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Town Surveys. —Fifteen plan's of new townships were examined and approved under the Land Act, 1908, and the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1912. Mining Surveys. —Twenty-four mining surveys, comprising 1,798 acres, in 38 claims, were examined and approved. Three of these, in 4 claims comprising 206 acres, were made by our staff, at a cost of 4'o4s. per acre, and the remaining twenty-one, in 34 claims comprising 1,592 acres, by private surveyors on the fee system or by private arrangements. Roads and Railways. —Twenty-nine surveys and plans were examined and approved, all but two being the work of private surveyors. Land Transfer. —One hundred and six plans, representing 9,740 acres, were examined and approved, and I have again to express satisfaction with the excellence of this class of work. Proposed Operations for the Year. —Under the direction of Mr. W. T. Neill, Inspecting Surveyor, the standard survey of the City of Dunedin. will still be the particular work for the coming year. Since the commencement of the standardizing, the extent of the City of Dunedin has been very largely increased by the inclusion of the adjacent Boroughs of Roslyn and Northeast Valley, and as it is almost certain that this additional area will be brought into the original scheme, there is every prospect that Mr. Neill's services will be necessary in this class of work for the next eighteen, months or two years. Assistant Surveyor S. T. Burton has in hand 289 acres in the Teviot Survey District. Two pastoral runs, containing about 183,000 acres, mature in the year 1915, and it is probable that a subdivision into smaller areas for lease under similar or small-grazing-run systems will take place, necessitating the offering of the lands in February of 1914. Two estates in North Otago, aggregating 1,421 acres, have been purchased under the Land for Settlements Act. These will be subdivided, and it is hoped to offer them for selection in July of this year. Office-work. —The following plans were examined and. approved : 106 Land Transfer, 29 roads and railways plans, 24 mining surveys, 79 staff plans, being a total of 238. Thirty-five photolithographic tracings were made for sale posters, and maps for photo-lithography of Catlin, Teviot, Tarras, and Leaning Rock Districts were prepared for reduction and printing on the 80-chain scale. Twenty-four small plans of private subdivisions were drawn and lithographed here for the purpose of bringing the City of Dunedin and Suburbs maps up to date, and also the 4-mile map of Otago District. Twelve new plans were made for Land Office, and the Railway land plans affecting Conical Hills Settlement were compiled and drawn. Descriptions of all education reserves in Otago were revised, and all survey matter affecting Southland was collected and passed on to that district. Diagrams were placed on 112 leases in duplicate and on 152 in triplicate; a total of 680 copies and 831 miscellaneous tracings for various purposes were prepared. In the Land Transfer branch diagrams were placed on 898 certificates in duplicate; a total of 1,796 copies and 1,150 deeds were examined. The preparaton of the City of Dunedin standard maps is being steadily advanced, and to preserve symmetry is being wholly undertaken by one draughtsman. In the lithograph department, 2,236 lithos were printed, 1,148 maps mounted, and 30 books bound or rebound. I am pleased to be able to record my appreciation of the efficient manner in which the officers have carried out their duties, and of the improvement in draughtsmanship noticeable in the younger officers. E. H. Wilmot, Chief Surveyor.

SOUTHLAND. Minor Triangulation. —No work of this nature has been done during the past year. Rural. —A total area of 30,402 acres, in 173 sections, is returned under this heading. Of this total 26,736 acres was surveyed by the staff surveyors, at a cost of 3"625. per acre, and includes about 15,000 acres situated in rough bush country necessitating a considerable amount of roadgrading and exploration, and, being mostly worked-out sawmill areas, entailed unusually heavy line-cutting, as well as an area of 3,587 acres of undulating and hilly open land with patches of bush (Maori Hill Estate). Contract surveyors executed an area of 1,461 acres, at a cost of l - 275. per acre, while the balance of 2,205 acres is sawmill areas by licensed surveyors, which were paid for by aplicants. - Village and Suburban. —Under this heading are shown 5U29 acres, in 28" sections, surveyed, at a cost of 32675. per acre, by Mr. H. M. Thompson in Alton District, and by Mr. N. L. Falkiner at Waikawa Village. Town Section Surveys. —These comprise 19\34 acres, in 52 sections, surveyed, at a cost of 27" 18s. per acre, by Mr. N. L. Falkiner in Invercargill City, Town of Gore, and Seaward Bush Township. i Native Land Court Surveys. —A subdivision of 117 acres into 45 sections of about a quarteracre each, in the Aparima Native Reserve, Jacob River Hundred, adjoining Riverton, was made by Mr. H. R. Dundas, licensed surveyor. Gold-mining Surveys. —One special claim, containing 68 acres, and surveyed by Messrs. Blaikie and Wilson, in the Hokonui Survey District, and paid for by applicant, appears under this head. Roads and Water-races. —17*47 miles of roads to give access to Crown lands were surveyed by the staff surveyors during the year, at a cost of £2U42 per mile. Other Work. —The amount shown under this heading includes inspection surveys, revision and street-alignment surveys, survey of 2,280 acres scenic reserves in Kingston District, exploration survey and trial grading of roads in connection with a large block of land in Mokoreta