C— U.

Proposed Operations. — A staff of eight permanent and three temporary surveyors is at present engaged in different parts of the district, and has an area of some 108,800 acres of subdivisional surveys in hand, consisting chiefly of pastoral country in large areas. The standard survey of the City of Wellington will be completed during the current year, but will not include the suburbs, which, owing to the large amount of subdivision taking place, ought to be included in the scheme of standard work. An area of about 51,600 acres in the North Waimarino will be completed during the coming season by Messrs. Lowe and Roberts. About 11,000 acres in the Kaitieke Block will be finished by the end of the season by Mr. District Surveyor Thompson, leaving about 11,000 acres of selection survey to complete next summer. The completion of the Parapara No. 2 Block, and subdivision of the Moiikau Block (Native land), Rarete District, will be taken in hand shortly. An area of about 16,300 acres of the Dry River Estate, Huangarua, Haurangi, and Waipawa Districts, is being subdivided by Messrs. McKay, Strachan, and Girdlestone, and will be completed shortly. Mr. Stevenson has about 18,900 acres of Native reserves, Waimarino subdivisions, in process of roading prior to subdividing amongst the Natives. Mr. Carkeek will complete the plans of the Ohotu Block, and will then be available for other duties. The other staff surveyors, when available, will be fully employed on the subdivision of land for settlements, Crown and Native lands, and other miscellaneous work. John Strauohon, Chief Surveyor,

NELSON. Minor Triangulation. —Mr. District Surveyor Sadd triangulated 19,646 acres in the RintoulTadmor and Howard Survey Districts, at a cost of l"08d. per acre, necessary to control settlement surveys in those districts. This officer has on hand 409,488 acres of minor triangulation and topography to map, postponed until settlement surveys have been overtaken. Mr. Macpherson completed 1,339 acres of trigonometrical and topographical work in the Oparara Survey District, at a cost of 2"15 d. per acre. Topographical Surveys. —All these were in dense broken bush country. This heading gives an area of 62,136 acres, cost sd. per acre. These surveys are undertaken for the purpose of providing sufficient data for reports, schedules, and schemes of subdivision into suitable areas, and the necessary poster lithographs to enable the land to be expeditiously placed before the public. In the prosecution of this work in the field, all existing tracks or routes for future roads were explored, those deemed necessary for the opening of the country or through traffic provisionally traversed, centre-line of roads pegged, and all streams and ridges located, so as to ascertain the " lay " of the country, to enable the section boundaries to conform to the features of the country and give settlers the best lines of fencing, all section areas being subject to subsequent sectional survey. Rural and Suburban Section Survey. —Under this heading 52,116 acres of forest-clad country were surveyed, at a cost of l's9s. per acre, of which 10,682 acies were in the Mokihinui-Westport Harbour Board Endowment Block, and 17,768 acres in the Tadmor and Howard Survey Districts. The balance of 23,666 acres consists of detached sectional surveys of lands applied for in various districts. Gold-mining Surveys. —The number of surveys passed through the office under the above heading was 7, all executed by private surveyors. The total area was 518 acres and 3 perches, at a cost of 7"ls. per acre. A gold-mining survey of 37 acres 3 roods 16 perches was revised by the District Surveyor, Reefton; and a coal lease was surveyed by Mr. District Surveyor Thomson, Pakawau Survey District, 502 acres; cost, 2 - 265. per acre. Township Allotments. —Under the above heading 39| acres in the Onetaua Survey District were subdivided into 137 allotments, at a cost of 16'8s. per allotment. These subdivisions are in the vicinity of the Puponga Gold and Coal Mine Company's land, and were laid off to provide sites for miners' homes ; 97 of these allotments are in the immediate vicinity of the mine, and will be administered by the Warden under the Mines Act. The balance, 40 allotments, are laid off at what is known as Puponga Port, and will be opened under the usual conditions attached to township lands. Village Homesteads. —50| acres in Block X, Reefton District, have been laid off into 9 sections so as to test the demand for such lands in the vicinity of a gold-mining centre, and will be opened to the public shortly. Proposed Operations for 1906-7.—The staff surveyors have on hand 23 square miles of triangulation —43,556 acres of settlement surveys, and 60 miles of road survey. The latter consists principally of the repegging and surveying of the Greymouth-Reefton-Westport Road. Mr. District Surveyor Montgomerie has also to explore the country to the west of the Inangahua River, Inangahua District, with the view to its suitability or otherwise for settlement. There are also various small blocks of land that might be suitable for settlement on the West Coast, but mining and coal privileges block the way. The temporary staff have on hand 35,711 acres of settlement survey in the Maruia, Rappahannoc, Oparara, and Matiri districts. Road-works. —Mr. District Surveyor Snodgrass has on hand the engineering survey of the Moki-hinui-Little Wanganui Road for the Roads Department. He reports as follows: During the year 5 miles 4 chains have been constructed, with bushfelling 1 chain wide, formation 6 ft. wide, and metal 6 in. deep, at an expenditure of £3,209 9s. 2d.; of this amount £260 was expended on maintenance, and £6 3s. 3d. on compensation for injuries. Thirteen miles of above road have now been constructed, of which 7\ miles was formed 15 ft. wide and required to be metalled ; the remaining 5| miles are formed 6 ft. wide, and have been metalled, leaving 3J miles to complete the work and open the road for traffic. The blocks of land brought under Local Bodies' Loans Act, and on which money has been borrowed for road-construction, are the following: Maruia, Owen, Owen East, Matiri Lake, Mount Arthur, Inangahua, and the Brewerton Blocks,

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