XXII. J. HAYDON CARDEW. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF FEDERAL HYDROGRAPHY. 



By J. HAYDON CARDEW, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E. 



[Read before the Engineering Section of the Royal Society of S. S. Wales, 

 June IS, 1902.] 



The practice of hydrography and the study of hydrological 

 questions is of such great importance and value to the 

 people of Australia, that it is open to discussion whether 

 the Federal Government ought not to make it a national 

 undertaking in the same way as it is proposed to form a 

 Federal Meteorological Department, in order that all the 

 States may have the advantage of that fuller knowledge 

 which a comprehensive national survey of the question 

 over the whole continent would ensure. Unfortunately in 

 this State and in most of the other States of Australia this 

 important science has not been systematically pursued, 

 although there is no country in the world where the results 

 arising from such a course would have proved more valuable. 



The author does not wish in any way to depreciate the 

 labours of many eminent observers in this branch of science, 

 the services rendered by them are invaluable, and reflect 

 upon them the highest honour, especially in view of the 

 many difficulties they had to encounter owing to that want 

 of system here alluded to, and also to the multiplicity of 

 their other duties, but as the respective efforts of these 

 observers have been directed only to portions of this great 

 question, and in some cases in a disjointed and intermittent 

 manner, and as the results have not been collated and 

 published the full benefit of their labours is lost to the public. 



In most European countries and notably in the United 

 States of America, professional men, principally trained 

 engineers, are engaged upon this question all the year 



