a—i

7

Departmental Changes. Retirements. The Under-Secretary, Mr. James Mackenzie, 1.5.0., F.8.G.5., retired at the end of September. Mi-. Mackenzie joined the Lands and Survey Department in the old Provincial days of 1867, and qualified as a surveyor in Dunedin in 1871. He was appointed Assistant Surveyor in 1872, District Surveyor in 1874, Chief Draughtsman and Office Surveyor in Wellington in 1879, and promoted to be Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor for Taranaki in 1901, holding similar positions at Auckland in 1904 and Wellington in 1908. He was appointed Surveyor-Genera] in April, 1912, and on the Ist April, 1911, was made permanent head of the Land and Survey Department as UnderSecretary. He held other important offices, amongst which might be mentioned the following: Member of the North Island Representation Commission for determining electoral boundaries, from 1901 to 1908; School Commissioner for the Auckland, Taranaki. and Wellington Land Districts; Chairman of the New Zealand Surveyors' Examination Hoard (federated with the Australian Surveyors' Hoards); Chairman of the Scenery Preservation Hoard for the Dominion; member of the Land for Settlements Purchase Hoard, and also the Native Laud Purchase Board; member of the State Advances Hoard, Public Trust and Government Insurance Hoards, &C. In his forty-nine years' service Mr. Mackenzie accomplished much valuable and important work, and on his retirement through attaining the age of sixty-five years he leaves a record of which any man may be proud. Mr. J. D. Climie retired at the end of 1915. He commenced practice as a surveyor in Victoria, and joined this Department in August, 1875, rising to be Inspector of Surveys. He undertook a large amount of standard-survey work, including the standard survey of Wellington, and was well up in all branches of surveying, the conspicuous points about his work being thoroughness and accuracy. Mi-. Henry Mackay, Chief Draughtsman. Napier, retired as medically unfit. He was formerly Land Transfer Draughtsman in Wellington, and during his service of twenty-seven years proved himself to be an excellent officer. Mr. Charles Fynmore, draughtsman, retired after a service of forty-eight years. He was a most painstaking and conscientious officer, whose whole term of office was passed in Dunedin, where he accumulated a large store of local knowledge of great use to the Department. Mr. H. W. Saxton. draughtsman in the New Plymouth office, retired after thirty-seven years' service. He was a hard-working and able officer, with a considerable amount of local knowledge. Mr. C. B. M. Straubel, draughtsman in the Christchurch office, retired through ill health. It is regretted that defective eyesight lost the Department the services of a good officer. Deaths. Mr. John Langmuir, whose death at the age of sixty-one ocourred suddenly on the 9th March, entered the Service in January, 1874. as a cadet with Mr. C. W. Adams, and at the time of his death had risen to be Inspector of Surveys at Auckland. In this capacity he had charge of the secondary triangulation and of the standard survey of the City of Auckland, He was of a retiring nature, but a thoroughly capable and conscientious officer, and was looked up to as an authority in the higher branches of the profession. , v » Mr. H. R. Schmidt, draughtsman in the Christchurch office, died on the 23rd November, 1915, whilst on sick-leave. He had thirty-seven years of meritorious service to his credit, and his death left a gap in the office. Mr. M. D. McPhail, in charge of the local Land Office at Timaru, died suddenly on the 28th March, 1916. He was formerly in the State Fire Office, and for the two years preceding his tleath had been an officer of the Lands and Survey Department, lb- was a conscientious and willing worker.

Promotions.

Position to which promoted. Officers promoted and Previous Position. Date. Under-Secretary .. .. .. T. N. Brodrick, Commissioner of Crown Lands. Wellington Commissioner of Crown Lands, Wei- G. H. M. McClure, Commissioner of Crown lington Lands. Southland Commissioner of Crown Lands, South- H. D. M. Haszard, Commissioner of Crown land Lands, Westland Commissioner of Crown Lands. West- W. F. Marsh, Chief Draughtsman, Auckland land Chief .Draughtsman, Auckland .. H. J. Lowe, Chief Draughtsman, New Plymouth Chief Draughtsman, New Plymouth.. F. Carrington, Draughtsman, New Plymouth Chief Draughtsman, Napiei .. John Cook, Land Transfer Draughtsman, Wellington Land Transfer Draughtsman. Welling- W. T. Morpeth, Land Transfer Draughtsman, ton Dunedin Land Transfer Draughtsman, Dunedin | II. F. Edgecumbe, District Surveyor. Auckland Senior shorthand-writer and typist .. Miss A. C. Affleck, Shorthand-writer and Typist, General Post Office I Oct., 1915. 27 5 Nov., „ 15 Dec, 2 „ „ 4 „ 5 Jan., 1916 20 Mar., „ 17 Feb., „ 21 „ „