CANTERBURY LAND.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 123, 21 September 1877, Page 2

CANTERBURY LAND.

In the House of Bepresentatives, on Thursday, September 13, re " Canterbury Land :"— Mr Montgomery asked the Minister for Lands, if he will lay before this House, on an early day, a return shewing the number of acres'of land, not yet surveyed, which have been purchased from the Crown in the Provincial District of Canterbury; also, showing the number, of surveyors at present employed in each county of that district, and the number emplo3 r ed on the Ist January, 187-7; and if he will state what increase he proposed to make in the survey staff ? He was aware that there were very large arrears of survey, partly because the amount of land sold during the last two or three years in Canterbury had been very large. He was informed that the quantity of land unsurveyed was over 400,000 acres. He wished also that the Minister for Lands would inform the House of the number of surveyors employed in each county of the provincial district, as he was aware that in some parts there were not aa many surveyors employed as were necessary. He would like to know the number employed on the Ist of January 1877, and the increase to the staff which had been made since that time, and also if it was proposed to further increase the staff. In asking this question he did not wish to cast any blame upon the Survey Ofiloe. He might also state that, in several parts of the country, and especially in that from which he.came, the surveys A'ere inaccurate, these inaccuracies having occurred some years ago. Perhaps the honorable gentleman would be able to state what action would be taken to remedy these inaccuracies. He could state from his own knowledge, that many men were unable to fence in their land, because they did not know their boundaries. Mr Reid replied that the area of land at present unsurveyed was 560,851 acres. There were employed on the Ist January last the following number of suveyors in each country ;—Ashley, 2 ; Selwyn, 2 : Akaroa, 3 ; Ashburton 3; Geraldine, 2 ; Waimate, 1: making a total of 13. On the Ist August, 1877, there were employed in Ashley, 3 ; Selwyn, 4 ; Akaroa, 4 Ashburton, 3 : Geraldine, 4 ; Waimate, 2 : making a total of 20. It was proposed to have a -staff for the year 1877-78 of 18 surveyors belonging to the Department and about 10 contractors.