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Roads. —13 miles of roads were surveyed during the year at a total cost of £158 and averaging £12 2s. per mile. Included in this return are 8 miles of the newly formed road in the Upper Wairau Valley, destined to become the Marlborough - AVest Coast Main Highway. Other Work. —Expenditure under this heading totalled £31 10s., and includes three inspections of Land Transfer Surveys and the erection and repair of permanent trig, signals within the district. Rural Standard Road Surveys.-- Since the original survey of the alluvial flats within this district, when large portions of them were in a more or less swampy condition, it has been found that the Crown-grant roads, by reason of the unsatisfactory nature of the ground, have diverged considerably from their original positions, Now that the lands have been drained and the roads in use become permanent, it is found necessary to have the present positions denned and marked with permanent stations. Under this heading are returned some 10 miles of standard survey of the Grovetown and Spring Creek Villages and their environs, and 13 miles of the Pieton Blenheim Main Highway. The total cost of this year's operations is £600 13s. 2d., an average of £26 4s. per mile. Proposed Operations for 192829.-- -Mr. Clapperton will continue the rural standard survey, of which some C>o miles remains to be done. Native-land surveys of various blocks, totalling 580 acres, will be put in hand during the year, some 5 miles of road-deviation made, and a number of small scattered surveys will be executed by the office staff as circumstances permit. Office-work.— l>o plans were received by the Survey Branch for examination, of which 39 were road and other departmental plans and 11 Crown surveys ;80 diagrams were placed on leases, Native Land Court orders, and certificates of title by Warrant; 29 original working-plans, 28 town and rural standard plans, and 3 new record plans were drawn by the draughting staff ;70 plans were copied and 258 tracings made. Several photo-litho maps were brought up to date, and a considerable amount of work done in connection with the 20-chain Land Transfer and road-record maps. Land Transfer Branch. —This work is carried out in conjunction with the ordinary Survey Office work. During the year 41 plans of 165 lots, aggregating 11,324 acres, were received and examined, 1,174 diagrams placed on certificates of title, and 521 deeds, transfers, and other dealings examined and passed. Staff and General. —During the year Mr. W. Rogel was appointed to the draughting staff in place of Mr. McLeod, who resigned during the previous year. Mr. Rogel was transferred to Wellington in January last, and Mr. D. K. Walker, of Christchurch, appointed to fill his position. The Chief Surveyor (Mr. Stevenson) has now been away on Deteriorated Lands Committee work for a year and eight months. This has thrown a considerable amount of extra work on myself and staff. T desire therefore to place on record my appreciation of the loyal co-operation of both field and office staffs, and of the very efficient manner in which they have carried out their respective duties. Nelson Land Disteict (A. F. Waters, Chief Surveyor). Rural Surveys. —A total area of 1,599 acres has been subdivided into 8 sections. The surveys involved in this work were scattered all over the district, and were reduced to cutting out odd pieces of Crown land applied for. Village Suburban. —so-2 acres wore subdivided into 49 lots under this heading. Town-section Surveys. —An area of 24 acres in the Town of Westport was laid off into 188 lots for the purposes of the Westland and Nelson Coalfields Administration Amendment Act, 1926. Most of the ground covered was closely built over, which involved a large amount of work in fixing the boundaries to include all the buildings under one occupation. Roads. —A total length of 3|- miles of formed roads was surveyed in various parts of the district, most of the work being in the nature of deviation surveys. Other Work includes a report on town-scheme subdivision, engineering surveys, refixing position of trig., inserting reference marks for replacing standard blocks removed in the course of street-works, redefinition of section boundaries, &c. Inspection. —Only one inspection of a private surveyor's work was made during the year. The result was satisfactory and showed that the work was well up to the required standard. Office-work. —In the Land Transfer Branch 103 plans have been examined and approved for the year, 721 deeds and other instruments dealt with, and 15 diagrams on titles amended ;34 plans of Crown lands have been examined and approved, and 13 statutory plans have been examined and approved for other Departments and for local bodies ; 6 plans were compiled ; 230 diagrams were (indorsed on leases and titles; the drawing of 5 standard publications was completed ; and 7 lithographs were published. In addition the usual office-work of preparation of tracings, recording of plans, attendance on the public, (fee. have kept the staff well occupied. Staff. —During the year Mr. E. N. Allan passed the examination in second-grade computing, and several of the other officers are preparing for the departmental examination to be held this year. Mr. T. P. Mahony, draughtsman, was transferred to the North Auckland office during the year, and his place was filled by Mr. R. P. Fletcher, of that office. The numerical strength of the staff has been increased by the addition of a cadet. In conclusion, I have to express my appreciation of the manner in which the members of the staff have performed their duties during the year and for their co-operation in attention to departmental interests.

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