Otago Provincial Gazette – 1859 – No. 91

Page 295

✨ Survey Reports and Remarks



road reserving (the most important operations to the public), where much judgment is required, and a great deal of trouble involved, the services of an officer in the Government interest are absolutely necessary.

I therefore most earnestly recommend that the Board continue all future surveys by Government officers, whereby they will be able to give them continuous service, maintain them in comfort and respectability; and in return for this I feel assured that they will do most important benefits to the colony by promoting rapid and sure settlement of land claims.

What I have advanced against private survey, I only apply to the system—not the persons. I simply regret that such competent and efficient surveyors should be employed to so little public benefit, and I would be glad if the Government could offer them such terms as would induce them to enter the public service and assist with their skill and energy the extension of a systematic survey conducted on proper principles, and thus promote an object so much to be desired—the settlement of immigrants in their properties, secure in their road and timber reserves, and untrammelled with disputed claims and expensive law-suits."

I have the honour to be, &c.,

J. T. THOMSON,
Chief Surveyor.

W. H. Cutten, Esq.
Chief Commissioner.

RETURN OF FIELD WORK OF THE SURVEY DEPARTMENT OF OTAGO,

For the Year 1858-9, ending the 30th day of June 1859.

Surveyors' Names Reconnaissance Survey Triangulation Road Survey Rural Section Survey Town Section Survey Cost
Square Miles Square Miles Lineal Miles Acres No. of ½-Acre Sections
Alex. Garvie ... 28 58 54,475 44 £950 13 7
Robt. Gillies ... 128 7½ ... 110 884 10 0
E. V. Briscoe ... ... 57¼ 3,030 220 604 1 3
Geo. Hately ... ... ... 13,365 1220 526 1 1
... 156 192½ 70,870 1594 £2965 5 11

Survey Office, Dunedin,
1st July 1859.

J. T. THOMSON, Chief Surveyor.

REMARKS OF THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER.

I have read the above report of the Chief Surveyor, and—if it were possible to state more strongly than he has done the evils attending the present system, my experience in the Crown Lands Department would fully justify me in doing so—I entirely agree with Mr. Thomson’s remarks; but it is my duty to point out to the Board the difficulties under the existing state of the laws and regulations relating to the sale, letting, disposal, and occupying of the Crown lands, of carrying out Mr. Thomson’s suggestions. The law ought to be that no land should be sold until it has been surveyed by the Government, or at least the Board ought to have the power to refuse to sell land on that account alone. It is a question whether this could be done under the 18th clause of the Regulations. I think it very doubtful. Another method of meeting Mr. Thomson’s suggestion would be for the Chief Commissioner to give, on every application, the decision that the applicant should take the section as laid off by the Government; but, under such circumstances, the Government would be bound to lay off the land; and if, as at present, persons are allowed to take any quantity of land and in any part of the province not within a run, it is next to impossible that the Government could undertake the work. For instance, several persons apply for land at Jacob’s river adjoining each other. One wants 10 acres, the next 500, another 25, another 10, and so on; supposing the same thing to occur in four or five distant places, I cannot see how the Survey Department could carry on the work satisfactorily or with speed, and if the land should be bush.



Next Page →



Online Sources for this page:

VUW Te Waharoa — PDF Otago Provincial Gazette 1859, No 91




✨ LLM interpretation of page content

🗺️ Survey Report for Waste Land Board (continued from previous page)

🗺️ Lands, Settlement & Survey
20 July 1859
Survey, Roads, Triangulation, Otago, New River Hundred
  • J. T. THOMSON, Chief Surveyor
  • W. H. Cutten, Esq., Chief Commissioner

🗺️ Return of Field Work of the Survey Department of Otago

🗺️ Lands, Settlement & Survey
1 July 1859
Survey, Reconnaissance, Triangulation, Road Survey, Rural Section Survey, Town Section Survey, Cost, Otago
  • Alex Garvie, Surveyor, conducted reconnaissance, triangulation, road survey, rural section survey, town section survey
  • Robt Gillies, Surveyor, conducted reconnaissance, triangulation, road survey, town section survey
  • E. V. Briscoe, Surveyor, conducted road survey, rural section survey, town section survey
  • Geo Hately, Surveyor, conducted rural section survey, town section survey

  • J. T. THOMSON, Chief Surveyor

🗺️ Remarks of the Chief Commissioner on Survey Report

🗺️ Lands, Settlement & Survey
Survey, Land Sales, Regulations, Crown Lands, Government Survey
  • W. H. Cutten, Esq., Chief Commissioner