NELSON GOVERNMENT GAZETTE 67

extended claims is to be connected with some point already
defined on the general map.

15. If the distance or nature of ground render that imprac-
    ticable, and if there be more than one section in the
    neighborhood, then the Surveyor should establish two or three
    permanent stations in suitable places to which all the surveys
    in the vicinity may be referred, then at some subsequent oppor-
    tunity these are to be connected with the main survey.

16. Reporting.—The Assistant Surveyors should be
    required, in all cases where their reports or plans are necessary,
    to return them to the proper officer immediately on completion
    of the particular work. Very great inconvenience and loss of
    time has arisen from neglect in this respect.

17. The Surveyors will be required to furnish plans and
    reports of all extended claims, gold-mining leases, agricultural
    leases, and other things ordered by the Wardens, to those
    Wardens, and also to the District Surveyor in the cases of
    agricultural and gold-mining leases only.

18. Plotting.—The Assistant Surveyors should not plot any
    of their general survey work. They should copy their field
    notes on letter paper and transmit them as often and regularly
    as possible to the District Surveyor.

19. The plotting of the general surveys should be performed
    by the draughtsman at the central office, under the supervision
    of the District Surveyor.

20. Filling up Field Notes.—It should be the duty of the
    Draughtsman to receive all the copies of field books above-men-
    tioned, as forwarded by the different Surveyors, arrange them
    in order, and file them, and plot on the general map the work
    contained in them at once.

21. Any inaccuracy to be reported to the District Surveyor,
    and the Surveyor sending the same, whose first duty, on
    receiving such notice, it should be to rectify the error.

22. General Map.—The general map to be compiled by the
    Draughtsman in the District Surveyor's Office, would be con-
    prehended in a succession of sheets, each representing ten miles
    of latitude.

23. The main traverse and fixed stations should be marked and
    numbered thereon, the lines denoting the squares of subdivision
    of the Province also marked and the squares numbered, every
    surveyed section of land sold or leased or open for occupation
    to be correctly defined and tinted with the distinguishing color,
    together with as much detail of roads, rivers, creeks, terraces,
    plains and bush, as the scale and good draughtsmanship will
    admit.

24. Scale.—The scale of the general map should be twenty
    chains to one inch.

25. On no account whatever should anything be marked on
    this map which has not been actually surveyed; and no sketch-
    ing or guess-work on any account admitted.

26. Secondary Maps and Plans.—Any plans which may be
    required of other scales, to show further details or to be more
    comprehensive, then can be prepared with reference to the
    general map bearing the same fixed stations, whereby they
    become identified.

27. Mining Districts Maps and Plans.—In the same way
    separate plans should be kept of mining districts, showing every
    registered claim, &c., such plans being related to the general
    map by the identification of the fixed stations.

28. Filings of Plans of Disconnected Surveys.—Any surveys
    which from various reasons it may be inexpedient to connect at
    that time, should be fully plotted, and the plans kept in a
    reserved place, marked "Disconnected Surveys," and any
    Surveyor in the neighborhood should at any subsequent period
    be supplied with the proper data for completing the connec-
    tion at the first opportunity.

29. Necessity of permanent data.—The particular reason for
    accurate mining district plans, having the surveys of claims, &c.
    referred to fixed points [is this, that the Surveyor should be
    certain independent of the pegs of the claims. Such pegs are
    constantly shifted by the miners, or knocked away, and a
    Surveyor relying on them, as usually the case, becomes
    envolved in inextricable confusion.

30. Detailed field notes to be taken.—At the time of
    making the mining surveys, whether for claims, races, sites, or
    other purpose, the Surveyors should note the topographical
    features of the locality which are to be marked on the plans, so
    that whenever a connection is established with the main survey
    all these topographical details can be incorporated in the general
    map.

31. By these means a general map becomes constructed,
    which is always reliable of every addition or improvement,
    and always containing a valuable fund of information; and
    when extended claims are worked out and abandoned the
    natural features that were surveyed simultaneously still remain,
    and records are kept of the progressive course of gold working
    through the country.

