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2

REPOET. The demands on the Department for the year ended 31st March, 1922, have again been heavy, although the acreage surveyed shows a decided shrinkage in all the land districts excepting Otago as compared with last year's returns. Of the surveyors employed thirty-seven were staff, two temporary, and twenty-one contract ; while, apart from these, there were a number of cadets and assistants employed. The attached tables give a concise summary of the amount of work completed. Full details are contained in the reports supplied by the Chief Surveyors, which are filed as departmental records. Under the heading of " Rural Surveys," in Table B, an area of 370,082 acres is shown as completed work, as compared with 440,448 acres for last year ; and under the heading of " Nativeland Surveys " the area shows a decrease from 266,890 acres to 258,067 acres. The average cost per acre of rural surveys has decreased from 2s. 2d. to Is. 10d., and the average cost per acre of Native-land surveys has advanced from Is. 6d. to 2s. Id., as compared with the prices ruling last year. The advance in the cost per acre of the Native-land surveys is due to an increase of 20 per cent, to the schedule of rates for the surveys of Native and Crown lands which was authorized on the 10th March, 192.1. These figures show a good agreement between the cost of the work done by the staff surveyors and that done by contract, and that the price is reasonable.

Table A.

Table B.

Minor Triangulation. An area of 4,956 acres, at a cost of sd. per acre, is shown under this heading. The whole of the work is in Auckland District, and was undertaken to control the settlement surveys,

Class of Work. I Area, &o. I Average Cost. Total Cost. Triangulation, by staff surveyors Rural surveys, by staff surveyors Rural surveys, by licensed surveyors Village and suburban, by staff surveyors Village and suburban, by licensed surveyors Town, by staff surveyors Town, by licensed surveyors Native Land Court, by staff surveyors Native Land Court, by licensed surveyors Native Land Court, paid by applicants Coal- and gold-mining areas, paid by applicants.. Sawmill areas, paid by applicants Acres. 4,956 329.258 40,831 706-96 53-25 170-95 56-52 19,234 238,832 6,057 768 400 Miles. 243-92 26-87 Per Acre. 5d. l-86s. l-65s. 38s. 50-8s. 544s. 88-8s. l-()7s. 244s. Per Mile. £35-535 £36-978 £ s. d. 103 i 0 30,665 16 5 3,378 10 1 1,345 17 3 135 7 0 466 10 4 251 2 6 1,029 0 11 25,537 17 7 Roads, by staff surveyors Roads, by licensed surveyors 8,666 18 6 993 11 9

Land District. Rural Surveys.! Native-land J Surveys, i North Auckland Auckland Hawke's Bay Taranaki Wellington Marlborough Nelson Westland .. ... Canterbury Otago Southland Acres. Acres. 59,088 17,470 84,005 94,453 9,201 48,058 1,977 47,372 10,275 46,311 3,791. 2,641 23,602 5,913 188 1,351 172,042 49 362 Totals 370,082 258,067 • •