600

doubtedly when the Aparima Valley and the Oreti Plains are brought into cultivation, all the traffic will cross the Oreti plain by this road to the Northern Rail way at Winton, and so on to the capital of the Province, and not to Riverton which is the present outlet of the Upper Aparima Valley.

The excessive cost of the Winton blocks, (surveyed by Mr. McArthur), is owing to the intricate and troublesome nature of the traverse of the Oreti River through scrub, and to his having to re-survey, and straighten the Great North Road.

The blocks in the Campbelltown Hundred were necessarily costly, but I do not think the price excessive, when due allowance has been made for a great number of old claims of small areas, which had to be laid out, and in many cases altered. Several private surveys also had to be closed with and verified.

Comparing the returns of this year, with those of 1863, I find that the section surveys of the year 1863, exceed those of 1864, by 5551 acres, but the area of country triangulated is greater this year than in 1863.

The tabular returns of 1863, includes 21,000 acres of section surveys, and 158,000 acres of triangulation, which was surveyed by contract, so that the amount of work performed by the officers of this staff during the past year is greatly in excess of that of 1863, whilst there is a saving in the total expenditure of the survey department, in 1864 of £1500.

This is to be partly accounted for by the reduction in the salaries of the officers in this department, and by the reduction in the rate of wages paid to survey labourers, but principally to the saving effected by the excellent plan adopted by the late chief surveyor (Mr. Heale), of performing all the work of this department, by its own officers.

The financial difficulties of the Province, rendered the reduction of the survey staff imperative, and under your Honor’s directions, I have reduced the field officers of the staff to four in number.

The Amendment of the Waste Lands Act, which allows of free selection before survey, within the hundreds, will render it unnecessary to push forward the block and section surveys, before purchase.

The late chief surveyor in his report of July 18, fully explained to your Honor, the advanced state of the trigonometrical surveys. I have only to add, that I effected the closure with Mr. Mueller’s triangulation through Woody Knoll, and I find that the difference of meridian between the two surveys is within 30”, which is a difference totally unappreciable with a five inch theodolite, the ordinary size used in block and section surveys.

Mr McArthur has nearly finished erecting the trigonometrical stations of the Oreti and Waimea triangulation, and will

With the exception of one or two small swamps, the whole of this road is on perfectly sound ground throughout. From the Oreti River to Winton, there might be a very good line of road reserved round the south point of Winton Bush.

There is also a branch line of this road in the terrace land on the north side of a creek called the Bogburn. This is a more direct line to Winton, but it could not be so easily opened as the Oreti River about 2½ miles higher up than the crossing of the other line of road. The ground on this line on the east side of the Oreti, is not so good as on the other, and it would require a short cutting, through a narrow part of bush opposite the Winton Township.

I would suggest that the former of these two lines, should be surveyed in the course of the ensuing summer, throughout, as the system of carrying a main line of road from block to block by different surveyors, is apt to lead to the road being made to suit the sub-division of the respective blocks. It will require a man that will take the trouble to go over the line several times, before he attempts to lay it out on the ground.

There is some very fine land on the west side of Spar Bush, probably enough for two blocks.

I cannot report on the quality of the land at the south end of Hillend Bush, as I have not been over it yet.

When I have my field notes, I will make a more detailed report on the different parts of the country I have triangulated this summer.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

(Signed) JOHN H. BAKER,

Assistant Surveyor.

To the Chief Surveyor,

Southland.

REPORT OF THE DEPUTY CHIEF SURVEYOR.

Chief Surveyor’s Office,

Southland, Nov. 7, 1864.

Sir,— I have the honour to submit for your inspection, the tabular returns of the Survey Department, for the year ending 30th September, 1864.