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supervision of Mount Cook Road; Mr. Adam's inspection of the Bealey Road-works; Cheviot valuations by Mr. McClure and Mr. Mathias ; valuations of land for settlement blocks ; verification and inspection surveys; and the various other duties connected with the survey and sale of land in this district. Office Work. —The ordinary work of the Christchurch office was increased by the time and attention which had to be devoted to the valuations and scheduling of Cheviot, Lake Ellesmere, and other lands which were placed in the market; the preparation of sale-maps; assisting at landsales, and preparing returns and statements connected therewith—duties which occupied the whole staff at times. The correspondence and book-keeping connected with road-works necessitated the employment of two clerks for a long period. In consequence of the great additional clerical and draughting work but little progress was made with the reduction and recording of survey plans, the issue of titles, and the long-standing arrears, which remain practically as formerly. On the 31st March the number of overdue-lease titles amounted to 342, and these must be prepared in triplicate ; in addition, there were 276 sections to be Crown-granted or certificated (some of these latter are delayed for causes beyond our control); forty-eight survey maps, comprising an area of 68,270 acres, require to be examined. The block-sheets and compilation of record-maps are also greatly in arrear. You will therefore apprehend that the office is still undermanned, and that the public requirements cannot be satisfactorily met, nor the Land Act properly administered or enforced in numerous instances. I trust that I may be afforded sufficient assistance to enable me to remove such grave cause for anxiety and complaint. Twenty-four sale-plans were published by the Head Office ; sixteen of these were drawn here. In addition to the titles specified in Form 4, 246 diagrams were placed on 86 deeds. The amount of work in the Land Transfer Branch is reported by Mr. D. H. Munro to have closely approximated to that of the previous year ; the particulars are shown in Table 4. The general business and routine clerical work of the Lands and Survey Office were unusually arduous, and, for the reasons before stated, also fell into arrears, notwithstanding that Mr. Bendely worked much in overtime. It is my pleasing duty to state that the surveyors and officials engaged on the Cheviot Estate, and the whole of the office staff, worked cheerfully and zealously, and gave much of their leisure time to expedite the survey, mapping, and sale of that estate. Messrs. McClure and Mathias deserve special credit for their valuable aid and suggestions on the occasion of the valuations, and the staff surveyors engaged in other parts of Canterbury are also entitled to commendation. I have again to record my obligations to Mr. David McMillan for his invaluable services and advice in various matters, but more especially in connection with his inspections and valuations of the Cheviot Estate, and his final revision of the schedules. J. W. A. Marchant, Chief Surveyor.

OTAGO. Topographical Surveys. —The only work under this heading is 11,560 acres, being a resubdivision of the Highfiold Runs. Minor Triangulation with Topography. —Mr. Langmuir has executed 60,000 acres, and Mr. Wilmot 9,243 acres, all in the Tautuku Forest. The cost is the same in both cases —namely, l|d. per acre. Rural and Siiburban. —A fair amount of area has been surveyed this season, and the average price per acre, Is. 4}d., is moderate, when it is considered that nearly half of the total area was in heavy bush. Survey Inspections, do. —During the past season I have made twenty-nine visits of inspection to surveyors in the field, and have visited Catlin's River and adjacent districts on nine occasions, to pay wages and inspect the progress of the roadworks. I also visited Pomahaka Downs for the same purpose on six occasions. I have taken three journeys to inspect estates offered for sale, besides inspecting Run 72 in the Warepa District, the roadworks in the Native reserve at Waikouaiti, and the sand-encroachments at Otago Heads. I was absent from Dunedin in December last for sixteen days, in company with the other Land Classification Commissioners, inspecting and classifying runs. Proposed Operations, 1894-95. —I propose that Mr. Langmuir shall finish the triangulation of Tautuku Forest, and, after attending to any surveys required in his own district, go on with the standard traverse of the Clutha District as time and opportunity permit. Mr. Wilmot has still to complete the survey of Blocks IT. and VIII., Woodland District, after which he will finish the triangulation of Mokoreta and Rimu Districts, which he left unfinished last year in order to take up Mr. D. M. Calder's work. Mr. Calder will be kept fully employed in his own district with the ordinary settlement and mining surveys. Mr. McCurdie will also be kept steadily at work on settlement surveys in the Tautuku District. Mr. Edie will complete the subdivision of Blocks V. and VII., Catlin's, and his services will then be available for further work if required. As mentioned in my last annual report, the extension of the Standard Survey of Dunedin is urgently required, and it is to be hoped that the City Council will decide to assist in carrying out the work during the coming season. In conclusion, I beg to draw your attention to the following extracts from the reports of the field surveyors in this district, showing the degree of error in their linear and angular measurements :— Taking Mr. Langmuir's work first, his base-line, in the Upper Catlin's Valley, was very nearly three miles long, and over very broken country; still, his three measurements agree remarkably well-