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Town Section Surveys. —These comprise 025 acres in 2 sections, surveyed by Mr. C. Otway, in the City of Invercargill, at a total cost of £2 55., being a subdivision of an educational endowment section; and 0 - 44 acres, also educational land, in the City of Invercargill, surveyed by Mr. G. L. Cuthbertson and paid for direct by applicants. Native Land Court Surveys- A subdivision of Ruapuke Nos. 2 and 4 Blocks, Ruapuke Island, 1,416 acres, in 17 sections, was surveyed by Mr. P. R. Macdonald, at a cost of 34-13 d. per acre, including the survey of toads necessary for access. Gold-mini lit/ Surveys. —One special claim of 100 acres, surveyed by Mr. T. S. Miller, in Block VTT, Longwood Survey District, and paid for by the applicants', appears under this heading. Roads, Railways, and Water-races. — A total of 1894 miles is returned in this class, 8 - 65 miles having been executed by the staff surveyors in connection with access to Crown lands, at a cost of £1839 per mile; and 1029 miles by licensed surveyors, consisting principally of road deviations surveyed for County Councils. &C, and paid for by them. Costs not available. Other Work. —Expenditure under this heading includes revision and street-alignment surveys; redefining boundaries; engineering surveys in connection with protective works Beaumont Settlement. Silvia Stream Channel improvement. Taieri Survey District, and Hedgehope University-endowment drainage scheme; traverse to define river-encroachment, Beaumont Settlement; reports on sections, inspections, &c. : also completion of large block for landless Natives in Wainuimu Hundred, a considerable proportion of the pegging and line-cutting having been left unfinished owing to a proposal, since abandoned, to reserve the land for the Mataura waterworks. Inspections. —Five Land Transfer surveys in (lie Borough of Invercargill were inspected by Mr. R. S. Galbraith, Chief Draughtsman, during the year, with generally satisfactory results. These include surveys by practically all the surveyors who sent in Land Transfer surveys during the year. Traverse Closures.- —946 miles of traverses, representing 15 separate surrounds returned by staff surveyors, show that a very high standard of accuracy has been maintained, the closing errors averaging only 035 link's on the meridian and o'2l links on the perpendicular per mile. Proposed Operations. —Mr. C. Otway will be engaged during the coming year in the survey and subdivision of a large bush block of Crown land in Lillburn Survey District (15,000 acres), a portion of which will, it is hoped, bo ready for settlement by March next. Mr. D. Macpherson has at present in hand a small block of about 300 acres in Oreti Hundred which he expects to finish by the end of April. He will then undertake the defining of a number of uncut sectionboundaries in Blocks V and VTT, Aparima Hundred, and afterwards subdivide a block of some 2,500 acres in Block XIX, Jacob's River Hundred. Mr. N. L. Falkiner is at present engaged on the survey of 1.460 acres of Crown land in Otara Survey District, and when this is completed he will undertake the survey and subdivision for settlement of two small blocks of Crown land, containing about 700 acres, in Oteramika Hundred, being some recently-cut-out sawmill areas. General. —T would like to draw attention to the fact, that practically Ihe whole of the districts of Eyre, Eyre North, Evreside, Black Hill, Lincoln, and Takifimo require a triangulation and topographical survey, as the only information available is a reconnaissance survey made in 1857. T consider that the work is imperative, and would recommend that an additional surveyor he provided lo commence the survey in the coining spring. Office-work. —During the year 11 new application-maps and 2 new index-maps' have been prepared to replace• those worn out, 1 working-plan which was becoming illegible was redrawn, and 4 index-maps have been compiled to show the stale of Ihe mails in the laud district,— i.e.. formed, gravelled, cfec. One of these maps which has already been brought up to date has proved most useful, and if is hoped lo add the necessary information to Ihe other three during the coming year. Four district lithographic maps wqi-o revised—viz.. Tnringatura Survey District (2 sheets). Camphellfown and Waimumu Hundreds, and a new drawing of Longwood Survey District is almost completed, also the revision of a, number of other maps is well in hand. Fifty-one ordinary survey plans comprising 39,147 acres. 31 statutory plans principally of roads taken and closed, and 8 plans of new towns for Governor's approval were checked and approved ; 751 diagrams were endorsed on Crown "-rants and other instruments of title; 52 lithographic tracings for sale plans': 501 miscellaneous tracings and 201 working-tracings were prepared; 6 new maps of ridings were prepared and 1 revised, and 79 Land Transfer and deeds plans were traced for Valuation Department ; 20 local bodies' schedules were prepared in duplicate, and 226 maps of various descriptions mounted ; 3 maps in triplicate were prepared for Justice Department, in connection with three Supreme Court cases, and maps of Waimatukn River District and tracings of Taieri drainage scheme were made for Government Drainage l Engineer. Mr. Deverell has been altogether engaged during the year in the preparation of the lithographic map of Otago Land District which he commenced in January. 1914. and which is now nearing completion. Land Transfer. —Seventy-nine plans, representing 3.075 acres, were checked and approved, 964 diagrams placed on certificates of title, and 472 deeds and other instruments of title examined and passed. Changes of Staff. —During the year there have been considerable changes in the personnel of the staff, and T regret to have to record the death, on the 12th November last, of Mr. J. L. Dickie, who was for many years Land Transfer Draughtsman here, and who was a most capable and painstaking officer. Mr. O. G. Goldsmith has since been-appointed Land Transfer Draughtsman, and as his promotion left the position of Computer vacant, he has. up to the present, in so far as possible, attended to the duties of both positions. Mr. A. Macfarlane, Receiver of Land Revenue, was promoted to bo Chief Clerk at Nelson ; Mr. L. Hay, field cadet, was transferred to the Otago Land District: and Mr. J. Southern, draughting cadet, resigned. In conclusion. T wish to thank the officers of both field and office staff for their efficient assistance and co-operation in the work of the past year. G. H. M. McClure. Chief Survevoi-