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1908. NEW ZEALAND.
DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: SURVEYS
(ANNUAL UEPOHT ON). Presented to both lloust* of tin General Aucmbly by Command <if Hit Excellency.
The Sukvkyoh-Gknkrai, to the Hon. the Minister of Lands. Sir, — Department of Lands and Survey, Wellingt Ist June, I DOS. 1 have the honour to submit herewith the annual report on the survey operations of the Department for the twelve months ended the -ilst March, 1908. I have, 4c., Thos. Humphries, The Hon. li. McNab, Minister of Lands. Surveyor-General.
Thb Field Staff. The demands on the Department have been particularly heavy this year. An average number of seventy-three staff surveyors have been employed, and it was found necessary to increase the etrength by the addition of eight authorised assistants in charge of parties under the direct supervision and control of a similar number of the staff surveyors. Besides the foregoing, a number of licensed surveyors were from time to time employed on contract in soctionising Crown lands; fortyfive undertook surveys at schedule rates of Native Jand and Court orders and mining claims, anil many were engaged privately on Land Transfer surveys ; all of these classes of survey come under the scrutiny of the Department, and must receive its approval before the plans become authoritative. Work Compt.f.ted during the Year By far the greater part of the work has been sectional survey, necessitated by the unceasing demand for land, though surveys of Native lands have been considerable, for, in addition to the usual amount of Native Land Court orders, extensive surveys and reports have been made for the Maori Land Hoards, preliminary to the disposal of the land. The following is a summary of the principal work completed during the past year: —
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CI tss of Work. Area. Os , per Acre. Total Cost. Minor triangulation Topographical Topographical, for selection as unsurveyed land Rural and suburban, by staff Rural and suburban, by licensed surveyors ... Town Native Land Court, by staff... Native Land Court, by licensed surveyors Maori Land Board... Gold-mining, by staff Gold-mining, by licensed surveyors ...' Roads and railways Miscellaneous work and other duties ... Acres. 224,663 -98d. 120,273 316d 69, its.-, 4O7d. . 263,612 ) „ ]4 16,936 i 2 14s - 1,630 28-86e. 22,098 610-570 por section l<18.830 4,688 4-84.1. 81 1281s, 4,234 318 miles £1988 per mile £ s. d. 915 4 8 1,582 0 10 1,186 17 s 29,956 18 0 1,825 9 8 '.IT-'! IT II 98 8 10 19 17 0 6,818 17 7 9,672 8 II
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The foregoing represents work actually completed and mapped; the total area operated on, other than triangulation or topographical survey, being 575,388 acres. In addition, a very large area of sectional survey of Crown lands was in the hands of the staff at the c.nd "f the year, a con xiderable portion of it drawing Dear completion, and surreys of Native lands were also in progress, luit this is more fully dealt with elsewhere. Till ANGULATION AND STANDARD SURVEYS. In last Mai's i. port I referred to the great nerd of a major triangulation to control the very numerous independent groups of minor work, much of which, owing to the modern appliances and improved methods in measuring now in rogue, is of little use other than serving as connecting points, instead of providing checks on traverse work its proper function-—the latter being generally mere dependable than the trig, values of early 'late. It was hoped that the little required to complete the major triangulation over the two hundred miles from Cook Strait to New Plymouth- which only needs two or three more triangles to be observed and the bases measured to enable the oqmputations to be proceeded with and the various groups of minor work reduced, revised, and brought into harmony —would have been carried out during the year, but it is to lie regretted that circumstances have prevented its accomplishment. Recognising the importance of having this work taken in hand as soon as possible, the necessity for which is repeatedly urged by the Chief Surveyors in their reports, I strongly recommend that special provision be made to proceed with it this coming year, as large areas from year to year are being covered by minor triangulation, in most instances, necessarily, but extensions of, and based on, old existing triangulation; consequently, each succeeding year the extent of it that will have to be reduced to order ami thorough effectiveness is increased. In closely-settled parts near centres of population the triangulation has, in consequence of obstructions tr> sight, such as buildings, plantations, ivc, very largely lost its usefulness, and the standard traverse lias to be substituted. This is especially the case in towns and suburbs, anil standard surveys have been made and permanent reference marks laid down in a number of instances in past pears; but this special work has. in a greal degree, had to be discontinued on account of the urgent demand for settlement surveys. Requests from Corporations and other local bodies for this class of survey have been very numerous of late, but it lias been a matter of impossibility to comply with them. During the year two surveyors were engaged on the standard survey of Auckland City, which will shortly be completed. In this instance the Municipality bore a very large share of the cost, as was also done in the case of the Wellington City standard survey : and some other smaller towns, similarly treated, also contributed to the expense. It is to be feared that, with so much settlement survey in hand and in prospect, very little of this work, important though it is, will be effected this year. Settlement Surveys. Sectional surveys of Crown lands have been completed and mapped of 279,547 acres, the average area of sect ions beiii'_r 185 acres. The cost. 2s. 2d. an acre, is reasonable, considering that nearly the whole of it was in heavy forest country, and a considerable portion rough and outlying The Auckland District contributed 81,036 acres; Nelson, 42,736: Otago, Taranaki, and Hawke's Ray, about 36,000 each ; and the other five districts the remainder. In addition, 44,297 acres in Nelson District and 25,688 in Auckland District were prepared for selection as " unsurveyed land," in the manner described in former reports. This method of throwing open land for settlement has advantages under special circumstances, but more it has its disadvantages, and. apart from other reasons, it is questionable whether the extra cost of from 10 to 20 per cent, in surveys is warranted : so. the fact of the amount of land prepared for selection under this system being a yearly decreasing quantity —as instance, 244,093 acres in 1905-6, 200,51.") acres in l!>nf,-7. and 69,986 acres this year.—is not to be reuretted. Besides the 279,547 acres of sectional work returned as completed during the year, an area of no less than 617,933 acres was. at its close, in the hands of the field staff for sectionising. Of this, the field-work is finished of 113.000 acres, and plans well advanced; a further 115.500 acres of it is expected to be completed in two months' time, and an additional 101.500 acres in four months, thus reducing by more than one-half the large area of considerably over half a million acres now in the hands of the surveyors, and freeing a number of them to take up fresh work in the spring.
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So inuoh Land has been thrown open for application ai " unsurveyed " and seleoted during the past fow years that, notwithstanding extra surveyors having been put on to this paiticular work, n baa been found impossible, until lately, to keep paoe with it. 'I , he very large accumulation of these selections has been reduced during the past year, but at the preseni time there are still outBEanding 821 applications, amounting to 207,567 acres, though about two-thirds are now undei survey, and a considerable number of them nearly completiMi. A number of contracts were given to licensed surveyors, and it will be advisable during the coming year to continue this course to a greater extent. H that selectors may be early put in possession. Of town-section surveys, there have been about 2.000 acres in different districts subdivided into 1,530 sections. The greater part some 1,660 acres in 864 sections—was the survey of the new Townships of Rangitaua, Ohakune, and Horopito Extension, on the Main North Trunk line, between Karioi and the Waimarino Plains. Native Surveys. .\ total area of 220,061 acres has been surveyed into 570 blocks or subdivisions, the whole "f which, with the exception of two blocks of l.<> : >' y acres surveyed for the Maori Land Hoard, was Native Land Court survey. There is also in the hands of staff, in progress, an area of 98,189 acres of Native I.and Court surveys, 102,028 acres for Maori Land Boards, 24,507 acres for the Native Land Commission, and 20,000 acres for landless Natives in Southland: a grand total of 224,724 acres. Two hundred and four authorities, covering an ana of 144,767 acres, have been issued to licensed surveyors during the year. The Maori Land Boards have made considerable requisitions for surveys and reports, principally in the Auckland and Wellington Districts, the surveys of which are well forward, and thu land will before long be ready for disposal. Full details will be found in the accompanying reports of the Chief Surveyors. Gold-mining Surveys. The claims surveyed number eighty, distributed as follows: Otago, 44; Auckland, 20; NelMiii. (i; Westland, 6; and Southland, 4. Koads and Water-races. The survey of 317J miles are returned under this heading as completed; as a matter of fact, with the exception of six miles of water-race, it represents roads. The experience of the Roads Department in connection with its expenditure of grants is that numberless roads in use have not been legalised, and, to secure the titles to these in cases where Government grants are to be expended, it is found necessary to have surveys made. This is specially noticeable in the Sounds County, where scores of miles of formed tracks were made through holdings to give settlers access, which is one of the reasons foi so much rond survey. A surveyor has been specially engaged on this work in the Sounds, and twenty-eight miles have been traversed this year, to enable steps to be taken to legalise them, and a great deal more remains to be done. Inspection of Surveys. Seventy-six field checks have been made of different surveyors' work, principally of licensed surveyors, and it is very pleasing to have to report that, with one or two exceptions, the surveys have been found faithfully and excellently performed, and both staff and unofficial members of the profession are to be complimented on the high standard of proficiency maintained. Closures of less than 2 links to a mile are usually attained, notwithstanding that much of the work is in rough forest country, and, with the exceptions already mentioned, a discrepancy of 4 links to a mile is an extremely rare occurrence. The instrumental work was found to be equally good. As might be expected in so large a number of surveyors engaged, there are one or two whosrwork is not what it should be, but an endeavour is made to compel them to come into line and modernise their old methods and practices. The suspension of one license by the Surveyors' Board during the year will doubtless assist to bring this about.
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FuTCRE OI'KHATIo.NS, I!M)8-1<JU9. The principal classes and extent of work actually in the lianda of the etafi sturveyora and in progreu at the end of the year is summarised aa follows, full details of which are to be found in the accompanying reports of the Chief Surveyors : Minor triangulation, 281 square miles; settlement, <;i7,!K;:i acres; Native J>and Court surveys, 98,189 acres; Maori Land Board, 102,028 acres; Native Commission, 24,500 acres. The last four items, which can be classed as subdivisional surreys, aggregate 842,660 acres. This large area, however, is by no means all new work, for tin- survey of 115,000 acres is completed, but mapping is yet to be done; and it is contemplated that during the next four months a furttu r 373,000 acres will be finished, and a number of surveyor* thus be available for new work. In addition, the stall lias 303 miles of road survey in hand, besides a number of miscellaneous matters. Further triangulation will, of a necessity, have to be undertaken where sectional surveys will be carried on, and, as regards settlement work, one of the in til important matters to be attended to, not included in the foregoing, will be the survey of 105 outstanding applications for " unsurveyed land " —in all, about 65,000 acres not yet allotted to any surveyors, which will probably be supplemented by applications of this character for*another 30,000 or 40,000 acres during the rear. The surveyors a< the present time directly employed by the Department are distributed in the districts as follows: — Stall. Temporary. Contract. Total. Auckland ... .. ... .17 4 1 22 Bawke's Bay ... ...... .6 2 1 9 Taranaki ... ... ... ... 6 1 ... 7 Wellington .. ... ... ... 10 ... 10 Nelson ... ... ... ... 7 1 1 9 Marlborough ... ... ... ... 1 2 ... 3 Westland ... ... ... ..3 2 5 Canterbury ... ... ... .1 1 2 Otago .. .. ... ... 3 ... ... :s Southland ... ... ... ... 2 1 :! Totalß ... ... ... ... 56 13 4 7:! Of the foregoing areas, the Auckland staff has about 139,000 acres of settlement surveys in hand, besides Native sm\e\s: and further work is anticipated in the opening-up of more lauds for selection, both Crown purchases from Natives and others, also further requirements by the Maori I.,md Boards. 11l the Napier district, in addition to the work in progress —viz., some 60,000 acres of settlement survey and a similar amount of Native survey—the principal new work will be the subdivision for closer settlement of a number of .-mall grazing-runs, the leases of which will shortly be expiring. The Taranaki staff lias in hand nearly 100,000 acres of settlement, besides 20.000 acres of Native surveys, ami will have, as new work, a large area of Crown purchases from the Natives in the northern portion of i he district. In the Wellington District about 86,000 acres of settlement and 26,000 acres of Native survey are in progress, and new settlement work will lie in the South Waimnrino Block, where it is estimated there will eventually lie nearly 100.,Mi1l acres available for settlement ;so that there is more than sufficient to keep the present local stall fully engaged alter the work at present in hand is completed. The staff of the Nelson District has 1i'.1.000 ac! es of settlement and 11.000 acres of Native surveys in hand, and the defining of the remaining 105 unsurveyed applications, comprising 01,000 acres, not included in the above must shortly be undertaken. There is also a possibility of a further 30,000 acres of future selections that will have to be dealt with. Marlborough, with 27,000 acres of lettlemeni survey in the earlj etages, about sixty miles of road to traverse, and other surveys of a miscellaneous character, will have ample to keep its stall full\ employed. In the Westland District tin- staff has 14,000 acres of settlement work in hand, besides a considerable mileage of road survey, and, in the ordinary course, there will be further applications for holdings under both band and Mining Acts. Canterbury just now has no large extent of settlement eurvey required; that of the Culverden Estate is about completed, which will free the surveyor to take up a number of small, scattered, our-
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standing, miscellaneous surveys. Later there will >»• the subdivisions of some Crown land required, the leases over winch are aboul expiring. The Otago stall' has 60,000 aorea ol settlement survey in hand, and prospective work is sectional surrey el hind likely to be acquired undei the Land for Settlement Act, and the subdivisions into small grazing-runi of possibly 200,000 or 300,000 acres out of a large area that will shortly be d< alt with by the Classification Comminionera. Southland has in hand at the present time 10,01)0 acres of settlement survey and the subdivision of 20,400 acres for landless Natives, and there is some miscellaneous work that will have to be undertaken as opportunity offers. In addition to what has been outlined for the several districts, there i* the certainty that services will have to be rendered by at least some of them in the subdivisions of estates that will be purchased under the Land for Settlement Act ; and in the North Island there is the prospect of further surreys being required in connection with the operations of the various Maori Land Boards. As usual, some minor tri angulation will be necessitated in connection with large areas of settlement surveys that will be undertaken in the various districts during the year, and it is possible thai i limited amount of standard survey may be carried out during the winter months. Subvbtorb' Board ok Kxvminehs. Six Hoard meetings and six committee meetings were held during the fear, and an inquiry held into alleged defective work of a licensed surveyor, the result l)eing the suspension of his license for three years. At the September examination seventeen candidates presented I lielnselves ; of these, thre, passed and received the usual certificate of competency via., l>. A. Crawford, H. E. Walshe (both Government cadets), and J. Dawson. At last March examination there were fifteen candidates, eight of whom passed—viz., A. G. Saxby, T. Learmont, 0. R. Farrer, ('. Kenny, 1.. W. Ward, J. Stevenson, S. K. W. Baker, and T. Cagney (a Government cadet). Licenses have been issued to A. E. Baker, E. A. 1 , . Clare, W. A. Graham, A. Templer, and J. I). Dawson, all of whom held qualifications as authorised surveyors. The profession is greatly indebted to the Right Hon. the Premier, Sir Joseph G. Ward, for bringing before the Imperial Conference of last year the subject - of reciprocity in the admission of laud surveyors to practise throughout the Empire, when the following resolution was carried unanimously : " That it is desirable that reciprocity should lie established between the respective Governments and examining authorities throughout the Empire with regard to the examination and authorisation of land surveyors, and that the memorandum of the Surveyors' Institution on this subject be commended for the favourable consideration of the respective Governments." Magnetic Suhvet and Obsehvatohy. The routine work of the observatory magnetic. teorological, Ac -has been carried on thoroughly and successfully by Mr. 11. K. Skey, B.Sc, and his assistants. Records of the eightysi veil earthquakes were obtained by the Milne seismograph. Of the diurnal magnetic curves obtained during the year by the Adie magnetograph, eighteen of the most disturbed are reproduced and appended Facilities were extended'to the scientific stalls of both the " Nimrod " British Antarctic Expedition and the Carnegie Institute's magnetic surveying vessel "Galilee," by which the members of the stalT of the former were enabled to make a thorough standardisation of their magnetic instruments, and Mr. W. .1. Peters, commander of the " Galilee," and his staff were able to institute an accurate comparison between the magnetic instruments of the "Galilee" and those of the observatory. It is very gratifying to record that the proposal in my last report that the Dominion should take part in the international work of a complete magnetic survey of the globe, by extending our operations to the outlying islands, has been taken in hand, and, so far, successfully carried out In November last, in conjunction with the Canterbury Philosophical Institute's scientific expedition, magnetic observations were made on Stewart Island, the Snares, Auckland, and Campbell Iflands, and a thorough magnetic survey of the Chatham Islands has just been completed by Mr. Skey and his assistant, Mr. Kidson. In the southern expedition, Dr. Farr —who originally established the observatory in Christchurch —assisted by Messrs. Cook and Collins, kindly undertook the
