C—4.

Native Land Court Surveys. —The surveys under this head have come to a standstill for the reason that the different claimants often cannot agree about the surveys; either one side or the other is not ready to survey, or is jealous of its opponent. An illustration of the difficulty attendant on the survey of Native lands occurs within 10 miles of Napier. The claimants to several blocks covering an area of at least 12,000 acres have applied to the Court to investigate their claims ; they ask and are ready to employ their own surveyor —so far all is plain; but now comes the stoppage: another set of claimants to the same land are not ready to survey, and threaten violence to any surveyor who may go on the ground. It would seem contrary to the intention of the Act that one party should be able to prevent their opponents from bringing the cases on for hearing by the Court. There appears but one way to settle the matter, and that is for the department to step in and make a sketch survey of the land in dispute. A topographical sketch plan showing the various claims and boundaries would be quite sufficient for the purposes of the Native Land Court. The survey of the blocks could then be proceeded with after the Court has investigated the titles to the different claims. Roads. —During the year 123 miles have been laid out in exercise of the rights of road through Crown-granted and Native blocks. Out of the mileage surveyed, over 90 miles have been inspected by me on the ground, aDd I can safely say that practicable lines have been secured. Land Transfer Surveys. —Under Mr. Dennan, the examining draughtsman, 58 plans, representing an area of 30,971 acres, in 736 allotments, have been checked, recorded, and passed onto the District Land Registrar. Proposed Operations, 1881-82. —Minor triangulation : Mr Hallett will proceed with the extension of the triangulation over an area of 240 square miles in the Districts of Te Mata, Maraekakahu, Waipukurau, and Oero; at the same time bench-marks for the use of Land Transfer surveyors will be laid down in the rural Townships of Hastings, Havelock, Clive, Waipawa, and other inland settlements. Section surveys : The area on hand for survey is 23,659 acres, of which 9,150 acres are in a forward state, leaving 14,509 acres to be provided for. There is a probability that, on the completion of the Government purchases in the Seventy-Mile Bush, the Waste Lands Board may decide to cut up for settlement from 5,000 to 8.000 acres, which will bring the estimate of work required up to 20,000 acres. Roads : The immediate requirements under this heading are 12 1 ) miles : two Assistant-Surveyors will be engaged on these surveys during the year. Before concluding the annual report, I desire to call your attention to the satisfactory manner, both as regards quantity and price, in which Assistant-Surveyor, Mr. W. Hallett, has executed the triangulation section- and road-surveys intrusted to him during the past three years. Horace Baker, Chief Surveyor.

WELLINGTON. The following is a summary of the work executed:—Major triangulation: Area, 60,000 acres; cost, £125; character of country, mostly under forest. Minor triangulation : Area, 9,586 acres; cost, £31 18s.; character of country, nearly all under forest. Minor triangulation and topographical: Area, 478,038; cost, £3,022 Bs.; character of country, mostly under forest. Sectional surveys: Area, 60,178 acres; cost, £4,115 155.; character of country, mostly under forest. Town surveys : Area, 2 acres; cost, £13 9s. Native Land Court: Area, 10,109 acres; cost, £346 25.; character of country, mostly under forest. Native Land Court for Land Purchase Department: Area, 353,797 acres; cost, £3,848 Is.; character of country, mostly under forest. Road surveys: Area, 110J miles; cost, £1,089 155.; character of country, about half through forest. In addition there are miscellaneous surveys, besides the works carried out under the Public Works, Land Transfer, and Native Lands Acts, the cost of which was not defrayed out of the Survey vote. The area defined under the latter Act in this way was 61,440 acres, and is represented by twenty-two plans. Triangulation. —The officers, Messrs. Dundas, Llewellyn Smith, Northcroft, and John Annabell, who completed the greater part of the triangulation, did so in an able, energetic, and economical manner. Sectional Surveys. —ln reference to the sectional surveys, I have to state their definition involved the location of road-lines in difficult forest country, and, with two exceptions, I have the satisfaction of knowing that the duty was intelligently attended to. Messrs. Dundas and Tone appear to me to have bestowed most foresight and care in the selection of routes. The arrears of survey under this head have been considerably reduced, and I hope in a few month's time to be in a position to report that there are no cases where the Crown grants cannot issue owing to incomplete surveys of areas purchased many years ago. Township and Standard Surveys. —No new townships were laid off in this district, but standard points of reference, both for bearings and distances, were or are in course of being established in the Towns of Wellington, Wanganui, Masterton, Marton, and Bull's. Native Land Court and Land Purchase Surveys. —The surveys for the Native Land Court and Land Purchase Department have been executed in a reliable and permanent manner. The , progress of the triangulation under Messrs. Llewellyn Smith and J. D. Climie has enabled this

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