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sealing making redefinition work difficult, and the presence of many plantations in the closely settled areas causing the trigs to become useless, this standard traverse work will prove of great use, and it is pleasing to be able to put the work in hand. It is also hoped to repair the signals over those trigs still used, and which will bo of use apart from the standard traverse. Topographical Survey. —General: The general topographical survey of part of the district was continued by Mr. A. V. Adams with two assistants. He returns 115 square miles completed and mapped, while another 134 square miles is completed in the field but not completely mapped. Returns at the 31st March, 1928, show a grand total of 424 square miles completed in the field, of which 274 square miles have been mapped. For the year under review the completed cost runs out at 82-6s. per square mile. A further 4 square miles of the contour survey of the Egmont National Park were returned, making 16 square miles of this survey completed in the field. This work has not yet been mapped. It is hoped to complete this Mount Egmont area next summer. Eighty-four miles of levels were run during the year, and 82 bench-marks inserted, making a grand total of 237 miles of levels run and 127 bench-marks inserted since the commencement in November, 1925, of this survey. Rural. —An area of 4,185 acres is returned under this heading. This includes a 1,400-acre scenic reserve in the Tangarakau Gorge, and the balance is comprised of many small and scattered surveys. Native Land Court Surveys. —The total area of Native Land Court surveys completed during the year amounted to 4,307 acres, the whole of which was done by private surveyors under authority. An area of 462 acres is now under survey by contract surveyors. Roads. —Only two surveys, totalling 2-1 miles, were carried out during the year. Other Work. —An amount of £641 17s. sd. has been expended under this heading during the year. It includes the traverse and grading of 13 miles of roads and tracks in Egmont National Park ; two timber appraisements ; two coastal reserves defined ; and boundary redefinitions by Mr. Mclntyre, and some boundary redefinition work by Mr. Adams. Inspections. —Inspections of two Land Transfer surveys in the Town of New Plymouth and one in Paritutu Survey District were carried out by Mr. Mclntyre. Office-work. —Land Transfer Branch : In this branch 92 plans, comprising 361 lots and 5,710 acres, were examined and approved, and reported on to the District Land Registrar ; 2,206 diagrams were placed on instruments of title, 1,162 being issued under the compulsory Act; 588 Land Transfer leases, Native Court orders, and Crown leases, &c, were examined and passed ; 92 tracings of Land Transfer plans were prepared for the Valuation Department; 20 index maps of districts on a 20-chain scale and 30 in. by 30 in. size were drawn for the Lands and Deeds Department. Native Land Branch : 18 authorities for 47 partitions, representing an area of 1,279 acres, at an estimated cost of £362, were issued during the year to private surveyors ; 20 plans and duplicate tracings for 47 partitions of an area of 4,367 acres were received and approved for the year ; the survey costs (including cost of checking plans and interest due) collected amounted to £723 6s. ; 96 diagrams were endorsed for attachment to partition orders ; 49 applications for charging-orders and 49 certificates of cost were forwarded to the Native Land Court; 58 liens, amounting to £774 9s. 6d., were released ; 16 vouchers for survey costs amounting to £476 Is. 7d., covering 42 subdivisions and totalling 4,177 acres, have been prepared in this branch and forwarded for payment to contract surveyors; 317 plans were forwarded for use at Native Land Courts, and when necessary the Native Land draughtsman has attended the various Courts in the district. It is expected that the Native Branch will be called upon to supply a large amount of information in connection with the Native Land Consolidation Commission recently set up. Computing Branch : The total number of plans checked under all headings in this branch amount to 81, comprising 135 sections and totalling 28,444 acres. A great amount of this area was comprised in the plans of the Heao Valley Scenic Reserve, in Mahoe and Kiri Survey Districts, the survey of which was completed last year. 40 Proclamation duplicate plan tracings were examined. Of the above total area, 3 surveys of scenic reservations comprised 20,236 acres. Crown settlement comprised 15 plans, of 3,326 acres. The greater portion of this was made up of alterations to existing leases and surveys in the Ohura and Matiere Settlements. Native Land Court Surveys were represented by 20 plans, one of which was compiled. The balance of the plans were mainly road and other takings under the Public Works Act, office compilations, and boundary-redefinition plans. Draughting Division : For photo-lithography maps of the Boroughs of Eltham and Waitara were drawn, also a new drawing of the Mapara and Pahi Survey Districts. The map of the land district and also the drawing of Opunake Survey District were revised. This work was all forwarded for reproduction. Ten sale plans were prepared ; compiled plans were prepared for Native Land Court and for road-closure procedure. In addition, the plans for the New Plymouth standard survey were commenced, and six index maps of various villages and eight maps of Kaupokonui and Opunake Survey Districts were prepared. The latter are 20-chain maps, and are accurately plotted with a view to later use for the topographical survey. Miscellaneous : The usual tracing-work has required constant attention during the year, and the supply of maps and tracings for the two Deteriorated Land Revaluation Committees in this district may also be included here. The supply of information to the public, selector's tracings, surveyors' data, letter illustrations, Proclamation tracings. &c, have required a total of 847 tracings. Proposed Operations in Field for 1928-29. —Mr. Mclntyre will commence the rural standard traverse in the South Taranaki District as mentioned above. He will also carry out any spotting surveys as required. Mr. Adams will continue the topographical survey of portion of the Taranaki District, including Egmont National Park. He will also undertake any small surveys as required.