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observations at the AueUaud Islands, ami Mr. Skey, With Messrs. Kidsoii ami Qpi« as assistants, those at the Campbell [elands. Maps showing the positions of the stations observed on these islands, and the magnetic declination! found at each place, are appended ; also a map of the North Island of New Zealand, showing lines of equal magnetic force and uoolinale, corresponding with that of the South Island published in the Survey annual report of 1899 L 90 0; and maps of both North and South Islands of New Zealand, showing the stations observed at, the magnetic declination at each, and isoniagnetic lines, as determined from the magnetic survey. It is hoped that an opportunity will be afforded during the coming year to extend the observations to the Kermadec, or possibly the Cook Islands. A complete discussion of the results for the Snares. Auckland, and Campbell Islands is being drawn up, and will appear in the volume* to be published next year by the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, which volumes will contain the whole of the scientific results obtained from the Sub Antarctic Expedition of 1907, the cost of which is being defrayed by the Government. The Director of the Magnetic Department of the Carnegie Institute of Washington has intimated that their new ocean-surveying vessel now under construction will visit New Zealand in the course of the Atlantic anil Indian Ocean magnetic survey, and will avail herself of the observatory. The Institute has sent out on loan to the observatory a field magnetometer of the latest pattern, for which thanks are due, and the magnetometer hitherto in use on our magnetic survey was, with the concurrence of the committee of the National Physical Laboratory, to whom it belongs, lent to the British Antarctic Expedition until their return to New Zealand. Altogether the past year has, throughout the world, been a very successful one for the science of terrestrial magnetism, and we may soon look forward to the completion of the magnetic survey of the globe, a work which, while of practical value to navigation, will also be of vast importance as a contribution to the treasuries of science. Mr. Skey's detailed report will be found in Appendix 11. Skcui.au Movkment ok thk Xkw Zealand Coast. The importance of provision being made for its detection and determination at a later period has been brought under notice of late years, but up to the present no steps appear to have been taken to secure and permanently record reliable information as to existing conditions, so as to afford data tor the determination at some future time, of slow elevation or subsidence of different parts of the coast line, which knowledge, apart from its scientific interest, is an important factor in the construction of marine works, as was pointed out by the late Mr. P. S. Hay, Chief Engineer, Public Works Department, in J903, in a special report on the subject. As a preliminary to a more comprehensive scheme in the future in a wider distribution of ticfe-gaUget and mean sea-level determinations, it is my intention, with your approval, to have the zeros of all existing tide gauges in the various ports of the Dominion carefully connected to permanent bench-marks in secure positions on the shore, which can be effected at a very small cost. Departmental Changes. Obituary. It is with great regret that 1 bare to record the death of two most capable officers, in the persons of Mr. John Hay, the Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Crown hands, Southland, and Mr. T. M. Grant, Chief Draughtsman at Nelson. Mr. Hay had a long and wide experience of nearly forty years in the service, having joined the Otago Provincial staff as a cadet in ISI>7. Later he entered private practice: but in 1873 he rejoined the service as District Surveyor for the western districts of Southland, which position he held until 1897, when he was appointed Chief Surveyor of Otngo. Four years later he was promoted to the dual office of Chief Surveyor ami Commissioner of Crown Lands of Southland, a position he held to the time of his death, which occurred on the Ist of August last Mr. Hay , was a most energetic and highly capable officer, and an enthusiast in his profession. His removal from our midst is felt to be a great loss, both officially and socially. Mr. T. M. Grant's career was cut short by a lamentable , accident that happened to him whilst travelling in the interior of his district on inspection duties, after a thirty years' service in the Department, baring entered it in as an Assistant Draughtsman. He acted as such for many \ears in the Head Office, and in March, 1002. was promoted to Chief Draughtsman at Hokitika, and to Nelson in 1906 in the same capacity: but, unfortunately, this term of office was of but
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short duration, as he succumbed to his injuries on the 7th December last, a few days after the acoident. Mr. Grant was a very efficient officer, and, owing to his expert knowledge, hib promotion to a Chief Draughtsmanship was an undoubted lorn to the Head Office, where be hn<l rendered such effective service for bo many veare. Hβ was equally successful in his new position, and had ;i promising career before him. /' rnmot tons. Consequent on the untimely death of the Chief Surveyor, Mr. E. H. Wilmot, Chief Draughtsman at Bokitika, was promoted to Chief Surveyor of Southland, and Mr. 11. M. Skeet, District Surveyor at Taranaki, to Chief Draughtsman at Hokitika. Mr. R. T. Sadd, District Surveyor, nas promoted to the vacancy of Chief Draughtsman at Nelson, occasioned In- the lamented death of Mr. Grant. Retirement and Transfers. There have been no less than seven officers who have retired on the grounds of ill-health. The first to be mentioned is Mr. W. G. Murray! t' K ' Chief Surveyor of Nelson, a most estimable and capable officer, who has done valuable service, and had in tlie past a number of years of strenuous work anil rough, experience in the West Coast, which will remain as a monument to his industry and thoroughness in his profession. His enforced retirement, after thirty-nine and a half years' service, has caused general regret, all the more so on account of its being brought about through failing health. The other retirements from the same regrettable cause are Messrs. James Hay, Chief Draughtsman at Xapier ; G. A. Martin, District Surveyor; and J. M. Kemp, J. Rowley, W. F. Burgess, and T. F. Gooch, draughtsmen. Two other draughtsmen retired —Messrs. R. S. Mitchell and J. Jarman : also three Assistant Surveyors—Messrs. W. C. Wall and G. H. Davis, lately appointed Assistant Surveyors, who had completed their cadetship and passed the Surveyors' Board Examination, and Mr. J. Gillett, temporary Assistant Surveyor j besides Mr. J. A. Craig, a field cadet. In addition to the foregoing, two of our surveyors, Messrs. W. and D. M. Wilson, both of whom had been under the Chief Surveyors, and had been undertaking the control and supervision of road-works for the Roads Department, were transferred to thai Department. These retirements, Ac, mean a loss of seventeen officers of all grades. Appointments. Messrs. A. D. Newton, W. M. Atkinson, and X. L. Falkiner were appointed temporary istant Surveyors; also five draughtsmen—X. M. Ballantyne, G. B. Carnie, G. H. King, W. Lindsay, and P. Proctor : and cadets (either as draughting or field) —A. W. Craig, D. Nelson, A. A. Otterson, R. Enting, and F. H. Waters. Mr. W. D. B. Murray, Chief Draughtsman at the Head Office, reports as follows: — •During the past year 141 proposed township schemes, both Government and private, were submitted for the approval of His Excellency the Governor and Minister of Lands, under sections 17 and 18 of " The Land Act, 1902," an increase on the former year of forty-three. A considerable amount of work is involved in connection with these, as they have to be carefully examined, and in many instances have to be returned to surveyors to bring them into accord with the requirements of the Act and regulations. The number of tracings and other maps drawn during the year was 675, an increase of 355 on the former year. Over 700 maps were mounted by the office staff for office and outside requirements. In the fire at the Parliament Buildings the authenticated maps of the new electoral districts were destroyed ; consequently a new set —sixty-five—had to be prepared, which has been completed, and the maps forwarded to the Chief Electoral Officer. Descriptions were prepared in connection with 21 Bills for Parliament, and also 99 descriptions for lands to be taken by Proclamation or otherwise. Through the creation of four additional counties in the North Island, new county maps for the North Island have been prepared and issued. Maps were prepared for office record showing the National Endowment lands in their respective land and survey districts and blocks on scales of 4, 8, and 16 miles to an inch.
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The following maps were prepared: Showing .scenic reserve* in lxith Islands ; the st;it<- of the timber industry and sawmills; Sheriff's district!, in duplicate; judioial districts; various maps for the Defence Department, showing the topography of portions of both Islands, for use in oonnectioA with military manoeuvres; photo-litho. plan of Rotorua Township, showing the boun daries of same undei Government control; maps in connection with drfiinage operations, Hauraki Plains Itl' ><k. for Engineer, Ac. (Piako Swamp); specimen plans for new Survey Regulations; and a new map of the Chatham Islands, marked with the besi authenticated information re name* of features and places, both English and Maori. The usual office-work in connection with the Looal Bodies' Loans Act, Governor's Warrants, Proclamations, land-sale schedules, &c, has been kept up to date. Numerous tracings, computations, designs, plans on " deeds " and Warrants have been made. Tracings for reproduction are now in tlie hands of the Government Printer of various important maps, which are urgently required —such as twelve survey districts in Westland Land District: Buller County map, Nelson: Kotorua County: Rotorua Town District: the Chatham Islands map; and numerous survey districts. Bands in connection with the " standard of length are now tested by the Imperial standard ;it the Head Office, and a certificate supplied, in connection with the test, to those surveyors who submit their bands for examination. The office stfonir-room has beeirfitted up with drawers for holding the office-plans and draughting records, which not only helps greatly to preserve the plans, hut also facilitates the handling of them. My thanks are due to the draughting staff for the cheerful and willing assistance they have rendered me at all times in disposing of the work.
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APPENDICES.
APPENDIX I.—SURVEYS. AUCKLAND. Minor Tn)/o no metrical and Topographical Survey. —ln this branch of the work 77,000 acres returned, at a cosi of o'33d. per acre. 'Phis includes unfinished areas of previous year* in Tauranga, Maketu, iVo., survey by Mr. Wheeler, but the maps liave only boon finished during t ii<past financial year. No actual trigonometrical survey has been done in the field during the pa,at year. Rural and Suburban. —The total area of rurYil and suburban surveys for this year amounts to 81,036 acres. This includes 8,478 acres subdivision of Crown leaseholds, Ac. paid for by applicants, the balance of 73,168.acres being executed by the staff and contract surveyors at a coet of 2 - 335. per acre, subdivided into 442 sections. Although the output is smaller than last year with 117,503 acres, subdivided into 415 sections, at a cost of S'OSti. per acre, still the result is quite as satisfactory SO t';ir as cost is concerned, as in the ordinary course of events every year our survey work is further beck and more difficult of access. A great deal of the work done this year has been in forest and broken country, and the weather conditions, particularly in the earlier part of the year, were detrimental to outside work. The principal areas surveyed were in Opotiki, Tauranga, Waitomo, Pinko, Etotorua, Hokianga, and llobson Counties. In addition to the above, provisional surveys to the extent of 25,688 acres wen , executed as an aid to settlement. This includes the subdivisional lands-fof-settlemeni surveys of Waimana and Rewi Settlements. The mapping of sections in the Selwyn Estate, left unfinished in previous years, was also carried out. On the whole, the surveys this year hive been of a Scattered nature, but few blocks returned being of a very large area, and this, of course, increases the cost materially. 'I'mrii Section Surveys. —This year an area of 104 acres was subdivided into 260 allotments, at a cost of lT9s. per allotment. These were chiefly in the Waikato and in the neighbourhood of Auckland. Satire Land Court and Maori /.and Board Siirrei/s. —In this class of survey the total area is 168,242 acres, subdivided into 280 sections or subdivisions. The staff surveyors employed were chiefly Messrs. Sherratt, Mitchell, and Mount fort. Mr. District Surveyor Wheeler has a very large area in hand in the Bay of Islands County, which will not be finished before July next, and Messrs. Edgecumbe and Byrne are also surveying the Tβ Karae Block, in the Hokianga County. The bulk of the Native Land Court surveys lias Keen done by private and contract surveyors. The cost of the work done by staff surveyors has been 7 - 17 d. per acre'on an area of 17,498 acres in .'io subdivisions. The portion of the work undertaken by private and contract surveyors amounted to 87,786 acres in 79 subdivisions, at an average cost of 11'52d. per acre; also an area of 92,979 acres in 171 subdivisions, of which the cost is not available, being either paid for privately, or the certificates of costs are not }'et issued. Road Surreys. —This year 102\ r >4 miles of road surveys have been executed by staff and contract surveyors, at a cost of £27"59 per mile. I notice that year by year the cost of this class of survey is increasing. One reason is that the work is often isolated, and the cost of travelling is sometimes double the cost of the actual survey when the party gets on the ground. Again, the country is rougher as we get further back, and, in addition to this, I have no doubt that greater care and precision is exercised in the locating ami grading than has been the practice in former \ears. These surveys were principally of roads taken by virtue of rights held by the Crown under " The Land Act, 1892," or the Native Land Act, as well as deviations of roads surveyed in previous years, and access to numbers of sections taken up in former years which have no practicable access. The County Councils and other local bodies were assisted in the way of surveys, principally in the gold-mining districts. Gold-mining Surveys. —As usual, surveys under this heading have been carried out by contract surveyors, and consisted of 1)253 acres, subdivided into 20 sections, at an average cost of 6755. per acre. Other Work. —The cost of other work amounted to £3,119 11s. 6d. Under this heading is included inspections, and various kinds of miscellaneous duties undertaken by staff surveyors which could not be brought into the columns of work returned. Besides inspections, this includes examinations of and reports on timber and drainage matters, valuations of lands being purchased from the Natives, underground surveys of coal-mines, supervising the clearing of willows from rivers, redefinition of boundaries at the request of settlers and others of work done in previous rears or in connection with our newer surveys, attending Native Land Court sittings, as also that of Maori Land Boards, assistance to Land Purchase officers, inspections in connection with kauri bleeding, fire reports, and repairs to trig, stations, Arc. All these matters are extremely necessary and unavoidable, but it is needless to say that they interfere with the work of our outside officers
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very largely, and what has been done is only a fraction of what would be wanted if the demands of the local bodies and settlers and others were complied with on all occasions. Survey Inspections. —On account of the Inspecting Surveyor, Mr. Langmuir, being employed on the standard survey of the City of Auckland, very few inspections have been made during the past year, the total number being only 20, and these were chiefly executed by Mr. H. D. M. llaszard, District Surveyor. Other inspections, however, . were made by Messrs. Blake, T. K. Thompson, Mitchell, and Davis. It is satisfactory to note that will) one or two exceptions flic work has been good and quite up to the standard of previous years. Closures of Traverses. —These, on the whole, are very satisfactory, and well within the limit of error allowed, arid are the work of 15 surveyors of over 331 miles of surveys, with a mean error per mile of 0835 of a link on meridian, 0716 on perpendicular. It is needles to say that our survey operations extend over all classes of country, varying from practically level to some of the very roughest in the Dominion, and on this account the result, to my mind, is highly creditable. Field Operations proposed for the Tear 1908—9. —The field-work will comprise about 126,081 acres of ordinary rural settlement work, 12,800 acres of lands-for-settlement surveys, 54,513 acres for the Tokerau Maori Land Board, 100,000 acres minor trig., 0,460 provisional, and 182 miles of road. There will also be areas in the Kawhia, Waitnnm. and Awakino Counties which will require to be subdivided this year, but I cannot vet give details, as the purchase of all the anas have not yet been finally completed. Office-work. —Mr. C. R. Pollen, Chief Draughtsman, reports that a total of 38.3 plans were examined. These include 119 settlement plans, covering an area of 158,380 acres in 624 sections; 38 Native Land Court plans of 143,856 acres, in 192 subdivisions; and 68 gold-mining leases, comprising 1,433 acres; also 91 residence sites and 7 prospecting licenses have been checked for the Warden ; 416 road-plans and tracings, covering a length of 10475 miles roads taken, and 36"5 miles closed have been examined : 188 tracings of roads prepared, and 55 mounted for officework ; 40 contract and gold-mining vouchers (trip.) were dealt with, and 159 certificates of costß for Native surveys were prepared; 1,397 tracings were prepared for selectors, surveyors, and others, averaging over 116 per month : 3,922 plans were placed on Crown grants and other instruments of title, including 380 quadruplicate, 756 triplicate, 62 duplicate, and 10 single copies; 256 Native Land Court orders were indorsed in duplicate: 5,300 lithos were printed, and an amount of £133 16s. sd. collected in search fees, sale of lithos, &c. : an amount of .£76 os. 6d. is debited against other Departments for Lithos supplied. Numerous poster tracings, for lands for settlement, &c., were prepared and forwarded for printing and publication at Head Office. The work, consequent on the claims of other Departments for plans and information, occupies a large amount of time, and the work of the past year has been very heavy in all branches. Measuring-bands totalling 98 chains in length have been tested for 15 surveyors, and certificates of comparison issued. The number of applications for Native surveys received and scheduled to Head Office was 129, and 96 authorities were issued to surveyors. Eleven Courts have been attended, and £1,036 6s. sd. collected, and 7,366 acres 1 rood 3 perches cut off in satisfaction of Crown liens. Twelve sketch-plans, oovering 14,068 acres, were compiled for the investigation of title by the Native Land Court, and 3 plans of 1,542 acres in addition were compiled by private surveyors. l.diid Transfer Surveys. —The Land Transfer Draughtsman reports that the total number of plans received was 354 : the number of plans approved amounted to 368, representing an area of 87,410 acres, as compared with 300 for 1906-7, and 381 for 1905-6; the number of plans recorded for the year was only 99 : miscellaneous plans compiled or drawn, 87 : 33 plans of towns sent for Governor's approval, and 7 for provisional approval. As a number of index and county lithos had become worn and dilapidated, 16 were renewed, and the Land Transfer surveys brought up to date on each. The improvement of work done by licensed surveyors has continued; the inspections of surveyors' work, with two exceptions, show that a good standard is maintained. Attention to office requisitions by private surveyors lias been prompt and satisfactory. In the Land"Transfer office, under Mr. Sarding's supervision (see Table 39), 1,660 pencil tracings have been prepared for the use of contract draughtsmen, besides attending t<> the work of the Registrar. Standard Survey, City of Auckland. —The Inspecting Surveyor, Mr. J. Langmuir, and Assistant Surveyor, Mr. H. M. Kensington, have been almost continuously employed during the past year on the standard survey of the City of Auckland. Both these officers have displayed great energy in this work, which is now, as far as the field-work is concerned, drawing towards completion, and it is estimated that the outdoor portion of the work will be finished about June next. No mapping whatever has been done, and, as the work is still in an unfinished state, I refrain from drawing special attention to it for this year. Government Loans to [.oral Bodies Blocks. —During the past twelve months applications have been made for loans on three new loan blocks, of an area of 17.420 acres. Accounts. —The number of vouchers passed through the hooks during the year amounted to 2,058, representing an expenditure of £44,224 2s. lOAd., and 47 transfer vouchers, showing credits amounting to £2,934 12s. Bd. On the Chief Draughtsman's imprest account 1.097 vouchers requiring payment were made by 1,671 cheques, totalling £15,441 55., and the amount imprested by the Paymaster-General was £10,750. On his official account 874 cheques were drawn, for a total sum of £12,077 13s. sd. On the Commissioner's imprest account 12 vouchers requiring payment were made by 17 cheques, amounting to £62 14s. 9d., and the amount imprested was £100. On his official account 10 cheques were drawn, for a total sum of £2,933 lls. 7d. The average number of men employed per month on survey parties was 74, for which wages amounting to £8,345 3s. was paid: and for timber-measuring, ka., the average was 13, for which £1,576
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ss. lOd. was paid. The sum of £1,925 3s. Id. was collected for survey liens, and releases in triplicate numbering 234 were issued. Resignation*. —Mr. A. Jarman, temporary draughtsman, resigned his position in the Department on the 17th August, 1907. Retirements. —Mr. G. A. Martin, District Surveyor, retired after thirty-three years' service, owing to ill health, on the 31st December, 1907. Deaths. —Mr. T. F. Gooch, after a very short illness, died on the 2-'ird August, 1907. Mr. Gooch had been in failing health for some time, although his end was not expected so suddenly. He was employed as a temporary computing draughtsman, and was a careful and painstaking officer. Transfers. —The following transfers have taken place during this year : Mr. 0. N. Campbell, Assistant Surveyor, to Wellington; Mr. Lindsay Jackson, Assistant Surveyor, to New Plymouth; Mr. P. Mitchell, from New Plymouth to Auckland. During the year Missis. A. D. Newton and \\ . M. Atkinson, licensed surveyors, joined the staff as temporary surveyors. In conclusion, 1 wish to place on record the assistance given me by the Chief Draughtsman and inside officers of this branch of the Department, as well as by the staff of surveyors and officers employed in the field. James Mackenzie, Chief Surveyor.
