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and disposals during the year amounted to £l4O 13s. 7d. During the year the Senior Draughtsman, as Secretary to several Domain and Scenic Boards, handled approximately £BOO in cash receipts and a similar amount in expenditure. Land Transfer. —Thirty-six plans were examined; of these, 31 were approved, the remaining 5 being returned on requisition to the surveyors. Three hundred and seventy-four diagrams were placed on titles and 177 searches made. Conclusion.—ln recording my appreciation of the co-operation of my staff, wKich has been most willingly and loyally given, I wish to compliment each of them on the diligent, conscientious, and efficient attention given to their duties.

NELSON LAND DISTRICT (A. W. Craig, Chief Surveyor) Field-work Military Mapping.—The final work on some 347 square miles of militarymapping was completed on the Cobb, Takaka, and Aorere sheets; the final drawing of these three sheets is well in hand and should be completed shortly. Topographical Survey for Development.—A small area of 120 acres was covered to provide data for subdivision into three tobacco-growing units. Owing to the lack of survey work that could be found in the locality, extra work was required to connect from the nearest survey. The cost per acre on this small survey was therefore materially increased. Rural Surveys.—Two surveys for returned servicemen were made under this heading. The previous titles were " limited as to parcels," and a good d'eal of work was involved in the survey. The third survey of 1,500 acres was an area required for hydro-electric-development purposes at the Cobb, and was in rough bush country. Village and Suburban. —Only one Survey was 1 made under this heading—a proposed village-site for the Public Works Department at Upper Takaka. Town Section Survey.—One survey was made of a 32-perch lot on Crown land, and two surveys in different parts of the district were made for the Public Works Department. Travelling-costs in the latter case added to the cost of the work. Housing Surveys.—Some 20 lots were laid off in two surveys by the staff surveyor at a cost of £42 per lot; and some 7 lots in three separate surveys were laid off by a private surveyor at a cost of £B-4 per lot. Standard Survey.—Some 4 miles of this survey to the standard of city work was completed on the closely populated rural area between Richmond Stoke; and a quarter of a mile of city standard work was done in streets not covered in previous city standard surveys, but now required by extension of residential subdivision in the city. Rural Standard Survey.—A short distance of 1£ miles at Upper Takaka was covered in this survey, in the neighbourhood of the proposed village. Road Surveys.—Some 4 miles of widening on the Stoker-Richmond State Highway was completed for the Main Highways Board. This work was commenced in the early part of the war, but had to be discontinued owing to military mapping work. A further survey of 6 miles of access road to the Cobb Power-house site was also completed. Maintenance of Survey Marks.—This has covered the raising and replacing of quite a number of city standard blocks buried or removed in street formation operations.

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