13

C. —IA,

Block, of about 3,000 acres, will be subdivided for settlement; also a consolidation of about 1,500 acres of purchased land at Takapau may be completed during the year. The Crown award on T'utira Block, about 23,000 acres, has been defined ; but this will not be available until 1937, owing to the Native lease covering same. Standard Lithography.—Good progress has been made during the year with this class of work. The Napier Borough map was completed ; also 5 district 40-chain drawings, with 3 nearly complete and 3 others on hand. When these latter are complete about three-quarters of the district will be covered. The Hawke's Bay County map has been revised, and a Napier Borough pull has been filled in in black with additional data in the nature of letter-boxes, telephone-stands, fire-alarms, parking-areas, &c., has been sent on for printing. Land Transfer Index Maps. —No progress has been made with these during the year, owing to the amount of routine work the staff has been called upon to carry out. A lot of assistance has been given in endorsing diagrams of limited titles, but it is believed that this work will be completed at the end of April, 1929. It is then proposed to give attention to extension of Land Transfer index maps already complete, 30 in. by 30 in. sheets, and to recondition others and fulfil urgent needs. Taranaki Land District (W. D. Armit, Chief Surveyor). Standard Surveys.—(a) Borough : The standard survey of the Borough of New Plymouth was continued during the year by Mr. A. C. Haase, acting under the direct control of the Surveyor-General. The field-work for this survey was completed, and the preparation of plans is now well forward. (b) Rural: Rural standard traverses have been carried on during the year by Mr. J. W. Mclntyre and Mr. A. C. Haase. Mr. Mclntyre has been engaged the whole year on the rural standard survey of the main roads in Hawera, Waimate, Kaupokonui, Opunake, and Cape Survey Districts. He has completed the field-work of 50 miles of traverse from Hawera towards New Plymouth via Opunake, and will reach New Plymouth during the coming year. Mr. Haase commenced the traverse of the main road from New Plymouth to Hawera, via Lepperton, in December, and has completed the field-work of 12-| miles of this stretch. He will junction with Mr. Mclntyre's survey at Hawera during the coming year, thus completing the circuit of Mount Egmont. In connection with this work several of the main trig, stations have been repaired, and the whole work will be of great value to practising surveyors and the public generally. Topographical Survey. —The topographical survey of portion of the land district was continued during the year by Mr. A. V. Adams with two assistants. He returns 171 square miles completed and mapped, while another 82 square miles are completed in the field but not yet finally mapped. Returns at the 31st March, 1929, show a grand total of 545 square miles completed in the field, of which 463 square miles have been mapped. For the year under review the completed cost runs out at £4'69 per square mile, a little more than last year, this being accounted for by the rough nature of a portion of the area surveyed. The topographers are now working in easier country, and costs should decrease. A further 4 square miles of the contour survey of Egmont National Park were executed, and this work is now nearing completion. 77 miles of levels were run during the year and 11 bench-marks inserted, making a grand total of 314 miles of levels run and 138 bench-marks inserted since the commencement of this survey. The total cost of these levelling-operations runs out at £410, or £1-3 per mile, including bench-marking. Rural. —A total of 856 acres is returned under this heading, the area consisting mainly of alterations to existing leases and subdivision of abandoned properties. Native Land Court Surveys.—The total area of Native Land Court surveys completed during the year amounted to 2,127 acres, the whole of which was executed by licensed surveyors under authority from the Department. The total cost amounted to £257 165., or at a rate of 3-lls. per acre. Authorities have been issued for a total area of 1,394 acres, and these surveys are now in the hands of licensed surveyors. Roads and Railways.—No work was undertaken during the year under this heading. Other Work. —An expenditure of £314- ss. lid. has been incurred under this heading during the year, the chief items being timber appraisements, boundary-redefinitions at Egmont National Park, inspection surveys, levelling for topographical survey, and miscellaneous. Inspection Surveys.—These have been attended to during the year, and an inspection of the work of each licensed surveyor in active practice made. The general standard of w T ork has been excellent, and it has not been necessary to report any surveyor to the Surveyor-General for inferior work. Office-work. —Land Transfer Branch : During the year a total of 150 plans, comprising 565 lots, of 18,734 acres, were examined, approved, and reported on to the District Land Registrar ; 2,553 diagrams were placed on instruments of title, while 48 leases, 397 Crown leases, and 86 Native Land Court partition orders were examined and passed ; 75 old deposited plans were remounted and reconditioned. 15 index maps and 6 deeds plans were prepared for the Lands and Deeds Department, while 146 tracings were prepared for the Valuation Department. Computing Branch : In this branch a total of 89 plans were examined and approved. These plans included 18 plans of Crown subdivisions, totalling 2,670 acres ; 34 plans of Native Land Court partitions, totalling 2,550 acres ; 23 plans of road-deviations ; and 14 miscellaneous. Native Land Branch : The authorities to survey issued during the year for West Coast Settlement and ordinary Native lands total 17, covering 41 subdivisions, of an area of 2,990 acres, at an estimated cost of £402. The total area on hand under authority by surveyors at the 31st March, 1929, is 1,394 acres. Of authorities issued prior to the 31st March, 1928, an area of 518 acres, covering 17 subdivisions, held by 6 authorities, have been completed and plans received during the year.