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twenty-three have been completed, leaving seventeen to finish with their tracings in duplicate, which it is estimated will take another six or seven months. Mr. H. M. Kensington, District Surveyor, who has been engaged on the final work of the Rotorua standard survey and on the alignment survey of Takapuna, reports the chainage of 17 miles in connection with the first-mentioned and 8 miles in connection with the latter survey. These surveys, requiring as they do such great care and attention to details, have been carried out by Mr. H. M. Kensington with such excellent results as to reflect the highest possible credit to him. He has also prepared the plans of both these surveys. Besides the work already mentioned, his services have been required in connection with the standard surveys of the City of Auckland and the Borough of I'arnell. In these surveys, as in those of Rotorua and Takapuna, the reinstating and fixing of many standard blocks was found necessary, owing to their having been disturbed by street alterations. Office-work in this class of survey has also claimed a large share of his attention. He is now engaged on the standard survey of the Borough of Parnell. Mr. J. D. Climie, Inspector of Surveys, has completed the Hutt - Emerald Hill standard traverse, 9 miles in length, with excellent results. This survey necessitated the fixing of forty new concrete blocks. Standard traverses were also made by him at Hastings and Waipukurau, and these, along with the other standard survey, which will prove of very great convenience for future surveys, entailed a very large amount of extra detail work, and this has been carried out with great care and skill. The standard survey of the City of Dunedin was commenced this year by Mr. W. T. Neill, District Surveyor, who reports that 36 miles of street have been traversed and numerous blocks inserted. Good progress has been made, and I look forward to its completion in first-class style and at a reasonable cost. Settlement Survey. Under the respective headings of " Rural " and " Village and Suburban," the surveys of 334,715 acres and 1,844 acres have been completed during the year, and if the subdivisions of Native lands under the Maori Land Board for the purpose of leasing to the public, comprising 31,897 acres, be added, the surveys executed for settlement purposes total 368,456 acres, divided into their respective districts thus : Auckland, 70,664 acres of sectionized Crown land and 7,016 acres of Maori Land Board subdivisions ; Hawke's Bay, 55,474 acres of Crown land and 3,887 acres of Maori Land Board subdivisions ; Taranaki, 8,839 acres of Crown land and 18,306 acres of Maori Land Board subdivisions ; Wellington, 48,591 acres of Crown land and 2,688 acres of Maori Land Board subdivisions ; Nelson, 61,228 acres of Crown land ; Marlborough, 44,015 acres of Crown land ; while the remaining districts contribute 47,748 acres of Crown lands. In addition to the above might be mentioned the provisional survey of an area of 32,502 acres for Maori Land Board in the Auckland District. The area of settlement surveys, &c., in the hands of the staff surveyors at the close of the year was 690,518 acres, contract surveyors 54,135 acres, or a total of 744,653 acres, exclusive of an area of 122 acres of town subdivisions. Out of this total an area of about 82,000 acres has been completed in the field, but the plans have not yet been sent in. Native-land Survey. An area of 472,481 acres was surveyed during the year, comprising 440,584 acres of Native Land Court and 31,897 acres of Maori Land Board surveys, which, with the exception of an area of 566 acres, are distributed in the four North Island districts of Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, and Wellington. Of the 440,584 acres for Native Land Court work, an area of 51,862 acres was completed by the staff surveyors and 388,722 acres by licensed surveyors, of which 127,572 acres were paid for by the Native owners. Of the Maori Land Board surveys of 31,897 acres, an area of 11,807 acres was completed by staff surveyors and 20,090 acres by licensed surveyors. Apart from the total of 472,481 acres, the undermsntioned provisional surveys were made by staff surveyors, viz. : 32,502 acres for Maori Land Board, in which roads were graded and subdivisions schemed out preparatory to surveys being let to contract surveyors, and a compass survey of 17,430 acres for Native Land Court. The surveys contemplated to be put in hand and those actually in progress reach a total of 629,870 acres. Out of this total, 207,050 acres will be surveyed by staff surveyors, comprising 133,007 acres for Native Land Court, 79,343 acres for Maori Land Board, and 14,700 acres for landless Natives in the Southland District; while the balance of 422,820 acres will be in the hands of licensed surveyors, comprising 352,807 acres for Native Land Court and 70,013 acres for Maori Land Board. Gold-mining Survey. During the year 3,009 acres (in 56 claims) were surveyed. Of this total 1,752 acres (in 23 claims) were completed in the Auckland District by contract surveyors, at a cost of 4-41s. per acre ; the balance of 1,257 acres (in 33 claims), distributed in Auckland, Nelson, Otago, and Southland Districts, being completed by licensed surveyors, the costs of which were paid for privately. The claims were distributed thus : Auckland, 26 ; Nelson, 5 ; Otago, 23 ; Southland, 2.