HAWKE'S BAY. L'opoijraphical Surveys. —There, has been nothing done under this heading. Minor Triangttlation. —There has been nothing completed in this class, but Mr. E. H. Farnie baa in hand a portion of the Tuahu and Hangaroa Survey Districts, which is necessary to govern his survey of the Waipaoa Block. A plan has been made of the portion revised by Mr. F. Stephenson Smith in 1905-6, but which he was unable to calculate on map owing to his removal from the district. With regard to the triangulation of the country in the northern portion of this district, I would call attention to the advisability of obtaining additional checks thereon, as it is at present felt that, while the work already done appears to have been executed in a careful manner, weak points exist which are difficult to locate, owing to the manner in which the system has been carried out, there being only the one measured base-line near Gisborne from which the work extends over the whole of the northern portion of the district. I would suggest that check-bases be laid down—say, at Waiapu (or Te Araroa), Tolago Bay, and Wairoa —and with the presentday appliances this could be done without much expense; but to carry out this work the services of a thoroughly competent surveyor would be needed for about two years, and he could also take up the much-needed revision of the standard surveys of the various towns. At the present time, owing to the very unfinished and imperfect state of the latter, a great many differences arise, which can only be settled by calling in the services of some staff surveyor, who has to make special arrangements for such work, which not only greatly interferes with his current duties, but it is at the same time costly. It is earnestly hoped that these suggestions may receive favourable consideration, and that the necessary steps may be taken at the earliest opportunity to carry them out. Standard Surveys. —The systematic revision and extension of these, especially in the Towns of Gisborne, Hastings, Dannevirke, Waipukurau, and Waipawa, are most urgently needed, and the only possible way in which this can be. properly carried out would be by the employment of an officer, as suggested in the remarks upon trigonometrical surveys. The 1-chain standards at Napier and Gisborne should be replaced by new 5-chain standards, laid down by the most approved methods, for although the new Imperial measure has been recorded on the existing standards, it is considered they are liable to variation due to thoir construction —they are laid down in concrete for the full length, and evidences of disturbances exist as shown by many cracks in the surface. Another necessary work is the fixing of existing standard marks, which are mostly iron tubes, by encasing them with concrete to protect and render them immovable. Rural and Suburban. —The work returned under this heading during the year amounts to 34,360 acres, divided into 179 sections, at an average cost of l'47s. per acre, of which Mr. T. Brook returns 10,518 acres, comprising the new settlement Blocks of Mangatahi, Aorangi, and Raumati respectively; 5,936 acres, portion of the Te Arai Settlement, surveyed by Mr. J. Roddick; 4,251 acres, by Mr. W. C. Wall, representing the Pourerere Block and part of the Raumati; 10,287 acres, by Mr. G. H. Davis, being the other portion of Te Arai and the Kanakanaia Settlement respectively. Mr. E. H. Farnie returns 2,959 acres in the Waitahaia Block, being Small (irazing-run No. 96; and Messrs. Wilson and Walshe have laid off small areas, as shown in Table No. I. Town Surveys. —The only work done in this class were 2 allotments in Te Araroa and 2 at Auanui laid off by Mr. Wilson; and the 46 allotments returned by Mr. Wall represent areas adjacent to the Town of Napier, which were to be disposed of at auction. Native Land Surveys. —The only work returned as completed under this heading is the survey of the Wliareraui akau Block, of 3,533 acres, executed by Mr. I!. C. L. Reay, by the direction of the Xative Commission, and a tracing and report have been sent to the Commissioners; and 1,638 acres sketch survey of 2 Native blocks for Maori Land Board. Hdiiil Surveys. —Under this class Mr. Wilson has laid off 11 miles in the Waiapu District and 8 miles have been surveyed by Mr. Hughes in various localities for exchanges, and the remaining portion represents a deviation laid out by Mr. W. C. Wall in the Tautane district, making the total of 20J miles.
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Other Work. —This includes several blocks of large areas which arc in progress, the chief of which are the Piripiri Block (near Dannevirke), upon which Air. Brook is engaged; the subdivision ol Pastoral Run No. 17, in tlie Ngatapa district, in ihe hainl of Air. J. Roddick; the Waipuka, Okaihau, and Waimarama lands, upon which Mi , . .). G. Wilson is engaged; the Mohaka Native blocks, under survey by' Air. T. W. Hughes; and the \\ aipaoa, Block, in Air. E. 11. Sarnie's haiids. The gross area of these several blocks amounts to some 100,000 acres. There are also miscellaneous items such as sketch surveys for Te Rawhiti Maori I.and Board, comprising some -. .~j<>li acres, auo alioul 1,500 acres of private lands, of which sketch surveys and special reports were required by the Department, and several qther minor surveys. Inspection*. Mr. Brook (District Surveyor, Napier) carried out 4of these during the year, •'i of which wore Land Transfer surveys at Waipukurau and Hastings respectively, and a rural survey in the Alatapiro District; while .\lr. lirodrick (District Surveyor at Gisbornej made < s others, the results of which have been sent forward, with the exception of those that are not quite complete as regards reports, but will be forwarded ai an early date. This important class of work is greatlj retarded owing to the services of the inspecting officers being so fully occupied upon llfgenj surveys, thereby affording very rare opportunities for such work. Propotfd opt rut tun* fur 1908—9. — In the llawke s Hay portion of the district the following surveys are in progress: The subdivision of the Piripiri Block for settlement, by Air. Brook, and i lie surveys of the Crown awards am! Native Land Court partitions of the Waipuka, Okaihau, ami Waiiiiarama Blocks, upon which Messrs. Wilson, Walslie, am! Cagnev are engaged, while Mr. Hughes is carrying out tin- eubdivieional survey of Mohaka Blocks I and 2, comprising some 24,500 Hires in the Poverty Bay portion; Air. Varnie has the Waipaoa Block, of 11,623 acres, nearh finished; and Mr. Roddick is pushing on the survey of the subdivision of Pastoral Run No. 17, containing 1!),(i49 acres.. The survey of the Tapuwaeroa Block of Crown lands, containing 2, '■'>')! acres, lias been placed m the bands of Mr. (I l!\an (private surveyor) under special engagement There is also liie SubdivisionaJ survey of the country now held under the smallgra/ing run teiiuies, but which, on the expiration of the existing leases, is to be cut up for disposal under I , art 111 of " The Land Act, 1893." Several of tliese will need survey during the ensuing ien months, while about a dozen others will have to be similarly dealt with during 1910. In view of this, ami considering the urgency of the work, the services of two smart young surveyors are required before next spring, when these blocks should be surveyed in order to complete them by the time the leases fall in, and it is hoped thai provision will he made to lill the vacancies existing through the resignation of Messrs. Wall and Davis. Ojfiee-worlt. The following report has been handed in by Air. 11. G. Price, Chief Draughtsman: During the pear "nr* plans have been examined and approved, representing an area of 819,966 acres; these divided into their several classes give the following figures: Land Transfer, 806 plans, representing 986 allotments, with an area of 140,844 acres; Public Works, 9i) plans, with an area of acres; Native Land Court, 13 plans, with an area of 133,917 acres; and departmental plans numbered 34, with an area of 43,852 acres. In addition to the foregoing, ."ilti instruments of transfer, lease, mortgage, ivc, have been examined and reported upon; 297 tracings were prepared for settlers, surveyors, local bodies, to. The year's work shows a sub stantial increase in all brandies, and as the work of keeping up block sheets and record-maps is falling behind, owing to the man} c:dlx upon the | taff, the service's of two additional draughtsman, for the Napier and Gisborne offices respectively, arc greatly needed. These maps should lie always posted up to date, otherwise much time is lost in searching for information which would be available at all times were this the ease, anil it would fully engage the time of a special draughtsman to attain the desired end. To this I would add the following remarks: The alt tions ami additions to the strong-room and offioes at Gisborne, which were sanctioned in the early part of the year, have lit en satisfactorily (tarried out, and, with the new system of map-drawers, pigeon-holes, &.0., have effected a great improvement in every way, and much labour in searching for plans and documents is now saved. There has been an extra iron door fitted to the strongroom, which neeessai ih adds to its tire-resisting condition. The draught ing-tables have been renovated: pigeon-holes for letter-files, and alterations to counters in the public room and Receiver's office have also very materially improved the conveniences and appearance of the offices generally. The local land officer has had the county litho maps coloured to show Land-tenure*., &c, and tliese are now hung on spring rollers, so that the general public may have' access to them, and are found to supply a long-felt want. M/.<{■>//a/irons. —During the year there have again been several changes in the staff. Messrs. W. C. Wall and G. H. Davis, both of whom had but recently joined the ranks of assistant surveyors, resigned from the service in order to take up private practice, and their loss is to be much regretted as they were both excellent offioers. Air. H. E. Walslie has been appointed to succeed the former, and a successor to the latter is much needed. It is with sincere regret that I have to report that, after a most protracted illness, extending over main months, our respected Chief Draughtsman (Mr. James Hay) was advised to relinquish work, and his resignation was accepted in January. It is understood that his place will be filled by Mr. 11. G. Pi ice early in April, and. having been deprived of Mr. Say's valuable help for some ten months, this gentleman's arrival will relieve several of the offioers of extra duties they have necessarily had to fulfil in the interim. Mr. D. Nelson, draughting cadel in the Gisborne office, was transferred to the field staff in the Auckland District : and Mr. D. M. Ifeates removed from Napier to take up his duties; while Aliss M. Cooper was transferred from the Mead Ollice to fill Mr. ifeates's place as shorthand clerk and ivpiste. Mr. W. T. Neill, who was temporarily i id from the Dunedin office as Office * puter at Gisborne, returned to take up his former position at Dunedin. at Christmas. Air. W. G. Harding, lately attached to the New Plymouth staff, exchanged positions with Air. T. V. McKa_\ in December last, while Mr. W. J. Brooke joined the Napier office as clerical cadet in September.
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In conclusion, I have again to record my appreciation of the manner in which both the field and office si aIT bare carried out their duties, and ihe ready assistance they have rendered me at all times. Henky Thent, Chief Surveyor.
TARANAKI. The work done and returned by the staff represents a total of 331,901 acres covered by surveys, completed, together with 45J miles of road and railway surveys. These totals are separated into the following classes: — Triangula!ion. —Under this heading are included 2 areas —one of 200,000, major triangulation, and another of 49,400 acres, minor, respectively- of work done in former years, and mapped by Mr. 11. M. Skeel, who, baring now left the district, cannot undertake the extension contemplated. The. further area! by Messrs. Weir, Kensington, airl ('raw ford, totalling 4G,000 acres, have been carried out concurrently with settlement surveys for which they were required. Rural anil Suburban. —ln this class 36,486 aeies were pqmpleted, at an average cost of 2'4s. |ier acre. All of it practically was in rough forest count ry, and 1 it,ooo acres consist of the final survey of provisional magnetic work. Road* and Railwayt. —ln this class 43 J miles were completed, at an .average cost of £17 11s. pes mile. 1 inspections. —The staff have*all been visited in the field, and several inspections of private surveys have been made during the year, of which particulars were sent you at the time. The results do not call for any especial comment. • Other Work.- A large item— Lit.).)- in this class is ihe partially completed standard surve}' of llawera. done by Mr. 11. M. Skeet some years back, of which the maps are made and the work done is so far available: but the work having been in abeyance for the last two years, and Mr. Skeet having left the district, the work is now for the first time brought to credit. Remaining items are ;: multitude of small surveys, reports, boundary and road definitions and alterations, &c, together with inspections, &c, in connection with the supply of seed for resowing burnt pasture areas. The total expenditure under this head is £1,213 9s. 3d. Office-work. Plan-examination.- The total number of plans checked under all heads in the ordinary survey branch was 100, with 312 traverse sheets. These covered 175 sections, with an area of 129,152 acres 1 rood 30 perches, and 69 miles !) chains of roads taken or closed. Settlement surveys of Crown blocks were represented by 20 plans, of 48,474 acres •'! roods 28 perches, comprising 116 sections: accompanying triangujation, 2 plans, covering acres; 33 plans, of 63 miles 35 chains roads, ami 2 plans of 1 mile 54 chains railway; 7 Native Land Court plans, of 36,539 acres 3 roods 7 perches, in 12 subdivisions; 22 miscellaneous surveys, of 2,434 acres •i roods in 28 sections; 13 plans compiled in office, of 13,461 acres 3 roods 14 perches, in 14 sections; and one township plan of 21 acres and 21 perches, in 5 sections. Laml Transfer. There were 110 plans with 137 traverse sheets checked and approved during the year, covering 333 sections and subdivisions, of a total area of 8,452 acres 2 roods 12"6 perches. Native Land Court. Surveys executed dining the year by private surveyors comprised 9,547 acres 1 rood 9 perches, in 12 subdivisions. No work of this class was done by the staff, and no surveys were made for the Native Land Boards. Tit/ plans placed on instruments of title of all kinds, including Native Land Court orders, were 634, and 494 copies of leases and licenses were prepared. ' " Thirds " and " Fourths " to Local Bodies. —Twenty-nine proposals for the expenditure of a sum of £2,293 l>s. Id. were approved by the Land Board during the year. The amount standing to the credit of local bodie* in this district in the Receiver-General's and Receiver of Land Hi venue's Deposit Account is £7,643 Is. Miscellaneous. —There were IS new block sheets and I .'i tracings for photo-lithography compiled; 174 tracings were made for selectors: 10 authorities for survey of Native lands, and 8 applications for same, were dealt with: 8< v t racings were made for the Valuer-Oeneral; data were supplied to the field staff. The block sheets ami record-maps and all compilations were kept up to date, ami the public and local bodies were attended to and supplied with information. Mr. 11. M. Skeet. District Surveyor, was promoted to Chief Draughtsman at Sokitika in August. PrgpQted Operations for 1908-9. Settlement surveys almost exclusively are at present in hand and proposed: anil the stall' of seven surveyors has in front of it a very large area lying in the.Totoro, Mapara, Tangitu, Rangi, Ohura, Piopiotea West. Mimi. Waro, Pouatu, Heao, Mahoe. Taurakawa. and Tua districts, chiefly, on the northern ami eastern confines of the Land District, and impinging on the Main Trunk Railway and Wanganui River. There is, in addition, a block of about 9,200 acres of provisional work to he finally surveyed for leases to issue, which must be done as early as possible. This is, lam glad to say. the last block of this kind of survey: though apparently expeditious in placing a number of selectors on the land it has the disadvantage, besides its high cost owing to the double survey, of being the cause of some embarrassment and delay to the tor. who cannot know his exact Fence-lines nor obtain his title until the final survey is made. Again, this second survey itself also occupies an qfijeer who would otherwise be engaged upon opening
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up fresh country. Several small surveys, road deviations, and connections, are much wanted, and must be provided for in some way. The n iangulation round Mount Egmoni is unfinished, while every month provides fresh examples of the pressing need for standard traverses in the towns and Hilt country. FRANCIS SIMPSON, Chief Surveyor.
