31

C.—l

Other Work. —A total expenditure of £671 17s. is entered under this head, and comprises inspection of Native Land Court surveys, reporting upon timber, also reporting upon improvements for Banger, &c. Land Transfer. —The draughtsman (Mr. Poster) in charge of this work has examined and submitted to me for approval some ninety-one plans, comprising 345 subdivisions, and containing an area of 15,816 acres. Work for Ensuing Season. —The thirty-one staff and authorised surveyors now shown on my monthly report have in hand in process of survey 121,577 acres, being 95,000 acres in the hands of the staff, and 26,577 acres in the hands of authorised surveyors at schedule rates, any triangulation undertaken being simply for the purpose of connection and check upon section-work in progress. I have still in my work-book some 60,000 acres, in sections averaging under 200 acres, which I have not yet placed in the hands of surveyors. Office-work. —Owing to the illness of several draughtsmen, and also owing to the large number of extra field surveyors employed, whilst the draughting staff has been less than last year, the work has involved continuous and heavy strain upon the office staff, which has been cheerfully met. There are no arrears of county maps, as every county has now been compiled and drawn. I am anxiously awaiting the photolithographs of Taupo East and Eotorua Counties sent to the Head Office for that purpose. The Crown grant branch shows a total of 550 separate titles under various tenures, comprising 1,518 marginal plans, containing an area of 459,084 acres 2 roods 37 perches, and costing for draughting £168. General. —During the past year I have had occasion to personally examine the greater part of my district north of Auckland, as well as seven of the fourteen counties to the south and east of it. The remainder of my district I trust I shall have an opportunity of inspecting in the ensuing year. I am pleased to be again able to record my appreciation of the hearty services rendered by the officers of the department, and the Chief Draughtsman, Mr. Kensington, especially deserves honourable mention for the way he seconded my efforts both within and outside office-hourB to bring and keep our large correspondence and general office-work well up to date. Gerhard Mueller, Chief Surveyor.

TAEANAKI. Minor Triangulation without Topography. —To govern sectional work a few of the larger triangles have been " broken down," covering an area of 28,876 acres —viz., 12,000 acres by Mr. Skeet in the Upper Waitara and Mimi Districts, at a cost of l-4d.; 9,760 acres by Mr. Dalziell in the Huiroa District, at a cost of 0-87 d.; and 7,116 acres by Mr. Buckeridge in the Ngaere District, at a cost of o's7d. per acre. Topographical Survey for selection under " The Land Act, 1887," including Grading of Boads. —The blocks under this heading are—one in the Kapara and Opaku Districts, containing about 29,000 acres, which is being prepared by Mr. John Annabell on contract, and which he expects to have completed in the field about the end of April; and Mr. Skeet has prepared, by surveying roads and traversing streams, a block of 4,090 acres situate in the Egmont Survey District, about three miles west of Midhirst, for selection by naval and military settlers under the Act of 1891. Rural and Suburban. —Mr. Dalziell has subdivided 7,226 acres in the Huiroa District into sixteen sections, the areas ranging from 207 to 1,070 acres, at a cost of 9d. per acre, which I think is exceedingly low for work of this nature; and Mr. Buckeridge has subdivided the Mangamingi and Mangaehu Blocks, in the Ngaere and Omona Districts, containing 8,433 acres, into forty-four sections, ranging in area from 75 to 438 acres, ait a cost of l-88s. per acre. It should be mentioned that this work necessitated the resurvey of thirteen miles of old boundaries at a cost of £162, which necessarily increased both the cost and time of survey. The output of work this year must, of course, be less than it would have been had the year ended, as hitherto, on the 30th June, by which time an additional area of 64,000 acres will be ready for settlement. Included in this area is the Mangaere Block, containing 7,248 acres, which has been more than eighteen months under survey by contract. Town Section Survey.—The only work executed under this heading has been the survey by Mr. Skeet of a few sections in Stratford, which had been applied for, and the resurvey of some others in the same town where the pegs had disappeared. He at the same time laid down several new standards, which determined also the street-alignment. It is to be regretted that, owing to the pressure of rural settlement surveys, the standard and alignment surveys of towns have to be done piecemeal instead of at one time and by the same officer, as I think they should be. Native Land Court Surveys. —There have been 9,105 acres surveyed at the cost of the owners, being partition surveys of the Mokau-Mohakatino No. 2, Waitara West, Pukengahu, and Pahau-. tuhia Blocks. Native-land Purchase Surveys. —The principal work under this heading has been the completion by Mr. J. Skinner of the surveys necessary for the definition of the Taumatamahoe, Whitianga, and Maraekowhai Blocks, and of reserves in the Opatu Block, comprising altogether an area of 235,955 acres, executed at a cost of o'73d. per acre. Boads, Baihvays, &c. —33 miles 5 chains have been surveyed at a mean cost of £15-82 per mile ; 18 miles 52 chains were surveyed by Mr. Bullard under warrant through the Toko and Huiakaina Blocks; and 9 miles 26 chains by Mr. Finnerty on contract through the Pohokura and the Mangaotuku Blocks. The balance was surveyed by Messrs. Dalziell and Buckeridge adjoining their respective sectional surveys. The above mileage does not, of course, include roads which have been surveyed by Land Transfer surveyors through private blocks acquired from Natives, through which roads can still be taken under warrant.