C.—lα.

10

District), Mr. T. N. Brodrick was appointed to the position thus vacated, and this officer has lost no time in making himself acquainted with the large district over which his duties extend, in addition to attending to the many calls upon his services at his headquarters. In the same month Mr. John Mouat, who held the position of Computing Draughtsman in the Gisborne District Office, accepted an appointment as a surveyor under the Government of the Federated Malay States, and consequently tendered his resignation, which was accepted. In order to fill the vacancy thus created Mr. G. H. Davis, of the Auckland staff, was transferred in October, 1906, but, in order to enable him to complete his examinations for a surveyorship, he was removed temporarily to the Wellington District Office in January last, and the appointment of his successor is now under consideration. In August Mr. P. D. N. Verschaffelt, cadet at Gisborne, was transferred to the Head Office at Wellington, in consequence of which Mr. David Nelson was provisionally appointed in his stead, and this appointment was confirmed at the expiration of his three months' probation. Mr. A. Hodgkinson, formerly of the Southland staff, but of late temporarily attached to the Head Office staff, was sent to Napier in October last to fill the post of Office Computer, and in the same month Mr. T. W. Hughes, Temporary Surveyor, was transferred from Westland to Hawke's Bay, in order to assist in the work of laying off settlement blocks. This officer had the misfortune to meet with an accident immediately after his arrival in the district, which incapacitated him for field-work for several months, so that he did not take up his duties until about the middle of January last. In August, 1906, Mr. W. C. Wall received the appointment of Assistant Surveyor, and was sent to join District Surveyor Brook on the survey of the Mangatahi Settlement. The whole of the field and office staff have been kept very busy owing to the steadily increasing demands upon their services, due to the expansion of settlement in this district, which is likely to continue judging by the continual demand for land. And, while referring to this, 1 lake the opportunity to remark that the entire staff has always responded loyally to the man}' calls made upon it in order to cope with the increasing work in this district. Henry Trent, Chief Surveyor.

TARANAKI. The operations under the various headings represent a gross return of 121,056 acres, together with 1762 miles of road and railway surveys. The particulars are as follows: — Minor Triangulation. —An area of 70,500 acres has been triangulated and plans completed of same by Messrs. Morpeth, Weir, and Gillett, in the Totoro, Aria, and Upper Waitara Districts. Rural and Suburban. —The operations under this class amounted to 50,556 acres, in 151 sections, at an average cost of 2255. per acre. The whole of this work has been undertaken by staff surveyors, and has mainly constituted the completion of final survey of provisional work undertaken during the years 1902-5, and situated in Totoro, Aria, Ohura, Waro, Upper Waitara, and Mahoe Survey Districts, and all in broken forest country. Roads. —Under this heading work amounting to 17"63 miles was completed, at an average cost of .£l6-81 per mile. Inspectionn. —During the year I have made my usual visits of inspections of field-work in progress by the staff. Work done by private surveyors has also received my attention. The result of closures taken from the traverse tabulations of seven of the field staff, covering 66 closures of a total length of 209 miles, show a mean error of o'9 links on meridian and 1 link on perpendicular, a result well within the limit allowed by the regulations. Other Work. —The expenditure under this heading amounts to £527 Bs. lid., made up by costs against general miscellaneous work in the field, reports and plans on various subjects, explorations, pack-track through new blocks, and a variety, of other matters. Office-work. Examination of Plans. —The number of plans checked during the year in the ordinary survey branch was 82, with 262 traverse sheets, comprising 195 sections, of a total area of 164,468 acres, and 22 miles 31 chains of roads taken and closed, and railway land plans. Of these, settlement surveys represented 24 plans, containing 154 subdivisions, of a total area of 62,644 acres; trigonometrical, 4 plans, containing 100,000 acres; 27 plans defining 20 miles 34 chains of roads taken and closed ; 6 plans of 1 mile 77 chains railway land plans; 1 Native Land Court plan, containing 1 subdivision of 396 acres; and 30 miscellaneous plans of 40 subdivisions, containing 1,428 acres: making a total as above. Land Transfer. —There were 118 plans with 153 traverse sheets checked and approved, comprising 358 sections and subdivisions, of an area of 15,624 acres 3 roods 25 - 14 perches. Titles. —There were 1,462 plans placed on Crown grant, certificates of title, Crown leases and licenses, and Native Land Court orders, and 487 leases and licenses were prepared. Miscellaneous. —The usual demands made on the office staff were attended to. These comprised supplying information to the general public, data to the staff for execution of surveys, information for local bodies and other Departments, &c. Eighty tracings were made for the Valuer-General, and 188 for Crown solicitors, 12 block sheets were compiled, and all recording on block sheets, record, reserve, and other maps has been kept up to date : 13 authorities for survey of Native lands were also dealt with.