C.—l.

all of it covered with dense forest and difficult of access, involving the cutting of many miles of pack-tracks to enable supplies to be got to camp. The surveyors employed in this latter district are Mr. L. Cussen, engaged in inspection and road-exploration, whilst Messrs. Galbraith, H. "P. Edgecumbe, A. Wilson, Seaton, Mountfort, Allom, and G. A. Jackson are engaged on road and rural surveys. In addition to this Mr. Burd, the Road Surveyor, has Messrs. Adams and Sealy grading the roads after adoption, and getting them ready for formation. Large areas of section-work are also under survey north of Auckland by Messrs. Martin, J. B. Thomson, and Warner. A large area in the country between Rotorua and the Waikato River will be subdivided into small grazing-runs by Mr. E. P. Turner. Contract surveyors have 8,199 acres of rural surveys in progress at schedule rates. Office-work. —The office staff have been very fully employed. The large areas surveyed in the Kawhia County which required to be got ready for scheduling necessitated the laying-aside temporarily of other and not less important work, so that the arrears of plans requiring to be recorded are at present very heavy. Some 320 plans of rural section surveys have been received. Two hundred and seven plans and tracings for local bodies and Boards of Education have been dealt with, and likewise forty new Native Land Court plans. Schedules for expenditure of "thirds" and " fourths "of sixty-six local bodies have been checked and passed. Fees have been received for the sale of lithos, &c., amounting to £74. In the Crown grants and Native Land Court draughting branch Messrs. R. Ballantyne and G. Townshend, with two cadets and occasional assistance, have dealt with 1082 instruments. Thirty-two Native Land Court plans have been recorded on block-sheets, and fifteen plans for an area of 8,250 acres have been compiled. In the preparation of titles 451 plans have been dealt with, for a total area of 149,183 acres; and of Native Land Court orders, both Crown and Native, 378 plans have also been dealt with—these latter of a total area of 582,000 acres. ' Forty land-purchase deeds were prepared for the land purchase officers. The book-keeper, Mr. Kallender, and his assistants have dealt with 2,916 vouchers, covering a total expenditure of £71,259. Gebhard Muellek, Chief Surveyor.

HAWKE'S BAY. Topographical Survey.—Nothing under this heading has been done this year. Minor Triangulation. —Mr. Brook has surveyed 47,500 acres, at a cost of o'42d. per acre, being an extension of the triangulation to govern his settlement survey of the Ngapaeruru Block. Rural and Suburban.—The area surveyed is 53,529 acres, in ninety-two sections, at an average cost of 9-7 d. per acre. This is above the average cost last year, and is caused by the sections being very scattered. Of this area, 34,799 acres is a portion of the Ngapaeruru Block, which has been roaded and cut up for settlement, and will be ready for selection in June. The surveys have been made by Messrs. Brook and Stevenson; id is generally broken forest country. "Mr. Wheeler subdivided Taurawharona Block, 2,036 acres, into two sections, and Taratu Block, 70 acres, into six sections, and surveyed a cemetery reserve of 5 acres at Te Araroa and a Native-school site at Te Herenga of 8 acres. Mr. Dalziell has roaded and subdivided 4,144 acres of Nuhaka No. 2 Block, which will soon be ready for selection; it is mixed open and forest country : he has also surveyed 16,000 acres which cannot be returned on account of the maps not beiug completed. Mr. Roddick has roaded and subdivided Whangara 0 Block, of 3,317 acres : it is mixed forest and open country ; it was subdivided into eight sections, all of which have been selected. He also surveyed Sections 1 and 2, Ngatapa, 2,200 acres, and Buns 73 and 74, of 4,974 acres. Town Section Surveys.—Under this class 458'5 acres have been surveyed into 182 allotments, at an average cost of 40'2s. an allotment. Included in this area are the two Native townships of Tuatine, 90 acres, surveyed by Mr. Hovell, and Te Araroa, 368-5 acres, surveyed by Mr. Wheeler. Native Land Court Surveys.—The area surveyed by the staff under this heading is 17,543 acres, at an average cost of 12-4 d. an acre. This is higher than last year, but the sections are small and scattered, and in some cases old work had to be picked up and corrected before the subdivisions could be surveyed. 14,410 acres of this area are Crown awards in the Poverty Bay district, surveyed by Messrs. Wheeler, Hovell, and Roddick; the remainder being small awards in the Hawke's Bay District, surveyed by Messrs. Hay and Brook. Authorised surveyors have made sixty-two surveys, of a total area of 106,856 acres, at the cost of the Native owners; so that the total area surveyed by the staff and authorised surveyors is 124,399 acres. Road Surveys. —43 miles 57 chains has been surveyed and mapped, at an average cost of £l9 10s. Bd. per mile. In addition there has been 18J miles surveyed, but the maps not being completed it cannot be returned this year, and is carried on to next year. Of the forty-three miles surveyed, six miles and a half was surveyed by Mr. Hay, at a cost of £lB 4s. 7d., being an ordinary road survey in broken country; 24-4 miles was surveyed by Mr. Brook, at an average cost of £2l a mile, being an ordinary road survey in broken country; eight miles, at an average cost of £l7 13s. lOd. a mile, was surveyed by Mr. Roddick, it being in broken, mixed, open forest country; the remainder being short lengths of road surveyed by Messrs. Wheeler and Dalziell, at an average cost of £l7 10s. and £l6 a mile. Under this heading, but which does not show in the return, are the necessary engineering surveys in connection with the co-operative roadworks, Messrs. L. Smith, H. M. Smith, James Hay, and T. B. Marshall having been employed on them; and considerable extra work is thrown on the office preparing engineering drawings, specifications, &c. Other Work.—Under this heading, in table of "Field-work," is included the cost of field inspections, reports on blocks, and miscellaneous work, which cannot be classed under any of the usual headings.

34