o.—l

86

Topographical. — Mr. Greville's detailed survey of Kapiti Island, 4,720 acres, is the only completed survey of this nature, although Messrs. Morice, Stevenson, Roberts, and Carkeek and others have made surveys of this kind in connection with the settlement blocks they are engaged upon. Triangulation. —The important and much-wanted work upon which Mr. Lowe was engaged has been, like the rest, suspended during his charge of the settlement surveys of the Waimarino Block. He has now an area of 2,150,000 acres of large triangles of which the field-work is nearly completed, and an additional area of 565,000 acres of small triangles requiring some further field-work, in all less than six months to complete the whole. The cost has been so far £1,373 Bs. sd. Rural and Suburban. —Land-for-settlements blocks of this nature—Linton's Woodlawn Estate, Rangitoto district; Tablelands and Longbush Estates, Huangarua district; and Crown land blocks, Mangamahu Village (Mangawhero district), Rangipo-Waiu, Murimotu, Rangitatau and Raketapauma Blocks —have been sectionized, a total of 37,610 acres. Lands for Selection before Survey. —A preliminary survey of some 38,900 acres in the Te Tuhi, Ahu Ahu, and Puketotara Blocks has been made by Messrs. Stevenson, Mountfort, and Roberts, and this land will shortly be opened for selection. A preliminary survey of about 50,000 acres has also been made by Messrs. Lowe, Scott, and Frasi in the Waimarino Block, and this land will be open for selection shortly. Other Work. —This includes the general miscellaneous work connected with survey operations, and inspection of surveys, timber assessments, explorations, extension of standard and alignment surveys, valuations and reports, road-deviations, rebuilding and repairing trig, stations. The extension of standard and of alignment surveys were discontinued early in the present year. Inspection of Surveys. —Mr. Inspector J. D. Climie reports that he made twenty-one field inspections, including ten Land Transfer, six staff, and five miscellaneous surveys. He also made one valuation of Epuni Hamlet, at a total cost of £260 os. 3d. Generally, the work on examination was found to be satisfactory, excepting in a few minor points where corrections had to be made. Office-work. —Apart from the many duties of office routine, which it would be impossible to enumerate, I may state that throughout the year sixty-six plans of sectional and Native surveys, containing 53,343 acres, were received. Fifty-two plans, comprising 446 allotments containing 60,384 acres, were approved, reduced, and recorded on Crowii-grant and office maps. Twenty-five drawings and tracings were prepared for photo-lithography, comprising 351 sections containing 23,391 acres. Six county lithos were prepared as provisional maps for publication, a 40-chain map of Akatarawa district was completed, and six Crown-grant record-maps were constructed. In addition, eighty-six new plans of a statutory nature were received, and 108 were approved. Reservations of Land. —During the year the reserves ledgers have been kept up to date, also index and detail maps of each county posted up; twenty-two reserves have been vested, 100 permanently reserved, and 18 sent forward for gazetting. "Thirds" and "Fourths." —The allocation to the credit of the local authorities of the due proportion of rent under the various systems as laid down by " The Land Act, 1892," has been carried out, and £8,117 4s. 3d. was paid to the local bodies on approved proposals and hypothecations. This is over £1,700 more than was disbursed under the same headings last year. 266 proposals for expenditure on roads, bridges, &c, were made by the local authorities; these were carefully examined, and 220 were submitted for the consideration and approval of the Land Board. Sixteen certificates of hypothecation were also submitted for the approval of the Land Board, and issued under the signature of the Chairman. The large sum of £19,625 12s. was lying to the credit of local bodies in the Receiver of Land Revenue's Deposit Account on the 31st March. I think, however, that members ot the County Councils and Road Boards are beginning to recognise their responsibilities for the expenditure of these moneys, and I look forward to the balance being considerably reduced during the ensuing year in providing better access for the settlers, especially those comparatively far back. It seems very hard that they should have to put up with bad roads year after year while these large sums of money can be obtained for the asking (by the local bodies concerned) for the purpose of improving the road access, the want of which is a constant source of complaint by settlers, and is also very frequently urged by them as an excuse for noncompliance with the residential clause's in their leases. Native Land Court. — Thirty-nine Native blocks, comprising 101 subdivisions, containing 21,831 acres, were surveyed by private surveyors ; and thirteen other blocks were surveyed, comprising 120 subdivisions, containing 112,422 acres (in which the Government is interested— having advanced the cost of surveys, or having undertaken the work by staff surveyors and taken out liens in the Native Land Court) ; so that the total surveyed by staff and authorised surveyors is 134,253 acres ; and plans of seven blocks, comprising twenty-three subdivisions, containing 2,472 acres, were compiled. Roads and Railways. —The 68J miles traversed and mapped include 11J miles of the North Island Main Trunk Railway. The principal object of the road surveys has been to secure the dedication of them to public use, and establish permanent points of reference throughout the district. A considerable mileage has been compass-traversed in the Ohotu, South Kaitieke, and Te Tuhi, Ahu Ahu, Puketotara Blocks, preparatory to opening up these lands for selection. Land Transfer Office (Survey Branch). —322 working-plans were passed, showing a decrease of twenty plans as compared with last year, but there were more large ones than previously; 2,234 deeds and other instruments were passed; twenty single and 1,812 plans in duplicate were placed on certificates of titles; and twenty miscellaneous plans drawn or compiled. Titles. —The officer intrusted with the duties of preparing leases, licenses, and warrants reports that 155 leases, sixty-seven licenses, and 120 freehold titles were prepared and issued. The arrears on the 31st March amounted to forty-four titles.