104 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



Department ought to carry through all the survey operations that I have 

 mentioned to their logical conclusion, and should produce or control the 

 production of an adequate series of cadastral and topographical maps. 

 But this does not complete the list of duties for which I think a National 

 Survey should be responsible. There is one most important survey 

 operation that I have not yet mentioned, and that is the question of 

 levels, or vertical control. The triangulation of the country supplies the 

 necessary horizontal control, and incidentally gives heights which are 

 quite accurate enough for topographical purposes. But for scientific and 

 for certain engineering purposes, an accurate system of levels throughout 

 the country is a prime necessity. This can only be obtained by precise 

 instrumental levelling ; and as this is as much a survey operation as any 

 other that I have mentioned it should in my opinion be carried out by 

 the National Survey. It is so usually, but in some countries this work 

 is done by an independent department ; a procedure which seems to me 

 unsound in principle. I include with levelling the allied question of 

 determination of mean sea-levels and of tide-gauges. 



There is another question which is so intimately connected with sur- 

 vey that it must be mentioned in discussing the functions of a National 

 Survey ; and that is the business of registering title deeds to property, 

 which is called by various names in different countries — Land Registry, 

 Land Survey, Deeds Office, etc. • In some countries the Land Registry 

 is a part of the Survey Office ; in some it is independent, but works in 

 co-operation and uses the National Survey maps as the basis for its work ; 

 in others it is not only independent in conducting its business but makes 

 its own maps. Now opinions may differ as to whether the business of 

 Land Registry should or should not be part of the National Survey ; 

 but there can, I think, be no two opinions as to the fundamental importance 

 of the two offices working in the closest conjunction, and on the basis of 

 the same maps, which should be those of the National Survey. If such 

 co-operation is not practised, the result can only be friction and waste 

 of effort. 



This brings me to the last point that I would emphasise in connection 

 with the question of National surveys ; or perhaps it would be more 

 correct to say to two aspects of the same point. I have dwelt on the 

 importance of a survey carrying through to the end all the operations 

 of its work ; and this implies that the whole of these survey operations 

 from start to finish should be under one and the same control. I do not 

 believe, for example, in a survey carrying on its work as far as the drawing 

 of the map, and then handing over to someone else to print. The 

 dividing Une between drawing and printing is so extremely difficult to 

 define that such a procedure is to my mind both unsound and unecono- 

 mical. It may be necessary when a survey department is in an early 

 stage of organisation and development ; but as soon as it is practicable 

 I am sure that it is sound for a survey to take over control of its own 

 printing, as of every other stage of its work. 



The second aspect of this point follows logically ; it is that there 

 should only be one survey authority in a country, and that the National 

 Survey. This is a principle of obvious importance, but which has not 



