19

C—2.

Table showing Traverse Closures, 1882-83— continued.

Standard Surveys.

TARANAKI. The following is a summary of what is to be found in detail in the accompanying tabular statement. Trigonometrical and topographical survey, 149,500 acres, at l-2d., £770 16s. 9d.; rural and suburban (settlement), 40,706 acres, at 25., £4,077 10s. 7d.; town, 40 acres, £44; Native Land Court, 54,250 acres, at 5-5d., £550 12s. 6d.; West Coast Commission, 73,700 acres, at 10-6d., £3,252 9s. 7d.; Native Beserves Trustee, 21,731 acres, at Is. 7-ld., £1,734 10s. Id.; railways and roads, 18} miles, at £50 135., £1,112 15s. 5d.; other work, including work in progress, £2,771 19s. sd. The work performed this year has far exceeded that of any previous one. This is mainly due to our having, in October last, taken over the conducting of the surveys in connection with the West Coast Native Commission, and in the following December undertaking those required by the Native Beserves Trustee in subdividing for leasing the large reserves on the coast. The total area of the various classes of work executed during the year amounts to 340,000 acres, 93 per cent, of which is in forest. Triangulation. —The 149,500 acres just finished completes the whole circuit around Mount Egmont, a distance of 120 miles. It commences at Waitara and follows the coast to the Patea District, which is all open land, and completes the circuit through the forest, thirty miles east of Mount Egmont, to the initial at Waitara. We have covered with triangulation nearly if not all the country that will be affected by settlement work for some time to come, but shall be obliged to extend it further northward, near the Wanganui Biver, and also towards the Mokau, as a basis for the Native Land Court surveys. Settlement. —Of the 40,706 acres returned, 6,507 acres are near Cape Egmont, in what is commonly known as the Parihaka District, about half of which is in open country. The remainder lies in the forest at the back of the Waimate Plains, and abuts on the Stratford and Eltham Boads. The average cost of the whole of the sectional work is 2s. per acre—considerably lower than that of last year; but the rate will necessarily alter from year to year, the conditions being variable. The survey of a further 6,000 acres is in progress, and drawing near completion. Native Land Court Survey. —Under this head are 54,250 acres, costing 5-sd. per acre, 12,390 acres of which have been for Natives who have refunded the expenses, amounting to £449. The 34,680 acres which appears on the return without a surveyor's name is part of the Mangaotuku Block, a Government purchase, and has been compiled from the late triangulation surveys of adjoining blocks done this year, and work done on the block in 1878, the cost of the latter appearing as £550 12s. Bd. The Tutaiariari Block, of 5,894 acres, was surveyed by a surveyor employed by the Natives, and who was paid direct from them. This was an old work, taken in hand previous to the Act of 1880. The work has been inspected and the maps approved, but it does not appear in the statement of work. Messrs. Palmerston and Scott have a contract for another block, estimated at 30,000 acres. They have been some months at work on it, but have as yet received no advances. West Coast Commission. —In October last, in consequence of illness of the late Captain Skeet, it was arranged that the department should undertake the conduct of these surveys, and since that period nearly 74,000 acres have been completed, besides other work which cannot be enumerated in the schedule. The nature of this work is in a great measure unlike any other. A great portion of

Surveyor. District or Locality. m <d On lf« Error per Mile. Remarks. Mn. Pr. B. R. Foster .. '. Annabell )t • • Mikimiki Kopuaranga Waipakura Mangawhero Wairoa Kopuaranga Iks. 3-2 3-1 3 15 6-1 8-4 4-6 Iks. 8-3 3-1 1-3 0-2 1-8 2-2 4 Iks. 1-6 3-3 2-2 0-2 1-4 1-4 1-8 Traverses of roads and rivers ; forest. Road traverses and boundaries. Road traverses ; open country, fairly level. Ditto. Ditto. Road traverses ; undulating, partly forest. Road traverses ; three-quarters broken forest country, the rest formed roads. Road traverses; mostly scrub. Road traverse ; open country. Boundaries; open country. i. A. Northcroft j. Smith V. B. Ashcroft i. P. Greville .. Castlepoint, &c. Waipakura Wellington Akatarawa Pohangina .. 4-7 5-5 2-6 4-5 4-5 2-7 2-2 1-5 4-3 3-4 1-5 2-5 4-3 4-6 it l. Dundas and C. Thompson )itto .. '. D. Climie .. 5-3 6-8 1-1 1-2 1-8 2-5 Road traverses and boundaries; broken forest country. ,, . . . . Belmont Ditto. Mostly rough open country. Mean error .. 2-26 2-23

'. D. Climie '. F. Sicely Wellington Marton Bull's Wanganui 0-56 0-5 0-3 0-9 0-65 0-5 0-6 0-7 Traverses of streets and unformed roads. Ditto. '. Annabell Mean error .. 0-56 0-61