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Westland Land District (W. T. Morpeth, Chief Surveyor). Field Staff. —During the year 40 plans were handed in by the field staff, representing field-work completed of 2,377 acres rural, 49 acres town, 97 acres village suburban, 523 acres Native reserve, mile of road, and miscellaneous surveys. The settlement surveys comprised generally small scattered areas surveyed from time to time to meet applications received for unsurveyed lands and granted on regulation or mining land district occupation licenses. No large blocks were dealt with and the amount of time involved in frequent shifting of camps and parties to demark the areas dealt with has increased ordinary costs under this heading by quite an appreciable amount. The work on hand includes some 10 miles of the Maruia Road, in the Lewis Survey District, and 6 small settlement surveys ; also the plan work of 7 miles of completed road survey which will be completed during the coming winter in conjunction with other plans of field-work on hand. Traverse closures were returned for varying distances totalling 27 miles, 115 stations being required, the total error being 7-6 links on the meridian and 5-1 links on the perpendicular, representing a reduced error of 0-28 and 0-19 links per mile respectively. The nature of the country covered ranged from steep hill-face to flat, about one-half being under bush. The staff has been kept fully engaged on field-work and the completion of the necessary plans, and with the work on hand and the usual applications to be expected for unsurveyed areas a continuance of the present activities may be anticipated. Draughting Staff. —Plans approved during the year numbered 84, classified as follows : Land Transfer, 23; settlement, 31 ; statutory, 10; Native reserve, 7 ; town, 5; miscellaneous, 8. Also, 11 plans were compiled by the office staff, 407 tracings of various descriptions prepared, 92 lithographs coloured, 20 lithographs mounted, 30 plans repaired and mounted, 7 20-chain record maps and 6 40-chain application maps prepared. Diagrams placed on instruments of title numbered 1,372, of which 11 represented land dealt with by Proclamation. Timber applications dealt with and recorded on the timber maps numbered 37. It is satisfactory to record that the photo-lithographic tracing of the Town of Greymouth was completed towards the end of the period, and the finished prints are expected shortly. The photolithographic tracings of the Grey and Westland County sheets were also revised and amended where necessary. Owing to special efforts by the staff, practically all diagrams required in connection with the Land Transfer (Compulsory Registration of Titles) Act have now been completed, and very little more remains to be done in this direction so far as the Westland District is concerned. . During the ensuing period special attention will be paid to the preparation of additional 20-chain record maps and necessary replacements of worn-out application maps, which, with ordinary routine work, it is expected will more than fully engage the attention of the staff for the. next twelve months. Canterbury Land District (W. Stewart, Chief Surveyor). Field Staff. —The work in this district during the past year was carried out by Staff Surveyors H. A. Adams and W. Paora. With the exception of a few resubdivisions of settlement lands and the necessary survey of several education reserves, there was very little rural surveying. Mr. Adams, apart from the survey of four education reserves, was engaged principally on the revision of standard surveys in the suburbs of Christchurch, a total length of 37 J miles being returned at a cost of approximately £29 10s. per mile. The closing results in this work, on which an invar band was used, were very satisfactory, the mean error on fifteen circuits being 0-062 and 0-068 link per mile. Mr. Adams is now engaged completing the standard survey of the Town of Timaru. Mr. Paora's work comprised resubdivisions for the Native Land Court, resubdivision of settlement lands, and surveys of education reserves, besides attending to the safeguarding of permanent survey marks in connection with road-reconstruction work and drainage-works in Christchurch. Although every endeavour has been made to work in with local bodies in connection with roadreconstruction work, so as to safeguard permanent survey marks, I regret that these bodies have not in all cases sent in notice of their intention to carry out such works. Fortunately, so far, no great harm has been done, but it might be advisable to anticipate these works and put in permanent marks off the possible line of permanent surfacing, connecting same with present surveys. Office Work. —Land Transfer Branch : The past year's work shows a considerable increase both in the number of plans examined and also in the diagrams placed on instruments of title, the respective numbers being 521, an increase of 45, and 9,226, an increase of 1,856, the increase being due to the Compulsory Registration of Titles Act, which has also given the staff extra work in connection with the searching of titles, &c. General Office-work: 100 plans were received and checked during the year, of which 26 were Crown, 28 Native, 26 other Departments and local bodies, and 20 miscellaneous ; 67 town-plan schemes were received and examined ; 8 20-chain record maps were prepared, and 6 are in hand ; 3 district maps were revised and brought up to date for lithographic purposes ; and a new plan of the Waimate Borough is well in hand. The usual routine work, diagrams on leases and Native Land Court orders, tracings, Proclamation endorsements, searches, &e., has occupied a large amount of the staff's time. Staff Changes. —During the year Mr. J. G. Wilson retired after long and faithful service with the Department; Miss Pirritt returned to Auckland ; Mr. C. Fowler was appointed a survey cadet with Staff Surveyor Adams ; Mr. E. T. Kensington, temporary computer, resigned ; Mr. N. R. Stanton was tranferred from the Lands and Deeds staff ; and two new draughting cadets (Messrs. E. R. Simpson and A. V. Brown) were appointed. Frequent interchange of duties have been given to the junior officers, and I would like to record my appreciation of the work done by the staff during the past year.

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