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respectively. .Rural standard traverses will be resumed in the vicinity of Christchurch and in the Clutha district during periods of slackness in the settlement surveys, and in addition there is likely to be a certain amount of reinstatement requiring attention. Settlement Surveys.—The proposed work in each land district is shown in Table 4 appended hereto, and may be summarized as follows : 50 square miles of minor triangulation ; 7 square miles of topographical survey for selection ; 198,453 acres rural survey; 261,951 acres Native land survey ; 92 miles road survey; and 208 acres town survey. Topographical Survey. —One field-party will continue the survey of the area in Nelson District over which the officers of the Cawthron Institute are conducting a detail soil survey, during periods of slackness in the settlement work, and three parties will be continuously engaged in prosecuting the survey of the thermal-springs region in the vicinity of Rotorua, and the settled pumice land adjoining which will be the subject of a soil survey by the Agricultural Department. Miscellaneous. —In addition to the above-mentioned works, there is the customary examination and recording of plans, the inspection of surveys, the compilation and drawing of maps for publication, the work of computing the harmonic constants for the tidal predictions, the computation of the primary triangulation, and the preparation of various tables. The prexJaration of models, maps, and pamphlets illustrating the works carried out by the Department will be undertaken for exhibit in the Dunedin and South Seas Exhibition. Various instruments, survey marks, and trig, signals as used on the survey will also be exhibited. Genekai. Map-publication. —There was an improvement in the output of maps received from the Printing Department, due to a draughtsman being transferred from this Department to assist in the drawing on the lithographic stones at the Printing Department. The demands of the public and the State Departments are, however, not yet fully met, and it will be necessary to arrange for the printing of several of the survey district maps by private firms. Proclamation of Roads, &c.—During the past year nineteen applications for the proclamation of road-lines laid off by the Native Land Court under sections 48, 49, 50, and 52 of the Native Land Amendment Act, 191-3, were dealt with. The statutory notices were duly served on the local authorities of the districts concerned in terms of section 15 of the Native Land Amendment Act, 1914, and in the large majority of cases no objections were raised to the proclamation of the road-lines as public highways. The machinery provided by these Acts is proving very useful in providing ways and means for the laying-off and legalizing of roads to give access to Native and other lands hitherto without road facilities. Under the Land for Settlements Act, 1908 (section 80), six Proclamations were issued closing old unformed and unused road-lines intersecting estates acquired under the Act, in order that the areas comprised therein could be incorporated in the allotments available for disposal. Under the Land Transfer Act 241 warrants for the issue of certificates of title were examined and certified to in terms of section 13 of the Act. An application to bring land under this Act affecting a property in the Nelson District for which no Crown grant had been issued was examined and approved in terms of section 19 of the Act. To establish evidence of rightful ownership a search was required of the records of the New Zealand Land Company, and this was successfully carried out with the help and co-operation of the Internal Affairs Department. International Geodetic and Geophysical Union. —A meeting of Congress was held at Madrid on the Ist October last. The New Zealand Government received an invitation to send a delegate representing the Dominion to take part in the Congress. Circumstances, however, prevented attendance from New Zealand at the meeting. An important decision was arrived at by the Executive Committee in adopting an international ellipsoid of reference. The Hayford ellipsoid, of which the measures are —Compression, 1/297 ; semi-major axis, 6378388 metres ; semi-minor axis, 6356909 metres —was adopted, and will now be used for the purposes of the geodetic survey within the Dominion. I may remark that the compression of 1/297 has been used by this Department in the computation of geodetic tables since 1920. Records of the Survey of New Zealand.-—The first volume of this publication has been issued, and Volume 2, containing supplementary information to this report, is in course of preparation. Town Subdivisional Schemes. —The number ,of town schemes received during the year has been maintained; 315 plans of subdivisions and resubdivision have been dealt with and approved. The greater part of the area subdivided is in the vicinity of Auckland City. Orakei Garden Suburb.—A subdivisional scheme of this block, which contains about 680 acres, was prepared in 1920 by Mr. J. Dawson, C.E., of Auckland. The survey, however, was not gone on with, partly on account of certain Native interests in the block not having been acquired by the Crown, and partly on account of the natural situation of the area, which is such as to warrant calling for competitive designs for a layout on modern town-planning lines. Towards the end of the year the Government invited designs from residents of the Dominion for the laying-out of Orakei Block as a garden suburb, and offered three premiums of £250, £125, and £75 for the designs placed first, second, and third respectively in accordance with the conditions of competition. Information for the guidance of intending competitors was prepared and issued, comprising historical notes, conditions of competition, requirements, statistics relating to meteorology and climatology, and description of the boundary, two contour maps on a scale of 5 chains to an inch, and a map of part of the City of Auckland on a scale of 20 chains to an inch. A Board consisting of the Engineer-in-Chief, Government Architect, Chief Surveyor (North Auckland), City Engineer of Auckland, and the Surveyor-General was appointed to judge the designs. The closing date of the competition is the 30th May, 1925. Desiderata.—As in former reports, the question of a suitable site to compare tapes and to house and erect the comparator and standard bar is reiterated. A repeat survey of the magnetic elements should be undertaken, particularly at the more important seaports.