C—lα.

Rural and Suburban.—The total of this class amounts to 71,211 acres, in 223 sections, at an average cost of 2'2Bs. per acre. All this work was undertaken by staff surveyors, and constitutes the completion of final and permanent survey of a large area of provisional work undertaken during the years 1902-4. The coming season will see the completion of the remaining provisional work. These rural and suburban surveys were situated in Totoro, Aria, Ohura, and Waro Districts, being all rough forest country more or less difficulb of access. Towns. —This comprises a small area of 15 acres, in 44 lots, at an average cost of 25-84s. per lot. Native Land Court. —One small survey only, containing 226 acres, and situated in the Totoro District, was undertaken during the year. Roads. —Under this heading work amounting to 19 "36 miles was completed at an average cost of £19-18 per mile in the Totoro, Mimi, Ohura, and Mahoe Districts. Other Work.— The expenditure under this heading amounted to £397 195., and was made up of cost against general miscellaneous work connected with survey operations, reports, and plans on various subjects, road-deviations, exploration, opening up of pack-tracks through new blocks, and a variety of other matters. Inspections. —During the year I have visited all the staff surveyors and inspected the work being carried out under their direction, and generally with veTy satisfactory results. Inspections were also made over work being undertaken by most of the private surveyors working in the district. I regret that during the year the Department has lost the services of two zealous and competent officers. For private reasons Messrs. Murcott and Buckeridge resigned from the field staff ; the former had been on the staff continually since 1891. Office-work. Examination of Plans. —The number of plans in the ordinary survey branch checked during the year was 99, with 415 traverse sheets, comprising 717 sections, of a total area of 127,780 acres, and 34 miles 68 chains of roads taken and closed, and railway land plans. Of these, settlement surveys represented 26 plans, containing 212 subdivisions, of an area of 56,096 acres. Trigonometrical: 2 plans, containing 68,500 acres ; 7 plans, defining 25 miles 8 chains of lands taken and roads closed ; 6 plans of 9 miles 60 chains railway land plans. Three plans of townships, giving 29 subdivisions of a total area of 184 acres ; 5 Native Land Court plans, containing 5 subdivisions of an area of 729 acres ; and 50 miscellaneous plans of 465 subdivisions, containing 2,271 acres —making a total as above. Compilation. —Two new Crown-grant record maps were made, and all recording has been brought up to date. Three Land Transfer, 4 road record, and 1 new trigonometrical maps have been constructed. Also during the year 13 town maps and 24 block sheets were made, and all recording on these and previous sheets has been kept up to date. Publications.—Nine photo-lithographic tracings for sale purposes, comprising 122 sections of an area of 27,493 acres, and 6 town maps were prepared and forwarded to Head Office for publication. Native Land Court Plans.—Five plans were dealt with, 17 plans were indorsed in duplicate on Native Land Court orders, and 21 authorities for survey under the Act were dealt with. One large map was compiled for Land Court purposes. Land Transfer Work.— Eighty-five working-plans with 127 traverse sheets were checked and approved, comprising 347 sections and subdivisions of an area of 10,363 acres 1 rood 1376 perches. Titles. 1,287 plans were paced on Crown grants, Land Transfer certificates of title, Crown leases and licenses, and Native Land Court orders, and 261 leases and licenses were prepared. " Thirds " and " Fourths " to Local Bodies.— Twenty-eight proposals amounting to £3,129 12s. 10d. for expenditure on roads, &c, were submitted by the local bodies and approved by the Land Board. The amount of " thirds " and " fourths " to credit of local bodies in the Receiver-General's Deposit Account and the Receiver of Land Revenue's Deposit Account on the 31st March, 1906, was £4,864 9s. Id. Miscellaneous—The usual demands made on the office staff were attended to. These comprise attending to and supplying information to the general public, data to the staff for execution of surveys, information to local bodies and Departments, preparation of maps for Census Enumerators and Education Boards, and reports on Native land and other matters. 106 tracings were made for the ValuerGeneral, and 92 for Crown selectors. Proposed Operations for 1906-7. — A staff of three permanent and five temporary surveyors is at present engaged in different parts of the district on field-work, covering an area of 116,627 acres, more or less, of subdivisional work in Totoro, Aria, Ohura, Waro, Mahoe, and Upper Waitara Survey Districts ; also the survey of roads to be taken under warrant through Native lands, road-deviations, and other miscellaneous work. The completion of the alignment survey of Hawera (town and suburban), held over for the last four years, should be undertaken and finished. I wish further to emphasize the urgent necessity of standard "points, &c, being fixed in the rising townships in this district, so as to avoid the trouble, litigation, &c, that must naturally follow on neglect in this direction. Fkans. Simpson, Chief Surveyor.

WELLINGTON. The. gross area surveyed during the year under the various headings is approximately 160,753 acres, besides 18 miles of North Island Main Trunk Railway, plans of which are only completed for 6 miles. The particulars are as follows :— Triangulation.— An area of 50,500 acres has been triangulated and plans sent in. This work was essential to control settlement surveys now in progress, as the original minor trig, work ended at the Kaitieke Block, and it was necessary to connect with the Auckland triangulation to the north,

8