C—lα.

CANTERBURY. The survey operations have been very limited, only one stuff and one contract surveyor having Lx.cn employed. Topographical Survey. —District Surveyor MoClure returns 25,829 acres, at a total cost of £88 10s. Id., or O'7Bd. per acre, being a topographical survey of the Culverden Estate for valuatinii and Court purposes, giving details of fences, plantations, area of paddocks, &c. Rural and Suburban.- —The total completed work under this heading is 255 acres, at a total m>l of £53 10s. 7d., or 4"225. per acre. This consists of surveys by District Surveyor McClure of an addition to Kennedy's Bush Reserve, the survey and subdivision of Quail Island, and cemetery ami gravel reserves, Christchurch District. Work completed in field, but which cannot be returned owing to the plans not being completed, is the Culverden Estate, of 25,829 acres, by District Survivor McClure; and two pastoral runs, of 1C,700 acres, situated in the Dalzell, Gibson, and Hakataramea districts, which have been surveyed under contract by Mr. F. W. Freeman. Town Surveys. —Under this heading 63 acres have been subdivided into 34 allotments, at a total cost of £75 lGs. ad., by District Surveyor McClure, being Tekapo Village, a reserve at llaniner, and sections at Lyttelton and Chribtchureh. Boad Surveys. —Under this heading 244 miles are returned, at a total cost of .£BO 18s. 3d., Or £33 3s. 2d. a mile, being a road surveyed from Dyer's I , ass by District Surveyor McClure to give aooesa to Kennedy's Bush Reserve. The cost is«rather high, but the survey was made in winter, during bad weather, which accounts for the somewhat costly nature of the work. Other Work: —Included in other work are District Surveyor McClure , s standard traverses of 1 mile in the City of Christchureli, and 2 miles in the Village of Rakaia, at a total cost of X 32 (Is. lid. : also field inspections, valuations of Culverden Estate, and attending Compensation Court of same estate, reports, and general office-work. I'ropostd Operations for 1908-9.—Surveys necessary in connection with Peel Forest exchange will !>,• made by Mi. McClwre —viz., 343 acres in the Acland Survey District, 117 acres of Pastoral Run No. 210, and 1,500 acres being Run No. 211 • also some Crown lands the leases of which have expired will be subdivided for settlement. Mr. McClure has on hand the mapping of the Culverilfii Settlement and Thnaiii standard survey, and should complete this work before going out again in the field. It is therefore necessary to appoint an assistant surveyor for this district, and provision has been made for this in the estimates, otherwise the survey work cannot be overtaken. Office-work. —During the year 8 plans of sectional work have been examined, in addition to 5 plans in duplicate of the Hurunui-Domett Section of the Wai para-Blenheim Railway, a distance of '.) miles, and a plan of a new load along the summit to scenic reserve at Kennedy's Bush, a distance of 'l\ miles. A plan of this road was constructed giving areas to be exchanged, witli the various owners affected. The balance of the survey district tracings required for completing the Ashburton and Selwyn Counties has been prepared and forwarded for publication, as well as one sale-plan of the Tekapo Village, and tracings of lands available for settlement. Tracings of the Amuri and Cheviot Counties prepared for photo-lithography are in an advanced state; also selection tracings, to lie mounted, of the Hall, Low ry Peaks, and Alford districts. The acqui-' sition and survey of the Culverden Estate entailed a considerable amount of office-work in the preparation of working tracings and plans for Arbitration Court, and Draughtsman H. R. Schmidt was in camp twelve weeks expediting the preparation of the topographical and subsequent sale-map of the estate for publication. 351 plans were placed on Crown grants and other instruments of title, and 153 certificates recorded on Crown grant maps. A large amount of work in the aggregate has been carried out for the Valuation, Scenic, Electoral, Railway, and Lands for Settlement Departments, in addition to the usual routine work of the office. Mr. W. C. Leversedge, Land Transfer Draughtsman, reports as follows :■ — The staff has been kept fully employed with the current work handed to us daily by the Land Transfer Department, and the items in my return "Transfers checked," Ac, show an increase of this work over previous years. During the year Mr. E. Phillips-Turner and Mr. Cadet Jackson were transferred from this office, and I wish to express my appreciation of the willing and able manner in which both of them have always assisted me. Mr. P. Webb joined the staff in November last, hut no cadet has yet been appointed to take Mr. Jackson's place. Mr. H. Kensington commenced work in this branch in June last, for the purpose of compiling new record-plans, but is now .ii-aged on the more urgent current work. The private surveyors' plans lodged for deposit, and in support of dealings for registration in the Land Transfer Office, have been uniformly satisfactory, and the requisitions found necessary on examination have been promptly attended k>. The work under contract for the supply of paper copies of all certificates of title has been satisfactorily .lone by Mr. J. Mather. During the year 3 new 5-chain Land Transfer record-plans have been compiled, and 88 old deposit plans have been remounted and repaired. UiteeUaneout.— lt will lie noticed by the Land Transfer Draughtsman's report that the work is increasing, and to record all plans and bring up the back work another draughtsman and cadet air required. The changes in the staff have been : Mr. E. P. Turner, formerly assistant draughtsman, appointed Inspector of Scenery Reserves: and Mr. Jackson, draughting cadet, transferred to Hie tield in the Auckland District: while Mr. P. E. Webb has joined the staff in Mr. Turner's place. Both field and office staff have been diligent in their duties, and the work of the Department has been carried out in a satisfactory manner. Eric C. Gold Smith. Chief Surveyor.

19