WELLINGTON. The gross urea surveyed during the year under the various headings is approximately 13,486 acres, besides 88,500 acres the field-work of which will be completed early during the coining year, lint has been delayed owing to the wet season at start, and the reoeni destructive bush-fires. ;U miles of the North Island Main Trunk Railway has also been surveyed and mapped. Tr {angulation. —Nothing has Keen done under this heading, although there is a very large area of 2,150,000 acres of large triangles, the observations for whioh are nearly completed, in the field : also an area of 565,000 of small triangles, whioh are partially completed, and if done would furnish a complete and systematic check on the settlement and Land Transfer surveys to enable many existing discrepancies to be satisfactorily adjusted. As this work is very important, I trust that when the pressure of settlement surveys is over it may be resumed and completed. Topographical. —The only work done under this heading was an area of 6,178 acres, contained in the Carrington Estate in the Tiffin District, comprising a large amount of detail and description. Rural and Suburban. —The principal surveys of this class have been the continuation of the subdivision of the Kaitieke Block, \n the Kaitieke Survey District, by Mr. Thompson for ordinary Crown lands settlement (selection before survey); Messrs. (Jirdlestone and Stewart continued the subdivision of the lin.it it i Block, in the South Waiinaiiiio, in the Wliirinaki and Manganui districts; and the continuation of the subdivision of the Te Tuhi, Ahu Ahu, and Puketotara Blocks, in the Xgamatea district, by Mr. Roberts; also the subdivision of the Kawhatau Block by Mr. Campbell. Native Land Court. —The survey of one block, containing 12 subdivisions, with a total area of 1,063 acres, in which the Government is interested, having advanced the cost of survey, and taken out liens in the Native Land Court, was undertaken by Mr. Strachan, District Surveyor; and, in addition, 47 Native blocks, comprising 119 subdivisions, containing 17,423 acres, were surveyed by private surveyors for Natives direct: so that the total surveyed by staff and authorised surveyors is 18,486 acres. Plans comprising 1,934 acres, at a cost of £58 10s., were also compiled. Okfice-work. Statutory Plans Branch. — Mr. M. C. Smith, who has been for many years in charge of this branch, was in January last temporarily transferred to New Plymouth ollice as Acting Chief Draughtsman, and the work has since been very satisfactorily carried on by Mr. R. W. Collins. Examination of Plane. —During the year 97 plans of sectional and Native surveys, containing .")(),'.)()(> acres, were received, and 133 approved; 88 statutory plans were received, 203 approved and recorded, 95 were examined, and 72 sent for Proclamation. Compilations. Twenty-three drawings and tracings were prepared for photo-lithography, 2 new Crown grant maps were compiled, also two new trig. maps. Road* mill Railway*. —The staff having been principally engaged on settlement surveys, only necessary deviations and side-pegging of roads has been attended to. . 35 miles of the North Island Main Trunk Railway was surveyed, at a cost of £71, or £.'2O ,">s. 7d. per mile. Other Work, —Under this heading many and various duties are included distinct from the actual cost of subdivisional surveys, comprising as it does small surveys for scenic purposes, and other departments, repairing and replacing of trig, stations and displaced standard blocks, redefining old boundaries, timber estimates, inspection of late iire-swept areas, road deviations, &c, the character of which prevent their being tabulated in the ordinary schedule of work returned. Inspection of Surveys. — Mr. Inspector Climie inspected 37 surveys during the year, including 29 for Land Transfer Department, at a cost of £447 15s. lid.; and Mr. Mountfort completed • i inspections, at a cost of £52 2s. 9d. The surveyors' work maintains a uniform standard of excellence, regardless of the difficulties in the rough and remote blocks in which most of the surveys are now carried on. Land Transfer Office (Survey Branch). —There were 360 plans passed, an increase of 20 over last year, which does not include 50 single and 3,285 in duplicate plans indorsed on transfers, &c, all of which have to be examined ; 30 Land Transfer plans and tracings have been mounted and repaired. Titles. —There were 3,170 deeds and other instruments passed, showing an increase of 20 over last rear; 50 single and 3,285 plans in duplicate were placed on certificates of title, being an increase of 275 over last year: 20 miscellaneous plans were drawn and compiled. Miscellaneous. — The usual demands were attended to by the office staff. These comprised supplying information to the public generally, data for the execution of surveys by staff surveyors and others, 17s tracings, 48 general plans, 26 sale plans, 99 lithos, 201 applications, and 7 plans were remounted and repaired, and a multitude of other duties performed. Proposed Operations. —A staff of 10 surveyors is at present engaged in different parts of the district, and has an area of some 86,000 acres of subdivisional surveys in hand, consisting chiefly of bush land suitable for pastoral purposes in large areas. About 8,770 acres of selection surveys in the Kaitieke Block will be completed during the next season. Mr. Strachan has the survey of
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the Carrington Estate, Tiffin Survey District, in hand : also the completing of the survey of the surplus lands around the Wairarapa Lakes, and necessary roads preparatory to allocation. Mr. Stevenson has the completion of the Morikau No. '2 Block, of about 14,0(10 acres, in hand, and then the subdivision of the Wnararangi Block, about 12,000 acres, under the Aotea District Maori Land Board. Messrs. Girdketone and Stewart have the completion of the Ruatiti Block, about 14,500 acres, in hand. Mr. Campbell, on completion <>f the Kawhatau Block, will continue the survey of the Kaitieke Block, about 9,000 acres, taken over from Mr. F. A. Thompson. Mr. Johnston will survey about 7 miles of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, necessary for the land plans, and will then be available for settlement-work. The other staff surveyors, when available, will be fully employed in the subdivision of land for settlement, Crown and Native lands, and other miscellaneous work. There are about 09,000 acres of Crown lands in the South Waimarino Block still available for settlement. Preliminary explorations have been made for continuing the principal roads already surveyed in the Ruatiti Block (the survey of which is nearly completed) into the Wanganui and Retaruke Valleys. It is desirable that the Wellington City standard survey should be extended to the suburbs, if possible, during the corning season, owing to the many subdivisions now taking place around the city; and I would strongly recommend that this work be put in hand as soon as possible, while the survey-pegs are still available. Mr. F. A. Thompson has been transferred to the Statutory Plans Branch of this office. I regret the departure of Mr. H. G. Price, who has been transferred to the Napier office as Chief Draughtsman, and who has creditably filled the position of Land Transfer Draughtsman in this office during the last seven years. Having received notice of transfer to Auckland, this is the last report I will send in for the Wellington District. __ John Strauchon, Chief Surveyor.
NELSON. Topographical. —An area of 45,992 acres was executed under this heading. 1,695 acres of this is simply topographical, costing 7'7d. per acre, the remainder, 44,297 acres, being "provisional " survey of lands for settlement, costing 54d. per acre; 18,063 acres of this area is the Braeburn Settlement, containing 2,721 acres of the Braeburn Estate, 770 acres stock reserves absorbed in the settlement, and the balance adjoining Crown lands. The other provisional surveys are of blocks situated in the Tutaki, Wangamoa, and Aorere Survey Districts; these surveys are governed by theodolite traverses of main road lines. Minor Trigonometrical anil 'topographical Survey. —The area of 37,300 acres returned under this heading, at a cost of l'oßd. per acre, is subsidiary triangulation broken down from the large triangles to check sectional surveys. The mapping of 409,488 acres completed by Mr. Sadd in the field five years ago is still incomplete, owing to the more urgent work of settlement surveys, but will be completed as soon as opportunity offers. Rural and Suburban. —The area of 42,736 acres, in 143 sections, at an average cost of 2425. per acre, consists of 18,000 acres in the Matiri and Maruia districts in large blocks; 6,168 acres, Wangapeka Settlement; and the remainder scattered applications in the Totaranui, Takaka, Aorere, Tutaki, Reefton, and Kongahu districts. The high rate per acre is caused by the time occupied in removing camp to make surveys of detached applications, and the bulk of the work being located in rough, hilly, heavy-bush country. Gold-mining Swveyt. —Only one survey of this class was made by a staff officer—3l acres; cost. £19 175.; rate, 12 - 81 d. per acre: also 5 surveys executed by private surveyors passed through the office, containing 315 acres. Roarls, d-c. —23 - 62 miles. Of this distance, 4"34 is a traverse of tramway, and the balance access "roads to selections, several of which required a great deal of exploration to get best location None of these roads form the boundaries of sections. Other Work.- -Under this heading are placed various duties which cannot be placed in the columns of the general return, and consist principally of general office-work, <fee, in district offices, Reefton and Westport, field inspections, small surveys, reports, and work for other departments. Field Inapeetioru. —During the year Mr. Montgomerie, District Surveyor, made inspections of ."S surveyors' work in the Matiri and Maruia districts, with satisfactory results, details and diagrams of which have been forwarded. Proposed Operations for 1908-9. —Mr. Montgomerie, District Surveyor, has the surveys of 2 applications, with an area of 280 acres, to complete, and other small surveys of roads, townships. &c, and current work to keep up. Mr. Carkeek, District Surveyor, has the Native Land Court survey of DTrville Island, about 40,000 acres, in hand. Mr. Sadd was promoted from the position of District Surveyor to that of Chief Draughtsman in this office on the Ist January; the surveys he had in hand —provisional of Braeburn Settlement and Mangles-Blackwater Blocks— were completed by Mr. Fairhall. Mr. Snodgrass, District Surveyor, has the surveys of 6 applications, 3,215 acres, in the Kongahu district, to execute. Mr. Thomson, District Surveyor, has an area of 8,570 acres in 18 applications in the Totaranui, Kaiteriteri, and Mount Arthur districts on his instructions. Mr. Maitland, -District Surveyor, is engaged upon rural selections in the Takaka district, 1,200 acres: and also has 4,910 acres of rural selections to survey in Waitapu, Aorere, and Mount Arthur districts. Mr. Cumine, staff surveyor, has an area of 5,000 acres completed in field and plans in progress; he has also an area of 2,785 acres to survey in the
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Maruia North Block. Mr. Fairhall, temporary surveyor, has returned plans of 12,497 acres, the greater portion of which in in the Mativi Block, and \\ as nearly completed at the end of last year: he has also Completed- the provisional surveys of the Braeburn Settlement and Mengles-Blaokw&ter Block. Mr. Fairhall was granted the services of Mr. Moynihan ai an assist .int in January! to undertake the provisional survey of the Maruia-Matakitaki Block; this is nearly completed ; Wγ. Kairhall has to onmplete the side i roads and starting of frontagelines t" Braeburn Settlement, and also has the survej of an area of 6,500 acres rural selections and provisional surveys of 12,700 acres in Maruia and Matiri distriots to execute. Mr. .1. 11. Buttress, authorised assistant, will complete an area of 4,390 acres in the Maruia Ninth Block by tlie end of June, and will then be engaged on rural selections in the Mid Maruia Block. There are t<l applications now in the hands of staff surveyors, containing a total area of 37,239 acres; of this area, 99,556 acres are inisurveved, the balance being completed or" nearly completed in field and partly mapped. The number of unallocated applications is 105, containing 61,162 acres; and in addition to this there are 19 applications, of 13,940 acres, in the Big Bush Block let by contract to Mr. Ledger. Total area of 205 applications, 112,341 acres. In addition, the following areas have been provisionally surveyed, and will be opened for selection during the coming year: Braeburn Settlement, 18,063 acres; Mangles-Blackwater, 8,458 acres; Matakitaki, 6,500 : Nuggety Creek, 6,000; Upper Aorere, 3,475: Wangamoa, 12,580 acres: and Dart Block, T,931 acres: total, 63,007 acres. To control and check the survey of these blocks it will be necessary to break down from the present minor triangulation and extend a series of smaller triangles over the above areas. The present staff of surveyors is quite inadequate to cope with the above surveys, and at least t\v<> more active efficient surveyors are urgently .required in this district. Lund Transfer Office. —Mr. Curtis, Land Transfer Draughtsman, reports that Bβ survey plans have been examined and passed, 177 deeds passed, and 486 diagrams placed on 241 certificates of title in duplicate. Lands and Survey Department.- - Mr. Curtis reports that .'!2.'i tracings were made (chiefly for the Valuation Department), 80 reports furnished, and 56 certificates of title in lieu of Crown grants (in triplicate) examined and issued, 7 survey plans examined, and !)•"> leases, &c, examined for warrants. There are 42 certificates of titU iv lieu of Crown grants to issue in triplicate in arrear. The cadet assisting Mr. Curtis lel't during the year, and another is urgently required in his place. Office-work (Draughting Branch). — During the year 01 plans were examined, containing 46,025 acres in 160 sections; 2 plans of township surveys. B gold-mining surveys, and 27 plans oi road and railway : total, !)."> plans. Traverse sheets checked, 305. Diagrams were placed on 46 Crown titles in quadruplicate, -I in triplicate, 65 in duplicate, and 4 singly: and on 56 certificates of title in lieu of Crown grants in triplicate, totalling 558. There are in arrear Ii Crown titles in quadruplicate, 23 in triplicate, and 12 in duplicate. There were 7 plans drawn during the year for photo-lithography of blocks of land available for settlement, as well as those for re Proclamation for disposal on renewable lease under " The Land Laws Amendment Act, 1907/' The office-work included the usual tracings for surveyors for settlers and other departments, and 2,500 sale posters were sent out of blocks of land opened for selection. Owing to the large areas of land opened in this district during the last year, nearly the whole time of the staff was taken up with current work, so that tracings for photo-lithography of county maps, new selection maps. and other very necessary work had to remain in abeyance: also, the register of all the plans in the safe is not yet completed, as a great deal of the time of the officer in charge of that work was taken up in looking up and attending to plans required by the draughtsmen, repairing, backing and cutting old plans to size of drawers, backing old Crown grants, and getting ready for rebinding. The cost of making the register is saved in the much less time now taken in finding plans. Robert T. Sadd, For Chief Surveyor.
Marlborough. Miliar Trianpttlafion. —There has been no work done under this heading during the year. Only about NO,()()() acres are required io complete the whole land district, and as this is generally along the north boundary, where the land is poor and scarcely suitable for settlement, there is no immediate hurry for the work, and it can well wait until a more convenient time. Standard Survey* <u:<l Inspections. —About 3 miles of this class of work has been done by Mr. District Surveyor Gillies in the Town of I'icton. and about 10 miles more of this work will b» required during the current year, to enable us to have some proper means of checking siihdivisional surveys, eVe, for the purpose of the Land Transfer Act. The old surveys in Picton are generally very faulty ;in many cases neither true bearings nor distances are given on the old plans. Under such conditions it is not surprising to find that there is considerable confusion and uncertainty as to the absolute extent and [ osition of a property. I may remark that although only 3 miles of standard survey have been returned as completed, much more might properly be included under this beading- work done in extension of the standard marks in the Town of Blenheim and vicinity, to cover recent subdivisions; and also 1*64 miles in the Township of Renwick, in control some Land Transfer survey* there. These extensions have been done by Mr. Greenfield and myself, and, although partly charged against fold inspection, is really .standard extension. It has been found that when a private surveyor has been employed to cut up a section or sections within or adjacent to the towns, in parts not covered by the standard work, or where these marks are unreliable, instead of requiring the surveyor to lay down standard marks upon which to base his work, it is
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better in almost every respect to extend the standard lines ourselves so as to cover the locality. This secures uniformity of standard lines and marks, and also that the subdivisioual survey shall conform to the proper alignment of the streets, &c, and is really inspection before instead of after the sectional survey, and reduces the work of the final inspection to the examination of the subdivision only. Rural and Suburban. —7 ',73B acres of this class of survey have been completed during the year, divided into 92 sections, ai an average cost of 3265. per acre. This very unsatisfactory result is mainh ■ 1 vie to the surveys being much isolated, the rough character of the country being all in high broken bush hills, and in many instances necessitating line-cutting through thick tangled scrub growing over fallen burnt logs. There is, 1 fear, little prospect of any material reduction in the cost of this class of work, because most of our work is composed of surveys of applications under sections 114 and 115 of "The Land Act, 1892," where small areas are applied for generally behind small freehold sections —occupying the frontages—which frequently have either only 'teen laid off on papei or were granted on old and imperfect surveys of which no traces can now be found, and therefore necessitate difficulty, intricacy, and tedious surveys to bring the many occupation marks in accord with the old plans and titles. Roads, Railways, Water-races, &c —Under this heading 36"4 miles of road traverse have been completed, 28 miles of which has been done by Mr. A. P. Seymour, in the Sounds County, to legalise roads already partly formed. As this work has been chiefly the traverse of bridle-tracks through bush-covered hill county passing through small freehold sections, necessitating short lines and frequent connections, the average cost cannot be deemed very excessive. The balance under this heading lias been chiefly defining old " paper " roads through small freehold and leasehold sections, necessitating extensive and intricate connections with sections which in some cases have never been marked on the ground ajt all. Taking into consideration these difficulties, I think that the average cost of £21 12s. per mile is not high. Three field inspections were made during the year —one of each private surveyor working in the district. I am pleased to report that they tend to show that this class of survey is being done carefully. Other Work. —Included under this heading are 3,900 acres of compass surveys of sawmilling areas, costing £132 12s. Bd., or about B"2d. per acre; redefining old boundaries, £74 6s. 10d. ; survey of scenic reserves (uncompleted), £60 ss. 10d. ; field inspections and standard marks, £78 9s. Bd. ; £61 12s. for grass-seed sowing on frown lands recently burnt. I may remark in connection with this item that we found it impossible to obtain good reliable men with the requisite knowledge to sow the seed, because most of the settlers living in the vicinity had their hands full sowing their own lands which had the fire over them. We had therefore to employ most of the men on two survey parties to do this work. Besides the above items there were several other small services performed by field surveyors, such as inspections and reports for Land Boards, and other small services too numerous to mention here. Proposed Surrey Operations for the Coming Tear. — Mr. District Surveyor Gillies will be probably fully employed on settlement surveys in the Pelorus and Rai Valleys. Mr. A. P. Seymour should be kept ftt the surveys of the roads already formed in the Pelorus Sound and other work adjacent to this work. The subdivision of the Crown lands in the Wakamarina district will probably keep Mr. Wicks fully employed the whole year. Besides these surveys there are about 10,000 acres of land awaiting survey in various parts of the district, and for which another surveyor should lie supplied. There are also about 30 miles of road—mostly already formed —in the Gore, Arapawa, and Link water Survey Districts which require survey to legalise them before the titles can be adjusted. Many of these loads have been taken through freehold lands, and the delay in making the surveys is causing considerable inconvenience to the settlers. Office-work. —During the year 66 plans and 194 traverse sheets of Land Transfer, settlement, road, and other surveys were examined and approved ; 71 Crown leases were issued, of which 242 copies were made: diagrams were placed on 45 Crown titles in quadruplicate, 23 in triplicate, and 45 in duplicate, totalling 339 (this includes mining leases): 222 plans were also drawn on 113 certificates of title for the Land Transfer Department. An allotment book was compiled, giving particulars of all Crown leases. Considerable progress was made in block sheets, 14 survey districts being completed : 6 plans were drawn for photo-lithographs of lands opened for settlement. The offiep-work included the usual tracings for surveyors, settlers, and the general public. F. Stephenson Smith, Chief Surveyor.
