H.-1.

14

in the office. The scales generally used are eight inches to a mile for agricultural land, four or eight inches for pastoral lands, and sixteen to forty inches for towns. Topographical maps on the scale of two or four inches to a mile are also made, either before or after the section survey. The surveyor's fair plan, on being passed, becomes the record from which grants are prepared; it is not the custom to make duplicates. Like the survey itself, the record maps are generally completed by blocks, and the sections are numbered consecutively within such blocks; and as, in each trigonometrical district, every point is laid down on the sheets by its computed coordinates parallel and perpendicular to one central meridian, the common edges of all block maps within a district will of course agree. When lands are selected before section survey —as is most frequently the case in the province of Wellington—selection is made from the best sketch-map that can be compiled, unless topographical survey has already reached the district. There is no upward limit to selections, but they are restricted to at least 40 acres of agricultural, and 640 of pastoral land. Survey is then made in accordance with the general principles already noted; and, by connecting the work with triangulation wherever practicable, the risk of erroneous grants is avoided. Thus, by introducing a sound system at the first possible opportunity, and steadily and patiently adhering to it, Mr. Jackson has in ten years raised the total of correct detail surveys in the province from 60,000 to 1,099,200 acres, the revision or resurvey of 442,000 acres being included in the above total. He believes that the ratio of error in this work does not exceed three feet per mile; and whether his estimate be a little over-sanguine or not, I have no reason to doubt that the errors are small, and that the accuracy arrived at is at least sufficient for the purposes of the Land Transfer Act. A noteworthy example of the advantage of trigonometrical survey over the old method may here be given. The Wanganui district, containing about 45,000 acres, was surveyed on the New Zealand Company's system in 1846, and sections of about 100 acres each were designed on the plan. Twenty-five years later, more than 20,000 acres yet remained to be accurately laid out, though one or two surveyors had been engaged the whole of that time in surveying the section boundaries according to design. The survey up to that time must thus have cost little short of £1 per acre, or twice the value of the land, while the average cost of modern trigonometrical and section survey, all told, does not exceed one-fifteenth of that amount. In order to complete the correct survey of the Crown lands as yet dealt with, there remain 412,800 acres to be resurveyed or revised, 1 and 106,800 acres selected but not yet surveyed. But this work has been begun, and Mr. Jackson hopes to finish it in three years. The only Crown lands undealt with are 832,000 acres, mostly of little value. The abstract of progress then at present stands thus : — Provincial Lands — Acres. Sections correctly surveyed .. .. .. .. 1,099,200 Sections needing revision .. .. .. .. 412,800 Selected but not surveyed .. .. .. .. 106,800 Undealt with .. .. .. .. .. .. 832,000 Native Lands — Native claims surveyed .. .. .. .. .. 1,235,027 Undealt with .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,314,173 Total area of Wellington .. .. 7,000,000 Triangulated — General Government .. .. .. .. .. 880,640 Provincial Government .. .. .. ... .. 2,496,000 Total .. .. .. .. 3,376,640 It may be added that a one-inch index map of the East Coast surveys has been compiled and published; also diagrams of triangulations on various scales; and a geographical map of the province, on the scale of eight miles to an inch, is in course of preparation. Taranaki. As was explained in the preface, I did not visit this province, but the Chief Surveyor, Mr. Humphries, has sent me a written report, from which I gather such facts as are necessary. It seems that here, as elsewhere, false economy at the outset has resulted in confusion and constant trouble. Up to 1868, when the present Chief Surveyor took office, about 130,000 acres had been section-surveyed by the same loose and worthless methods as were pursued in the early surveys in other parts. A resurvey was necessary, and for this purpose a minor triangulation was begun on Mr. Humphries' recommendation, and was spread that year over about 12,000 acres, stations being set up on 8,000 acres more. This little piece of work was carefully done : though the base line was short (only 70 chains), its three measurements agreed well together, the true meridian was determined in proper fashion, and the angles were observed as accurately as 1 This is work surveyed since 1865, but before the triangulation had time to take effect.