c.—ia.

Standard Surveys: City.—The field-work of the standard survey of the Anderson's Bay area of Dunedin City is approaching completion, and the plan-work therewith is well in hand. A total length of 8-5 miles has been completed. To bring the standard survey of Dunedin City up to date, a further length of 6-8 miles is required. This comprises new streets in subdivisions which have been laid out subsequent to the original standard survey and streets on the outskirts of the city which were not included in the original standard-survey programme. I propose taking the matter up with the City Corporation, with a view to getting their approval to the proposed extension. In the meantime there is ample rural standard and housing-survey work on hand to keep the surveyor fully engaged. Standard surveys of Oamaru and St. Kilda Boroughs are urgently required, and the matter has been submitted to the Borough Councils concerned. Mosgiel, Balclutha, and several small boroughs in Central Otago might with advantage undertake standard surveys. Opportunity has been taken, while carrying out several inspections in Cromwell, to establish permanent marks in several streets and to protect old marks likely to be removed during drainage operations now being carried out in the borough. The rural standard work recently authorized runs through the centre of Green Island Borough. Opportunity should be taken to extend this work to the principal streets in the borough. This borough immediately adjoins the city, is rapidly growing and improving as an industrial and residential area, and the extension of the city standards to incorporate this borough is becoming a necessity, and should be undertaken before the existing survey marks are lost. Rural Surveys : Subdivisions. —A total of 71,867 acres is returned, at a cost of 3-12 d. per acre. This comprises the subdivision of runs in Lindis, Kakainui, and Swinburn Survey .Districts, and a small area in Kaitangata Survey District. The work has been carried out satisfactorily and the closures have been excellent generally. The area of rural surveys on hand is 9,027 acres, comprising a run subdivision of 8,760 acres and smaller isolated surveys. Rural Surveys : Roads. —Road surveys completed comprise a total of 29-35 miles, at a cost of £17-85 per mile. The survey of the new road to Westland has been completed up to the Westland District boundary at Haast Pass. An extensive programme of road-work—principally State highways —is in hand, and further work is anticipated on State highways during the ensuing year. Town and Suburban Surveys. —Village and Suburban surveys completed comprise an area of 249-95 acres, at a cost of 15-655. per acre. Town surveys comprise an area of 26-74 acres—-twenty-three sections —at a cost of £5-44 per section, being various small surveys throughout the district. The resubdivision of the Town of Frankton is under consideration, while the Town of Brighton View Extension is held up pending further investigation. Town Schemes : Scheme plans approved amounted to twenty-two, comprising 169 lots. The area of reserves was 1 acre 1 rood 17-37 perches, roads 3 roods 10-4 perches, saleable area 44 acres 3 roods 23-78 perches : Total area, 47 acres 11-55 perches. Further subdivisions on the outskirts of Brighton may be anticipated owing to the improved access and establishment of a golf-course. Native-land Surveys. —One small survey is returned under this heading, being a site for a Centennial memorial church at Otakou. Native work in this district is limited. Housing Surveys.—Preliminary : Under this heading a total of 7-68 acres, at a cost of £5-29 per acre, is returned. Subdivisions : A total of 16-5 acres, comprising fifty-eight allotments at a cost of £2-71 per allotment, is returned. Although this work has eased, there is still a fair amount of work on hand in the larger blocks. This work will be attended to as the development work proceeds by the Housing Construction Department, and current work in Dunedin and other centres will be attended to as required. Field Inspections.—Eight field inspections were made during the year. The results disclose satisfactory work by private surveyors operating in this district. Further general inspections of work executed by individual surveyors will be carried out next season, and evidence of any faulty work will be investigated forthwth. Oitice-wobk. The return of plans approved shows a slight increase on the previous year. Crown plans approved totalled 4-2, while plans approved for other Departments and local bodies totalled 67. Twenty-four plans were compiled and 32 plans were drawn for surveyors. Twenty-eight tenure maps were drawn for Lands Office. Three hundred and thirty plans were recorded, 1,400 office and 394 tracings for other Departments were made, 285 lithographs were mounted, and 207 lithographs were coloured. Three hundred and two diagrams were placed on leases, 160 mining applications were dealt with, and 794 searches were made. Twenty survey-district lithographs were revised and forwarded for printing. Seven county maps were compiled and forwarded for reproduction. The Land Transfer Draughtsman reports an all-round increase in the out-turn of work. Some 222 plans, comprising an area of 2,971 acres, were approved, 3,912 diagrams were placed on instruments of title, and 2,063 dealings were passed. Sale of lithographs amounted to £95 4s. 6d. ; free issues, £4-1 Is. 6d. ; issues for office use, £60 4-s. 3d. Cash sales of protractors and publications amounted to £31 3s. 4d. ; protractors and publications for office use amounted to £12 19s. Bd. Fees for plan examination, tracings, and map-mounting amounted to £259 ss. 2d. The sale of lithographs for the year shows a substantial decrease on the previous year. This is due partly to the inability of this office to supply orders for various compilations owing to stocks of survey-district lithographs being exhausted. The preparation of county maps from survey-district lithographs is held up pending the reprinting of certain of these lithographs now out of stock. The preparation of survey-district lithographs, showing tenures, for Field Inspectors is proceeding. A considerable number of Land Office tenure maps require to be redrawn, but owing to other requirements progress in this direction is slow.

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