The Evening Star FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3843, 18 June 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1875.

A valuable report has been furnished by the Waste Lands Committee in answer to an order of reference: “to take into consideration the present system of surrey in the Province, the charges levied in different districts, the facilities afforded to settlers, and other questions connected therewith.” The report is simply an embodiment of evidence given by Mr M'Kerrow, the Chief Surveyor. Surveys were conducted m Otago proper on the salaried staff svstern up to _ 1871, when the plan of authorised district surveyors on a fee sj stem was adopted. One evil of the new system was that as small applications did not pay, they were allowed to accumulate in arrear until there were several sections awaiting survey in the same locality. An arbitrary defining of survey districts had also to be adopted, which proved very unsatisfactory. Mr ML Kerrow points out “ that, a run of large applications jn one surveyor’s district would give him large emoluments, while in another district, where the applications were sparse and small, the surveyor had to work for little or nothing—in some cases at positive loss. This could not continue, and, consequently, several excellent surveyors left the department, atd betook themselves to other Provinces or ' oloniea Last year it will be remembered that the Provincial Council, by resolution, declared in favor of the salaried system being returned to, which results in placing the surveys once more in the hands of the Government, and has enabled the department, “without clashing with any interest, to modify the survey charges very considerably in favor of the small settler. It was done in this way ; A settler in Southland, in the Mataura fd undred districts, where free selection is in vogue, will apply for say 100 acres; then again, in the course of a few months, for other two 50-acre applications conti guous to the 100 acres, and all before the surveyor has come on the around. Coder the graduated scale he would have to pay 100 acres, at Is 3d for survey ... £6 5 0 Mileage, say 25 miles, at 3s ... 315 0 50 acres, at Is 9d for survey ... 4 7 6 Mileage, 25 miles, at 35... ... 315 0 50 acres do do, £4 7s 6d and £3lss 8 2 6

200 Total cost £25 13 0 Under the modification of January 1, 1876, the applications, if contiguous, would bfi treated aa one survey, if made before surveyor got to the ground, and in settling at the Land, Office the charge for survey would be—--200 acres, at lid for survey ... £9 3 4 Mileage, 25 miles at 3s 3 15 0 Total coat £l2 18 4 We learn that on the goldfields from the Ist January, 1875, all money fees oa agricultural lease applications were abolished. The Government survey the land, prepare the lease, and put the applicant in possession o P er acre > w hich is one-half of the 2s od per acre charged for first six months’ rent. We are quite at one with Air M‘Kebnow in his opinion, that in a settlement *fveyit would be much better if the price of the land always included the cost of sur-

ve7* With a surveyor’a love of order, he also advocates strongly “survey before selection.” This, too, is good, provided alwavs the Survey Department can keep ahead of the demand for land. A t the risk of more disorder, it is better to let people settle down who wish to do so, rather than drive them awav with tedious delays.