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The cost of this particular work has averaged 9d. an acre, to which has to be added 4id. for previous expenditure on topographical survey for selection, making a total cost at the rate of Is. l|d. an acre. Native Land Court Surveys. —The survey of four blocks, comprising 8,023 acres, for which Government has advanced the cost, has been made —one by a staff surveyor, the other three by contract, at a cost of 9-Bd. per acre; but thirty-seven others, with a total area of 171,143 acres, have been surveyed by private surveyors for the owners, under the direction and supervision of the department. Seventy-seven applications for surveys have been received and dealt with, and there is a certainty of a far greater number being made during the coming year, as there are evidences of an increasing desire on the part of the Natives to bring their lands before the Land Court. Roads, &c. —Maps of 1143 miles of newly-surveyed roads in different parts of the district have been received, checked, and passed. They for the most part represent roads taken under the Governor's warrant through Native blocks, in the exercise of road-rights under the Native Land Court Acts, which in some cases were on the eve of lapsing. One road in particular was a deviation of nine miles from the originally-surveyed line for the Inland Waiapu Boad, which has been abandoned on account of the great expense necessary to construct it. Another nine miles was a connecting-link on the Gisborne-Mahia Boad through the Paritu and other blocks. The contract for the complete engineering surveys of 54 miles of the Frasertown-Waikare-moana and Wairoa-Mahia Eoads has been finished, and the county authorities have since, at a very large expenditure, formed nearly the whole length. Native Obstruction. —Though the difficulties at the East Cape extended over several weeks, the actual cost to the department was not heavy, as the survey party affected was, during the time the obstruction lasted, engaged on other work close at hand, to which no opposition wds made. After the salutary lesson the obstructionists have had, and their completely changed mood, it is highly improbable that there will be any repetition of such offences. Other Work. —The amount of £289 10s. 7d., shown as the cost of other work, is made up of items that do not come under any of the other heads: such are standard survey of Napier Borough, inspections of surveys and roads, and redefining boundaries of old sections recently selected. The following is a summary of the work completed during the year, and of that in progress : — Completed 1892-93. In hand. Minor triangulation ... ... ... 54,060 acres 30,000 acres. Topographical surveys for selection ... 30,540 „ 99,000 „ Eural and suburban ... ... ... 15,027 „ 31,150 „ Native Land Court, by department ... 8,023 „ 22,000 „ Native Land Court, by authorised surveyors 171,143 „ 15,000 „ Eoads ... ... ... ... 114 miles. 34 miles. Operations for Ensuing Year. —ln the summary already given it will be seen that a considerable amount of survey is now in hand, settlement work especially. The late selections of unsurveyed land in the Motu and Nuhaka-North Districts, on which two surveyors are now engaged, amount to 18,200 acres. There is a large block at Hangaroa now being surveyed into small grazing-runs, and such parts of it as are found adapted, into sections from 1,000 to 2,000 acres each. In the Motu District additional land should be prepared by the laying-out of roads from being thrown open as unsurveyed lands, as the rapidity with which a block in that locality lately offered was taken up would appear to warrant extension of surveys in that direction. I propose placing a surveyor there for that purpose in the spring. , There will be a considerable amount of Native Land Court work for both staff and authorised surveyors, as there seems to be an increasing desire on the part of the owners to bring their claims before the Court for investigation, especially near the East Cape, where hitherto so much reluctance —in fact, direct opposition—has been displayed. It is to be hoped that some of the Native-land purchases now in course will be completed, and, as some of the lands are admirably suited for settlement, we may possibly be called upon to make sectional surveys of them. The length of road-surveys requiring to be done at present is thirty-four miles; but other cases will be almost certain to arise where it will be found necessary to make further surveys in the exercise of lapsing rights under Native Land Court and other Acts. Thomas Humphries, Chief Surveyor.

WELLINGTON. Minor Triangulation. —Awarua Native Block: Mr. W. D. B. Murray has returned 124,500 acres mapped with topographical plans. A much larger area is in hand, but progress is slow, owing to a large number of stations having to be entirely cleared in heavy bush-country. It will take at least another season to complete this block, but the work is sufficiently advanced to allow the sectional surveyors to start work as soon as the purchase of any blocks is completed. Sectional Surveyors. —Six of the staff and fourteen temporary staff surveyors have been engaged nearly the whole of their time in grading and laying out roads and pegging sections in the farm homestead association blocks, in areas ranging from 100 to 320 acres each. Seven of the association blocks, containing 35,449 acres, have been finally completed, and the plans have been received. In twentyone others, containing 134,790 acres, the roads have been pegged and a preliminary scheme of the sections sent in sufficient to allow of the ballots taking place, and since then, in a considerable portion of these blocks the sections have been pegged, and in many cases the settlers are already felling bush on them. Four other association blocks are in progress, and I expect to receive the preliminary plans of three of them in time to allow of the ballot for the land taking place, and