WESTLAND. Topographical Survey. —During the past year 30,050 acres has been returned. This class of work is undertaken to tret sufficient detail for the settlement survey that is to follow soon after. In dense bush country with numerous watercourses it is essential to have compass traverses of the leading features, to allow of the roads being located, so that sections can be set out to the best advantage for settlement in respect of soil, aspect, and the reservations of milling timber, goldbearing and mineral areas. Rural and Suburban. —Amounts to 23,843 acres, and comprises blocks subdivided for settlement, and the many small areas taken up under the regulations for the occupation of pastoral lands under the Mining Districts Land Occupation Act. These are mostly isolated surveys of small areas, and entail a great amount of connecting traverses that in a bush country is very costly, especially where they have to be adjusted to ancient surveys. This form of tenure is becoming very popular, and in consequence the applications are on the increase. Residence areas have
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taken a considerable amount of time to endeavour to bring them up to date. Near Greymouth, »hat is known M the Paroa Block has been for many years a source of a great deal of trouble, as the overlapping was cropping up everywhere. This has now been nearly all cleared up. Mining Surrey.— Only 6 plans of Mining Surveys have come in, of an area of 540 acres, and all by private surveyors. , . . Town Section Survey. —One survey of a small township in connection with the coal-mining induetrj ai Paparoa has been oompleted of 47 sections, and another township is now under survey on another portion of the coalfield for residence sites for a contemplated extension of the mines on a higher level. The other 11 sections were included in a subdivision survey of residence sites near the State colliery at Runanga. Road*. Under this heading 33 miles of road "has been located and surveyed. I his does not include roads laid off as frontages to sections, but those in connection with lands for future eettle ment. . Other Work. Under this heading is inoluded work in hand of uncompleted surveys, rural, town, and topographical. Other Item*. Include 7 inspection surveys, administration in respect of votes and authorities for Roads, Mines, and Tourist Departments, and for protection works against river-encroachment. Of the cost under this head, the sums paid for by other departments and fees received amount to £635 16s. Bd. Mr. District Surveyor Wilson's time was fully taken up with the construction of the numerous works in hand until last August, when he was transferred to the Roads Department as District lioad Engineer. Mr. Wilson has always*been a most valued and hard-working officer, oarrying out his duties conscientiously, and in losing him the Lands and Survey Department has parted with one of their best men.,who has borne his share of the hard work of the exploitation of Westland. Standard.—The standard lengths have been marked on the blocks as put in last year. When the marking was done care was taken to have the temperature as near 62° Fahr. as possible, with no wind or sunshine. Planed boards were laid on the ground between each block to reduce friction as much as possible. The extreme difference was ~'., in. in B chains, and the moan of six markings was taken. This admirable result was wholly due to the zealous and careful work of Messrs. Skeet and Robinson, who actually effected the marking. Proponed Operations for 1008-9.- The survey work for the coming year will comprise the subdividing of 35,000 acres of land for settlement in the Arnold. Waimea, Tlohonu, Kopara, Ahanra. Wataroa. and Waiho Valleys. Mam- of the blocks are already in hand. Then there will be the numerous surveys of the scattered areas taken up under the Regulations for the Occupation of Pastoral Lands and'under the Mining Districts Land Occupation Act : the completion of township surveys of Upper Paparoa, near tin- coalfield, and of Rohotu in South Westland. It is proposed also'to endeavour to complete standard surveys of Crown lands near Greymouth, of Greymouth. Cobden, and Hokitika There are so many dealings in and about these towns that the neoessity for a stand&rd survey of some sort is becoming more urgent than ever. Owing to the extreme demand for settlement surveys, this work has been put off from year to year. Office-work. Mr. Skeet. Chief Draughtsman, reports that the number of plans received during the year was 111, of which OS were from staff surveyors. Land Transfer plans were 31 : mining plans, 6: Public Works plans, fi. Checking has been kept well up to date, 400 traverse sheets having been passed. Application maps kept up: 4 new ones made. Block maps have been kept going, and 9 new ones made to allow of new work being put on. Northern part of Westland County has been sent to the head office for photo-lithography. The southern part is in hand :Sβ newtracings of land to be opened under the Land Laws Amendment Act had to be made : 766 plans for leases have been prepared and put on deeds, 246 of which were for Land Transfer titles: 707 tracings for general information and returns have been made. Work for the ensuing year should lie the making of block maps of all new work, index maps of Crown grants. Land Transfer and road record maps. Many of thosn index plans have been waiting to be put in hand and brought up to date. Departmental. —During the year Mr. Wflmot, Chief Draughtsman, was promoted as Commissioner and Chief Surveyor of Southland. By this promotion we lost the services of a faithful, able, and obliging officer. He was succeeded here as Chief Draughtsman by Mr. District Surveyor Skeet. from the Taranaki staff, who has proved himself a very competent and conscientious officer, well qualified from his past experience in bush-covered country to deal with similar such country in Westland. On the 30th June next Mr. Explorer Douglas retires from the service on a welldeserved pension. For upwards of forty years he has led the arduous life of exploiting this wild ami rugged country, and has furnished large numbers of valuable reports and plans, replete with expert information on topography, timbers, treology, Ac, besides furnishing reliable notes of the country for settlement purposes. Tie also for many years conducted explorations for nearly all the main roads in our southern country—a well-read and educated Mian, a keen observer, of great originality of thought, and most honourable and conscientious in the performance of all his duties. A man of Wide repute, yet modest to a fault, of winning, unassuming manner, he never advertised himself, but was ever willing to impart his knowledge, with the result that many publications regarding Westland contain much of Mr. Douglas's whent amongst the chaff of their egotistical compilers. He is respected and honoured throughout the district, and has nobly earned a high and enduring position on our official roll. We part with our faithful comrade witli great reluctance, and wish him a long, happy season of rest in the quiet of his well-earned retirement. I beg to express my gratification , of the faithful and skilful services rendered during the past year by the field surveyors and indoor officers of the Survey Branch of the Department. G. J. Roberts, Chief Surveyor.
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CANTERBURY. The survey operations have been very limited, only one stuff and one contract surveyor having Lx.cn employed. Topographical Survey. —District Surveyor MoClure returns 25,829 acres, at a total cost of £88 10s. Id., or O'7Bd. per acre, being a topographical survey of the Culverden Estate for valuatinii and Court purposes, giving details of fences, plantations, area of paddocks, &c. Rural and Suburban.- —The total completed work under this heading is 255 acres, at a total m>l of £53 10s. 7d., or 4"225. per acre. This consists of surveys by District Surveyor McClure of an addition to Kennedy's Bush Reserve, the survey and subdivision of Quail Island, and cemetery ami gravel reserves, Christchurch District. Work completed in field, but which cannot be returned owing to the plans not being completed, is the Culverden Estate, of 25,829 acres, by District Survivor McClure; and two pastoral runs, of 1C,700 acres, situated in the Dalzell, Gibson, and Hakataramea districts, which have been surveyed under contract by Mr. F. W. Freeman. Town Surveys. —Under this heading 63 acres have been subdivided into 34 allotments, at a total cost of £75 lGs. ad., by District Surveyor McClure, being Tekapo Village, a reserve at llaniner, and sections at Lyttelton and Chribtchureh. Boad Surveys. —Under this heading 244 miles are returned, at a total cost of .£BO 18s. 3d., Or £33 3s. 2d. a mile, being a road surveyed from Dyer's I , ass by District Surveyor McClure to give aooesa to Kennedy's Bush Reserve. The cost is«rather high, but the survey was made in winter, during bad weather, which accounts for the somewhat costly nature of the work. Other Work: —Included in other work are District Surveyor McClure , s standard traverses of 1 mile in the City of Christchureli, and 2 miles in the Village of Rakaia, at a total cost of X 32 (Is. lid. : also field inspections, valuations of Culverden Estate, and attending Compensation Court of same estate, reports, and general office-work. I'ropostd Operations for 1908-9.—Surveys necessary in connection with Peel Forest exchange will !>,• made by Mi. McClwre —viz., 343 acres in the Acland Survey District, 117 acres of Pastoral Run No. 210, and 1,500 acres being Run No. 211 • also some Crown lands the leases of which have expired will be subdivided for settlement. Mr. McClure has on hand the mapping of the Culverilfii Settlement and Thnaiii standard survey, and should complete this work before going out again in the field. It is therefore necessary to appoint an assistant surveyor for this district, and provision has been made for this in the estimates, otherwise the survey work cannot be overtaken. Office-work. —During the year 8 plans of sectional work have been examined, in addition to 5 plans in duplicate of the Hurunui-Domett Section of the Wai para-Blenheim Railway, a distance of '.) miles, and a plan of a new load along the summit to scenic reserve at Kennedy's Bush, a distance of 'l\ miles. A plan of this road was constructed giving areas to be exchanged, witli the various owners affected. The balance of the survey district tracings required for completing the Ashburton and Selwyn Counties has been prepared and forwarded for publication, as well as one sale-plan of the Tekapo Village, and tracings of lands available for settlement. Tracings of the Amuri and Cheviot Counties prepared for photo-lithography are in an advanced state; also selection tracings, to lie mounted, of the Hall, Low ry Peaks, and Alford districts. The acqui-' sition and survey of the Culverden Estate entailed a considerable amount of office-work in the preparation of working tracings and plans for Arbitration Court, and Draughtsman H. R. Schmidt was in camp twelve weeks expediting the preparation of the topographical and subsequent sale-map of the estate for publication. 351 plans were placed on Crown grants and other instruments of title, and 153 certificates recorded on Crown grant maps. A large amount of work in the aggregate has been carried out for the Valuation, Scenic, Electoral, Railway, and Lands for Settlement Departments, in addition to the usual routine work of the office. Mr. W. C. Leversedge, Land Transfer Draughtsman, reports as follows :■ — The staff has been kept fully employed with the current work handed to us daily by the Land Transfer Department, and the items in my return "Transfers checked," Ac, show an increase of this work over previous years. During the year Mr. E. Phillips-Turner and Mr. Cadet Jackson were transferred from this office, and I wish to express my appreciation of the willing and able manner in which both of them have always assisted me. Mr. P. Webb joined the staff in November last, hut no cadet has yet been appointed to take Mr. Jackson's place. Mr. H. Kensington commenced work in this branch in June last, for the purpose of compiling new record-plans, but is now .ii-aged on the more urgent current work. The private surveyors' plans lodged for deposit, and in support of dealings for registration in the Land Transfer Office, have been uniformly satisfactory, and the requisitions found necessary on examination have been promptly attended k>. The work under contract for the supply of paper copies of all certificates of title has been satisfactorily .lone by Mr. J. Mather. During the year 3 new 5-chain Land Transfer record-plans have been compiled, and 88 old deposit plans have been remounted and repaired. UiteeUaneout.— lt will lie noticed by the Land Transfer Draughtsman's report that the work is increasing, and to record all plans and bring up the back work another draughtsman and cadet air required. The changes in the staff have been : Mr. E. P. Turner, formerly assistant draughtsman, appointed Inspector of Scenery Reserves: and Mr. Jackson, draughting cadet, transferred to Hie tield in the Auckland District: while Mr. P. E. Webb has joined the staff in Mr. Turner's place. Both field and office staff have been diligent in their duties, and the work of the Department has been carried out in a satisfactory manner. Eric C. Gold Smith. Chief Surveyor.
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OTAGO. Topographical Surveys.- The total area returned under this heading is 06,521 awes, and includes the subdivision by Messrs. Barren and Walshe of the runs resumed by the Department when taking over the Otekaike Estate into six small grazing-r un» j also the subdivision by Mi. Macpherson of 24,400 acres in Lee Stream district into six small grazing-runs. All roads and boundaries in this latter survey wore traversed as in ordinary section-work. The average cost of survey was 2"29 d. per acre. Rural and Suburban. —The principal items under this head were the subdivision of the estates acquired during the year under the Lands for Settlement Act, and include the Airedale and Otekaike Estates, in North Otago; the Meadowbank Estate, near Palmerston; and the Ashley Downs Estate (now known as Taumata Settlement), in South Otago. The surveys were executed by Messrs. Calder, Barron, Walshe, and McFarland. The other items were subdivision by District Surveyor Calder of about 5,000 acres in Blackstone district, and a settlement block in Blackstone and St. Bathan's districts surveyed by Mr. McFarland. Surveys were also made of several small isolated sections scattered over the district. The total area returned is 37,326 acres, divided into 184 sections, at a cost of 131s. per acre. Town Surveys. —During the year 16 sections in the Towns of Havelock, Pounawea, North-east Valley, and Ettrick were surveyed. The area was only acres, and the average cost £3 Is. 7d. per section. (Jold-mininy Surveys. —These surveys were all undertaken and executed by private surveyors fur fees deposited by the applicants, the number of claims surveyed being 44, having an area ot 1,*40 acres. The fees paid amounted to £372 9s. 6d., which makes the cost 4055. per acre. In addition to these surveys, fees were passed for various inspections and reports to the several Wardens for surveyed ground reapplied for. Roads and Water-races.— Under this head 30| miles is returned. It includes retraversing and repegging 3£ miles of road on Totara Settlement, widened from J to 1 chain wide; 20 chains new road, Tautuku district; levelling 15 miles and traversing 6 miles of water-race in Otekaike Settlement; also survey of 2£ miles of road to give access to runs in Lee Stream district; and survey of 3£ miles of road in Teviot and Cairnhill districts. The average cost was £7 19s. per mile. Other work. —The total amount charged under this head is £130 6s. 2d., made up as follows : £56 19s. charged by District Surveyor Calder for measuring base line in Moeraki district; making small road survey; and Naseby office expenses, £13 12s. (Jd., by District Surveyor Neill, for officework, inspections, and base-line measurement: £18 by District Surveyor Barron, for inspection and reports; and £11 14s. Bd. by Mr. Mackenzie, for survey work in Kawarau and Lorn districts. Land Transfer Surveys. —During the year 71 plans, containing an area of 31,155 acres, were examined, passed, and recorded; and 51 applications to bring land under the Land Transfer Act were dealt with; 781 certificates of title in duplicate were prepared, in addition to checking all dealings affecting portions of land in titles and Proclamations, &c. Office-work. —During the past year 48 plans, comprising an area of 93,848 acres, were received from the staff surveyors, and have all been examined, passed, and recorded; 13 railway land plans in triplicate and 22 road plans in duplicate sent in by private surveyors have been similarly dealt with. Four estates were acquired during the year, aggregating an area of 50,528 acres. This necessitated a considerable amount of work on the part of the draughting staff in the preparation of tracings of all existing survey data for the use of the surveyors when subdividing these areas. In order to facilitate and insure the early completion of the subdivisions of these estates it became necessary to detail three of the draughtsmen off at different times to assist the surveyors with the preparation of their plans and computation of areas, Ac Boundary plans of the four estates above noted were prepared in duplicate. Two new Land Transfer record-maps were constructed, and 8 Land Office maps were prepared. Duplicate maps were made showing the proposed standard survey of (Greater Dunedin. It is proposed to proceed with this survey immediately the services of Mr. District Surveyor Neill become available. The sides and co-ordinates of Moeraki district triangulations have been corrected in accordance «itli new check base-line measured by Messrs. District Surveyors Calder and Neill, to test the accuracy of Meadowbank Settlement subdivision. Duplicate maps were prepared showing all Crown land tenures, also two similar maps showing endowment lands. The Dunedin Registrar of Electors' Office was supplied with mounted lithographs on a scale of 5 chains to an inch, with the boundaries of the five electoral districts covering Dunediu and suburbs coloured thereon. A set of maps, lithographs, and tracings were prepared showing that portion of Southland Education District overlapping Otago Land District, also a general map of the same on the mile scale. A map on a scale of 8 miles to an inch was made showing boundaries of the Olago Mining District. Diagrams wore drawn on 92 certificates in lieu of grants, 1 Crown grant, 1 cash certificate, 110 leases in perpetuity, 17 occupations with the right of purchase, 29 small grazing-runs, 21 pastoral licenses, 21 occupation leases. 40 agricultural leases, and 53 miscellaneous licenses in duplicate or triplicate, making a total of 009 copies: 471 tracings showing land transactions weie supplied to the Valuation Department. Plans of the following were drawn for photo-lithography, viz. : Airedale, Otekaike, Taumata, and Meadowbank Settlements; Blackstone Settlement and subdivision of Moeraki Native Reserve were drawn on transfer paper for lithography and printed in this office. The total number of copies of different kinds printed was 610: number of- maps mounted, 766; books bound, 14. Proposed Operations for the Tear. —It will be seen from Table 2 that all the surveyors will be fully employed for the year in carrying out the work in hand. This embraces upwards of 60,000 acres of settlement surveys and 110 square miles of revised triangulation work. It is also
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anticipated that further larger areas will be acquired for disposal under the Lands for Settlement Act, one estate of 19,000 acres having been reported as acquired at the time of writing, while othere ere likely in follow. In addition to this, a large area will be dealt with by the Classification Commissioners, when doubtless not Less than 200,000 or 300,000 acres will be reserved for subdivision into sn;all grazing-runs. This will entail a substantial increase in the number of surveyors to be required in January next. The Staff. —I very much regret having to record the loss during the year of Mr. Charles Patereon, who died on the 2nd January, 1908, as the result of a fall from his bicycle. Mr. Paterson entered the service as a cadet on the Stli Kebruar) , , 1899, and at the time of his death had reached the position of Accountant. He was a most zealous, conscientious, and reliable officer, throwing his whole heart into his work, and his untimely death in early manhood was deeply regretted by his fellow-officers and a large circle of friends. Mr. F. E. Duncan, from the Invercaigill office, was promoted to fill the position lately held by Mr. Patereon as Accountant, and is proving himself a capable officer. D. Bakkon, Chief Surveyor.
