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eo-operative contracts and inspected works on Highbank and Hekeao Settlements. Mr. MurrayAynsley replaced trig-station C in the Fighting Hill district. Land Transfer Work.—The year just closed has, like its predecessors, been a busy one. There has been a slight decrease in some items, which is counterbalanced by an increase in others. The number of ordinary certificates of title issued during this year has been greater than during any year since 1885-86. 245 plans were examined and passed ; 980 deeds and other instruments passed ; 1,173 plans were drawn in duplicate, and thirty-five in triplicate, on certificates of title ; and five miscellaneous plans were drawn. In connection with Mr. E. H. Cane's transfer to the Napier office in August last Mr. Monro states, " He joined this office as a cadet in 1880, and his thorough knowledge of computation, and of all details in connection with Land Transfer work, has, I feel assured, proved of service in his present appointment. Mr. W. C. Leversedge has taken up Mr. Cane's duties, and performs them in a thoroughly satisfactory manner." Field Inspections.— Two inspections of Land Transfer surveys were made—one by Mr. McClure and the other by Mr. Mathias. I was absent from the office thirty days during the year—viz., ten at Wellington, attending meetings of the Board of Examination of Surveyors; eight in the southern part of the district with the Land Purchase Board, inspecting properties ; three at Waimate, in connection with the Takitu ballot; four on inspection of the West Coast Eoad ; and five on miscellaneous inspections. Proposed Operations for 1900-1. —'The total arrears of surveys on hand amounts to 51,031 acres. Out of this area, 13,900 acres has been completed in the field, but not mapped—viz., the Takitu Settlement, in the Elephant Hill district, 9,705 acres, surveyed by Mr. Mathias; subdivision of Pastoral Eun No. 4, in the Orari district, 4,000 acres, and Reserves Nos. 1856 and 1858, being the Otipua Lagoon, in the Patiti district, 195 acres, surveyed by Mr. Brodrick. There are also four miles and a half of standard survey in the Timaru suburbs, surveyed by Mr. Brodrick ; and six miles and a half of standard survey in the Christchurch suburbs, executed by Mr. McClure. The balance of arrears, comprising 37,131 acres, requiring survey consist of three rural sections in the Ashburton and Waimate Counties, 263 acres; thirty plantation and other reserves in the several counties, 1,461 acres; and agricultural-pastoral runs, known as Eockwood, Steventon, Burnt Hill, &c., in the Selwyn and Ashley Counties, 35,407 acres. Should there not be any surveys required of a more pressing nature, there will be, in addition to the above, the continuation of the standard surveys in the Suburbs of Christchurch and Timaru; the inspection of Land Transfer and other surveys; and the usual miscellaneous work of supervision of road, river-protective, and other contracts. Office-work— Mr. Shanks, Chief Draughtsman, reports as follows : " The past year proved a busy one as regards work in connection with lands acquired for settlement, for during the early portion we had on hand twenty surveyors' plans, delineating the subdivision of the Waikakahi Settlement, to check and compare with the surrounding surveys, &c. After completing the examination and reporting the results, the slight discrepancies were amended and omissions supplied, then the deeds for the lease-in-perpetuity sections were prepared, and nearly the whole of them are now issued, leaving on hand the Township of Morven and small grazing-run leases to prepare. We also checked the Tamai Hamlet plan, and have issued the lease-deeds for the greater number of the sections disposed of. During the latter portion of the year a large amount of work devolved upon the office owing to the acquisition by the Crown of five estates which required subdivision for settlement, viz., Takitu, PareoraNo. 2, Punaroa, Papaka, and Eautawiri. Such necessitated the preparation of numerous working-tracings for the surveyors, valuation and other schedules, besides photo-lithographic plans of the several settlements for publication. There were eleven large, sixteen small, and five road-survey plans received from the surveyors, all of which have been examined and passed, with the exception of the recently received plans of the settlements named, such having been only partially checked with a view to determine the areas accurately for the purpose of determining the true area to be paid for and leased. The unmapped work at present on the surveyors' hands are 13,900 acres and eleven miles of standard traverse survey in the Christchurch and Timaru suburbs. The former includes the survey of the Takitu Settlement, two reserves, and the subdivision survey of Eun No. 4, the plans of which will probably be finished early in May, leaving the plans of the standard work to complete during the winter months. As regards the unfinished plans of the Takitu Settlement, the areas were checked and finally determined from the pencil plots and data supplied by the surveyor. The following schedule shows the number and description of lease-deeds prepared and plans drafted thereon : 199 leases in perpetuity, prepared in quadruplicate, 796 ; four occupation with right of purchase, in triplicate, 12 ; nine miscellaneous, in triplicate, 27 ; four leases indorsed, in triplicate, 12 ; fifty-eight temporary licenses, in duplicate, 116; eleven small grazing-run leases, in duplicate, 22 ; nine pastoral-run licenses, in duplicate, 18; fifteen grazing-farm (Cheviot) leases, in duplicate, 30; one Crown grant indorsed, in duplicate, 2; eighteen copies of leases and licenses, single copies, 18: total number of deeds written, with plans thereon, 1,053. The present arrears are about 155 leases, comprising 107 leases in perpetuity, twenty small grazing-runs, and twenty-eight miscellaneous occupation licenses; included in the lease-in-perpetuity arrears are thirty-two of the Pareora No. 2 Settlement sections allotted by ballot on 30th March last. Plans were drafted on the originals of ninety-seven certificates of title in lieu of Crown grants, conveying 144 sections, containing 759 acres and 35 perches, at a cost of 3s. 6d. each, the duplicate and triplicate copies of the titles being prepared in the Land Transfer branch of this department. The indorsed Crown grant entered in the schedule of deeds prepared was for Education Eeserve No. 939, and required an amended plan and description, on account of a portion of the reserved land having been omitted in the original draft. No new record-maps were constructed, but additional work was placed on several, and 141 certificates of title were recorded, thirty-two of which were for closed roads. Tracings of sixty deposit-plans, and 291 other tracings, being 6—C. 1.

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