C.-4.

documents all kept by Mr. McLean in a manner specially commendable. Mr. Adair, of the Queenstown office, reports plotting surveys on five district maps, and on other general maps; compiling surveys on 18 working maps and record maps, making copies of spotting surveys, attending Warden's Court, and making several bush-license surveys. Besides my ordinary inspections, I visited the new road to Hindon on its completion, with Mr. Hay, the County Engineer; I went over the whole of the road for opening up the Wyndham Valley, selecting the best lines along with Mr. Strauchon, and I visited the Wanaka District with the two Commissioners of the Waste Lands Board on their inspection of the runs in that locality. Proposed Field-work. —For the year just entered on I propose to overtake all the trignometrical and topographical work more especially required to delineate accurately those Otago runs whose leases expire in 1882 and 1883. This I expect to be able to accomplish with the present staff of surveyors. Then I would suggest the survey, for immediate settlement, of 6,600 acres in the Wanaka, Lower Hawea and Tarras Districts; of 4,200 acres in the Lauder and Blackstone Districts; and of 5,000 acres along the Taieri River, in the Maniototo and Gimmerburn Districts : being altogether an area of about 16,000 acres of good agricultural land. Should, this be approved, these blocks can be ready for settlement on the expiry of existing pastoral leases. Dunedin Office-ivork. —Mr. Douglas, Chief Draughtsman, and the staff in this office, have been busily engaged all the year checking, copying, and recording on Survey Office and on Land Office maps all the block surveys and detached surveys of applications; also recording all leases for minerals and for gold, as the surveys come in, has gone on as usual. Many road surveys under the Public Works Act, and surveys of railway severances or land plans, have come for checking and record or deposit, besides preparing plans for the various Census Enumerators in this district, which the assistants in this office have done. Plans of the Otago runs have been getting ready, and considerable progress has been made, besides beginning special county maps of the same for the use of a Committee of the House of Representatives. Land Transfer Branch. —Mr. Thompson and Mr. Treseder have checked and passed through a great amount of work under this branch during the year. It appears also to be work which will increase. Still, I find it requires constant watchfulness and care to keep the surveys sent in up to the regulations, entailing frequently a large amount of explanation or writing on me. I have passed and certified 54 of these surveys this year, including 14 townships or extensions of townships. The other details are—examining and checking applications, 191 ; examining and checking transfers, 1,562; examining and checking mortgages, 1,124; examining and checking draft certificates, 1,323; placing plans in duplicate on 1,323 certificates of title (2,646 plans); engrossing "Pursuant" on same, 2,646. Crown Grants. —The number of these prepared, recorded, and issued during the year is 3.69, representing an acreage of 22,177 acres; prepared and ready for issue, 541; partly finished or ready for recording, 100 ; deferred-payment licenses prepared, 128; agricultural leases prepared, 164; gold-mining leases prepared, 112; exchange agricultural leases prepared, 74; and coalmining leases prepared, 16 (the leases all in duplicate). Lithographic Office. —Mr. Ross and Mr. Bain have done a good year's work in lithographing, printing, and mounting maps —viz., blocks drawn, 40; blocks printed, 12,000 copies; traverse forms, 1,000; protractor forms, 1,000; circulars, &c., 3,000; and maps mounted, 500. The alterations to this office, so long felt to be needed, to give the fullest and most efficient use of the floor-space within the walls, have been effected; and lam glad to report the result to be greater accommodation to the public, concentrating those officers together near the public room who require to be accessible to the public, and securing the privacy of the draughtsmen from all intrusion during office hours. W. Arthur, Chief Surveyor.

SOUTHLAND. Work done. —It will be seen, from the tabulated return attached, that the amount of trigonometrical work done (including topography) has been 32,960 acres, at a cost of l - 6d. per acre. The amount of rural and suburban sectional survey executed has been 421 sections, embracing 38,787 acres, at a cost of Is. 6-!,-d. per acre. The town section-survey comprises 79 sections, covering 134| acres, executed at a cost of 17s. 9|d. per section, while the gold-mining lease areas, all of which were in bush, embrace 103 acres, executed at a cost of 11s. 10d. per acre. In judging of the cost of these surveys there are several important circumstances that must be taken into account. The triangulation consisted of unusually small triangles, the country covered being irregular in shape, and having narrow bights running into the surrounding bush. It will also be apparent from the return that the sectional survey this year has been dispersed in comparatively small areas over a wide extent of surface, the connectional work being heavy, and considerable time and expense being lost in travelling. Neither must it be overlooked that, including all classes of sections, there were some 200 of them, embracing over 4,600 acres, laid off in bush. An analysis of the sectional work shows that 57 sections, embracing nearly 13,000 acres, were laid off for rural deferred-payment settlement; 38 sections, covering 13,850 acres, were laid off under the free-selection system, survey-fees having been deposited; 7 sections, covering

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