338

SURVEY REPORT.

Sir,— I have the honour to submit herewith a tabular return, showing the nature and amount of the work performed by this Department, and under its direction, since October 30th, 1862, with the cost of the several blocks as far as it is possible to make them up. The remarks in the last column will, in a great measure, explain the differences in the expense of the blocks; thus the heavy cost of Mr. Weetman’s Block, in the New River Flat, is by no means to be laid to his charge. The survey was necessarily tedious and expensive from its nature.

There are an unusual number of Blocks in an unfinished state, of which the cost cannot yet be ascertained. Every effort was made to continue the surveys in the field throughout the winter, and three officers continued in the uninterrupted pursuit of their duties: but in the month of July several districts became so flooded that survey was impossible, and two surveyors had of necessity to come in, and another to shift to higher ground. The former officers, Messrs. Baker and M’Arthur, were immediately employed on other work, in situations less dependent on season, namely, the survey of the New River Harbour, of the Township of Stanley at Mokomoko, and of the townships and reserves on the road to the Lake. These interim works are not yet finished; thus they have both two sets of incomplete surveys on hand.

I am convinced that the quality of the work performed will compare favourably with any ever executed in the colony. The cost may be thought rather high; but when due allowance has been made for the high price of labour, provisions, and supplies of all kinds and of carriage, I trust that it cannot be considered extravagant; still, I hope that in future years some improvement may be effected under this head.

It will be seen that a large amount of work has been done by contract. For reasons which I explained in a previous report, I think that it is very undesirable to perform survey work by contract, unless the whole were so done on a regularly organised system; but under the circumstances which occurred in the past year, it was found impossible to avoid it. I had always hoped to be able to employ a senior member of the staff in extending the triangulation, but towards the end of summer I found that none of the officers could possibly be spared from the occupations they then had in hand, while it became daily more urgently necessary to push forward the surveys, in order to meet the constantly increasing demand for land, which could only be satisfactorily done by extending the triangulation to the slopes of the Hokanui Hills before winter.

I felt that it would not be proper to subject work of so much trust to the chance of public competition by tender. I, therefore, reluctantly, but fortified by your Honor’s approbation, engaged Mr. G. Müller, in whom I possessed great confidence, to execute the work at 2d. per acre. Its performance has been on the whole excellent; it is not yet quite closed, some of its details being now under examination and discussion; but I have no doubt that the minor exceptions I have taken will be satisfactorily dealt with by Mr. Müller.

This triangulation has not only allowed the block surveys to proceed satisfactorily in the Winton, Mabel, Lothian, and Lindhurst Districts, but it has made a most satisfactory closure with three former triangulations, and cleared up a perplexing difference of meridian which existed between them.

The section surveying, which has been done by contract made since October last, is limited to three small blocks, comprising many sections which had been sold long ago, and of which the owners could not obtain satisfactory possession from want of survey. It was felt to be unjust to postpone their claims any longer, and the surveying of these blocks was advertised for tender. The prices demanded were high, and the delay in executing the work has been considerable.

Three other blocks at Campbelltown, and three at Jacob’s River, also consisting chiefly of sold land, are now under survey; and I trust that in less than two months to have all these old arrears cleared off. One block at Jacob’s River, Block VI., was entered in the return to my last report as re-surveyed, but the survey has proved to be too incomplete to be final, and it still has to be finished by another officer.

The personnel of the staff has undergone considerable changes in the course of the year. One member of it, Mr. Gamlen, was drowned in Jacob’s River in April; an irreparable loss to myself, and a sensible one to the Department, as he was an officer of great promise and trustworthiness.

It was necessary that the work left by Mr. Gamlen should be immediately proceeded with, and I was fortunate in obtaining the services of Mr. J. Haughton, a surveyor of great experience.