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EE POET. The main parts of the report for the year ending 31st March, 1926, comprise a summary of the operations of the field parties, grouped under appropriate headings, a brief account of the office-work performed, and extracts from the reports of the Chief Surveyors of the various land districts. The attached tables, A, B, and 1 to 5 inclusive, contain a concise summary of the amount of work completed during the year under review. Fuller details are given in the report by the Chief Surveyors appended hereto. Under the heading of " Rural Surveys " in Table B an area of 143,888 acres is shown as completed work, as compared with 90,837 acres for last year, an increase of 53,051 acres ; and under the heading of " Native-land Surveys " the area of completed work is shown as 139,369 acres, a decrease of 72,378 acres as compared with last year's return. The average cost per acre of rural-land surveys shows a decrease of 6d., while the cost per acre of the Native-land surveys is about the same as shown on last year's return. The above rates show that the work is being done at a reasonable price.

Table A.

Table B.

Minor Triangulation. Tlie erection of five permanent signals on stations in the vicinity of Wellington was completed. The observation of the angles is held in abeyance on account of pressure of work on settlement surveys in the Hutt Valley.

Class of Work. Area, &c. j Average Cost. Total Cost. £ s. d. Topographical surveys (contoured), by staff .. '550'2 sq. miles £6-04 per mile 3,323 0 1 ,, (sketch) by staff .. 15,596 acres 6-95d. per acre 451 12 0 Rural, by staff .. .. .. .. 142,368 ,, l-80s. ,, 12,820 16 5 ,, by private surveyors .. .. .. 1,520 ,, 4'29s. ,, 326 0 0 Suburban, by staff.. .. .. .. 391 *5 ,, 19'96s. „ 390 13 10 Town, by staff .. .. .. .. 562 sections £2'27 ,, 1,274 10 7 ,, by private surveyors .. .. 1 section £9'45 ,, 9 9 0 Native Land Court, by staff .. .. 50,078 acres l-92s. „ 4,799 15 9 ,, by private surveyors .. 89,291 ,, 2'89s. ,, 12,905 0 5 Roads, &c., by staff .. .. .. 126'6 miles £33'47 per mile 4,237 12 4 ,, by private surveyors .. .. 1 mile £38'85 ,, 38 17 0

Land District. | Rural Survey. 11^ Acres. Acres. North Auckland .. .. .. 6,851 7,332 Auckland .. .. .. .. 3,428 73,685 Gisborne .. .. .. .. 5,844 15,509 Hawke's Bay .. .. .. 8,289 8,856 Taranaki .. .. .. .. 18,079 1,160 Wellington .. .. .. .. 1,137 30,708 Marlborough.. .. .. .. .. 499 Nelson .. .. .. .. 565 Westland .. .. .. .. 5,141 Canterbury .. .. .. .. 3,108 787 Otago .. .. .. .. 77,242 585 Southland .. .. .. .. 14,204 248 Totals .. .. .. 143,888 139,369 I