H.—l9.

20

in a court of law as those made under the present system. These are being executed as the lessees hand. in their leases for amendment of plans. At the end of 1878 the various County Councils on the Nelson South-west Goldfields made com" plaints of delay in surveys of applications, and every effort was made by the staff to push forward the work. The difficult nature of the district, being mountainous and heavily timbered ; the excessive liberality of the Land Regulations, giving privileges of free selection as well as rejection afterwards in all parts however inaccessible, renders survey operations slower and more expensive than in other parts. The unfavourable nature of the climate on the West Coast also materially affects survey work, the rainfall of that district being the heaviest in New Zealand, reducing the number of fairly working days nearly 40 per cent. In reviewing operations during the year, the arrears of acreage unsurveyed have been reduced as follows:—Arrears on 30th June, 1878, 171,832 acres; arrears on 30th June, 1879, 130,454 acres; less 41,37S acres. The statement of acreage in arrear of survey is a very uncertain quantity, as all applications made to the Waste Lands Board are received and recorded for survey, unless any prima facie objection exists ; but, owing to the liberality before referred to, many of these applications are withdrawn, and some refused during the year; thus, there was withdrawn during year ending 30th June, 1878, 56 applications, area 9,897 acres, and year ending 30th June, 1879, 87 applications, area 11,415 acres; more 1,518 acres. Since the alteration in the price of land in the district by "Waste Lands Act, 1877," by which it was increased in amount, the acreage applied for has considerably decreased, thus—■ Applications. Area. Year ending 30th June, 1878 ... ... ... 262 29,809 „ 1879 116 8,505 Decrease ... ... 146 21,304 Under these various circumstances the arrears of acreage will be much sooner reduced, unless some sudden demand for land other than exists at present, takes place. The triangulation by district officers has much retarded surveys of applications hitherto, but as sufficient area has been covered to command most of the work, I look forward to a much larger amount being executed during next year. In the older settled portions of the district round Nelson, applications for leasing land lay mostly in the broken and timbered localities, outside of the more easily accessible parts. In a large number of the sections now held under lease, the lessees have never been put in possession by survey. Areas have been ruled in on the office maps, and copied on the deeds, and rent paid for several years, the lessees not having improved their land, for which no provision existed in the Act under which they were held. Applications are constantly coming in from these lessees to be put in possession, and as the Government have engaged to make these surveys (for which 6d. per acre was deposited), they must be dealt with and laid down as near in position as practicable. The discrepancies in old surveys brought to light constantly are very great, and many of the fieldbooks quite unintelligible, and of others no trace can be found. In the above cases the system I have pursued is, by circuit traverse round irregular blocks of sections to localise the errors, leaving discrepancies to be worked out in detail within, as necessity requires. Surveys have been executed in the Amuri district during the year, and minor triangulation has been extended to cover applications, but as these are all situated at high altitudes, but little can be done in the winter months, excepting necessary traverses of main roads, &c. Field inspection has been principally directed to the West Coast, to which four visits have been paid, embracing a complete circuit each time, —also districts round Nelson and the Amuri. During the past two months I have found it necessary to remain at the head office for the purposes of supervision and arrangement. Towns. Owing to the pressure of other work but little has been done as to the establishment of permanent referring marks, excepting in the town of Nelson, which has now been supplied with stone stations carefully laid down by Mr James T. Thompson. A contract is let for the survey of a small township in the Bidler circuit, hi which referring marks are amply provided for. District Office, Nelson. The compilation of old surveys for application maps has been completed, and the several district offices have now been supplied with all the data available for public information respecting land. A uniform system has been adopted of keeping up these plans to date, and it is to be hoped that one great cause of complaint against the department which has existed for some years, has been removed. It is to be regretted that so much delay has occurred iv supplying county maps, but as there existed no good basis at the first, it was not possible to proceed without. Before the compilation was finished, plans of county maps were required for the Deputy Land Tax Commissioner, and he was supplied with copies of district application maps on a scale of forty chains to an inch, showing all sections leased and sold. These, again, are being reduced by photo-lithography to eighty chains to an inch and printed. As furnished to this office they will be supplied to each county with an index plan of the districts, showing county boundaries.