C.—lA.

18

Westland Land District (W. T. Morpeth, Chief Surveyor). Field Staff. —During the year 45 plans were handed in by the field .staff, representing field-work completed of 2,920 acres rural, 36 acres village and suburban, 17 acres town lands, 30 miles of road, and miscellaneous surveys. The settlement surveys comprised principally small scattered areas surveyed from time to time to meet applications for unsurveyed lands. The roads surveyed included some 11 miles of the Grey Valley —Maruia Road deviation, portion of which is in the Nelson Land District; a new road-lino graded and surveyed between Harihari and Wataroa (about 7 miles), proposed to be used as a stock route to relieve traffic on the Main South Road ; and 3 miles of the Bruce Bay Beach Road, surveyed for the Public Works Department. Work to be put in hand shortly includes the survey of about 50 acres at Waiho Gorge, which it is proposed to have set aside as a recreation reserve in order to meet a popular demand by visitors to the glacier region for an area suitable for sports and games. As in the past, a number of applications may be expected for unsurveyed areas, which will engage the attention of the field staff for a portion of the period. The usual calls for statutory surveys and reports and inspections in various directions may also be expected. It is also possible that a resurvey of the Arahura Native Reserve will be undertaken, as the old survey done in the year 1890 has been found defective, and the Native Trustee is at present in negotiation with this Department regarding survey requirements preparatory to having an ordinary certificate of title under the Land Transfer Act issued him. This work would engage a surveyor for about four months. A good standard of work is being maintained, the limit or error in measurements being well within that allowed by regulation. Traverse closures were returned by the two staff surveyors for varying distances totalling 11 miles, with 111 stations, the total error being 4-3 links on the meridian and 4-8 links on the perpendicular, representing a reduced error of 0-31 and 0-34 links respectively. Draughting Staff. Plans approved during the year numbered 80, classified as follows : Land transfer, 21; settlement, 24; town, 3; statutory, 18; mining, 4; and miscellaneous, 7. Also, 11 plans were compiled by the office staff, 533 tracings (including one traced for lithography), were prepared, 86 lithographs coloured, 21 lithographs and 27 plans mounted, 22 20-chain record maps completed, and 3 40-chain application maps completed. Diagrams placed on instruments of title numbered 799. Steady progress has been made with the preparation of the,2o-chain record maps. A number of these have yet to be prepared, and will engage the attention of the staff during the ensuing period as opportunity occurs. Replacements of a number of worn-out application maps are also required ; in these cases, however, mounted tracings will be suitable, more economical, and will probably wear equally well as prepared drawing-paper. It was found necessary to have additional plan-drawers fitted in the safe to relieve congestion in the plan-storage, the position, in this direction being now satisfactory, except that about one dozen, additional of the small drawers are necessary, and authority to have these installed will be applied for through the usual channels. With these additions sufficient storage space will be assured for many years ahead. Recording-work has been well maintained, and both field and indoor officers have shown a keen and intelligent interest in their work. Mr. F. Rochfort was successful in obtaining a second-grade computer's certificate, and Messrs. B. B. Andrewes and W. H. Steel second-grade draughtsmen's certificates at the last and the previous year's examinations. Canterbury Land District (W. Stewart, Chief Surveyor). Standard Surveys. —The standard survey of the Borough of Timaru has been continued during this year by Mr. H. A. Adams, and about 24J- miles has been done, leaving approximately 1J miles yet to complete. A start will then be made on the rural extension north, and south of the borough for about 2 miles in either direction along the Main South Road. In connection with standard surveys and permanent survey marks, I might state that these are being preserved and replaced as far as possible, as, owing to the extensive trenching operations and permanent road-surfacing carried out by the various local authorities, a great many surveys marks have become unstable and difficult to redefine. Field Staff. —The field staff consists of Mr. H. A. Adams and Mr. W. Paora. During the year 40 plans were handed in by the field staff, representing field-work completed of 17,476 acres of rural, 9 acres town sections, 13 miles of road and drainage surveys. Of these plans, two represented a comparatively large area in. the Hunters Hills subdivided for selection ; the remainder consisted of necessary surveys of education reserves, resubd.ivi.sion of settlements, subdivisions of Native reserves, small township surveys, and miscellaneous surveys. The work in hand consists of some 8,783 acres rural, being several pending subdivisions of settlements and necessary surveys of education reserves, 28 acres of township sections, 65 miles of road, 71 acres Native reserves, and extension of rural standard survey. Traverse closures returned indicate that a high standard of efficiency has been maintained, the average for standard work over circuits of 11-3 miles, representing 154 stations, being 0-035 on the meridian and 0-051 on the perpendicular, and the average for rural surveys over circuits of 13-9 miles, representing 126 stations, being 0-9 on the meridian and 0-8 on the perpendicular. Town Surveys. —These represent 44 sections, of a total area approximately 9 acres, and comprise 5 surveys of Crown lands to meet the demand for sections in growing townships and 3 for other Departments for sale and mortgage purposes. Road Surveys. —These consist of 1 road-deviation in an education reserve, 4 surveys for local bodies, 2 surveys for Public Works Department, and 1 drainage survey ; total (approximately), 13 miles.