SETTLEMENT OF CONFISCATED LANDS

7

C—No. 4a,

No. 6. Mr. E. Phaeaztk to the Chief Sueveyoe, Taranaki. Sie, — Confiscated Lands Office, Wellington, Gth February, 1871. As requested by you in your letter dated 26th January, 1871, I have the honor to furnish you with the following particulars relative to surveys now in progress : — 1. As the Confiscated Land Eegulations do not make any allowance for roads through purchased lands, as in the case with land sold under the Eegulations of this Province, it will be necessary in all cases to provide a right-of-way to every allotment. In doing this, you will be careful to pay due regard to the natural features of the country, remembering that for some time the settlers cannot afford to make roads, and must use such as exist naturally. In doing this, much must be left to the judgment of the surveyor actually employed in the field, who should have his attention directed to the importance of laying out fairly available lines of road, which should be, as far as possible, continuous with those already laid down, and communicate directly with the main line; though, at the same time, the convenient form of sections as regards fencing and water'supply must not be lost sight of,as the object the Government have in view is not only the sale of the land, but the settlement of the country in a manner which shall involve the utmost economy of labour and capital. 2. As a general triangulation of the country cannot be undertaken at present, and as I understand that a minor triangulation is all that is immediately required, you will please to give the necessary instructions to have the system of minor triangulation, existing before the war, re-established, and continued from the Waitotara Eiver to the Patea ; in doing which, most of the data required to lay off the roads before mentioned ought to be obtained. To facilitate this being done, I have requested the Chief Surveyor of this Province to furnish me with a scheme of part of the triangulation near the "Waitotara Eiver (executed with much accuracy, as I am informed, by Mr. Porter), which I will forward to you. 3. As soon as the triangulation above mentioned is sufficiently complete, you will have the whole of the unappropriated land in the Okotuku Block, that is, all between the Wairoa military settlements, the sea, and the Whenuakura and Waitotara Eivers, laid off in blocks of 200 acres each, as nearly as may be, having regard to natural boundaries and convenience of surveys. These blocks should be rectangular in form, and have the usual proportion of two in depth to one of frontage to roads and valuable streams, lakes, &c.; and particular care must be taken that none of them trench upon any Native reserves, as to which any details not known to you may be obtained from Mr. Parris. It will also be necessary to lay off the flax land on the Wairoa and Waiaua Streams, of which leases have been promised to Messrs. Vincent and Jackson, and reasonable changes of boundaries required by whom, that do not involve a monopoly of water power, may be made at your discretion. 4. The land between the Whenuakura and Patea Eivers, being of better quality than that in the Okotuku Block, I wish to have surveyed into blocks of 100 acres each, taking care to leave 1,000 acres opposite Carlye for sub-division into suburban sections, as originally proposed by you. Should the land between the Eailway Eeserve and the sea prove to be very inferior, that may be surveyed into 200-acre blocks, observing in all cases the precautions alluded to as to roads, Native reserves, and natural boundaries, that I have directed your attention to in the case of land near Wairoa. I propose that the Hawke's Bay military settlers shall be allowed to select their land out of the Okotuku Block, so as not to give them the pick of the whole country, but fair average land, which would be equal in value, if not in quality, to any they were entitled to in Poverty Bay. As each man is entitled to 50 acres, or a multiple of that amount, I suppose the divisions can be laid down on paper, and marked off on the ground when selected. If this can be done without inconvenience, a considerable saving may be effected. 5. If possible, it would be better to begin laying off the sections for sale at the Patea end, so as to get land into the market which will sell readily when some 10,000 acres are surveyed. This would involve a little triangulation which would not be so immediately utilized ; but then there are vague Native claims, reaching from the Waitotara Eiver to the Wairoa Stream, which it is better not to come into collision with at present, and the land on both sides of the Whenuakura seems most in demand. 6. Care must be taken to note the quality of each section of land, as a guide to me in fixing the upset price. By taking some well-known block as a standard, it will be easy for the surveyor to make such descriptions reasonably definite. 7. With regard to the Eailway Eeserve, it will be only necessary at present to define accurately its inland and seaward limits, as I believe it is the intention of the Government to have a practicable line for a railway surveyed by an engineer, in which case it is very improbable that it will be carried through the whole of the reserve in question. If so, it would be unwise to tie up valuable land for years by letting it at a low rent, when it might be sold for a considerable sum, or otherwise disposed of. Trusting that you will find these instructions sufficiently explicit, I have &c, BOBEBT PhAEAZYN, The Chief Surveyor, General Government Commissioner of Confiscated Lands. Survey Office, Taranaki.

No. 7. Mr. E. Phabazyn to the Seceetabt for Ceown Lands. Sie, — Confiscated Lands Office, Wanganui, 3rd April, 1871. I have the honor to call your attention to the accompanying correspondence relative to cutting timber upon the Eailway Eeserve, near Hawera.