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Inspections. —Ten field'inspections have been made of Native and Land Transfer surveys, but owing to the pressure of other work there has been little time for inspections. I regret to say that some of the work was not up to the standard, and had to be resurveyed, but generally the work is satisfactory. Proposed Operations for 1898-99. —We have a large quantity of work on hand which will be completed this year. Messrs. Hay and Brook will finish the survey and roading of Ngapaeruru Block and Waikopiro Block, containing 36,000 acres, which will then be thrown open for settlement ; Mr. Eoddick has to complete the subdivisional survey of Tahora No. 2 Block, containing 213,350 acres, which will then be ready for roading and cutting up for selection; Mr. Wheeler has to complete the survey of the Native township at Te Puia, and survey the Waiau-Tokomaru Boad, &c. ; Mr. Llewellyn Smith has to complete the exploration and survey of the stock route; and Mr. Stevenson the Apiti-Norsewood Eoad. We have also to survey the 5,000 acres of unsurveyed land lately taken up in the Nuhaka North and Motu districts, a number of subdivisions purchased by the Crown in Native blocks, which lands also require roading and cutting up for settlement, and probably we shall have an estate to subdivide for settlement under the Land for Settlements Act; so that we have every prospect of a busy year. Office Work. —Office work in all its branches shows a steady increase, but the records are not up to date, and therefore not in a satisfactory condition. An attempt has been made to overtake the back work, to do which it has been necessary to employ three temporary draughtsmen, two at Gisborne and one in Napier. I hope soon to be able to record all new work, and gradually bring the old work up to date. Summary of Year's Operations. —The work returned as completed during the year gives some idea of the work executed, but there are surveys to the value of £3,877 of which the field-work is completed, but, owing to the mapping not being finished, they cannot be returned. Included in these is the survey and roading for settlement of the Ngapaeruru and Waikopiro Blocks, of 36,000 acres, on which Messrs. Hay and Brook have been employed. Twenty-seven miles of road have been surveyed, and the subdivisional surveys made of about 10,900 acres, it being necessary to erect a number of trig, stations to govern the work. The surveyors employed on this survey have been much troubled by the bush-fires which were burning in the neighbourhood for three months, making it difficult to take observations, and the camps were in constant danger ; in fact, the main camps had to be buried to save them from the fire. Mr. Mouat has completed the engineering survey of the Gisborne-Waikaremoana Eoad, the total distance being forty-five miles, thirty miles of which had to be surveyed during the year, and twenty-six miles of which is not plotted. Mr. Llewellyn Smith has explored for a stock-track between Ngatapa and Euatahuna, a distance of about thirtysix miles, through very rough forest country, and has located and marked two routes. Mr. Stevenson has made an engineering survey of twelve miles of the Apiti-Norsewood Eoad from the latter end to the summit of the Euahine Eange, none of which is mapped. He has also located the road on the Apiti side of the mountains. Mr. Eoddick has surveyed 134,700 acres in Tahora No. 2 Block, only 11,671 acres of which are mapped. He has erected a number of trig, stations to govern his work. Mr. Wheeler has surveyed the Native township of Te Puia, of 345 acres, and. subdivided it into 132 allotments, though "the plan is not yet completed. We have also had a quantity of engineering work to do in connection with the co-operative roadworks, on which the District Surveyor at Gisborne and Mr. Martin Smith, in Poverty Bay, and Mr. Marshall, the Eoad Surveyor in Hawke's Bay, have been employed. Mr. Marshall was also employed in making the necessary survey, levels, &c, in connection with the report on the Hawke's Bay floods last Easter, which was forwarded you last year. Beic C. Gold Smith, Chief Surveyor.

TABANAKI. Major Triangula lion. —District Surveyor H. M. Skeet has in hand 100,000 acres. A large part of this is around Mount Egmont. A permanent station has been fixed on the top of the mountain, and it is intended to place a glass ball thereon, which will be visible for many miles. This will give a most valuable and general reference-point available from almost all parts of the district, and will be of great assistance in any subsequent geodetic scheme or major connection with the South Island. Other pressing work prevented much triangulation work being done, but whenever possible, and other work permitted, observations, &c, were made from different points. Minor Triangulation. —This'year I have not shown in my returns any minor triangulation, but have included cost of any such in sectional surveys, as the work was principally the breaking-down from larger triangles for use in such section work. Rural and Suburban Section Surveys. —This year's work comprises the survey of 56,606 acres into 238 sections, at a total cost of £3,987 14s. 5d., or at an average of Is. -4 per acre, a very moderate cost, seeing that the average area per section is only 237 acres. All this was in heavilytimbered and rough country, with very difficult and expensive access so far as survey-packing, &c, is concerned. This year's work as compared with last shows an increase of 10,000 acres, and a corresponding decrease in cost of about Is. per acre. This is, no doubt, largely due to the exceptionally fine season for outdoor work. In addition to this there is completed field-work of further blocks of about 10,000 acres, but plans have not yet been received. Town Section Surveys. —This includes the survey of Whangamomona and Mangamingi Townships by Temporary Surveyor Charles Pinnerty and District Surveyor G. H. Bullard respectively. The average cost per section is a very fair one, considering the expense of packing and general roughness of bush country. Boad and Railway Surveys. —The sixty-four miles of above, costing £1,449 10s. 4d., or an average of £22 12s. lid. per mile, consists of some thirty-four miles of railway-land-plan survey by