PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4165, 27 July 1874, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Fiuday, July 24. appointment of a surveyor-general. Pressure on our apace on Saturday compelled the omission of the following interesting portion of the report of the business of the previous evening : COMMITTEE OK SUPPLY. TheEstimateswereconsidei-ed,and thefollowing items passed without discussion: Legislative, .£23,8-10 2s. Executive Departments, £16,315 10s, ; Stamp, £3SSO ; Printing, £9670165; Store Department, £535; Goological and Meteorological, £-3216.; Electoral, £3470 ; Secretary for Crown Lands Department, £1914 15s. ; Department of Justice, £II6S ; Crown Law office, £1160; Supreme Courts, £7155 ; District Courts, £5610 ; and Resident Magistrate's Courts, £9156 2s. On the item, Crown Lands Department, Mr. MACANDREW said he hoped the Government would make provision for a Surveyor-General, as he believed such an appointment to be absolutely necessary in the interests of the Colony. Mr. VOGEL explained that the Government abandoned the vote last year, at the instance of some members, especially Wellington members (hear) who offered very strenuous opposition to it. All the experience the Government had had during the year, especially in the North Island, where two sets of survevs had been going on, showed that there was great waste of money. The Government would come down with a proposition again this year, and take the opinion of the House on the subject. (Hear.) Mr. POX wished to know if the waste of money referred to by the Premier.took place in the General or Provincial Government Departments. Mr. VOGEL explained that the surveys overlapped each other. Sometimes work was done by the Provincial Government officers, and it became necessary to trace it over ; and on such there was great jealousy, the staffs overlapping each other. Their experience showed that the surveys in Wellington were most costly. Apart from that question, and the doubts" which hung over many surveys, for which the Colony was now liable under the Land Transfer Act, the appointment was absolutely necessary, and although obnoxious to the opinions of many members, he believed the appointment would be a great boon and a great saving to the Colony. Mr. J. E. BROWN said the time had come when the Colony should undertake all the surveys of the Colony. There was not a single Province in which the surveys were accurately clone. (Cries of "Oh.") They were only putting off the evil day, and at last it would come, and the Colony would be mulcted in heavy damages. Mr. AVOOD observed that there could be no doubt of there being a waste of expense in connection with the various Siirvey Departments of the Colony, and that the whole business could be carried out much more economically and better under some comprehensive system with a single head over the whole, who was perfectly competent and independent of the smaller divisions of the Colony. The appointment of a SurveyorGeneral had been opposed because hon. members thought it would be necessarily followed by the Colony assuming the control of the waste lands. Surveys to be accurate, complete, and systematic, must be made under a system of triangulation throughout the Colony. He believed the appointment of a SurveyorGeneral would be beneficial in every respect, and that sooner or later the General Government would reassume the management of waste lands. Mr. McGLASHAN gave his experience of the present system of surveying. He was the owner of twelve acres of land just beyond the Timaru town belt, and being desirous of passing it through the Land Transfer Department found it necessary to have it resurveyed. The Town Board opposed it being laid off as it was originally according to the Crown grant, on the ground that the surveys would overlap. At all events, the rectification of the error cost him £4O for survey expenses, and he lost two acres besides. (Laughter.) If there was any justice, he must come to the House and ask for a refund. Sir F. D. BELL said there was a difficulty in anticipating the question of the appointment of a Surveyor-General, which had not been seen in the discussion that had taken place. He could hardly see how there could be any two opinions as to the appointment being necessary ; but it would be a waste of money to have the Executive Department with a Surveyor-General at the heal of it, unless the whole surveys of the Colony, now undertaken by the several Provincial Governments, were placed absolutely under his charge. No confusion could be made worse confounded than the confusion that would arise if the attempt were made to deal with the surveys of the Colony by an officer under the General Government, and by officers who were not responsible to him—men who were engaged in the Provincial service ; and therefore any orders given to them would be subject to be interfered with by their superior officers. Therefore, if the General Government came down with a proposal to appoint a Surveyor-General, it would be a waste of money unless they also came down with a proposal to take into their charge absolutely the whole Survey Department of the Colony (Hear). He did not think the hour was ripe for it to bo done ; at any rate, not tliis session. Mr. POX said there was no doubt there was great jealousy on the part of the Middle Islaud Provinces, which had large landed estates, about any interference with the waste lands, and the Government might find it exceedingly difficult in getting the supervising local surveys by a Surveyor-General; but that was not the case with the North Island Provinces, which wore in an effete condition. In the North Island there was a strong feeling in favor of the General Government at once taking over the management of surveys. He instanced his case, saying that owing to some fault or other in connection with the Provincial survey he was not yet able to obtain a Crown grant for his property. If the Government searched the records of the late Ministry they would find some valuable suggestions on the subject by Mr. Moorhouse, the late Registrar-General of Lands. He urged the Government not to let the matter stand over merely because the southern part of the Colony might not be willing to join in the proposition, for the North Island was quite ripe for such a step. Mr. BUNNY observed that there were some difficulties in the way of the proposed system ; and when the Government came down with a proposal for the appointment of a SurveyorGeneral these questions would be fully discussed. But he took leave to tell the committee that no Surveyor-General would be able to remedy the defects which had arisen in various parts of the Colony in connection with lands that had been sold quicker or better than they were now trying to remedy them in Wellington. At the head of their survey staff they had got one of the best surveyors in the Colony —(hear) —and they had a staff of between thirty and forty men bringing up arrears of surveys and correcting the errors of former years. It was no good appointing a SurveyorGeneral unless the General Government took the whole of the surveys. In that case what was to become of these lands, on which the Province depended for its annual income '! If they had to go to the Colonial Government and ask if they could survey such a block or not before selling it, it would be better for the Colony to at once take over the waste lands. Mr. VOGEL remarked that the positions of the two Islands wero as separate as it was possible to conceive. The General Government had no real knowledge of the way land was sold in the Provinces of Otago and Canterbury, while it was just the opposite with the North Island Provinces. Wellington had to ask even through the Assembly for a reserve. All the road-making in the North Island was done by the General Government, and nothing in tho way of selling land for settlement was done except through them. Tho fact was that tho General Government feared too much would be thrown upon them than otherwise. But this was not the proper time to discuss that matter. He hoped members would not be led into timorous fears of any sinister plan on tho

part of the General Government, but would discuss the matter on its merits. Mr. HUNTER was of opinion that one Inspector of Survevs would not be sufficient. Mr. CARRING'TON, rts a practical surveyor, and one who had given considerable attention to the subject, said the cost would be a million. (Sir J. 0. Wilson' : Six millions.) Mr. MACANDREW observed that if he had anticipated his question would have given rise to such a discussion he would not have put it. A perusal of the report of the conference of surveyors, last year, would show that there was no ground for the fears expressed by some hon. members. On the item "Resident Magistrates," Mr. Fox complained that the relationship between the magistracy and the police was of a very unsatisfactory nature. He thought if the Auckland plan of the Armed Constabulary being entrusted with the police supervision were extended over the Colony, it would be beneftc'ial. Mr. Reeves, on the authority of a recent decision of Judge Richmond, said the only control Superintendents had over the police was a financial one. Mr. O'Rorke and Mr. SheeiiaN were understood to say that the plan at present adopted in Auckland was not satisfactory to the people there ; while Mr. Reader Wood was of opinion that there was a strong feeling among the townspeople of Auckland in favor of the control of the police there being retained by the General Government. Progress was then reported.