C.—lA.

15

Owing to the isolation of this office with regard to the Native Land Court officials, solicitors, and surveyors, a great deal of extra correspondence and supply of data is required to be supplied. The outward correspondence entailed the writing of 800 letters ; 18 vouchers, amounting to £419 3s. Id., covering 48 subdivisions and totalling 1,641 acres, have been prepared on this branch and sent ,on to the Accountant for payment to contract surveyors. When necessary, an officer has attended the sittings of the Native Land Court, for the purpose of obtaining eharging-orders, giving assistance to the Court, and carrying out usual detail work. Seventy-one applications for ehargingorders and 71 certificates of cost, amounting to £586 Is. 9d., were forwarded to the Native Land Court, and 68 liens, amounting to £537 Is. Bd., covering 68 subdivisions, were released. Nine plans, covering an area of 8,252 acres, were compiled for Native Land Court use ; 5 plans for office record and 25 tracings have also been made in this branch during the year. Proposed Operations for Coming Year. —Mr. Mclntyre will be engaged on the scenic reserve survey between the Heao and Wanganui Rivers, and will then complete the survey of tracks and roads on Egmont National Park. Mr. Adams will continue the topographical survey of portion of the Taranaki District, including Egmont National Park. He will also undertake any small survey as required. Wellington Land District (F. H. Waters, Chief Surveyor). Rural. —Mr. S. L. Fairhall completed surveys of Section 2, D.P. 4300, Westmere Survey District; Section 2s, Matamua Settlement; Section 4s, Omapu Settlement; Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5, Haunui Settlement; Sections 10s and 12s, Cloverlea Settlement; Section 29, Block VI, Hunua Survey District ; and the Raetihi Exchange, Karioi Survey District; a total of twenty-six subdivisions of an approximate area of 475 acres. Mr. W. G. Nelson completed surveys of Taheke Domain, Sandy Survey District, and four sections in Piahautea Settlement ; a total of six subdivisions of an area of 661 acres. He has in hand survey of Sections 1, 2, and 3, Tupurupuru Settlement (1,173 acres). Village and Suburban. —Mr. W. G-. Nelson completed surveys of eleven sections, of an approximate area of 40 acres, in the Hutt Valley Settlement, comprising Mr. D. Robertson's property and the factory-sites at Petone. Town. —Mr. L. J. Poff completed surveys of 117 sections in the Wilford Settlement and 149 sections in the Hutt Valley Settlement, of a total area of 54 acres (approximately). Mr. D. M. Greig completed a survey of Section 3, Block IV, Thorndon Reclamation, a total of two subdivisions, of an approximate area of 16 perches. Roads and Raihvays. —Mr. D. M. Greig completed survey of 1 mile and Mr. W. G. Nelson com pleted survey of 2 miles of the Hutt Valley Railway deviation. Mr. J. D. Clapperton completed survey of 3 miles of roads in the Hutt Valley Settlement. Topographical. —The only survey under this heading was carried out by Mr. W. G. Nelson, in connection with the Hutt Valley Settlement subdivision. Other Work comprises 9 miles of magnetic traverse in the Tongariro National Park, by Mr. S. L. Fairhall; repegging Heretaunga Settlement exchange areas, Hutt District, by Mr. L. J. Pofl ; definition of the Massey Memorial Site, and the survey of Mandel's Estate, Hutt District, by Mr. W. G. Nelson. Mr. D. M. Greig defined a boundary, recreation reserve, Petone. Land Transfer Branch. —491 plans were received, 508 plans checked, 500 plans approved, 14 plans compiled, 30 applications examined, 5,402 transfers and other dealings examined, and 11,111 diagrams were endorsed on new certificates of title. In addition, such work as receiving and despatching, supervision, attendance on public, indexing, and recording have been attended to. Thirty-nine key maps of the City of Wellington, 12 key maps of Palmerston North, and 2 key maps of Upper Hutt are. now completed and brought up to date. Crown and Native Lands. —-101 plans comprising 277 subdivisions of an area of 29,990 acres were received, whilst 116 plans of 341 subdivisions of an area of 35,358 acres were approved. Statutory Plans Branch. —112 plans were received, 112 plans examined, 111 plans approved, and 95 plans sent forward for proclamation purposes ; 158 plans were recorded, 110 Proclamations gazetted and received, whilst final action was taken on 74 plans. In addition, general and special searches, recording of alterations to local bodies' boundaries, the preparation of information for issue of title to closed roads, technical descriptions of lands to be reserved and exchanged, returns of Crown, Native, and freehold lands, the preparation of draft clauses for Washing-up Bill, and the ascertaining of progress of road-formation in loan blocks have been carried out. Office-work. —22 plans were compiled, 12 photo-lithographic tracings prepared, 530 diagrams endorsed on warrants, 385 diagrams endorsed on Crown leases, and 405 diagrams endorsed on Native Land Court orders. In addition, the compilation of census maps, 40-chain district maps, new road record maps, and the plan index has been proceeded with, whilst a large amount of searching, tracing, and miscellaneous draughting has been carried out. Native. —85 authorities for 282 partitions, representing an area of approximately 28,432 acres, at an estimate cost of £5,610, were issued during the year to private surveyors ; 83 plans and duplicate tracings for 236 partitions, of an approximate area of 30,708 acres, at a cost of £3,972 17s. 2d. were received ; 508 diagrams were endorsed for attachment to Native Land Court orders ; 228 applications for changing-orders were prepared and forwarded, entailing the preparation of 364- application forms ; 84 vouchers were prepared, checked, and passed for payment, amounting to £3,553 16s. Survey liens totalling £2,019 10s. 3d. were received, and receipts handed to the Receiver of Land Revenue. This entailed the preparation of 123 debit notes and 172 releases of liens. Three purchases under the West Coast Reserves Act were completed, and five additional ones are now in hand. Plans were forwarded to and attendance made at the various Courts in the district, at which all charges advertised in the Panuis were confirmed and orders made accordingly. Proposed Operations. —Subdivision of the Hutt Settlement; survey of road to give access to bush block, Haurangi Mountains, and subdivision of same ; surveys of Hautu and Pukawa Blocks ; and spotting surveys over various parts of the district.