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Standaud Surveys. Only such work as was very urgently required was proceeded with. It comprised the standard surveys of Auckland. Dunedin, Napier and surrounding district, VogeltOwn, and Patea. The cost of town standard surveys is partly borne by the local bodies concerned, these surveys forming the basis for municipal building-lines and municipal surveys generally. In the case of Vogeltown the survey was made partly as a preliminary to a revision of the original subdivision survey, which was found to be extremely faulty. I bad hoped, as proposed in my report last year, to have given more attention to this class of work by increasing the staff and providing more appliances, but here again the call for economy on account of the war has acted adversely. Settlement Surveys. Under the heading of " Rural Surveys," in Table A, 887,163 acres are returned as having been surveyed during the year. Table B shows the apportionment into the various districts. The average cost of this class of survey for the past year is slightly less than Is. per acre. Native Surveys. During the year staff surveyors completed the survey of 83,814 acres, while licensed surveyors accounted for 320,630 acres. Table B shows the allocation of these surveys between the land districts. Gold-mining Surveys. Applications were surveyed aggregating 2,651 acres. Nearly the whole of this was in Westland. The cost of these surveys cannot be properly arrived at. the fees being paid by the applicants. Inspections. The inspections of field-work made from time to time show generally that a fair standard of work is maintained. I regret to say, however, that in a small percentage of cases the work has been shown to be very bad. Measures are being taken to ensure that the surveyors in fault shall be brought to book. Proposkd Operations, 1916-17. Triangulation-,. —Only such minor triangulation as may be required for the control of settlement surveys will be proceeded with. This will be principally in Hawke's Bay District. Standard Surveys. —Work, which will occupy the year, will be the continuation of the survey of Auckland (Remuera, Grey Lynn, and Arch Hill); survey of Napier and surrounding district (probably Hastings also); rural standard traverse near Feilding, and probably in Canterbury; survey of Dunedin (Mornington and Bay Town). This work is absolutely necessary, and, as already pointed out, the cost will be partly borne by the local bodies concerned. Settlement Surveys.- —At the close of the year there were in the hands of the staff and temporary surveyors 820,543 acres of settlement lands and 83,8751 acres of Native lands, while in the hands of private surveyors there were respectively 9,470 acres and 315,624 acres. There were also 13,346 acres of rural lands and 3,97(1 acres of Native lands on hand, but not allocated to any surveyor. There is also in view the survey of areas totalling about 120,000 acres, mostly ""*m Auckland and Hawke's Bay Districts, which will be put in hand as opportunity offers. The distribution of this is shown in Table 4. The field-work of a large amount of this either has been completed or will be completed before the end of June, and the mapping will be done during July and August, when the surveyors, or as many as it is advisable to call in, will be in office for the winter recess. Draughting Staff. The number of officers enlisting has put a heavy strain on the staffs of all the offices, and were it not that in some classes of work there has been a falling-off it would have been impossible with the present staffing to have kept the work up. In the Head Office there has been an unusual amount of work, for other Departments, principally in connection with agricultural statistics and census returns, beyond which little more than routine work could be overtaken. The publication of two important maps—that of New Zealand and that of Wellington City and suburbs, both of which are ready for the printer—has been delayed owing to the shortage of paper, but it is hoped that a small edition of the latter will be issued in May or June. For the same reason the publication of Dr. Coleridge Farr's " Magnetic Survey of New Zealand,'' advanced copies of which were already out, has been stopped, but will proceed shortly. On account of this shortage of paper a number of the usual appendices to this report — e.g., reports of Chief Surveyors, report of Magnetic Observatory, &c. —will not be published herewith, but some will be printed as separate papers sit a later date. A map and its description of the " Anzac " portion of Gallipoli Peninsula is, however, included as a piece of historical record. In order that draughtsmen and computers may feel encouraged to make themselves as profioient as possible it is proposed that certificates of competency shall lie issued to those attaining a certain standard of efficiency, and to this end an examination was held during the year. Only three candidates, however, sat, none of whom passed the whole examination. It is considered advisable to amend the syllabus and to provide for separate certificates for draughting and computing. This is now receiving attention. Of late years it has been found necessary in order to cope with the work to employ a considerable number of temporary men. This not being quite satisfactory it was decided to augment the draughting staff by taking on a number of cadets, so that the Department may have