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pied an unusual proportion of the time of the most expert officers, and probably the pressure on the office in this respect will increase owing to the combination of draughting and lithographing skill being both convenient and suitable. In this connection there is room for a first-class draughtsman who is capable of compiling and drawing 80-chain standard maps and geographical maps. The draughtsmen employed on the usual current departmental work of compilation, checking, recording Proclamations, preparing plans and pamphlets in connection with the disposal of land, and supplying data for reports and correspondence have proved themselves efficient. The land-sale work has increased very considerably during the year. The whole time of two draughtsmen has been devoted to the preparation of land-sale poster-maps for distribution to the public through the local offices. The pamphlets containing information respecting the disposal of estates purchased under the Land for Settlements Act have been prepared by myself. The ten-mile map of New Zealand mentioned in last year's report has been completed. There have been three photographic reductions made from the original drawing on scales of ten miles, sixteen miles, and twenty miles to an inch respectively. These have been transferred to stone, and are now being prepared for publication. The publication of one-mile-to-the-inch maps of survey districts has been proceeded with at intervals. It has been found to be impracticable to keep one draughtsman uninterruptedly on this work. Of new districts there have been printed and published the following : viz., Port Nicholson (on two scales, 40 chain and 80 chain), Puketoi, Tainui, Mimi, Pouatu, Kapara, Mikimiki, Barefell, Acheron, Rintoul, Eeefton, Mokihinui, Kanieri, Mahinapua, Otara, Waikawa, Slopedown, and Toetoes (all drawn in the district offices). New editions—corrected up to date—of the following mile-to-the-inch maps of survey districts have been published : viz., Hawera, Opaku, and Oxford. The mile-to-the-inch maps in hand and now going through the press are Upper Waitara, Wakamarina, Onamalutu, Eowallan, Arowhenua, Geraldine, Kapunatiki, and Opihi (the last three drawn in the Head Office). Maps of the following towns, &c, have been printed and published : viz., Towns of Te Araroa, Potaka, Parata, Scarborough, Torere, Seddon, Port Chalmers, Borough of South Invercargill, County of Eden (on 20-chain scale) ; Blocks VII. and X., Tautuku District ; Block 1., Mangatoro District; and Block VI., Otara District. Maps of the Counties of Masterton, Bketahuna, Mauriceville, and Castlepoint have been compiled, drawn on the mile-to-the-inch scale, printed, and published. These maps have been found very serviceable both to the department and the public. Amongst miscellaneous maps published during the year, the following may be noted: viz., Map showing the distribution of the islands in the Pacific, in four printings; map of the seat of war in China, in four printings ; revised map of seat of war in South Africa; map showing magnetic stations in Middle Island, New Zealand; topographical maps of Little Barrier Island, and source of the Poulter Eiver, Canterbury ; map showing State nurseries; map showing kauri-gum reserves ; and panorama of Southern Alps. New index county maps of Waitaki, Selwyn, Akaroa, and Taieri have been completed. Maps of the Counties of Wanganui and Waitotara are in hand and well advanced. As in the case of the counties in the Wairarapa district, so also in the case of the maps for Wanganui and Waitotara, the Head Office has to rely solely on its own resources for procuring data for the compilations, and it is necessarily a tedious process. Several of the county maps in Otago must be renewed at an early date, and this work will require the special and urgent attention of the district office. The disposal of lands during the year has necessitated the publication of 245 land-sale postermaps, or fourteen more than last year's return. These maps have been prepared and published, as a rule, at least five weeks before the dates of the opening of the lands for sale or selection, and forwarded to the district offices for distribution to the public. For Auckland there have been published fifty-five maps ; for Taranaki, nineteen maps; for Hawke's Bay, sixteen maps ; for Wellington, fifty-two maps ; for Marlborough, eighteen maps ; for Nelson, six maps ; for Westland, six maps ; for Canterbury, seventeen maps ; for Otago, twenty-five maps; for Southland, thirtyone maps. Of these maps, 121,700 copies have been printed. For advertising lands acquired under the Land for Settlements Act there have been compiled, printed, and published pamphlets containing maps, illustrations, and complete information in respect to the following five settlements: viz., Barnego, Lyndon, Langdale, Waipapa, and Hatuma. The numbers of pamphlets printed for each ■settlement have varied from 1,500 to 3,000. According to established custom, photographic reductions of all land-sale maps have been forwarded to the District Survey Offices for purposes of compilation of county maps and departmental reports, &c. For these purposes 13,350 copies have been printed. The preparation of maps for the Registrar-General, showing the boundaries of electoral districts, counties, ridings, road districts, boroughs, and town districts for the purposes of the census, necessitated the regular departmental work being temporarily set aside. A duplicate set of fortyseven of these maps was prepared and forwarded to the enumerators. From these maps 986 subenumerators' districts were marked off, and maps for each sub-district prepared in the District Survey Offices. The final checking of the maps, and the colouring thereon of the small subdivisions into which population has to be placed for the purposes of the Representation Commissioners, were done in the Head Office. The accuracy with which the whole work was performed is creditable to the staff. Compared with previous years there has been a greater demand for extra departmental work, both in volume and variety. The computing, plotting, designing, drawing, or photo-lithographing of subjects have been executed for twenty-one departments. Amongst miscellaneous extra departmental work performed may be noted : For the Registrar-General there have been computed and drawn eight diagrams, and 6,000 copies of each printed in four printings ; and 6,000 copies of map of New Zealand in three printings : for the Postal Department, map of New Zealand on eight-mile scale, in four

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