laid out beforehand, as is the practice in other districts. Consequently the Land Board, when dealing with applications to have land opened, has had little or no information as to the nature of the country, quality of the land, best fencing-boundaries, &c.; and has had, in a great measure, to work in the dark, in the absence of topographical maps and classification reports. Some of the reasons why this practice has obtained is this district are, probably—(l) because the pieces applied for are small areas scattered about in the Pelorus, Kaituna, and Waitohi Valleys, and in the Sounds ; (2) because for some years past only one staff officer has been attached to this district, and it was simply impossible that he could singlehanded survey all the land that had been taken up, &c, and at the same time furnish topographical maps of, and reports on, pieces applied to be opened. Under the circumstances the Board had to work in the dark, one of the effects of this very unsatisfactory system having been thatin one or two cases lands have been offered without any access to them, and in several others with access only by " paper " roads. The absence of detail topographical maps is very much felt in this district. Rural and Suburban. —An area of 19,003 acres has been surveyed into seventy sections, at a mean cost of P2s. per acre. This area is made up chiefly of small detached pieces taken up prior to survey. The remainder comprises two runs in the Sounds of which the tenure has been changed to lease in perpetuity. Town Section Survey. —Nothing under this heading has been surveyed during the year. Native Land Court and Native Reserve Survey.— Mr. J. A. Bobertson, contract surveyor, has completed the survey of 2,837 acres, in two blocks—one at Okoha, and the other at Kenepuru. Within those blocks eighty 3-acre allotments have been pegged off—all for landless Natives—at a cost of 4s. per acre. Mr. A. Simpson has made a preliminary survey of the Wairau Native reserve, giving details of plantations, fences, houses, &c, in order to facilitate the partition between the three hapus—viz., Ngatitoa, Rangitane, and Ngatirarua. This has been done at a cost of l'34s. per acre. Gold-mining Surveys. —Two surveys have been made by Mr. Douglas Dobson, comprising 60 acres, both situate in the Wakamarina Valley, and paid for by the applicants, at a cost of £51 6s. Roads, Railways, do. —Only five miles and a quarter of road were surveyed—one mile and a half in the Kaituna and Pelorus Valleys, three miles and a half at Mahakipawa, Pelorus Sound, both to be taken under the Public Works Act; and a quarter of a mile to give access through private property to the unsold portion of Erina Run, Wairau Valley. Other Work. —This includes office-work, reporting on Warwick Runs, grading road at Torea, reporting on track at Wet Inlet, and inspecting track at White's Bay, all executed by Mr. Greenfield. Also redefining old boundaries of land at Pelorus Valley, to be given to Natives; this was done by Mr. McFarland. Field Inspection. —A Land Transfer survey in the Wairau Valley was inspected by Mr. Greenfield, when it was found that, although the bearings and distances were generally correct, the groundmarking had been almost entirely neglected. When the surveyor was instructed to supply the deficiencies he made the somewhat extraordinary statement that, as the land surveyed belonged to his own family, he thought it was unnecessary to comply strictly with the regulations. I have twice visited Mr. Robertson during his survey of land for landless Natives, on the last occasion going overland with him from Endeavour Inlet to Okoha. I have altogether spent sixtysix days travelling through different parts of the district, either on special or general inspection. Work for Next Year. —As well as it is possible to forecast, the work for the ensuing year will be the completion of surveys of lands for landless Natives by Mr. Robertson; the survey of several small grazing-runs by Messrs. McFarland and Simpson —temporary staff; and the survey of some thirty applications already received from holders of Marlborough leases and pastoral licenses to exchange their tenure to leases in perpetuity. As deposits will be lodged for these surveys they can be undertaken by authorised surveyors ; but, as I pointed out in my report for 1891-92, we cannot expect the private surveyor who has a business connection in the district to devote all his energies to Crown land surveys; neither can we expect him, when paid by a fee on the present scale, to spend time in exploring and laying out roads which may hereafter be necessary through the sections which he is surveying. If the reclassification of the country now held by Marlborough lessees, comprising some 900,000 acres, is contemplated, a topographical survey will be necessary before the leases expire in 1896. This matter has been already referred to by my predecessor in his two last reports.