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Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XVII, Issue 2955, 19 October 1891, Page 2

The Star. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1891. SURVEYS.

The report of the Survey Department for the year ended 30th June last has just come to hand. It is somewhat late in reaching us, and some of the information it contains may be already in the possession of the public, but a short notice of it may be useful. A summary of the work done shows that in respect of minor triangutions (without topography) there was put through 829,000 acres, topographical surveys 590,000, and topographical surveys for selection under the Land Ad;, 1887, 207,000, the odd hundreds in each case being omitted. The rural and suburban sections represented an area of 424,761 acres, 2288 sections. The town sections surveyed during the year were small ; but native land court surveys totalled the respectable figures 1,091,000 acres. Nearly the whole of this land surveyed lies in the King i Conntry ; and in addition authorised surveyors surveyed 3g8 ? 126 acres at the cost of natives or European purchasers. Referring to ordinary section'survey, the Surveyor-General 1 points out that these cost practically ' Is 3d per acre, a rate considered very seasonable ; for, as he goes on to show, nearly fyp whole of the 424.761 acres surveyed "lies under forest, and a great part of it is o£'a brpkeu nature, requiring great skill and care in the definition of road lines, all of which are on. the standard grades aid down by law." In all cases, he adds, the checks are such that little fear of conflict as to boundaries may be anticipated in the future.

The average size of holdings for the whole colony Burveyed last year was 185 acres, or 11 acres less than the average of last year. The largest area in any one district was 114,564 acres, in Wellington, with an averagesized section o£ 363 acres, whilst the largest number of sections surveyed was in Auckland where the average size of holdings was 121 acres. Nelson seems to favor the smallest holdings of any part of the colony, where the average for last year was 81 acres. After noting that the work of defining back boundaries of sections disposed of in former years is, though still considerable, a decreasing quantity, the Surveyor-General, writing of the future, says :—" The demand for settlement shows no sign of abating, and therefore, with your approval, it is proposed to obtain some extra help auring the summer months to keep the surveys up with the demand. Much of the back forest country, which a few years ago would not be thought of "ior settlement, is now inquired for, and, with the construction of roads giving accesß to it, would be readily selected. The North Island must be" looked to to supply the demand, for here alone is any extent of Crown land left of a quality suitable for close settlement, and that quantity is limited. The acquisition of more lands for settlement, and the necessary ' roading ' to make them accessible, are the two works which will most tend to the prosperity of the colony at the present time." During the year the Survey Department formed 182 miles of road, nearly all of it in bush country, and maintained 757 miles. As to Taranaki surveys, •the report of Mr. Weetman deals mainly with matters which are generally understood locally, but a digest of his report may be permitted. At the beginning of last year Mr. Pinnerty, contract surveyor, commenced the survey of roads through i the Mangaere and Mangaotuku Blocks, with a view to bring about 9000 acres into the market, but after the roads were completed it was decided to have the blocks subdivided into sections, ranging in area from 100 to 500 acres, prior to selection. "Up to the present nothing further has been done on the ground. Mr. Skeet has subdivided 12,500 acres in the Mimi district into twenty-one sections; and Mr. Dalziell 10,084 in tho Huiroa district into thirty sections at a cost of a fraction over Is per acre, an exceeding low rate for heavy forest country. Sites for future towns have been reserved on the Pukearuhe-Mangaroa and on the Stratford-Mangaroa Roads, which at no distant day will have to be sectionised. The re-survey and subdivision of old native reserves have been completed by Mr. T. K. Skinner in a most satisfactory manner, and authorities have been issued to Messrs H. W. Climie, C. Finnerty, E. P. Tole, GK Sole, and E. H. Davies for an aggregate of 64,933 acres ; and cost of Burvey to be paid by owners. Mr. Buckeridge has explosed 32 miles of road, sixteen of which have been graded — being an extension of Eotokare Eoad to the Pohokura Block, and the extension of the Wingrove Road, through the Pukengahu Block, to the Mangamingi — at a cost of £3 18s per mile. Mr. Davies graded, and made a compass survey of eleven miles of the junction road from Purangi to the Stratford route at a cost of £10 per mile. As for the work of the current year Mr. Weetman says it will consist chiefly of subdivision for settlement in the Egmont, Ngatimam, Huiroa, and Ngaere Survey Districts by three members of the staff. The subdi-. vision of Mangaere and Kaimanuka lands, by Messrs. Finnerty and Annabell respectively, on contract, will presumably, go on. Mr. Buliard, Assis- < tant-Surveyor, who has just been transferred from Nelson, will be employed in surveying roads, under warrant, through the Toko, Huiakama, Matemateonga, and other blocks. The last paragraph speaks of the need of more assistance. '♦ In the office we have an ever-increasing amount of arrears piling up : a single block sheet was prepared during the past year, against nineteen got out in the previous year ; and little or no progress has been made with the land transfer record-maps. This does not arise from any lack of

energy or industry on the part of the staff, who, on tb,e contrary, I atn happy to say, both as regards the field and the office, are most desirous of doing their utmost, but ratner from the fact that the current work taxes their best efforts to keep it up to date."