9

G.—s

Schedule of Work done by West Coast Royal Commission Survey Parties to 1st February, 1882.

No. 2. Hon. Sir W. Pox to the Hon. the Ministee of Lands. West Coast Commission Office, Sie, — New Plymouth, 17th April, 1882. I had the honor to address you on the 29th ult. with a report received by me from Captain Skeet, Chief Surveyor to the Commission, showing what the operations of his department had been since the commencement of the work on Ist February, 1881. The amount of work executed under Captain Skeet's direction was very considerable, and will, I believe, compare favourably with any other survey operations in the colony, and has enabled me to recommend the issue of grants in almost every case where they will be required south of the Waingongoro River. Practically that large portion of the district is done with, so far as my work is concerned. As regards the remaining portion of the confiscated block—that which lies between the Waingongoro Eiver and the White Cliffs —I am sorry to report that a difficulty exists in regard to the surveys, which threatens to impede the progress of my work to-a very great extent, and to retard its completion for a period much longer than I have ever contemplated, or than is desirable in the interests of the colony and for the progress of settlement. In the work done during the past year between Waitotara and Waingongoro, though there were many circumstances which rendered it more difficult than if it had been executed in an entirely untouched district, yet it had this advantage —that the surrounding surveys were, as a rule, either complete or connected with trigonometrical work, and in accordance with the system adopted of late years by the Survey Department of the colony. Much of the detailed work on the plans in the offices of the provincial districts was available to form the basis of Captain Skeet's operations, and often for the ininutia; of his work. As regards the district north of Waingongoro, I find an entirely different state of things. Although numerous surveys have been executed in several parts of the district, land sold, Crown-granted, and occupied, in actual or supposed conformity with them, yet I am now informed that their accuracy is, in almost every ease, so doubtful, or they are so certainly inaccurate, that they cannot be relied upon,, and will not be certified to by the Chief Surveyor of the provincial district if used by Captain Skeet as boundaries of sections with which they come in contact, or in any other way. Only here and there is there any trigonometrical work which might enable these surveys to bo tested. But a greater deficiency still is found in the fact that, of the natural features of the country, the sea coast, rivers,, and other features which must form the outside boundaries and sometimes the subdivisions of a very large number of the reserves which will be made or subdivided by me, scarcely more than a few chains have ever been traversed. They have been represented on the maps by mere imaginary lines, in many cases now ascertained to bear little or no resemblance to the realities of the case. 2—G. 5.

Total Mileage. Coat per Mile. Total Cost. Remarks. !r. Eraser — Bush Flax or scrub Fern Open traverse Ml. oh. 38 36 3 0 14 30 6 1 £ s. d. 14 13 5 12 0 0 8 0 0 4 0 0 £ 560 36 115 24 s. 7 0 0 1 d. 4 0 0 0 !Work very much detached, and some of it very rough. !r. Anderson — Bush Open traverse 61 67 20 19 0 4 0 0 £735 8 4 7 This work was in very rough, broken j bush country ; no roads or tracks. 16 63 6 8 351 15 24 8 2 0 r. Rawson — Bush ... Fern Open traverse 22 71 16 19 9 8 0 0 4 0 0 £376 3 2 19 57 4 54 11 1 334 18 7 37 8 0 44 1 0 f Work very much detached, and \ spread over a very large district. !r. Thomas — Bush ... Max or scrub Fern Open traverse 35 32 12 12 6 12 0 0 8 0 0 4 0 0 £416 7 7 ?Mr. Thomas's pay, as chainman in charge, was much less than that of a surveyor. 31 10 13 56 6 16 392 18 6 164 8 0 49 12 0 51 2 £606 18 6 Total 171 12 2,134 17 7 769 11 8 Total cost of field parties. Office staff and incidental expenses. £2,904 9 3