CO885-(21-23) — Page 460

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE |. BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC. COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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The rates of first-class and chief surveyors and draftsmen correspond to those in Southern Nigeria and may appear high. These appointments would only be filled by men who have thoroughly proved themselves after at least ten years' service, the numbers would be limited, and it is advisable to offer an incentive to those who desire to rise.

The corresponding rates for second, third and fourth classes in Southern Nigeria are respectively £72-6-90, £48—6—60, £40–448.

(c) A field allowance of 9d. a day should be granted to all mallam assessors and surveyors who may be allowed to bring into and use in the field their own horses, as this greatly increases output, or, in a similar manner, a bicycle allowance of £8 per annum might be granted.

18. Special Arrangements on first formation of School:-

(i.) Instructor's class.-Training of the men mentioned in paragraph 11 (c).

(ii) Revision party.-Training in compass traverse work and plotting of the revision party of six men required by the Resident of Kano for measur- ing lands concerning which there have been appeals against the tuki assess- ment. The personnel of this party should be drawn from the present taki assessors, four of whom have already been partially trained by Captains Foulkes and Kempthorne.

(iii) Junior class.-The first junior class should be chiefly selected from the present taki assessors, but a few of the most promising pupils of the taki class might be transferred to it with advantage.

(iv.) General organisation of the administrative arrangements of the school, storekeeping, and completion of survey text-book in Hausa.

(H. E.

19. School buildings.-Nassarawa School at present merely contains sufficient approves.) accommodation for its own needs. Buildings for the Survey School are required, and these can be economically combined with those of the future revenue section. The site should be in convenient proximity to the Nassarawa School, and selected with a view to future expansion. The office for the revenue section should be of stone, brick, or cement to ensure the preservation of records from white ants, and should be of suitable design for use as a drafting office. The remainder of the build- ings should be of local pattern. The buildings should be in the form of a quadrangle as shown in sketch. The probable cost in mud only would be £150.

Class.

Store and

Records.

Class.

Stone, Brick or Cement Wing.

Drawing Office,

Class.

Quarters for the European instructor should be provided in convenient proxi- nity to the school. Probable cost of local pattern house £70.

F. G. GUGGISBERG, Major, R.E.,

2nd April, 1913.

Acting Surveyor-General.

Acting Director of Education.

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APPENDIX VIII.

MINEFIELDS Survey.

Captain F. L. GILES'S REPORT ON THE WORK OF No. 1 PARTY; THE SURVEYOR- GENERAL'S COVERING LETTER, No. 2/17/D; AND HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S REMARKS.

Report on the Work of the No. 1 Party of the Mines Survey Section, Nigeria Survey.

No. 1 party, Mines Survey Section, landed at Lagos on December 13th, 1912, but, 1. Perio owing to delays on the railway in the forwarding of stores, and the difficulty of of work in obtaining carriers to bring the loads from railhead, work in the field did not com- mence until the end of February, 1914.

the field,

The party was originally intended to consist of two officers, one civilian, and 2. Strength eleven non-commissioned officers, but one non-commissioned officer did not join at of the Naraguta until March, 1913.

Two non-commissioned officers were sent home in May, 1913, for misconduct and unreliable work. They were not replaced until December, 1913,

One non-commissioned officer was invalided at the end of October, after black- water fever, and one officer and three non-commissioned officers on completion of twelve months in the country, i.e., at the beginning of December, 1913.

The civilian was dismissed at the end of December, 1913, for breach of agree- ment. He had been unable to do any work after November, 1913.

party.

before

The officer in charge of the Mines Survey Section, who had come out from 3. Survey's England three weeks before the main party, spent several days at Zungeru in the in the endeavour to collect any data that might exist as regards previous survey work in close area the closed minefield area, but no records of any accurate fixings, geographically, arrival of could be found. Such plans as had been made could not be identified on the ground Mines because no permanent marks with the necessary descriptions had been erected. Survey A party from the trigonometrical section, Southern Provinces survey, in Section. November and December, 1912, had accurately measured a base of some 23 miles in length (with probable error of 1/1,700,000), erected some 20 trigonometrical stations, and observed and computed for the same. These results were handed over to the officer in charge of the Mines Survey Section, but, with this exception, the Minefield was virgin country as far as assistance from previous work was concerned.

An area of 7,500 square miles was covered by triangulation, 85 trigonometrical 4. Triangu- stations were erected, observations taken and results computed for the same. limit of error worked out, on the average, to 1 in 15,000 for main stations and 1 in

The lation. 5,000 for intersected and interpolated points.

On account of the very thick harmattan utilise the trigonometrical azimuth, consequently astronomical observations had to

it was not always possible to 5. Azimuth be employed, and of these 30 were observed and computed.

astronomical observations.

To assist No. 2 party, Mines Survey Section, to find their way about the Mine- 6. General field, a general map on the 1/250,000 scale has been prepared by plotting the trigo- sketch map nometrical points and mine boundary lines, and inserting the intervening roads and of the villages that lead from one mine to another, giving as far as possible the native minefield. names of the mining camps.

The plans of the actual mining areas have been reduced on to 12 field sheets 7. Field 1/82,500, each of these sheets being of 15 minute side. These will be taken to sheeta. England with No. 1 party, and a map of the most congested portion of the Minefield, i.e., between Naraguta and Ropp, will be published from them.

Since the mines survey section was an entirely new section of the Nigerian 8. Mines Survey Department, working under conditions for which there was no precedent, Survey a complete system of accounts for the issue of cash and stores and a register of Section correspondence had to be evolved.

office and In addition it was necessary to compile and keep up to date a complete library records. library of records of triangulation, beacons, plans, field books, &c., as well as records of every mining area within the closed Mincfield in order that data for further work might he quickly and easily obtainable.

The systems now in force are largely modelled on the Southern Province survey regulations, modified to suit local conditions, and are found to work satisfactorily so far.