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58,000 acres of Native Land Court subdivisions at Taupo, and also large areas in the Waipu Survey District, which have been from time to time done by Mr. Hannah under contract. Field-ioork in Progress. —The staff have now in hand for subdivision purposes no less than 194,000 acres. Of this, some 90,000 acres is in progress in Kawhia County, in the hands of eight staff surveyors, in addition to which three road surveyors are grading roads under Mr. Hursthouse. The county being so operated upon is nearly all broken heavy forest-clad limestone country, of good quality, but intersected with deep ravines, and with very few leading ridges, thus making the work very tedious. It is being pushed on with all possible speed, and I trust to have 15,000 to 20,000 acres ready for scheduling about December. The only other extensive rural surveys in the hands of the staff are in the Tangihua district, in the hands of Mr. Martin, and at Eotorua, in the hands of Mr. Baber. Office-work. —The office staff have been fully occupied in recording the plans of rural and Native Land Court surveys and in the ordinary routine work. It was found quite impossible to devote any time to the recompiling and completion of the many Crown grant record-maps which I reported last year were more or less perished through damp. Two more good draughtsmen could find continuous employment at this work. The only county map not yet lithographed is that of Kawhia County, which is being held back until the subdivision surveys are in a more completed state. The Native Land Court subdivision orders had accumulated, and had become heavily in arrear, owing to so many appeals having been pending; but as these are now for the most part settled, an effort has been made to overtake this work, and three and four draughtsmen have been employed checking, recording, and placing plans on the order forms of the Court. The number and area so dealt with amounts to 471 plans, totalling 782,060 acres. In addition to the above, thirty Native Land Court block plans have been compiled for Court purposes, for an area of 58,928 acres. Geehaed Muellee, Chief Surveyor.

HAWKE'S BAY. Topographical Survey. —The only survey of this class made during the year was that of the Hatuma Estate, of 26,976 acres, made by Messrs. Murray, Armstrong, and Stevenson for the purposes of the Compensation Court. Minor Triangulation. —No work under this head has been completed, but Mr. Brook has erected and observed at eleven stations, having broken down from the major triangulation to govern his Ngapaeruru surveys, the country being heavy forest. Mr. Eoddick also did some minor work in connection with his Tahora No. 2 Block surveys. Rural and Suburban. —The area surveyed is 86,760 acres, in 120 sections, at an average cost of 6'4d. per acre. Of this area 14,408 acres are a portion of the Ngapaeruru Block, subdivided for settlement into forty-seven sections by District Surveyor Hay, and all taken up by selectors or set apart for reserves, the land being broken forest country. Another portion of the total area, comprising the Frimley and other estates, surveyed by Mr. Mouat, represents an area of 6,802 acres, all being open grass country. A portion of the Nuhaka Block, containing 27,682 acres, has been surveyed and subdivided for settlement by Mr. Dalziel: it is mixed open and forest country. A part of the Tauwharetoi Block, of 35,023 acres, has been cut up into small grazing-runs by Mr. Eoddick, the boundaries being taken on the ridges and other natural features where good fencing-lines can be obtained. This adds to the expense of the survey, but it is-a great advantage to the settler. The land was generally broken forest country. With the exception of two small sections at Dannevirke, 1,728 acres represents the subdivision for settlement of the Crown portion of the Eakautatahi Block, near Norsewood, which has been cut up into eight sections by Mr. Stevenson. It is generally forest country. Selection- and sale-maps are now being prepared for 1,118 acres, the Crown award in the Kopuaatuaki Block, situated in the Waimata district, near Gisborne. It has been roaded and surveyed by Mr. H. K. Hovell, and will be offered shortly for selection in one section. It is open, broken country. Town-section Survey. —Under this class 510f acres have been surveyed into 160 allotments, at an average cost of 25-4s. an allotment. It comprises 503 acres in the Native Township of Te Puia, which has been subdivided by District Surveyor Wheeler into 159 allotments, with all necessary reserves; and 1\ acres, being a section in the Town of Gisborne which was surveyed by Mr. Mouat. Native Land Court Surveys. —The area surveyed by the staff under this heading is 146,904 acres, at a cost of 2-32 d. per acre. Of this, 119,952 acres represents the Crown award in Tahora No. 2 Block, the field-work having been generally completed by Mr. Eoddick last year. It represents thirteen subdivisions, and is all broken forest country. The forty-nine Crown awards in the Waiapu District contain 26,952 acres, were surveyed by District Surveyor Wheeler, and is generally broken forest country. Authorised surveyors have made sixty-two surveys, of a total area of 43,973 acres, at the cost of the Native owners ; so that the total area surveyed by the staff and authorised surveyors is 190,877 acres. Road Surveys. —Seventy-one miles and a half have been surveyed and mapped, at an average cost of £25-9 a mile, and forty-three miles surveyed but not mapped, so is not returned. Of the seventy-one miles, 17-5 is ordinary road survey, made by District Surveyor Wheeler, at a cost of £15-25 per mile; twenty-eight miles is an engineering survey, by Mr. Mouat, at a cost of £26-2 per mile, being a portion of the Gisborne-Waikaremoana Eoad, and included in the cost is exploration and all necessary engineering drawings. Of the twenty-six miles returned by Mr. Stevenson, 22J miles is an engineering survey of the Norsewood-Apiti Eoad. Its cost —£36-6 per mile—is high, but the road runs over the Euahine Eanges, where very bad weather was experienced by the surveyors, and pack-tracks had to be made to get in provisions, &c.