DETAIL SURVEYS. 885 



survey placing* every portion on an absolute and unclial- 

 lengable basis. 



Innumerable arguments might be adduced in support of 

 the contention that in order to deal satisfactorily with real 

 estate accurate surveys are necessary, but it is, I think, such 

 a self-evident fact that I will content myself with reminding 

 those present that the Bar Committee of the House of 

 Commons, after exhaustively investigating the whole subject 

 of registration of land titles, reported to Parliament in 1 886 

 that it was absolutely necessary to have an accurate survey 

 made as a basis for all land transfers. This necessity is supplied 

 by the detail survey in a more perfect manner than any 

 number of solitary or isolated measurements, however care- 

 fully carried out. 



Every holding or tenement being accurately fixed and plans 

 prepared showing the extent of the holding, together with the 

 materials, &;c, of the improvements erected thereon, the duties 

 of municipal assessors would be much lightened, rates could 

 be levied in a more satisfactory manner and at a lower cost to 

 the councils, resulting in a material saving of money of the 

 ratepayers ; in fact the detail survey fulfils most completely 

 all the requirements of a cadastral survey. 



In addition to the above advantages derivable under all 

 circumstances from a detail survey, there is another which 

 may be considered a contingent one, that is, it is equally 

 available for carrying out any other engineering works than 

 sewerage and water supply : for instance, if a city railway 

 were required the whole of the information necessary for 

 deciding on the best route is to hand in the most convenient 

 possible form. 



I think I have said enough to indicate that detail surveys 

 of towns are almost indispensable ; but as it is a class of work 

 that may easily he carried out in an extravagant, nay wasteful 

 manner, it is essential that it be well designed and properly 

 conducted, so as to ensure the maximum of efficiency at a 

 minimum of cost ; economy in this as in almost every other 

 work is best preserved by skilful and systematic management. 



A detail survey, in common with every other survey of at 

 all a comprehensive character, can only be conducted with 

 entire satisfaction both as regards accuracy, rapidity, and 

 consequently at a comparatively low cost, if based upon a 

 trigonometrical survey. In addition to the ordinary observing 

 stations of the trigonometrical survey, the positions of various 

 clearly defined points, such as finials, church steeples, angles 



