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anticipated that further larger areas will be acquired for disposal under the Lands for Settlement Act, one estate of 19,000 acres having been reported as acquired at the time of writing, while othere ere likely in follow. In addition to this, a large area will be dealt with by the Classification Commissioners, when doubtless not Less than 200,000 or 300,000 acres will be reserved for subdivision into sn;all grazing-runs. This will entail a substantial increase in the number of surveyors to be required in January next. The Staff. —I very much regret having to record the loss during the year of Mr. Charles Patereon, who died on the 2nd January, 1908, as the result of a fall from his bicycle. Mr. Paterson entered the service as a cadet on the Stli Kebruar) , , 1899, and at the time of his death had reached the position of Accountant. He was a most zealous, conscientious, and reliable officer, throwing his whole heart into his work, and his untimely death in early manhood was deeply regretted by his fellow-officers and a large circle of friends. Mr. F. E. Duncan, from the Invercaigill office, was promoted to fill the position lately held by Mr. Patereon as Accountant, and is proving himself a capable officer. D. Bakkon, Chief Surveyor.

SOUTHLAND. Minor T rlaiitjulatam. This consisted of three triangles, covering 14,852 acres, of which the angles weir observed, and a base chained by Mr. Surveyor Macpherson in connection with his landless Natives surveys in Forest Hill Hundred and Hokonui district. Owing to the faulty nature of the existing triangulation, Mr. Macpherson undertook the measurement of a base line, being one of the sides of the original triangulation, and his triangles are established thereon. This base will be available for the revision of adjacent triangulation when required. Sural and Suburhan. —Of this class of survey, 10,473 acres has been surveyed and subdivided into (il sections, the average cost per acre being 2s. The greater portion of this area, which lias been surveyed for settlement, consists of old sawmill workings in flat country; the balance of :),7Kt acres, in 22 allotments, being sawmill areas in rough bush country. The average cost per acre i- somewhat greater than that of the previous year, but the increased cost is no doubt due to the rougher nature of the land generally. Town Swveyt. —Town surveys amounted to 4£ acres, comprised in two allotments, at an average cost of £6 2s. per allotment. Gold-mining Surveys. —This class comprises 280 acres, contained in 4 sections or claims, surveyed at an average cost of 3645. per acre. This area is little more than half of that returned last year, though the cost per acre is materially less. These surveys were all made by private surveyors, the cost of survey being deposited in each case by the applicant. Roads and Uailways. —Under this head a line of road 214 miles in length was surveyed, at a cost of £238 per mile. This was an engineering survey made for the Itoads Department. Utlttr Work. —The total cost for the year chargeable to this item is i>32l Is. lid., and was expended on the adjustment of road surveys, in ranging old survey lines, on inspection work, on street alignment, and in transfer expenses. l.dinl Transfer Surveys. —The Land Transfer Draughtsman, Mr. J. L. Dickie, reports that 90 plans were received for deposit, 72 of which have been approved, and 18 are still in hand. Th§ approved plans comprise 360 lots, representing a total area of 5,919 acres. Diagrams were placed on 490 certificates of title in duplicate, together with 31 single and 3 in triplicate, making a total of 1,020 diagrams, in addition, 37 instruments of title were checked with reference to areas, boundaries, Ac. The work in this Department shows an increase in all the items. Proposed Operations for li)U8-9. —During the ensuing year 1 purpose keeping Surveyors Kalkiuer and Macpherson on the landless Native blocks, and hope to get this work completed within that period. The other stall' surveyors will be employed on settlement blocks, including the block in Alton district at present in Surveyor Otway's hands, which will shortly be completed ; the Native reserve on west bank of the Waiau River : a block between Longwood and Orepuki, and another in Longwood Forest, near Otautau. An effort will also be made, if surveyors are available, to complete the surveys of the M.D.L.O. leases near Orepuki. This work was in Mr. Surveyor Mathias s hands at the time of his death, and was then abandoned. Another work urgently required is an alignment survey for the suburbs of Invercargill. The subdivisions of these suburb! have in some eases only been made on paper; in others the old surveys have originally been very inaccurate, ami the ground-marking has disappeared. Numerous surveys for bringing various allotments under the Land Transfer Act are constantly being made, and it is imperative that the various surveyors should have some standard lines to work from. 1 therefore purpose, in the event of the field staff being called in for any time during the winter, to utilise their services, as far as weather will permit, in laving down these lines. For this work only two or three of the chainmen would be required. Surveys of isolated areas for which survey fees have been deposited, scenic reserve surveys, and surveys of sawmill areas will be put as far as possible in the hands of private surveyors.