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Minok Triangulation. An area of 70,860 acres, at an average cost of lTd. per acre, was completed during the year to control settlement surveys in Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Nelson, and Otago Districts. Settlement Surveys. The settlement surveys comprise Crown land, land for settlements, and land for discharged soldiers. The bulk appears in Table A under the head of " Rural," the acreage shown being 90,837 acres, while the remainder includes village and suburban and town lands, totalling 2,237 acres. Native-land Surveys. An area of 211,747 acres was completed by staff and contract surveyors during the year. A reference to Table A shows that of the total area 21,167 acres were surveyed by staff surveyors and 188,580 acres by contract surveyors. The area surveyed in each land district is given in Table B. Geodetic Triangulation. Only one field-party has been engaged on this work during the year, and, notwithstanding an abnormally wet season, satisfactory progress has been made both with the observations and reconnaissance work, including the clearing of the stations of bush and the erection of the signals. Tbe closures obtained by the summation of the angles in each triangle are on the whole within the limits of error determined upon for this class of work; of the twenty-eight triangles closed the average error of the summation of the angles is 144". The details of the survey will be published in the " Records of the Survey." Standard Survey. During the year steady progress has been made with the standard surveys. The field-work of Point Chevalier, an extension of the City of Auckland survey, has been completed by Mr. H. M. Kensington, District Surveyor, who has also finished the field-work of several new streets in Grey Lynn, Remuerj, and in other parts of Auckland. He has also completed the Hamilton standard survey, together with a large amount of reinstatement and examination of blocks at Auckland and Rotorua. Mr. Otway, District Surveyor, has completed the preliminary survey of the central area of the City of Invercargill, and has determined the alignment of a large portion of the outer areas. At New Plymouth Mr. A. C. Haase, surveyor, has determined the alignment of all the streets in the Fitzroy, Westown, and Moturoa suburbs, and has placed in position 130 permanent blocks. The standard survey of Te Aroha Township is now completed. The work executed during the year comprised also the capping, adjustment, and reinstatement of blocks in Stratford, Wellington, Dannevirke, Palmerston North, Levin, and Feilding, the particulars of which will be given in the " Records." Topographical Survey. On this survey three field-parties are engaged in the thermal-springs area in the vicinity of Rotorua. The work has been retarded by the high growth of bracken and scrub covering the area under survey, and a wet season. An area of 154,272 acres is now completed. Further details of the work will be given in the " Records." A fourth field-party was engaged in the Waimea and Motueka Survey District for part of the year under review. An area of 20,480 acres has been mapped, and work will be resumed when the pressure of settlement surveys ceases. The state of the topographical survey proper is shown on the index map appended hereto. In addition to the above an area of 16,670 acres of sketched topography has been returned for the year in North Auckland, Auckland, and Hawke's Bay, and 52,000 acres in South Westland which was undertaken with a view of preparing a scheme of settlement of Crown land suitable for dairying. Inspections. Inspections of surveys under the Land Transfer Act have, been made from time to time in several of the land districts. In most cases the work has been found to be satisfactory ; several cases, however, show that sufficient care has not been taken to perform the ground-marking and to ensure the accuracy of measurement required by the Survey Regulations. The question of making more inspections is becoming more pressing each year, in order to ensure that an adequate check is being maintained on the field operations of surveyors in private practice or on contract surveys. Tidal Survey. The work for the past year comprised a complete fresh analysis for each of the ports of Auckland, Dunedin, and Lyttelton, and portions of the analysis of New Plymouth and Wellington. The constants derived therefrom, combined with previous determined values, are contained in Table C below.

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