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Native Land Court Surveys. —The total area surveyed for Native Land Court purposes during the year has been 198,137 acres, in 127 separate blocks. Of this amount the staff has surveyed fifteen blocks, of a total area of 15,087 acres, and at a mean cost of 1225. per acre. Authorised surveyors, at contract rates, have surveyed twenty-eight blocks, of an area of 24,409 acres, at a total cost of £788, or a mean of 0 655. per acre. The balance has been surveyed by authorised surveyors, who have arranged privately with the Native owners, and who may or may not apply for a certificate of lien. Gold-mining Surveys. —Owing to the recent rich discoveries at Coromandel, and the continued handsome yields in the Waihi and other mining centres, there has been a great revival of the goldmining industry. During the past year the total plans received and surveys authorised have been for sixty-two claims, of a total area of 1,752 acres. These claims were surveyed at a cost of nearly 9s. per acre, or a total cost at schedule rates of £767 12s. 7d. In addition to these, five areas have been surveyed for coal-mining leases, with an area of 1,398 acres, and at a total cost of £179 2s. Boads, Bailways, &c. —A very large mileage has been surveyed during the year, totalling to 226 miles, at the low mean cost of £11 per mile, nearly the whole of which was done by the staff. When it is borne in mind that this has nearly all been surveyed in broken forest country requiring an immense amount of patient exploration before the requisite grades could be obtained, the results must be admitted to be very satisfactory. Detention by Native Opposition, etc. —The sum under this head is only £10, and the greater portion was incurred by Mr. J. B. Thomson at Mangakahia, owing to a dispute with the Maoris over the Kauaeranga Block sold to the Crown. Other Work. —Of the total sum of £1,468 12s. sd. set down under this heading no less than £783 9s. Bd. is the cost incurred by Mr. L. Cussen, District Surveyor, for inspection of the Native Land Court subdivision surveys within the Aotea Eohe Potae Block, and also the inspection of the Awakino and Mokau Mohakatino Blocks within the Auckland Native Land Court District; and, with the exception of the survey of a road from Kawhia to Harihari, the whole of Mr. Cussen's time has been given .to this work. The remaining sum is divided amongst ten other surveyors, and is, in Mr. Baber's case, inspection, ranging, and exploration, at a cost of £225; also, in Mr. F. K. Thomson's case it is the cost of defining boundary between Crown and Native lands at Muriwhenua, and also for inspection of sections for Eanger, at a total cost of £175 ; the other items are principally for ranging work done, and also for the survey of five coal-mining leases, &c. Work in Progress. —I have now no less than 2,547 square miles of triangulation in progress, some 500 of which are being surveyed by Mr. T. K. Thompson, from Eangaunu northwards to the North Cane and Cape Maria van Diemen, for the purpose of enabling the office to correctly lay down this portion of the colony upon the record maps, and also for the purpose of checking smallarea section surveys laid out for gum-diggers, thus encouraging them to become permanent settlers. There are also 2,000 square miles in progress by Messrs. Philips and Foster in the Urewera country, for the purpose of enabling the colony to obtain a knowledge of its topography, and also of obtaining a closure between the Bay of Plenty and Poverty Bay circuits. There are also under survey at the present time 142,686 acres of rural surveys, mostly in comparatively small areas; also 307,944 acres of Native Land Court surveys and Native land purchase surveys, and some 283 miles of road, to which will probably be added another 100 miles during the year. There will doubtless be a large addition to the section surveys owing to extensive Government purchases within the Aotea boundaries between Pirongia and Taranaki. Land Transfer Work. —Under this heading the work has been very small; only 131 plans have been approved, containing 460 subdivisions, and of a total area of 15,928 acres. Ido not anticipate any increase during the ensuing year. Crown Grants, Native Titles, and Land-purchase Deeds, dc. —The return this year is very satisfactory; there have been 1,778 grants, &c. prepared, involving 4,890 marginal plans, of a total area of 1,165,324 acres, at a cost of £354 7s. 2d., or Is. 5-J-d. per marginal plan. Office Work in General. —The return of expenditure attached will give some idea of the great increase of office work. The vouchers passed by Mr. Kallender and his assistant, Mr. Edwards, amount to 2,209 in number, for a total amount of £45,283. Mr. Kallender has also had charge of the preparation of the quarterly revenue statements ; and also has computed the tables attached to the Lands Bepoit. The general correspondence out and in cannot fall short of from 20,000 to 25,000 letters. Some ninety-two plans of roads taken and closed for local bodies, comprising eighty miles of road, have been examined, recorded, and traced; also eleven miles and a half of water-race plans under Public Works Act, and eight miles and a half of railway-plans have undergone the same course. Two hundred and twenty-eight plans and specifications for road contracts have been prepared ; also 162 specifications sent in by local bodies have been examined and approved. The energies of the office staff have been taxed to the utmost to keep pace with the work and to prevent arrears accumulating. Gerhard Mueller, Chief Surveyor.

HAWKE'S BAY. Minor Triangulation. —We have succeeded this year, notwithstanding some opposition, in completing the triangulation of the East Cape country, so long resisted by the Natives in that locality. This area is 84,000 acres, and the work was done in a very creditable manner by Mr. M. Carkeek, by contract, at slightly over Id. an acre. The effect of this survey has been the breaking down of the long and strenuously sustained opposition to the dealing with this country by the Natives, for since its completion applications for investigation of title, embracing the whole, have