The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1963, 20 April 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1875.

The report of Major Palmer on the surveys of the Colony has caused something like a sensation. There is nothing surprising in this, for although many persons have been for years aware that the surveys were defective, without authoritative data to fall back upon no one cared to sound the alarm. It would have been useless to make assertions without being able to adduce some proof. In appointing Major Palmer to examine the surveys of the Colony the Government have perhaps

, commenced in the very best possible way towards reform. As an officer of the Royal Engineers Major Palmer . must possess qualifications of a high character; and the fact of his being entrusted with the arrangements for observing the transit of Venus would seem to indicate the possession of scientific acquirements above and : _ beyond the practical acquaintance; with various branches of science required in officers of the Royal Engineers. It will scarcely be said that no competent man could be found-in the colony to do the work which has been done by Major Palmer. There are gentlemen at Jfte head, of, jdifferertf; Provincial departments who would have been able to examine and report-upon the surveys, and have pointed out the errors in a manner as clear as the gentleman who has just performed the office; but it would have placed either of these in an unthankful position to have delegated to him the office of criticising the work of his professional brethren. The Government acted wisely therefore in entrusting the work to Major Palmer. He would be known to few surveyors personally, and he would have no induce- 1 ments to act otherwise than with the strictest impartiality. He has done so, indeed. Almost general in his condemnation, Major Palmer makes one or two trifling exceptions," as he was undoubtedly bound to do ; but he has called attention to the existence of a great source of evil, and not any too soon. It will: no; doubt stimulate -the Government to immediate-action in the direction of amendment, in order to avoid the endless litigation which must; some/day arise _ unless the errors detected" be set right. With' reference to the surveys in the Province of Auckland, the Major says none of them are good, while those in the Waikato are "as bad as bad can be." Those who rejnember the amount of survey work undertaken in Waikato during the period following the wholesale confiscation after the war of 1863----64, will not be at all surprised at this statement. There was such a demand for surveyors ; at that time, to prepare land for the several military settlements, that any one who had followed the occupation of a chainman for a few months imagined himself competent to set up: as£,a duly authorised surveyor. Large contracts were let at highly remunerative rates, paid by percentage on the work done, some 25 per cent, only, we believe, being withheld until such time as the plan was lodged in the head survey office and approved. In many instances, we believe^ this was never done. The 75 per cent, paid was excellent remuneration for the work done, and when the finishing touches were required they had to be done by approved men at a great expense, many of the contract jobs being discovered to be grossly inaccurate. Very few of the contracts thus performed were correct, and numbers of them were not nearly so, having been performed by ex-chainmen and cadets whose knowledge of plane geometry was exceedingly limited.- Credit is given by Major Palmer to several gentlemen at the head of surveys in the several Provinces, but his general verdict is condemnatory, and calculated to excite alarm. If New Zealand had not been divided into so many Provinces, many of these errors in survey would never have occurred. There would have been one responsible person at the head ,of the survey department; ? one system of survey. Incompeteticy would have been detected at an early stage, and the incompetents weeded out; and the Government would not now have had the frightful task before them of thoroughly.reorganising the survey department, and undertaking the work of reconciling the errors which have been perpetuated by the employment of inferior surveyors, and the utter want of a comprehensive system.