c:— l

34

Acres. Brought forward ... ... ... ... 107,094 Wallace County— Surveyed rural lands, mostly second-class and partly open country, in areas from 50 to 1,900 acres ... ... ... ... 21,496 Village-homestead sections, mostly first-class lands, in areas from 1 to 20 acres ... ... ... ... ... ... 730 Eight pastoral runs, high, rugged, poor country ... ... 120,173 Seven small grazing-runs, mostly hilly, open country, carrying tussock and other grass ... ... ... ... 17,216 Town lands ... ... ... ... ••• ■•• 115 Lake County— Surveyed rural lands, second class, in areas from 80 to 100 acres 1,499 One pastoral run, high broken country ... ... ... 23,930 Fiord County — Eighteen pastoral runs, high, rugged, broken country, principally on West Coast, and in the vicinity of the Sounds ... ... 1,068,200 Stewart Island County — Surveyed rural lands, mostly second-class forest-country ... 2,354 Unsurveyed land, but open for application, mostly second-class forest-country ... ... ... ... ••• 143,950 1,506,757 D. Barron, Commissioner of Crown Lands.

APPENDIX No. 2. -SUEYEYS.

EXTEACTS FBOM BEPOETS OF CHIEF SUEVEYOBS ON THE SUBVEY OPEEATIONS FOE 1896-97.

AUCKLAND. Triangulation. —This has been of a very limited nature, and consists of only 18,000 acres of minor work carried out by Mr. Spencer, as a means of check upon extensive road surveys in the Cape Colville district, and of 200,000 acres done by Mr. L. Cussen in Waikato-Hauraki district. Rural and Suburban. —The total area surveyed both by the staff and contract surveyors is only 80,056 acres, divided into 445 sections, and with a mean cost of l-655., which is higher than last year's average. Of this amount the staff have surveyed 59,544 acres at a mean cost of l-455. per acre, whilst authorised surveyors have surveyed at contract rates 20,512 acres at a mean cost of 2-20s. per acre. Of the total area surveyed by contract surveyors, and paid either by the costs being deposited at schedule rates, or under direct contract at the same rates, the larger portion by far has been surveyed by Mr. O'Neill in the Hohoura-Eangaunu districts in comparatively small areas, so that gum-diggers may be encouraged to become permanent settlers ; by Mr. Jordan, for the Papamoa No. 2 Special Settlement Association ; by Mr. W. Graham and Mr. Drury, of some 33 sections, of 4,382 acres, for the Opuatia Special Settlement, under Part 11. of " The Native Lands Court Act, 1894," averaging 132 acres per section; and by Mr. H. M. Wilson, in the Whangarei district, for settlers who deposited the costs. Town Surveys. —These comprise an area of 302 acres, subdivided into 452 lots, at a mean cost of 18s. per lot, and are principally a survey of the Waihi and Waitekauri mining townships by Messrs. Baber and H. D. M. Haszard, nearly the whole of the work having been done by Mr. Haszard, who had very great difficulties to contend with, owing to the absence of reliable information as to the position of the many business and residence sites which had been granted at so many different periods. Mr. L. Cussen also made a survey of some lots at Coromandel Town to settle disputed titles. Standards for local use have been laid down both at Coromandel and Paeroa. Native Land Court and Native Lands Purchase Surveys. —The total area under this heading by all classes of surveyors is 210,277 acres. This area, however, includes 168,000 acres, checked and revised by Mr. L. Cussen in the Kinohaku and other blocks, and also includes land-purchase surveys made by Messrs. Martin and Spencer, the latter surveying an area of 5,300 acres at Kuaotunu in several different blocks. The return of area surveyed by authorised surveyors is only 35,017 acres, at a mean cost of 7'26d. per acre, and this includes 23,650 acres by Mr. Mitchell at Galatea, the cost of which was advanced by the Land Purchase Department. Gold-mining Surveys. —Last year I pointed out the very great increase in this class of work, but the year passed has seen a larger output, as no less a number than 2,041 separate mining, survey plans have been received for a total area of 167,352 acres, contributed by forty-eight surveyors, and with a total cost, as shown by the vouchers lodged for approval, of £46,739 Bs. 9d., or a mean cost per acre of 5-58s. The additional 5,900 acres returned by the staff are practically resurveys of eighty-six sections by Messrs. Cussen and Haszard for inspection purposes only. Last