38
I will only remark on what, to my mind, have been the outstanding features of the year, but I have not had an opportunity of making myself acquainted with all that has been going on.
2. Briefly, these features are the great disadvantages we have been working under owing to the losses, changes, and sickness in the staff; the non-arrival of the topographical party till near the end of the year; and the great delay and expense that is incurred owing to want of good means of communication.
3. The last is inseparable froin the undeveloped state of the country, and calls for no comment from me.
Losses, &c., in the Staff.
4. The Director was absent on leave for six months during the year.
In the Trigonometrical and Topographical Branch Captain Knor was, for the six months he was acting as Director of Surveys, unable to devote much time to trigonometrical work. In September Mr. H. Cox died of fever contracted on duty, and the loss of his services has been acutely felt. Early in September Lieutenant Cox, Royal Engineers, returned to England on completion of his tour of duty. He was an exceptionally valuable officer, and in November the services of the other experienced non-commissioned officer were lost.
In the Cadastral Branch, early in the year, four or five surveyors either resigned, or were discharged for bad work; and all the staff of draughtsmen (Indians) resigned in a body. This, or course, seriously added to the difficulties of working the Cadastral Branch; and matters had scarcely been brought into adjustment again when the officer in charge, Mr. Waring, found himself compelled to resign owing to approaching breakdown.
I regret to learn that this gentleman died soon after reaching England. Several of the surveyors of the Cadastral Branch have been on the sick list for more or less lengthy periods during the year.
April 7th, 1909.
SIR,
(No. 19.)
G. S. KNOX, Captain, R.E.,
Deputy Director,
Trigonometrical and Topographical Branch.
Enclosure 2 in No. 21.
Director of Surveys Office, Nairobi, 7th April, 1909.
1. I have the honour to forward herewith the annual report on the Survey Department.
2. I have undertaken the report with considerable reluctance in the absence on duty of the Director; and only because the report was ordered to be sent by the mail of the 10th instant.
3. Owing to having only received seven days' notice, I have been obliged to insert approximate numbers for some of the less important figures referring to the trigonometrical work; and as all the accounts for the past financial year have not yet been closed, I have been obliged to insert only approximate amounts to show the money actually spent.
39
It will be understood that in many cases the figures are only approximate, for there has not been time to obtain all returns complete up to the end of last month.
2. The section on the Trigonometrical Branch shows the difficulties with which surveyors have to contend in this country; difficulties connected with illness, with want of water, with thick bush, and the unfavourable state of the atmosphere.
The work done has been good. Mr. H. Cox's death was a great loss to the service.
3. The topographical staff came late in the year, but substantial progress has been made in the work.
4. In the Cadastral Branch there have been considerable changes, mainly owing to illness.
Mr. Waring, who had been head of this branch for some time, was obliged to resign from ill-health. He had done good work in the Department, and we were very sorry to hear of his death soon after he reached home.
Mr. Townsend, who has been appointed to fill his place, is well fitted for the position.
5. Most of the earlier cadastral work had been done by Licensed Surveyors, over whom, owing to the very limited staff, it was impossible to exercise much supervision. Complaints have been frequent of the want of beacons to the proper- ties, and the Survey Department is undertaking to put up fresh ones where necessary. In future, all beacons will be made over, formally, to land grantees, who will have to maintain them.
6. It is anticipated that a good many of the Surveyors of the Cadastral Branch will have to work on the coast during the coming year in conjunction with the enquiries into titles about to be begun under the Registration of Titles Ordinance. 7. A large area was beaconed off into farms on the Uasin Guishu in 1907-08. A still larger area, comprising 403,696 acres, was divided into 122 farms in the year under report. Mr. Scholefield, Land Ranger, did very good work in connection with this block. I will ask the Director to give me a statement of the relative cost of the two operations.
The system of rapid allotment by beaconing on a plane-table survey has been found to work very well.
8. The report shows, on the whole, a good quantity of work done, for which credit is due to Major Smith, the Director, to Captain Knox, who acted for him for six months, and was also head of the Trigonometrical Branch, and to Messrs. Waring and Townsend.
I have, &c.,
J. A. L. MONTGOMERY,
His Excellency
Commissioner of Lands.
The Governor,
British East Africa Protectorate,
Nairobi.
15980
No. 22.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
I have, &c.,
G. S. KNOX, Captain, R.E.,
For Director of Surveys.
Secretary to the Administration,
Through Honourable the Commissioner of Lands.
MY LORD,
Enclosure 3 in No. 21.
(Reg. No. 469.)
YOUR EXCELLENCY,
Office of the Commissioner of Lands,
Nairobi, 8 April, 1909.
I HAVE the honour to forward the report of the Survey Department for the year 1908-09,
It has been prepared, under pressure of time, by Captain Knox, Deputy Director of the Trigonometrical Branch, during the absence, on tour, of Major Smith. When the latter officer returns to headquarters I will forward any further report he may wish to submit.
SOUTHERN NIGERIA.
THE ACTING GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 12 May, 1909.)
(No. 204.)
Government House, Lagos, Southern Nigeria, 20th April, 1909. As requested in your Lordship's circular despatch of 5th March, 1909,* I have the honour to transmit copy of a report by the Director of Surveys on the work of his department up to the 31st March last, together with two diagrams.t
2. The delay in transmission is due to the fact that in the first instance the Director of Surveys omitted to carry out your Lordship's instruction in the com- pilation of the report.
I have, &c.,
4499: not printed.
26548
J. J. THORBURN,
Acting Governor.
↑ Not printed.
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