C.—lA.

1942. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. SURVEYS (ANNUAL REPORT ON).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Surveyor-General to the Hon. the Minister of Lands. Sir,— Wellington, Ist September, 1942. I have the honour to present herewith the report on survey operations for the year ending 31st March, 1942. I have, &c., 11. E. Walshe, The Hon. the Minister of Lands. Surveyor-General.

REPORT.

The extension of the war to the Pacific during the last quarter of the year ended 31st March, 1942, caused the Department's activities in surveys and mapping to be primarily devoted to work connected with the defences of the Dominion. The tables appended to this report analysing the work done during the year show this trend, but naturally the full significance will not be seen until next year. Geodetic Triangulation.—This work had reached its closing stages at the end of the year, the horizontal-angle observations being practically completed. Three base-lines and some astronomical work still remain to be done, but this is being deferred during the war period. Meanwhile the provisional results are proving of great value in co-ordinating the surveys. During the year, 3,640 square miles of first order and 4,440 square miles of second and third order triangulation were completed, at a cost of £4,116 4s. lid. General Survey Work. —This shows a decided decrease, due both to a lessened demand and to the more urgent nature of defence surveys. Military Surveys. —During the last quarter of the year greatly increased activity in this work was made, practically our whole field staff being engaged on work of this nature. The work, however, is such that full details of location and scope cannot be published at the present time. Office-work. —The number of plans received for examination show a decrease of nearly 25 per cent, on last year's figures. The examination of these has, in general, been kept up to date, though in some of the smaller offices the greater urgency of other work has interfered with prompt examination at times. No tidal analyses were made, the predictions for the seven standard ports carried out on the machines at the Tidal Institute, Liverpool, being made on the former constants supplied from here. Map drawing and publication have been confined exclusively to the requirements of the Defence authorities. The need for the conservation of paper would, in any case, not have permitted ordinary publication of standard maps unless of military value. In the first part of the year town schemes submitted, were equal to the number submitted last year. Reserves to the extend of 5| perches for each lot were provided. Other Work. —Under this heading £13,374 is returned. Of this, £9,724 is for surveys in connection with defence, £927 for locating pegs and boundaries, £810 for investigational surveys, £186 attendances at Court, while the balance for routine reports, leave, &c. Warrants. —During the year, 217 warrants for certificates of title and 9 proclamations of roadlines under the Native Land Act, 1931, were dealt with. Work in Hand. —The proposed operations for the year 1942-43 comprise almost exclusively work required by the Army, Navy, and Air Services, ordinary routine work being kept to the bare minimum necessary. Staff. —The extreme urgency of much of the work carried out has kept the reduced staff working at pressure the whole of the time, and in many cases long hours have been worked. Their efforts in this direction are greatly appreciated.