SOUTHLAND. Minor T rlaiitjulatam. This consisted of three triangles, covering 14,852 acres, of which the angles weir observed, and a base chained by Mr. Surveyor Macpherson in connection with his landless Natives surveys in Forest Hill Hundred and Hokonui district. Owing to the faulty nature of the existing triangulation, Mr. Macpherson undertook the measurement of a base line, being one of the sides of the original triangulation, and his triangles are established thereon. This base will be available for the revision of adjacent triangulation when required. Sural and Suburhan. —Of this class of survey, 10,473 acres has been surveyed and subdivided into (il sections, the average cost per acre being 2s. The greater portion of this area, which lias been surveyed for settlement, consists of old sawmill workings in flat country; the balance of :),7Kt acres, in 22 allotments, being sawmill areas in rough bush country. The average cost per acre i- somewhat greater than that of the previous year, but the increased cost is no doubt due to the rougher nature of the land generally. Town Swveyt. —Town surveys amounted to 4£ acres, comprised in two allotments, at an average cost of £6 2s. per allotment. Gold-mining Surveys. —This class comprises 280 acres, contained in 4 sections or claims, surveyed at an average cost of 3645. per acre. This area is little more than half of that returned last year, though the cost per acre is materially less. These surveys were all made by private surveyors, the cost of survey being deposited in each case by the applicant. Roads and Uailways. —Under this head a line of road 214 miles in length was surveyed, at a cost of £238 per mile. This was an engineering survey made for the Itoads Department. Utlttr Work. —The total cost for the year chargeable to this item is i>32l Is. lid., and was expended on the adjustment of road surveys, in ranging old survey lines, on inspection work, on street alignment, and in transfer expenses. l.dinl Transfer Surveys. —The Land Transfer Draughtsman, Mr. J. L. Dickie, reports that 90 plans were received for deposit, 72 of which have been approved, and 18 are still in hand. Th§ approved plans comprise 360 lots, representing a total area of 5,919 acres. Diagrams were placed on 490 certificates of title in duplicate, together with 31 single and 3 in triplicate, making a total of 1,020 diagrams, in addition, 37 instruments of title were checked with reference to areas, boundaries, Ac. The work in this Department shows an increase in all the items. Proposed Operations for li)U8-9. —During the ensuing year 1 purpose keeping Surveyors Kalkiuer and Macpherson on the landless Native blocks, and hope to get this work completed within that period. The other stall' surveyors will be employed on settlement blocks, including the block in Alton district at present in Surveyor Otway's hands, which will shortly be completed ; the Native reserve on west bank of the Waiau River : a block between Longwood and Orepuki, and another in Longwood Forest, near Otautau. An effort will also be made, if surveyors are available, to complete the surveys of the M.D.L.O. leases near Orepuki. This work was in Mr. Surveyor Mathias s hands at the time of his death, and was then abandoned. Another work urgently required is an alignment survey for the suburbs of Invercargill. The subdivisions of these suburb! have in some eases only been made on paper; in others the old surveys have originally been very inaccurate, ami the ground-marking has disappeared. Numerous surveys for bringing various allotments under the Land Transfer Act are constantly being made, and it is imperative that the various surveyors should have some standard lines to work from. 1 therefore purpose, in the event of the field staff being called in for any time during the winter, to utilise their services, as far as weather will permit, in laving down these lines. For this work only two or three of the chainmen would be required. Surveys of isolated areas for which survey fees have been deposited, scenic reserve surveys, and surveys of sawmill areas will be put as far as possible in the hands of private surveyors.
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Office-work, dec. —The Chief Draughtsman reports as follows: The number of plane checked during the year was 45, comprising 65 sections, embracing an area of 10,726 acres; miles of mads taken and closed, and 1J miles of railway land plans, besides 8 sheets of subtriangulation and other miscellaneous computations. In the early part of the year some assistance was rendered to the Head Office by the preparation here of a large drawing of the mountains of the South Island. This, with a similar map of the North Island already forwarded, was done to enable the Bead Office to republish the standard map of the Dominion. Some work was also added to a map of Thames County, for photo-lithographing early in the year. lam pleased to state that additions liave been made to the number of Land Transfer record-maps of this office, two of the larger survey districts having been compiled, and three ''hundred" maps —viz., Oreti, Aparima, and Jacob's River. All the surreys that have passed through the local Transfer Office during the last decade and earlier are now fully recorded on these maps, which greatly assists the work of this office. ll would appear that in the past this work has been in some way retarded, while the surveys under the Land Transfer system passing through this office have largely increased in number, and 1 triisi that opportunity will be found in the work of the oiliee during the coining year to extend the preparation of these maps. There were 49 lithographic tracings for sale-plans made, 195 workingtracings for surveyors and others, and 249 miscellaneous tracings; 74 Land Transfer deposited plans were traced for the Valuation Department; investigations were made into areas and number of persons in the landless Native blocks, and proof-sheets of them were compared with original lists. Other work consisted of compiling maps and lists of sawmill areas held, preparation <>! return of all reserves in the district, taking measurements, preparing plans, and attending Supreme Court and Magistrates' Court in connection with various cases. A new index for roads taken and closed was procured, and considerable progress has been made in recording therein particulars of road transactions. This work has involved a good deal of searching and investigation of titles in the Deeds Office, but the results obtained well repay the time spent in obtaining this information. There were 23 schedules in duplicate prepared for expenditure of "thirds" by local bodies. Diagrams were drawn as follows: Crown leases, 134 in quadruplicate, 59 in triplicate, I' l in duplicate. 26 single copies; certificates in lieu of grants, 93 in triplicate; 170 lithographs and plans were mounted, and diagrams drawn on 19 Native Land Court orders in duplicate. One new record-map and 3 new application maps were compiled. E. H. Wilmot, Chief Surveyor.
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APPKNDIX 11.
THE MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY AND THE MAGNETIC SURVEY. As in previous years, the routine work of the Observatory has been carried on in all its branches, and, in addition, the extra work entailed by the visits of the British Antarctic Expedition's vessel Xirarod," under Lieu ten ani Shackleton, and of the magnetic surveying vessel "Galilee," of the Carnegie Institute, under Mr. W. J. Peters. A considerable amount of work was also performed in connection with the scientific expedition to the Southern Islands, promoted by the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, assisted l>) , the (Government of New Zealand. irding tnagnetographe have been maintained in continuous working throughout the year, and the absolute magnetic observations necessary for standardising the curves obtained from the magnetographa have been duly made. Substantial progress has been made in the work of reducing the tables of hourly values of magnetic elemi ate from the ouryes of past years. In this connection 1 am informed by Dr. Chree thai the work of reduction <>f the magnetic observations made by the British National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-4, and the compilation and comparison of all the magnetic observations made at various observatories throughout the world in conjunction with that expedition, are nearing completion, and that the observations and results will very shortly be published. The magnetograms showing the curves of declination, horizontal magnetic force, and vertical magnetic force, for the nine most disturbed days of the year are herewith reproduced for the information of other observatories. The Milne seismograph No. 16 ha* also been kept in continuous operation, and the records obtained have been developed and measured. The number of earthquakes recorded during the twelve months was eighty-seven. A table is appended giving details of these records. Eight of the principal seismograms are reproduced herewith, including those of the Mexican earthquakes of iT.tl, and 27th March, L9OB. The meteorological observations were made regularly at 9..')0 a.m., and forwarded monthly for the information of the Weather-forecast Department. Since the beginning of January, 1908, these observations have also been made at 5 p.m. The observations have been furnished daily to (lie newspapers, for the information of the public. In December last there arrived at Lyttelton two expeditionary vessels, the " Nimrod " and the "Galilee," attracted here by the existence of the Magnetic Observatory in Christchurch. The " Nimrod " is the vessel of the present British Antarctic Expedition, under Lieutenant Shackleton. This expedition has made C'liristchurch its base for its Antarctic work. Several of the officers of the expedition —viz.. Dr. Marshall, and Lieutenants Adams and Macintosh—visited the Observatory with the magnetic instruments belonging to the expedition, and these latter were Rtandardised et the Observatory, and compared with the standard instruments of the Observatory. The practice afforded in the use of these instruments will prove a valuable addition to the preliminary instruction these szvTitlemen received at the National Physical Laboratory before leaving England. In older to increase the value of their magnetic work in the far south, it. was considered expedient to send down with the " Nimrod " the Kew magnetometer N.A.B.C. on loan to the Observatory, and hitherto used in the field-work of the magnetic survey of New Zealand. The committee of the National Physical Laboratory approved of this being done. A comparison of this magnetometer with our standard magnetometer No. ] was made, showing no alteration in the instrument since the previous comparison. On the return of the expedition to New Zealand the magnetometer N.A.B.C. will be returned here and another comparison made, and the dip circles of the expedition will again be standardised and their instrumental constants redetermined. Lieutenant Shaokleton has unfortunately, owing to the presence of ice-packs, been unable to land in King Edward VII Land, and had to make a landing in Victoria Land, where it is hoped, with his equipment, he will be able to push his way even farther south than Captain Scott, of the " Discover v." and the magnetic observations made there will be extremely valuable. The " Galilee " was an ocean magnetic surveying vessel, under charter to the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institute of Washington, and was under the command of Mr. W. J. Peters, late of the Zieglar North Polar Expedition, and had a scientific staff of four. The vessel was engaged upon the magnetic survey of the Pacific Ocean. All facilities were extended to Mr. Peters and staff for making a most complete comparison of his magnetic instruments with tliose of the Observatory and for doing other work. Both the " Nimrod " and " Galilee" were docked free of charge through the courtesy of the Lyttelton TTarbour Board. 8 courtesy which was much appreciated hv their respective authorities. Dr. Bauer, Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institute, informs me thai Uie Department is building a vessel especially designed for ocean magnetic surveying purposes. This vessel ir intended to complete the magnetic survey of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and will visit New Zealand in the courße of her work in order to compare instruments and connect her work with that done in New Zealand. Dr. Bauer has kindly sent out on
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loan to this Observatory a magnetometer of the latest pattern, for which our thanks are due. This fortunately prevents us feeling the loss of the N.A.B.C. magnetometer lent to the Antarctic Expedition. Magnetic Observations on the Southern Islands. In November last the scientific expedition organised by the Canterbury Philosophical Institute with assistance from the Government left the Bluff in the Government s.s. "'Hiuemoa" for the southern islands. The expedition was away three weeks, and the magnetic observers of the expedition were able to determine the magnetic elements at Port Pegasus in Stewart Island, and the Snares, and, besides, at three stations on Campbell Island and at eight stations on the Auckland Islands group. A full discussion of these observations is being prepared for inclusion in the volume to be published next year by the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, which volume »ill include all the scientific results obtained from the expedition. However, for the use of mariners, it is deemed advisable to publish herewith maps showing the values of the magnetic declination or valuation of the compass at points observed at. The instruments used were those l>elonging to the Observatory . Magnetic Observations oh the Chatham Islands. A magnetic survey of the Chatham Islands has recently been completed by myself, with the assistance of Mr. E. Kidson, M.Sc, formerly of this Observatory) and afterwards Demonstrator in Physics at Canterbury College, but now of the staff of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism i>r the Carnegie Institute of Washington. Observations were obtained in less than two months at twenty stations on the islands, in spite of the almost total absence of roads, which necessitated the employment of a sledge as a conveyance. In the first fifteen of these stations 1 had the assistance of Mr. Kidson. when, unfortunately, steamer arrangements necessitated his leaving to proceed to Washington. The present intention of his chief is to assign him important magnetic work in South America. For the convenience of mariners a map is published herewith, showing the values of the magnetic declination or variation of the compass at the points observed at. Further maps showing the various isomagnetic lines and disturbing forces will be published later, with a full discussion. All magnetic stations on the various islands have been marked in a permanent manner, ami permanent marks have been laid down, of which the true bearings have been determined. This will facilitate reobservation ai any of these stations in the future. The observations recently made in extension of our magnetic survey will prove a valuable addition to magnetic science, but there is still much to be done to them in the way of discussion in order thai they may yield their fullest and most valuable results. This must be the work of the Observatory in the immediate future. Altogether the past year has been a very successful one throughout the world for the science of terrestrial magnetism, and we may soon look forward to the completion of the magnetic survey of the globe, a work which, while of inestimable practical value to commerce, will also be of vast importance as a contribution to the treasures of science. I have to acknowledge the valuable services of my assistant, Mr. B. V. Pemberton, during the past year. In conclusion, I must return thanks to all the various observatories, institutions, and men of science who have kindly sent reports and scientific publications to this Observatory. Henry F. Sket, B.Sc, Officer in charge.
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Records of Milne Seismograph No. 16, at Christchurch. Latitude: 43° 31' 50" S. Longitude : 172° 37' 18" E. Time employed: Greenwich Mean Civil Time. Time: G.M.C.T., as stated above. P.T. = Preliminary tremors less than 2mm. complete range; A.T. = Aftertremors less than 2mm. complete range; B.E. = Beginning and end of vibrations not less than 2mm.; Amp. = Half-range in millimeters.
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axiiim Amp. E. A.T. till B.P. Remarks. from From To April, 1907. H. in. H. m. H. in. H. m. 9 54-4 .. 10 027 Mm. H. hi. H. m. Indefinite Sees. 7 5 .8 9 !0 19 6 32-5 7 020 7 30-9 21 11-4 21 39-8 21 486 0 072 0 320 0 3tv2 2 13-5 .. 2 21-8 Indefinite .. 18 10 7 4-1 7 52-7 1-5 22 00-5 1-5 0 42-4 1-3 0-7 9 25-8 22 506 2 00-5 3 270 Indefinite Followed by continuous tremors. Small, and in middle of night tremors. !4 23 40-9 24 02-6 24 047 1-1 24 07-8 24 38-8 4 9 a 5 58-3 6 08-7 6 180 8 29-9 .. 8 33-0 Indefinite 8 046 8 06 1 May, 190,7. 2-7 6 22-1 l'-'l 8 25-2 Indefinite 8 37-2 Indefinite i A.T. obscured by night tremors. Very Blight. P.T. and A.T. obscured by night tremors. Ditto. .3 .4 .7 !3 21 235 21 26-7 3 50-3 .. 4 02-9 1 22-6 .. 1 24 6 Indefinite .. 11 21-8 1-9 21 33-9 045 0-4 04 4 22-5 1 31-8 Indefinite Slight. In middle of minute night tremors. A.T. obscured by night tremors. In midiile of continuous tremors. P.T. and A.T. obscured by night tremors. B 5 08-6 5 13-5 5 138 and 5 158 1-4 5 20-0 n Indefinite .. 22 049 0-7 SI 12 51-8 12 58-0 4-9 13 19-7 3 46-2 ... 4 239 9 57-2 .. 10 10-7 12 17-9 .. 12 21-0 9 06-3 .. 9 07-9 Jone, 1907 5 39-9 11 48-9 12 35-5 9 17-7 B 8 L8 8 0-4 0-7 0-3 1-9 Felt in towns south of Timaru. Very small, carrot-shaped. L9 L9 17 17 28-6 19 038 19 30-7 19 32-2 Indefinite 22 43-0 22 49-2 1-9 19 44 1 6-0± 22 55-4 17 33-8 20 378 Indefinite In middle of continuous tremjrs. 8 8 !(> 19 !>J 0 481 .. 0 51-2 5 06-7 •• 5 10 8 14 21-5 0 55-7 .. 1273 19 51-4 .. 20 110 July, 1907. 0-25 .. ' 0-8 0-8 0-6 04 1 07-7 5 44-6 In middle of night tremors. 2 20-6 20 44-1 August, 1907. 7 38-6 8 12-'J 23 11-9 4 5 8 Lβ L8 L9 18 !.! 18 SI 6 391 .. 6 44-8 7 02-7 • • 7 04-7 21 54-4 22 05-7 22 06 8 3 57-7 6 17-6 .. 6 21-7 6 09-5 .. 6 16-8 7 10-0 .. 7 13-1 13 3H0 .. 13 47-3 19 20-8 .. 19 23-9 8 43-8 .. 8 48-9 0-8 0-3 2-4 22 11-9 6 321 6 30-2 7 38-0 14 00-7 20 10-4 8 59-3 Small, sudden. Swelling. Very small. 01 0-3 0-3 16 26-3 16 54-3 16 55-7 5 283 5 32-9 5 36-6 6 007 16 58 f, .. 17 03-8 5 03-8 I September, 1907. 1-5 17 01-4 2-2 5 40-2 6 58-3 6 32-8 17 32-7 5 12-1 A.T. continued for two hours. ± 2 Lβ M !1 1-4 " Thickening of line. .. I Swelling. 1 35-6 .. 2 05-8 and 2 07-7 Indefinite 22 051 22 058 , Indefinite 14 549 4 l.'iG .. 4 18-1 9 00-2 .. 9 02-3 October, 1907. 3 24-9 Indefinite 2 10 1-9 35 22 09-2 In middle of continuous tremors. In middle of night tremors. 11 17 17 5-9 Indefinite 0-2 0-4 4 34-0 9 10-4
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Records of Milne Seismograph No. 16, at Christchurch— continued.
lux inn' S f r o m »■ Al "l' ■• lil, BP Itamarki. " From To P.T. from B. A.T. till H.P. Uumarki. NOVEMBER, 1907. H. m. H. in. H. m. H. in. Mm. H. m. H. m. Sees. 8 Indefinite 18 06-3 18 109 .. 2-5 18 451 Indefinite .. P.T. and A.T. obsoured by night tremors. 8 12 879 .. 12 43-1 .. 0-4 .. „ .. Followed by continuous tremors. 8 21 49-3 .. I 21 59-7 .. 0-3 .. 22 121 12 7 100 .. 7 14-2 .. 0-9 .. 8 22-4 .. Followed by continuous 13 3 26-7 .. 3 34-9 .. 0-8 .. 4 29-8 .. tremors. 19 4 54-6 .. 4 59-8 and 5 11-7 0-9 .. 5 38-0 19 21 49-4 .. 22 06-5 .. 0-45 .. 22 33-9 21 9 04-9 .. 9 14-8 .. 045 .. 9 53-6 .. 21 20 48-4 .. 21 12-2 .. 0-6 .. 21 370 25 0 29-7 .. 0 33-8 .. 0-3 .. 1 02-8 20 8 05-8 .. 3 140 .. 0-8 .. 3 513 27 2 06-7 .. 2 09-8 .. 0-35 .. 2 150 .. 28' 3 41-9 ! 3 55-3 ; 0-2 .. 4 08-8 .. December, li)07. U 1 090 .. 1 27-3 .. 0-6 .. 2 01-8 .. 12 22 13-9 .. 22 18-0 .. 01 .. 22 201 15 Indefinite 17 55-3 18 078 .. 4-8 18 501 Indefinite .. P.T. and A.T. obsoured by night tremors. 18 1 41-3 .. 1 46-5 .. 015 .. 1 50-6 .. 23 1 36-6 .. .. .. .. .. 2 05-6 .. Thickening of line. 30 6 45-3 7 27-8 7 355 .. 1-9 7 526 9 070 January, 1908. 19 20 24 19 7 33-7 .. 7 42-0 .. 0-1 .. 8 068 .. •20 (146-5 .. .. .. .. .. 0 52-2 .. Small, oarrot-shaped. 24 0 46-8 .. 0 530 .. 0-9 , .. 1 432 February, 1908. 6 6 7 14 M ■11 27 87 6 1 50-4 ; .. .. .. .. .. 2 27-6 .. Thickening of line. 6 6 00-2 .. .. .. .. .. 6 06-2 .. Small, oarrot-shaped. 7 2 56-5 .. 3 00-C. .. 0-15 .. 3 03-7 14 1 031 .. 1 06-2 .. 0-7 .. 1 26-9 .. 24 23 57-8 24 015 24 02-r, .. 1-6 24 04-6 24 36-1 .. 27 0 21-6 .. .. .. .. .. 0 24-8 .. Minute. 27 9 19-6 .. .. .. .. .. 10 03-5 .. Swellings. 27 .. .. 12 30-4 .. 1-4 .. .. .. In middle of continuous tremors. Maximum appears at beginning of quake. 29 21 49-6 .. 21 55-8 I 0-4 .. 22 02 0 J .. March, 1908. S 2 28-8 2 52-1 2 59-8 .. 1-6 3 06-0 4 21-5 .. 15 Indefinite 10 19-4 10 20-4 .. 2-7 10 29-7 Indefinite .. P.T. and A.T. obscured by night tremors. 19 3 081 .. 3 11-7 .. 0-5 .. 3 55-7 I .. 21 4 25-8 .. .. .. .. .. 5 041 .. Thickening of line preceded and followed by minute tremors. 23 Indefinite 1146-6 12 062 .. 2-9 12 12-4 Indefinite .. P.T. and A.T. obscured by night tremors. 26 23 16-3 23 276 24 090 a nd 24 29-7 4-25 24 50-4 26 152 .. ) „ _ . . „ . 27-1 4 11-6 .. 4 53-5 and 5 15-2 055 .. 6 18-3 !.. j? Origm Mexico. B .6 9 !1 Iβ 17
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2.000-7/08-277
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Table 1.— SUMMARY of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908.
