a—ia.

2

EEPOET. The demands on the Department for the year ending the 31st March, 1912, have again been heavy, consequent on the still-increasing demand for land not only from within, but from many places outside the Dominion, as is testified by the great amount of inquiries in the correspondence department. Of the surveyors employed, 50 were staff, 11 temporary, and 105 contract, while, apart from these, there were a number of cadets and assistants employed. Work completed during the Year. The total cost of the surveyors and their parties amounts to £89,530. This, along with the costs per acre, compared with those of the preceding year, is somewhat in excess, which has been occasioned by the great amount of rainfall that prevailed. The summary below enumerates the principal work completed during the year : —

Table A.

Triangulation. The work returned for the year lias been spread over an area of 136,542 acres. This has been confined to the following districts—viz., Auckland. 41,792 acres: Taranaki, 27,000 acres; Wellington, 48,900 acres; and Nelson, 18,850 acres. Mr. H. E. Girdlestone has been engaged throughout the year on the extension of the secondary triangulation embracing the districts of Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Wanganui, and Taranaki. Tins work, which has been in hand for a number of years, was taken over from Mr. H. J. Lowe by Mr. Girdlestone in September, L9lO. Good progress has been made, but, owing to the phenomenally wet weather that prevailed during the summer, observations were greatly retarded. The very important work of laying down suitable base-lines has been continued by Mr. J. Langmuir, Inspector of Surveys. Those upon which he has been engaged are the Waitemata and Matamata bases, and his careful detailed report on same will be found in Appendix 111.

Class of Work. Triangulation, by staff .. .. . . Triangulation, by licensed surveyors .. Topographical, by staff .. .. .. Rural, by staff Rural, by licensed surveyors .. .. Rural, by licensed surveyors (cost not available) Village and suburban, by staff Village and suburban, by licensed surveyors (cost not available) Town, by staff Town, by licensed surveyors Native Land Court, by staff Native Land Court, by licensed surveyors Native Land Court, by licensed surveyors (cost not available) Maori Land Board, by staff Maori Land Board, by licensed surveyors Maori Land Board : by licensed surveyors (cost not available) Gold-mining, by licensed surveyors Gold-mining, by licensed surveyors (cost not available) Roads and railways, by staff . . . . .. j Roads and railways, by licensed surveyors Area. I™ Total Cost, acre. Acres. £ s. d. 125,947 l-43d. 749 0 0 10,800 0-33d. 15 0 0 159,281 3-78d. 2,510 13 1 376,708 l-82s. 34,340 2 5 53,761 2-28s. 6,131 I 0 9, "15 1,759-37 ll-06s. 973 8 2 84-5 336-86 38-90s. 1,038 14 9 in 534 sections per section 5-25 l6-94s. 48 6 (I in 57 sections per section 64,987 14-70d. 3,981 6 0 257,882 16-96d. 18,227 2 9 76,407 ■21.777 27-18d. 2,467 1 5 25,998 14-70d. 1.591 19 I 5.403 596 4-64s. 138 7 5 1,570 209-18 miles £22-73 4,756 13 2 per mile 3-60 „ £21-41 77 1 9 per mile Roads and railways, by licensed surveyors (cost not available) 1*25 ..