EEPOET OF COMMITTEE ON GEODETIC SURVEYS. 



The Saint John meeting of the Royal Society, held in June, 1904, 

 reappointed its committee in connection with a general triangulation 

 and geodetic survey for Canada, with instructions to urge the import- 

 ance of the matter upon Government. 



The committee reports that no substantial progress has yet been 

 made towards obtaining the object in view. 



In 1903 the committee presented a résumé of a project for a 

 geodetic survey of Canada, and urged that with the view of devising 

 the best method of procedure the Government should appoint a com- 

 mission to collect information and report upon the subject in order that, 

 \\ith the ■•aa^erial so furnished, the Government would be in a position 

 to decide what is required in the best interests of the country for the 

 development of its resources. 



A deputation representing the committee waited upon the 

 Honourable Mr. Sifton, Minister of the Interior, in December, 1903, 

 and asked his co-operation, urging particularly that this important 

 matter should only be taken up after careful consideration and on the 

 completion of fully matured plans. For this purpose the deputation 

 suggested the appointment of a commission, in accordance with the 

 report above referred to. The committee has not been advised that 

 any action has been taken by the Government, meanwhile the various 

 governmental departments continue to conduct their surveying work 

 with the same conspicuous lack of method as has already been noted. 

 The absence of unity of aim and lack of co-operation, in the surveying 

 activities of Canada has become so notorious as to be commented upon 

 in the following terms by the Royal Geographical Society: — 



" There has been no central organized system of map construction 

 on the basis of sound triangulation — no strong backbone of well- 

 determined and well-fixed points on which to base topographical detail. 

 The result has been the usual one of time lost, money wasted, and much 



work repeated over the same ground To those who have 



read certain recent works on surveying, which have emanated from 

 Canada, dealing more especially with the art of topography and photo- 

 graphy, all this is surprising The truth is that Canada 



has not sufficiently studied the result of those experiences in the older 

 fields of the East which have been dearly bought at the expense of 

 wasted time and wasted money, experiences which point to the 

 necessity for systematic organization ah initio." 



Proc. 1905. 7. 



