president's address — SECTION H. 215 



fail to secure proper officers and to give them proper opportunity 

 that quality and cost of work done by them are less satisfactory 

 than can be obtained by letting large contracts. 



The architect and the engineer of the future must rise to calls 

 for a higher standard of work, increased efficiency, and improve- 

 ment of the conditions of labour. 



Estimating. — To this end the rough and ready — I was going 

 to say the guess work — methcd of estimating, now so common, 

 ought to be superseded by systematic and thorough estimating, 

 which is quite practicable if properly understood and studied. Have 

 we generall}'- the confidence of the public in this matter of 

 estimating ? How often do estimates prove to be unreliable, and 

 yet it only requires sceintific' method to make the average of esti- 

 mates very much mere reliable. Some members of our professions 

 obtain high reputations for the closeness of their estimates when 

 compared with actual cost. We should all aim at such a repu- 

 tation. Our employers — the public- — have a right to look for it. 

 We owe it to them as a duty. Our reputation depends on it. 



The engineer of the future should be able to estimate the cost 

 of his work, and then prove the correctness of his estimate by 

 carrying out the work without exceeding it, except, of course, 

 when outside causes beyond his control, and which would not be 

 foreseen, come into it to an extent beyond what would be reason- 

 able provision for contingencies. 



Union. — To promote our professions and keep them in the high 

 position they should occupv in the community we must unite. 



The medical, the legal, and other professions are united and 

 strong. Can we say that our position is ecjually good ? 



Tradesmen have their unions, and the law of the land re- 

 cognises them, and they are gaining in strength, assuming a force- 

 ful position, and obtaining increased remuneration. Why should 

 architects and engineers be without protection and without rights 1 

 Institutional work has dene some good, but neither our professions 

 nor the public are properly protected, and until they are we shall 

 not occupy our proper placei in the body politic. 



Regi'^t ration. — Registration under Parliamentarv sanction and 

 protection is being pressed for, but is slow in coming. We should 

 work to secure this, and so overcome one difficulty that hampers us. 



The uplift of our professions is for the good of all. Other 

 countries are ahead of us in this. In this way we can check the 

 unscientific work of which there is soi much to be seen to-day, pre- 

 vent waste, and advatice the aims of this Association. 



Forestry. — This subject may be dealt with in another Section, 

 but its increasing importance makes me mention it here. 



