C.—l.

APPENDIX lI.—SURVEYS.

EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORTS OF CHIEF SURVEYORS ON THE SURVEY OPERATIONS FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED 31st MARCH, 1900.

AUCKLAND. The energies of the staff have chiefly been devoted to the subdivision of the large areas of Crown lands in the Kawhia County, therefore the return is small under the heading of " Minor Triangulation." The total area covered with small triangles is only 56,000 acres. Of this, Mr. R. D. Galbraith contributed 18,000 acres, being a ray-trace from major side, in connection with his Kawhia section-work, and Mr. William Cussen, authorised surveyor, was paid for 38,000 acres, also ray-trace, to check Native Land Court subdivisions, also in the Kawhia district. The 56,000 acres have cost o'36d. per acre. Rural and Suburban.—The return this year is very large, amounting to a total of 622 sections, covering an area of 184,515 acres, surveyed at a mean cost of l-295. per acre. Of this large output the staff and temporary staff contributed 398 sections, with an area of 164,603 acres, at a mean cost of l-17s. per acre —a most satisfactory result; whilst contract surveyors dealt with 224 sections, having a total area of 19,912 acres, at a mean cost of 2-255. per acre. Out of the area surveyed by the staff and temporary staff nearly 110,000 acres was dealt with within the Kawhia County, or better known as the King-country, nearly all of it being heavy forest country, and in parts very broken and difficult of access, involving the cutting of pack-tracks for many miles to allow of provisions being carried to the camps. The main arterial roads were first explored for and roughly located by Mr. L. Cussen, District Surveyor, and then gone over and approved by myself; then the Roads Branch, under Mr. Ilursthouse, graded and finally formed these selected roads. Following immediately upon the selection of the roads came the section-work, which was pushed on with all possible speed, and the large return reflects great credit on the surveyors employed. To Mr. Cussen was given the general supervision of all this work, visited from time to time by myself. lam thankful to find that nearly all the land so surveyed is of good quality, and ought to become a splendid sheep country when the forest is cleared. Four staff and six temporary staff surveyors have been employed upon this work. The temporary staff also surveyed 15,878 acres, subdivided into sixty-seven sections, being the cutting-up of the Fencourt and Whitehall Estates, acquired under the Land for Settlements Act. The cost of this subdivision was slightly under Is. per acre. Most of this work was done under my personal supervision. Town Section Surveys.—Three staff surveyors have subdivided 520 acres into 295 lots, at a cost of a little over £1 an acre, contributed as follows: Mr. Baber surveyed the Rotoiti Native Township of 150 acres; Mr. ITaszard, several small mining townships, totalling 150 acres, subdivided into 180 lots; and Mr. H. F. Edgecumbe resurveyed the Taipa Village, totalling 220 acres, and subdivided into twenty-five lots. Native Lani Court Surveys.—The area returned under this heading is again large, totalling to 100,292 acres in 125 subdivisions, at a mean cost of nearly sd. per acre. 99,162 acres of this amount was contributed by authorised surveyors, at a cost of 4'77d. per acre. The largest subdivisions were contributed by Messrs. Mountain and Newton, near Parengarenga, whose area was over 60,000 acres. Mr. D. Stubbing contributed 19,917 acres in thirty-three subdivisions, being portions of the Kinohaku East Block. The two next largest areas were surveyed respectively by Mr. J. Sims, 7,162 acres in Orahiri district, and Mr. H. M. Wilson, 5,055 acres in the Hukerenui district. At the present moment the staff have in hand in progress some 450,000 acres, of which 290,000 acres are for the Urewera Commissioners, and 160,000 are the very numerous subdivisions of the Rotomahana-Parekarenga Block to enable Crown and Native orders to issue, the plans of which are now fast approaching completion. Authorised surveyors l*ive about 51,000 acres still in hand. Gold-mining Surveys.—The return of new surveys is greater than last year, the area being for new surveys 4,028 acres, at a mean cost of a little over ss. per acre, whilst the total area dealt with, examined, and recorded amounts to 7,011 acres, shown on 101 separate plans. Roads, &c. —The return of roads graded, surveyed, checked, and recorded amounts to 382f miles, at the mean cost of under £9 per mile. Of this amount, nearly 377 miles is credited to the staff, at a mean cost of £9-79 per mile. In addition to this some forty miles of road taken by local bodies has been checked and recorded, and twenty-one miles similarly treated of roads to be closed. Over three hundred miles of roads requiring to be graded and surveyed is yet on hand. Other Work.—The sum placed under this heading amounts to £1,501 Is. 3d. Of this Mr. A. H. Yickerman, District Surveyor, accounts for £6BB 15s. 4d., expended in exploring, grading, and engineering, surveys, &c., in Kawhia County; £lOB 15s. 4d. is expended by Mr. J. B. Thomson in making Rangers' reports on settlement conditions, measuring kauri-trees, inspection of road, contracts, &c.; £46 is charged by Mr. E. P. Turner for the survey of school-sites and quarry reserves, defining boundaries, road-inspection, &c.; Mr. Andrew Wilson expends £72 10s. in road-exploration and cutting pack-tracks in the King-country ; Messrs. Seaton, Mountfort, and G. A. Jackson expend £93, £lOO, and £36 12s. 2d. respectively for the same purpose, and in the same King-country district; and £5l Is. Id. is credited to Mr. E. de C. Drury for extra road- and boundary-lines requiring defining in connection with the Fencourt Estate. Field-work in Progress, and Proposed Operations. —The staff have in hand some 281,000 acres of rural section survey, of which amount nearly 100,000 is in progress in the Kawiiia County, 5—C. 1.

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