Minor Triangulation. Topographical Survey. TopoRraphical Survey for Selection as " Unsurvoyed Land. Rural and Suburban. Town Section Survey. Native Land Survey. Gold-mining Survey. Koads, Railways, and Water-race Other Work. Total Cost of Surveyors and Parties from 1st April, 1907 to 31st March, 1908. Land District. Acres. Acres. Acres. i< Acres. IS oi 09 ¥ Acres. ,| Acres. = * i< oo « Acres. 0 CO fl Miles. Cost per Kile. Cost. Auckland Hawke's Bay 77,000 d. 0-33 d. 25,688 d. 1-91 j 81,036 34,360 447J 179 s. 2-27 1-47 104 21 > 269 50 8. 119 22-6 («)17,498 30 «, (4,638 2 <> (3,532 5 ; d. 717 4-84 20-88 - f - 8. I 102-54 20-25 £ 27-59 22 65 £ s. d. 3,119 11 6 1,119 6 3 £ s. d. 18,857 18 1 6,490 14 6 Taranaki 95,400 1-41 36,486 J 2-40 15 61 12-56 4562 17-56 1,213 9 S 6,551 10 2 .. Wellington .. 6,178 4-36 4,684 J 2-73 1,560 864 24-30 J (*)l,063 12 3364 22-62 17-75 1,802 9 0 8,716 2 10 9 1 12-81 23-62 18-91 910 0 2 8,454 6 1 Nelson 37,300 108 1,695 772 44,297 5-32 42,736 143 2-42 188 173 37-11 .. i 31 .. Mailborough.. 7,738 92 3-26 36-4 2112 498 4 2 2,630 16 6 Westland .. 30,050 6-32 23,845 257 2-71 14 61 20-45 I .. 32-6 8-05 425 12 9 4,693 8 0 Canterbury .. 25,829 0-78 255 10 4-22 63 i 34 44-6 2-44 3316 132 7 9 856 12 1 Otago 56,521 2-29 37,326 184 1-31 7-5 16 61-62 30-25 719 130 6 2 3,050 6 2 Southland 14,852 1-28 10,473 61 202 4-5 2 1220 214 23-8 321 1 11 2,501 9 2 •• ■• Means and totals ! — 224,552 0-98 120,273 316 69,985 4-07 I 279,547 l,507i 2-14 1,977 1,530 23-86 26,731 49 49 I 12-25 31 1 12-81 ! 317-58 19-88 9,672 8 11 62,802 19 4 Licensed eurveyors (paid by applicants) .. 193 193,330 521 4,234 79 Totals .. 220 80 220,061 570' 4,265 (•) Native Land Court. cb) Maori Land Board.
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28
Table 1. —RETURN of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908.
Minor Triangulation and Topographical Survey. Rural and Suburban. Town Section Survey. Native Land Survey. Gold-mining Survey. Koads, Railways, and Water-races. Other Work. Total Cost of Surveyor and Party from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908. Surveyor and District. Remarks. Acres. m S Acre. L,| Acres. S SI SB Acres, |I }j Acres. ,--. || i Cost per Mile. Cost. ,AND DIS' RIOT OF AU< IKLAN Staff Surveyors. J. Langrauir. Auckland d. s. I B. s. £ I £ 8. d. 105 10 5 £ s. d. 1,211 3 5 G. A. Martin. Mangakahia, &c. .. H. D. M. Haszard. Thames, &c. W. J. Wheeler. Motatau, &o. .. R. S. Galbraith. Piako, &c. J. B. Thompson. Patetere, <feo. .. A. Wilson. Otanake, &o. A. G. Allom. Waiawa A. Stretton. Opotiki H. F. Edgeoumbe. Whakatane, &c. A. A. Seaton. Waoku, &c. A. J. Mountfort. KawhiaN.andS. H. M. Kensington. Patetere 77,000 •2,508 ♦21,458 •1,722 033 101 205 1-53 - 1,383 1,729 2,438 10,428 2,137 1,777 10,583 2,450 2,401 2,357 •• 14 13 16 95 15 •• 4 54 21 4 1 3-53 112 1-88 018 3-17 3-99 1-31 3-45 200 1-25 Qβ 252 11-75 565 24-00 •• 11-00 2-60 12-50 2-97 7-00 10-55 6-72 28*4 13-88 13-59 29-55 15-11 22-52 34-95 285 1 0 540 19 8 219 6 8 312 16 1 250 9 9 37 6 0 137 3 7 66 15 10 153 14 11 154 4 4 494 5 0 567 16 8 1,313 2 7 787 17 0 1,219 12 3 739 8 10 538 12 10 738 12 0 1,002 2 11 785 7 8 790 0 7 83-2 2 6 Engaged on Auckland City standard. " Other work " is inspection, &c. Rough bush-cutting. " Other work " is reports, <fec. Retired 31st December, 1907. Open. "Other work" is principally inspection, valuation reports, <tc. Bush and open. Has 3E.000 acres Maori Land Board work in progress. Open and swamp. " Other work " is underground survey of Taupiri Mines, &o. Mostly open. "Other work" is various duties, reports, &c. Bush and open. Road-work principally for Roads Department. Rough bush country. Very broken bush country. Mostly open. Includes portion Waimana Settlement. Mostly heavy bush. Mostly bush. Opeu. "Rural" is work done in previous year, now mappfd Engaged on Auckland standard survey nil the year. Broken ; heavy bush. Bush and open. Transferred to New Plymouth. Heavy bush and open. Includes portion Waimana Settlement. M.,stly "Other work" principally reports, &c, for Waiariki Maori Land Board. Very broken bush. Mostly bush. Bush and open. Scattered surveys. Open. Office survey. Op.-n. Subdivision Manukau Harbour endowment. Office survey. "l - •• .. •• .. .. J. Jj. D'Aroy Irvine. Rotorua, &o. L. Jackson. Wuangaruru 4,696 1,245 12 0 3-5:1 4-76 •• ■• •• 11-50 15 50 82 2 0 72 0 0 795 17 0 233 19 7 V. I. Blake. Whakatane, <fec. .. 5,980 10 317 0 17 1410 10-00 24-59 109 5 5 775 8 4 - H. T. Mitchell. Maketu, &c. 21 ■2 23-95 3,439 28 24-63 3-00 248 173 5 1 646 13 0 P. E. Byrne. Waioeka, &o. W. G. O'Neill. Maungataniwha, &c. P. S. Sherratt. Whaingaroa, &c. T. K. Thompson. Hukerenui W. C. Spenoer. Titiraugi 7,025 845 516 48 362 11 8 11 1 33 2-67 5-40 4-75 6-72 • 13,494 "l '2-00 '5-50 1-93 60*58 3358 10 3 5 61 17 9 46 14 4 17 1 3 11 14 8 780 7 6 657 1 9 530 3 10 28 9 3 133 8 2 " - - - •• •■ •• .. • • .. • • • • •To| ihical Burve;
c.—v.
Table 1. —RETURN of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908— continued.
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29
Minor Triangulation and Topographical Survey. Rural and Sul >urban. '. Town Section Survey. Native Land Survey. Gold-mining Survey. Roads, Railways, and Water-races. Other Work. Total Cost of Surveyor and Party from let April, 1907, to 31et March, 1908. Remarks. « Surveyor and District. Acres. +> S Acres, jj'3 ¥ Acres. I °. Acrei. _q « 3 Aoree - Sections. § I i Cost per Mile. Cost. a. B. LAND DIST: , s - :ct i IF AUCKLAND— continued. d. , s. £ | £ s. d. £ s. d. Temporary Staff. P. W. Barlow. Waioeka A.D.Newton. Mangakahia •• 4,303 6,040 7 15 1-59 1-56 " 122 7 0 929 1 0 357 5 2 Very broken bush. Bush and open. Joined field staff November, 1907, includes cost of work done by Mr. G. A. Martin in One Block. Bough bush country. Mostly open. Ditto, Deoember, 1907. Open. •• ■■ V John Reilly. Harataunga W.M.Atkinson. Wbangarei F. J. Hosking. Tokatoka - '430 79 ■. *2-50 9-27 .. .. .. 12-90 0-47; 50-51 - 29 11 0; 67 4 4 650 7 0 250 12 2 36 12 0 .. Licensed Surveyors. W. M. Atkinson. Purua, &o. B. Campbell. Whangaroa P. E. Gheal. Kaihu, &o. A. L. Foster. Harataunga, &c. .. - 1,217 603 2,558 12 3 3 6 1 1-57 201 1-46 5-25 .. .. •• - 95 6 8 . 60 12 6 187 0 0 28 3 0 Bush. Open. Open. Mostly open. Mostly open. " Other work " is defining Crown land boundary for timber measurement. Mostly open. Mostly open. " Other work " is marking bush boundary and Wharepuhunga Blook. Bush and open. - 25 - 0 o| .. ■■ I M. F. Haszard. Waitoa, &e. F. J. Hosking. Tutamoe, &c. 2,062 4 1-491 .. ■• 0-90J 25-58 5"o 0 177 0 4 5 0 0 A. M. Kelly. Coromandel F. V. Kelly, Harataunga, &o. T. W. Kenny. Ohinemuri, &o. .. T. J. Mountain. Whitianga, &o... A. D. Newton. Pirongia A. C. Turner. Whakatane 200 1,150 855 780 947 795i 1 3 4 5 2 3 2-50 1-65 3-91 2-27 097 203 j - .. .. .. •■ •• - 25 0 0 95 0 0 9 0 0 88 11 9 45 19 0 145 15 10 Mostly open. I Bush and open. Rough bush country. " Road " is contract survey. Mostly broken bush country. Bush and open. Mostly broken bush country. .. .. 3-(X) 21-67 ' .. Percy Ward. Maungamuka, &c... G. Whitcombe. Kawhia North, &a. Wilson and Jacksnn. Otamatea, <&e. •• 318 212 54 217 0-57 3-24 32 7 0 6 0 0 8 15 0 •• ■■ Means and totals .. 77,000 •25,688 0-33 1-91 81,036 447 2-27 104 269 11-90; 17,498, 30 7-17 7-17 .. i 102-54 27-59 3,119 11 6 18,857 18 1 Licensed Surveyors (paid by applicants) Totals .. 150744 250 .. 1,253 ! 20 .. 168242 280 .. 1,253 ' 20 • Provisional surveys.
30
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Table 1. —RETURN of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908— continued.
Minor Triangulation and Topographical Purvey. Rural and Suburban. Town Section Survey. Native Land Survey. Gold-mining Survey. Roads, Railways, and Water-racee. Other Work. Total Cost of Surveyor and Party from Surveyor and District. Remarks. Acres. - £ o-< O o = Acres. « a to --. Acres. O g a> *j Acres. a || do O . No. of »g Aore "- Sections. «« O 3 Cost per Mile. Cost. to 31st March, 1908. Li ND D] ST ,ICT OF HAW: •SBA' Staff Surveyors. T. N. Brodrick.f: Gisborne a. s. I s. • d. 6. £ j £ s. d. 645 9 2 £ e. d. 645 9 2 Thomas Brook. Matapiro, Norsewood, Ac. T. W. Hughes. Mohaka and Clyde E. H. Hikurangi, Tuahu, Ac.'. J. Roddick. Turanganui, Koranga' W. C. Wall. Pourerere, Norsewood, &c. 10,518 1-80 888 2 8 1 This includes inspection of surveve, expenses connected with settlement lands, reports, and general office administration. [Bush country. 53 61 8 4 •• 2^959 1 0-74 •4,63s| 2 4-84 4-84 8-00 21-00 95 14 0 12 0 0 945 5 8 976 1 0 Rough bush country. Rough broken country. • .. 5,930 4,251 38 34 1-23 1-95 11 16 16-87 1-25 31-43 54 10 i 121 17 9 819 9 0 . 556 14 10 This officer has closed up his work, and has left the service. Surveys were in partly open and hilly country. This officer has closed up hie work, and has left tbe seivice. The blocks surveyed all in hilly oountry. G. H. Davis. Patutahi and Waingaromia 10,287 0-91 469 13 1 E. H. Walshe. Motutaria, Kidnapper 241 6-35 35 18 6 118 1 11 26] Temporary Staff. J. G. Wilson. Mangaoporo, Waiapu, Waimaramn, &c. R. C. L. Reay. Waiau. 16-88 10 100-00 91 19 2 764 13 2 These were very isolated surveys in localities difficult of access. This officer has closed up his work, and his services, which were only engaged for this special survey, have been terminated. The work executed was in rough hilly country. 168 ■2 •• 11-00 i 22-54 t3,532! 5 20-88 307 4 0 Means and totals 34,360 179 1-47 21 50 22-60 8,170 T 11-77 i 22-65 .. .. •• .. 20-21 1,119 6 i 6,490 14 6 Licensed Surveyors (paid for by applicants) Total .. .. 15,616 28 .. 23,786 35 • Maori Land Board. t Native Land Court.
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LAND DISTRICT OF TARANAKI.
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31
Staff Surveyors. H. M. Skeet. Ohura, Piopiotea West, and general 49,400 l-40i 8,572 15 2-99 •• 20-75 15-84 I 700 12 0 609 2 9 "Other work" includes standard survey of Hawera. Appointed Chief Draughtsman, Hokitika, 31st August, 1907. 1,227 14 9 Cadet assisting. G. H. Bullard. Pouatu, Mahoe, Txngitu, Opaku W. T. Mnrpeih. Mahoe, Taurakawa, Omara W. LainR. Hinui, Taurakawa.Tua, Tainui E. O. Weir. Totoro E. P. Halse. Mahne D.A.Crawford. Mahoe 1,948 ■2 119 1-75 12-23 136 9 1 15 • 6,532 2-89 995 9 5 758 9 8 •• •• .. .. 4-62 21-43 177 16 10 15,000 1-5 8^925 2-59J 15 61 1256 12-75 16-94 26 15 0 781 8 0 805 15 5 432 2 10 is]800 1-45 17 - 19 13 2 __ •• Temporary Swreyor. N. C. Kensi' gton. Waro, Ohura, Piopiotea West 15,200 1-32 10,509! 17 1-67 5-75 23-64 34 18 0 824 1 4 Office Surveyor. T. G. Sole. Geueral 46 13 6 46 13 6 Scattered surveys done from office ; remainder o time engaged in indoor duties. Contract Survyor. H. W. Climie. Opaku ... i 70 12 6 Subdivision of Run 5, Block X, Opaku Survey District. 6,551 10 2 70 12 6 - ■• Means and totals 240 12-56 95,400 141 36.486J 66 15 61 •• 17-56 1,213 9 3 6,551 10 2i •• Licensed surveyors (paid by applicants) 9,547 -"— 12 I Staff Surveyors. Climie, J. i>. General .. LAND >ist: ,ICT OF WEL: ingto: 398 5 6^ 893 3 5i " Other work " comprises revision of triangulation of Port Nicholson, various check points, attending Supreme Court, office cop\irg, various scattered surveys, examination of Hurveyors' assistants, conferences and inspections in conjunction with SurveyorGeneral, testing chains, and Defence sur-4-6 22-40 893 3 5i •• ..i •■ Thompson, F. A. Kaitieke Lowe, H. J. Belmont, Akatarawa, 2,452 738 2-92J 1-H 66 138 •• <)■:« 1-5 10 24-66 2500 236 3 2 209 7 7 1.159 4 2 512 6 6! veys. 1.159 4 2 Included in "other work" is also cost of inspection of grass - seed areas. Cadet assisting. 512 6 6" Other work" comprises inspections and survey at Wilton's Bush, and attending to bush fires. Survey of Scenery Reserve at Ohau for fencing, and also a number of small surveys around Wellingt n City. The Kaitoke survey was much hindered by wet weather. 721 1 2 Flat, undulating, and rough bush country. " Other work " includes scattered small surveys, inspection of forest-areas, and of grass-fire areas, <tc. Cadet assisting. .. 1,063 Strachan, J. R. Wairarapa, Mangahao, Mangaone •6,178 436 12 33-641 135 2 10 * Topographical survey.
32
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Table 1. —RETURN of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908— continued.
