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C;—lA.

Hawke's Bay Land Distkict (J. D. Thomson, Chief Surveyor). Standard Surveys.—lt is hoped that it will be possible in the near future to carry out additional standard work in the boroughs of Hastings and Dannevirke. In some of the boroughs in this land district many of the streets are being reconstructed, and dressed with bitumen. Owing to excavation work and subsequent rolling there is a danger of standard blocks being injured or misplaced. The position is being carefully watched here, and local bodies have been asked to acquaint this office of any proposed work, so that the matter may be looked into and protective measures taken. Rural. —-Under this heading an area of 8,289 acres has been surveyed, at a cost of 0-495. per acre. The principal area is one of 3,545 acres of Crown lands, known as part of the northern or unoccupied portion of Purahotangihia Block. Three sections have been provided from this area, and it is proposed to offer the lands for selection at a favourable opportunity. The other large area is one of 4,028 acres, granted for afforestation purposes. There is, however, very little survey work on this, boundaries for the most part being compiled from surrounding surveys. Other items included in the aggregate area comprise the resubdivision of a section on Glengarry Settlement, and cutting out two areas of 60 and 548 acres respectively from the Heru-a-Tureia Block (Crown lands). Town. —Under this heading two areas were dealt with, one being an Education reserve in the Borough of Napier, which was subdivided into thirteen residential sites ; the other being an area in the unoccupied portion of Purahotangihia Block, adjoining the Waikoau Railway line, on the East Coast Main Trunk Railway, and comprised thirteen lots of J acre each. Village and Suburban.—-There was only one small survey of 1 acre of accretion land at Clive under this heading. Native Land Court Surveys. —Under this heading an area of 8,856 acres was subdivided into 198 lots by contract surveyors, at a cost of 3-355. per acre. This cost is higher than last year, but the majority of the blocks that came under subdivision this year were small, as regards area, and the land comprising same, of great value. Partitioning this year was more intense than is usually the case, and in a number of cases the areas were very small. Roads. —Under this heading the total length surveyed is 3-69 miles, in the Maungaharuru district, done at a cost of £32-33 per mile. Field Inspections.- —Only one inspection was made during the year, of a Land Transfer survey in the Borough of Wairoa. It was found in the past to be impossible to adopt any general or organized system of effectiveness in dealing with this important matter, under the conditions. However, now that a staff surveyor is stationed in this district it is hoped more of this class of work will be undertaken. Other Work. —An amount of £81 lis. lOd. appears under this heading for the year. This sum covers a miscellaneous number of items, such as compass traverses of fences, redefinition of boundaries, measuring up scrub-cutting areas, exploration work on Crown lands, inspection and reports on application for Crown lands, &c. Work in Progress consists of an area of 445 acres, Native Land Court authorities, in the hands of contract surveyors. The staff surveyor has instructions to make a topographical survey of Awa-o-totara Block, of 950 acres, two-thirds of which area has been purchased by the Crown. It is proposed to partition. He has instructions also to later make a complete topographical survey of Crown lands at Waimarama, embracing an area of about 4,000 acres of really good country, probably suitable for mixed farming. This land was purchased by the Crown subject to a lease, which expires next year. I propose then to devise a suitable scheme of subdivision from the complete details which will then be at my disposal. Office-work. —Land Transfer Branch : During the year 123 plans were received for examination ; 115 plans, comprising 430 lots and containing an area of 6,922 acres, were approved; 166 traverse sheets examined ; 1,350 instruments of transfer, lease, and mortgages, &c., examined and reported upon to the District Land Registrar; 2,656 placed on certificates of title and examined; 124 plans were recorded, and 20 new plans made for record purposes under the new Act. Townships for approval under the Land Act : 10 plans were received and approved. Native Land Court Surveys : During the year 58 plans, consisting of 198 lots and containing an area of 8,856 acres, were received and approved ; 53 traverse sheets were examined (the above includes 7 compiled plans); 58 tracings were made for the Valuer-General; 396 diagrams were endorsed on Court orders ; 55 authorities for survey were issued, comprising 6,416 acres. Amount of outstanding survey costs collected, £1,226 9s. Fifty-eight certificates of costs were prepared, for an amount of £1,483. Sixty-six traverse sheets were examined. Statutory plans : 26 statutory plans, having 52 lots and containing an area of 355 acres, were approved ; 24 traverse sheets were examined. Crown plans : 19 plans, containing 43 lots and comprising 5,240 acres, were received and approved ; 22 traverse sheets were examined. Fees from sale of lithographs, £52 10s. 3d. Miscellaneous tracings for Valuer-General, 1,077 (gazetting purposes, settlers, Field Inspectors', and general purposes); sunprints, 48 ; tracings were prepared for sale posters, 9 ; reductions for district lithos and other purposes, 1,123. Standard Lithography. —Good progress has been made during the year with this work, and it is hoped to do still better during the current year. Routine work, however, is steadily increasing, and it is very often found necessary to divert the officers usually undertaking this work. The cadets, four in number, are making excellent progress, and are becoming very useful, the result being that I will be able to employ another officer for practically the whole of his time on litho work in the near future. lam anxious that the new Borough of Napier drawing be completed at an early date. There is still, however, a lot to be done by way of completing the one-mile district maps. This work is of great urgency, owing to the old county drawings being incapable of further revision. To date eleven new district drawings have been completed, and, on account of their being entirely up to date, have been a great boon.