32. Draughtsman to assist Surveyors.—As soon as the
    Draughtsman in the District Surveyor's Office has completed
    any portion of the general map he should send a tracing of it to
    the Surveyor to whose work it appertains for his guidance and
    assistance, and he should further supply all other plans and
    details any of the Surveyors may require.

33. Reference of field books and maps.—All field books filed
    in the District Surveyor's Office should be headed with the
    number of the nearest fixed point to the work, for the purpose
    of reference.

34. This will be of especial advantage in the case of surveyed
    sections of land for sale or lease, as immediate reference can be
    made from the plans to the Surveyors' field notes, and every
    requisite detailed information which relates to the
    particular piece of land.

35. I have now the honor to enumerate the staff in my
    opinion necessary to carry out the plans I have proposed, and
    salaries estimated for their payment.

District Surveyor.—I should the District Surveyor hold that
office only he could not carry out his duties properly at a less
salary than £400 per annum, for he would be required to
travel occasionally over the various districts; but there is no
doubt on a salary short of this he surveys efficiently, and
perform the duties of District Engineer simultaneously, and
my estimates for the Survey Department, I therefore, set down
£400 for the District Surveyor, on the supposition, that with
his pay as Engineer, the salary would be made up to £450.

36. Assistant Surveyors.—The services of one assistant Sur-
    veyor will be required in each Warden's district. The general
    duties of each will be

1st.—To perform all mining surveys required by the Warden
of the district, conformably to his instructions, as well
as to the general regulations of the Survey Department.

2nd.—Whenever disengaged from the above work, to pro-
ceed with the works required by the District Surveyor.

3rd.—To render all such reports or returns as may be
required by the District Surveyor, or by the Survey
regulations.

4th.—The Surveyor will be held responsible for the due
employment of men engaged by him, and he will pre-
pare the vouchers for their payment, and, in addition
to anything required by the Paymaster of the district,
he will forward a copy of the vouchers to said for
Survey labor, or other expenses, to the District Surveyor
once a month, to be filed in the District Survey office.

37. The pay of the Surveyor of the Buller district
    (Mr. Lewis) has been during the past year at the rate of
    £250 per annum. I have the honor to suggest that it should be
    raised to £300. The other assistant surveyors have £300, and
    the Buller is only second to the Grey district in extent, which
    entails many expenses for travelling about, particularly in the
    mining work.

38. The Grey district is by far more difficult than the other
    two. The Surveyor's services in the Buller district
    intervals on the all active diggings, from Canoe Creek to
    Napoleon Hill, a distance of 70 miles; and I would suggest that
    the Surveyor in the Grey district be allowed occasional horse hire
    and mileage at thereate of 1s. 6d. per mile one way, when he is sent
    upon mining surveys—such mileage to be counted from station
    or camp, as the case may be.

39. In the Buller district the principal diggings where sur-
    veys are required, are in the vicinity of Westport. I do not
    therefore recommend mileage—unless the Surveyor is sent to
    the Lyell, or some such distant place, where his expenses would
    be £200 to £300.

40. In the Charleston district the work is easier than either
    of the others. The diggings lie close to the township, and
    there has been always a large number of surveys required in a
    small district, so that there is very little of travelling or other
    expenses. I do not recommend mileage in this (Charleston)
    district.

41. I have entered in my estimates £900 for three surveyors,
    at £300 each. The mileage, if allowed, would come out of the
    sum for labor, tents, and sundries.

42. The draughtsman's services I consider indispensable in the
    District Survey Office. The office has hitherto been very credi-
    tably filled by Mr. Trent, and I beg to bring to the notice of
    the Government that he has not only well fulfilled the duties
    imposed on him but that he is now entrusted with more respon-
    sible duties than formerly, in the keeping of books and re-
    cords of the office—and, as I have suggested, will be required to
    do all the general mapping of the work of surveyors in all dis-
    tricts.

Pay of D. Trent.—He has I believe been seven years in the
service of the Nelson Provincial Government, his pay has been
once raised from £75 to £150, at the time of his coming to the
West Coast. I have the honor to recommend that it should be
once more raised to £200.

43. Survey Laborers.—The surveyor of the Buller District
    will generally require two and sometimes three hands to per-
    form the works as I have proposed them. In the Grey district
    three will almost always be employed.