Surveyor and District. Minor TriauRulacion and Topographical Survey. Rural ami Suburban. Town Section Survey. Native Land 8urvey. Gold-mining Survey. Kos.de, Bailways, and Water-races. Other Work. Total Cost of Surveyor aud Party from 1st April, 1907, to 3l8t March. 1908. i u i a.» Acres. - £ Acres. a'S I Acres, o 2 5 g Acres. s g ~ b No. of =•» Sections. g» 1 i Cost per Mile. Cos*. Remarks. Acres. lan: DISTRICT OF WELL JNGTO! — continued. Mountfort, C. A. Tauakira, Waipakura, and Momahaki Stevenson, John. Makotuku and Harete d. : 8. B. d. I 8. I „. t £ s. d. 627 6 7 , 58 18 0 £ s. d. 719 13 10 899 6 8 " Other work comprises widely scattered surveys and inspections. Forest-clad, rough, hilly country, intersected by numerous ravines. "Other work" includes grasR - seen inspections, and small surveys and inspections. Cadet assisting one month. Sectional work in rouph, hilly bush country, difficult of access. Being selection before survey, a good deal of time lost in giving settlers their boundaries. " Other work " includes a small check survey at Castlecliff, near Wanganui. Rough bush country. " Other work " consists of grass-fire inspections. Cadet assisting. " Other work " includes surveys adjoining Kakahi Village Settlement, and at Manunui, which were completed in the field before the end of the year. Also grass-seed inspections. Surveys mostly in heavy - bush country. A great deal of bad weather was experienced at the start of the Ohakune Township survey. Rough bush country. "Other work" consists of grasB-fire inspections. "Other work" is inspection of grass-fire areas and survey inspections. 1,440 4 2-23 .. .. .. Roberts, A. M. Ngamatea .. 1362 7 18 4 852 12 0] 15-04 • Girdlentone, H. E. Manganui .. Johnston, T. A. Hunua, Kaitieke, and Makotuku 2r. 33p. lr.2-5p. 1 17s. 9d. 30 13 15 oi 789 18 10 .. 64 44 1200 1,056 433 28 1-5 14-66 88 11 0 763 9 6 Stewart, W. Manganui.. 0-5 7 10 712 6 0< 20 0 0 684 0 'Ji ■ ■• - - •• •• Campbell, 0. N. Ruahine, Makotuku, Karioi Means and totals .. .. *6,178 4-3i 437 2-79 25-56 2400 4-36 1,560 864 24-30 1,063 12 33 64 1775 1,802 9 o| 8,716 2 10] 4,684 58| 2-73 22-62 Licensed surveyors (paid by applicants) 17,423 129 Grand total .. ,. 18,486 131 * Topographical survey.
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LAND DISTRICT OF NELSON.
33
Staff Surveyors. J. A. Montgomerie. Reefton, <fec. 920 Hi r,-( 129 87 43-79 13-371 12-62' 390 15 10 918 6 9i " Other work" consists of general office- work, reports on school-sites, and land and survey inspections. M. Carkeek. D'Urville Island .. 1,090 0 6 Native land survey, D'Urville Island (40,000 acres), trig, and sectional; twenty-six trig, stations erected, five observed, and fifty miles coastal trav. completed. B. T. Sadd. Wangapeka, Tutaki 182 1 1 987 14 1 " Other work " includes reports, inspections, and standard work, Ac. Cadet assisting from August, 1907. •27,412 7-1 6,168 •20 1-41 J. Snoclgrass Kongahu, &o. 5,584 2-94 J 30-5 31 1 141 10 0 925 2 8 Chiefly rural (includes £361 13s. 6d. incurred by J. A. Montgomerie). "Other work" consists of various inspections, reports, valuations, and duties of Land Officer. 15, 74 12-8 J. D.Thomson. Totaranui, &o. .. 11,000 •12,580 * 1,025 14 2 0-73 062 7,809] 24 2 08 49 1 3 "Other work" consists of reports, inspections, &c. Cadet assisting from May, 1907. H. Maitland. Aorere and Takaka 5,000 •4,305 H;695 0-72 772 7-72 2,119 6-37 5-00 418 14 16 0 857 15 0 Scattered applications in rough broken country. " Other work " consists of report and defining old boundaries. IV C. W. McFarland, Whangapeka .. - - 200 6 11 Began work in this district 1st; January, 1908. - •■ J. Cumine. Maruia i 841| , 4-571 1-25 203 42 16 0 822 4 1 " Other work " consists of reports, minor surveys and definition, and resurvey of bound aries for settlers, Maruia. Temporary Staff. S. L. Fairhall. Matiri .. 41 ,OUVi 1-35 12,497 40 2-08 29 19 2944 2-9 1200 71 16 01 889 10 8 " Other work " consists of cost of completing prov. surveys, Braeburn Settlement and Mangles-Blackwater Block ; reports, valuations, <fcc. Mr. W. J. Moynihan assisting from January, 1908. 6,798 11 2 07 1-1 800 17 4-0 737 11 3 This work was executed by Mr. J. H. Buttress, authorised assistant. "Other work" consists [of three small road surveys, one for Roads Department, and work in Nelson office. Big Bush Block; contract let 27th January, 1908: area, 13,900 acres; contract price, £926 13s. 4d. One progress payment of £55 16s. approved. Contract Surveyor. P. I. Ledger •• ". •■ •• •• •■ •• •• •• Means and totals 37,300 •44,297 fl,C95 108 5-32 772 42,736 1H 2-42 188 173 3711 — • • 31 1 12 81 2362 1891 910 0 2 8,454 6 1 Licensed surveyors (paid by applicants) 5 •• •• •• • • •• 315 .. •• • Provisional surveys. t Topographical survey.
34
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Table 1.—RETURN of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908— continue d.
Surveyor and District Minor Triaiigulat and Topograph Survey. Acres. :ion ical Kural aud Suburban Acres. #s -g G Town Section Survey. Native Land Survey. Acre.. ?0 || Gold-mining Survey. Roads, Kail- Total Cost \ ways, and Other Work. o f Water-raceF. Surveyor au<l Party from 1st April, 1907. to 1 Cost 31st March, 2 per Cost. 1908. - Mile. Reuiat ks. fa o Acres, o≤ ■£ S L, nd d: I st: .icT o: mar: iBOROUi 5H. Staff Surveyors. D. W. Gillies. Wakamarina, Cloudy Bay d s. 8. I 8 - £ 22 00 £ s. d. 77 18 8 £ s. d. 806 12 6 Settlement-surveys in heavy bush; sometime-) in very high country, adjoining old surveys. '•• Other work " comprises sowing grass seed [on Crown Land, defining old boundaries, repons, &c. Cost was largely increased by bush fires. 3,840 •• •• a-a l F. E. Greenfield. (Various districts) 206 18 2 206 18 a Party casualiv employed. Work comprises inspection, £39 11s. 7d. ; cutting out scenio reserves alone East CoastBnad, £60 5s 10d.; compass survey of sawmill area, Opouri Valley, £73 2s. 8d. ; standard surveys, £33 18s. Id. Temporary Surveyors. A. P. Seymour. Orieri, Gore, Linkwater 3-001 28-00 21-751 43 12 0 826 17 10 Small isolated surveys in heavy bush, road surveys are mostly through heavy bush in the Sounds, and are .very tortuous. " Other work " consists of cutting old boundary-lines, reports, &c. 911 A. 3. Wicks. Wakamarina, Onamalutu 2,987| •27: 2 00 6-2 18-00 169 15 4 790 8 0 Settlement surveys in heavy bush in high country, adjoining old Mirve>s. "Other work " comprises compass surveys of sawmill areas, report on Upper Wakamarina Valley, sowing grass-seed on Crown land, office-work, &c. Means and totals 36-4 21-12 2,630 16 6 7,738 92 3-26 •• I .. • • • • •• • • 498 4 2 W. Wilson. General .. lan: DISTRK OF ESTL, D. 140 7 01 Mr. Wilson was fully occupied on roads anc construction- works. Transferred on lal August as District Road Engineer. 1,950 518 120 7 11 856 18 11 Surveys in heavy-bush country, with man) connecting traverses. Other work include! reobserving new trig.-point and repairing old trigs. C. H. Morieon. Mawheranui, Mawheraiti, Kopara, Haupiri 35 •• ••
35
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A.N. Harrop. Mabinapua, Kaniaro, Waimea, Greymoutb, Otira, Tβ Kinga, Waiwhero ,744! 125, 43 14 15 21 6-76 1 11! Mr. Harrop's work has been spread over a considerable area, much varied isolated sections necessitating long connecting-tra-verses. " Other work " includes reports to Land Board, Warden, and inspections. Heavy bush country. " Other work " includes reports for Land Board, repairing trig. stations, and small isolated surveys. £142 14s. carried forward ior settlemeutsurveys in hand. »,ow J. Cunningham. Haast, Matakitaki •6,000 4-5 16-5 7 19 4,756i 31 2-85 •• 73 2 8 876 16 8 Temporary Staff. W. P. Robinson. Punakaiki, Arnold Valley, Grey. 11 47 997 15 0 Bush country; expensive to work in. Assistant last three months. " Other work " includes standard survey to define Crown lands at Greymouth. Much scattered in heavy forest country ; expensive to work in. Mr. Webb was transferred to Wellington. Wataroa River-bed. • • 10,082 37 219 22-08 89 0 3 S. T. Burton. Karangarua, Waiho •14,250 8-2 2,061 2-98 7-12 6-51 17 0 0 874 5 0 19 - P. E Webb. Wataroa 3,250J 17 2-25 189 2 0 Means and totals 30,050 6-32 14 61 20-45 32-6 805 425 12 9 23,843 257 2-71 • • • • • • 4,693 3 9 Licensi SUI :veyors (] iaid for Gi by applicant! and total 0 •• 540 6 540 6 ,AND 'IS' 'RICT OP CANTERBUB iP CAN' 'erbu: :Y Staff Surveyors. G. H. M. MeClure. Akaroa, Chriet- '25,829 0-78 church. Halsweli. Arowhenua, Patiti, Bakaia, Gulverden, Mandamus 1-39 84 44-60! 2-44 33- If; 132 7 9 856 12 1 Undulating and hilly open country. Cadet assisting " other work " inspections. Small surveys in City of Cbristchurch, and at Lyttelton and Uanmer. Titnaru standard survey-work, also standard traverse at Rakaia. Survey of drains for Public Trustee. Inspecting and valuing Culverden Estate. Attending Arbitration Court. General office- work and reports. Means and totale .. .. £5,829 0 78 £5,829 0-78 255! 10 4-22 68 84 44-60! 2-4-S 33-16 132 7 9\ 856 12 1 .. ■• lan: DISTRIC OF O' AGO Subdivision of Meadowbank Settlement, Part of Otekaike Settlement, and blocks in Blackstone District. Absent fr,<m district in Gisborne office part of the year. Topographical, subdivision of Otekaike runs ; rural includes Airedale Settlement and part Otekaike. Surveyed part of Otekaike Settlement and S.G. runs ; then transferred to Hawke's Bay. _ Staff Surveyors. t>. M. Calder. Blackstone, Meadowbank, and Otekaike 12,558 51 1-22 - 56 19 0 821 15 8 W. T. Neill. Dunedin and Moeraki 1-5 1 100-00 43 12 6 179 6 11 •• •• •• D. Innes Barron North and South Otago •20,450 0-61 16,836 • 0-96 β-oi 13 55-85 18-5 6-35 18 0 0 1,125 5 9| H. E. Walshe. Otekaike •11,670 01,1 1,956 9 0-99 600i 5-39 160 11 0 I • Topofjn .pbical.
C—U.
Table 1.—RETURN of Field-work executed by the Staff and Contract Surveyors, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908— continued.
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Minor Triangulatiou and Topographical Survey Rural and Suburban. Town Section Surrey. Native Land Survey. Gold-mining Survey. Roads, Bailways, and Water-racec Other Work. Total Coit of Surveyor aud Party from 1st April, 1907, to SlBt March. 1908. Surveyor and District. fa Acres. - £ c< — 4 p ~5i ! if" Acres, o i gf d l| Acres. . c | do U 'A •g g Acres. No. of Sections. Id o 3 3 Cost Cost. Remark*. la: D DISTRICT IT OP OTAGO — continu id. Temporary Staff. D. MaopherRon. Lee Stream 4-49 8. 8. ( d. 8. £ s. d. £ s. d. 80 2 7 •24,401 ■2-5 1514 Topographical, subdivision of Run 186 into six S.G. runs ; all boundaries traversed. Transferred to Invercargill early in year. Include* settlement blocks in Blackstone, St. Bathans, and Taumaca Settlements, in Tautuku District. Six weeks were lost by bad weather. Transferred to Nelson in January. C. W. MoFarland. Blackatone, St. Bathans, Tautuku, and Poma haka 5,514 34l 2-47 544 0 al . I Licensed Surveyors. O. Mackenzie. Kawarau and Lorn L. D. Macgeorge 28 2 434, 10 5-93 3-76 a'-oo "i 4-001 •• 3-25 9-23 11 14 8 20 0 8 119 3 4 Small surveys for fees deposited by applicants. Road-survey as per arrangement. •• Means and totals .. 56,521 30-25 7-19 2-29 37,326J 184 1-31J 7-5 16 6162 •• 130 6 21 3,050 6 2 I * Topographical survey. Licensei surveyors (] iaid for Gi iy applicani tnd total i) 1,840 44 .. 1,840 44 Staff Surveyors. C. Otway. Blocks VI and XI, Alton District D. Macpherson. Waiau, Forest Hill, Hokonui. Takitimo, &c. ID DJ ,st: ;ICT OP SOUTHLAND. iF SOUTHLAND. 42 1 4 877 13 4 All bush country ; flat, undulating, and partly broken, 10,000 aores. Cost of triangulation covers chainage of baseline. Partly bush. •• " •■ •• •• 14,852 1-28 1-28) O-β 1 118-00 •ill 23-8 262 17 7 706 6 6 Temporary Staff. N. L. Palkiner. Invercargill Hundred 6,763 . 204 16 3 0 917 9 4 Plat country ; old sawmill workings. " Other work " includes cost of unfinished work. Licensed Surveyors. J. Blaikie H. R. Dundas T. S. Miller 388 2,412 910 3 16 6 1-92 198 1-99 400 12600 Sawmill areas. Fees deposited by applicants. Mostly sawmill areas. Paid for by fees deposited by applicants. 1 •• •• .. •• ■■ •• .. • ■ .. . . .. .. -. 14,852 1-28 2-14 23 8 Means and totals 10,4731 61 202 4-5 12200 •• .. .. .. 321 Ill 2,501 9 2 Licensed surveyors (paid for by applicants) Grand total 286 4 286 4
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Table 2. —Showing Surveyors employed and the Work on Hand on 1st April, 1908.
Table 3. —Plans placed on Crown Grants and other Instruments of Title from the Crown from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908.
Table 4. —Work done under the Land Transfer Act, &c., from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908.
Table 5. —Lithographs and Photographs printed and sold, from 1st April, 1907, to 31st March, 1908.
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Surveyors employed. Work on Hand. ief Surveyors. Staff. Te ™P°- Land District. Trig. Settle- Native ment. Blocks, Ac. Boade. Mining Town, and Mineral Leases. . Mackenzie I. Trent f. Simpson . Strauchon I. T. Sadd (acting) P. Stephenson Smith i. J. Roberts B. C. Gold Smith X Barren G, H. Wilmot .. ickenzie rent mpson rauchon Sadd (acting) te ph enaon lith ) 1 17 6 6 10 7 1 4 Auckland •I Hawke's Bay 1 Taranaki Wellington .. 2 Nelson ■2 Marlborough Sq. Ml. 15625 1500 Acres. I Acres. 138,881 54,652 59,450 60,557 95,868 20,395 86,419 26,243 69,242 41,600 26,900 877 Miles. 182 5 290 23-5 101 10 57 0 Acres. : Acres. '50 '.'. iitn Roberts Gold Smith MTon . Wilmot .. 3 1 3 2 2 Westland .. 1 Canterbury .. Otago 1 Southland .. 11000 43,639 27,216 60,318 10,000 20,400 60 .. 64 6-5 Totals 56 15 281-25 617,933 224,724 303-6 117 fit
District. Singly. Number. In Duplicate. In Triplicate. In Quadruplicate] Total Copies. Number. Cost. Auckland Hawke's Bay Taranaki Wellington .. Nelson Marlbo rough Westland .. Canterbury .. Otago Southland .. 10 "4 2 4 43 25 62 117 18 22 65 45 137 70 78 89 756 51 102 162 80 23 24 271 152 380 70 72 77 46 45 59 24 3,922 667 634 840 558 339 510 351 969 1,195 £ s. d 230 15 0 50 3 9 53 13 6 42 0 0 55 16 0 60 14 0 97 0 0 44 17 0 198 0 0 86 7 0 134 Totals .. 88 703 1,621 907 9,985 919 6 3
District. I No. of Flans passed. Deeds and Number of Plane placed on Certificates of Title. Miscellaneous Flans drawn or compiled. Cost. Instruments passed. Singly. In Duplicate. In Triplicate. Auckland Hawke's Bay .. Taranaki Wellington Nelson Marlborough .. Westland Canterbury .. Otago Southland 368 206 110 360 86 26 33 380 65 72 1,752 546 841 3,170 177 27 7 50 2 4 1,806 941 366 3,285 240 109 , 85 781 490 48 34 1 87 22 2 20 £ s. d. 375 16 0 601 7 11 263 5 11 1,388 7 6 160 2 8 40 12 6 125 10 9 1,194 11 8 338 4 2 290 0 0 2,725 1,430 37 29 12 31 "25 10 40 34 10 '3 Totals 1,706 10,678 162 10,301 121 215 4,777 18 8
District Number of Lithographs printed. Number of Photographs | P nnted - L.thographs Auckland Hawke'a Bay Taranaki Wellington Nelson Maryborough Westland Canterbury Otago Southland Totals " I 5,300 610 5,910 £ s. d. 133 16 5 34 11 0 61 14 11 66 4 2 9 12 10 49 19 1 11 15 8 47 2 0 170 6 3 37 19 9 5,910 623 2 1 Authorit; : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—1908.
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NORTH ISLAND (TE IKA-A-MAUI) NEW ZEALAND
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SOUTH ISLAND (TE WAI-POUNAMU)
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1908-I.2.2.2.2
Bibliographic details
DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: SURVEYS, Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908 Session I, C-01a
Word Count
25,742DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: SURVEYS Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908 Session I, C-01a
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