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2. SURVEYS IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
By V. Lowinger. 
Surveyor General , F.M.S. and S.S. 
The land system known as the Torrens System 
which has been adopted involves accurate survey 
so that the marks defining the boundaries of any 
property can be replaced if they are destroyed or 
removed. 
In this connection the Survey Department fulfils 
two functions, the first, to provide the evidence on 
which a legally registrable instrument is based and 
the other to provide, for the information of everyone 
concerned, a record of all alienated land in the 
form of plans in order that the danger of alienating 
the same piece of land twice may be reduced to a 
minimum. 
2. All surveys in British Malaya are based on 
a triangulation of first order, which is broken down 
into secondary triangles. Owing to the nature of 
the country which is covered by jungle, except 
where it has been cleared, the ultimate control points 
for the property surveys are provided by means of 
accurate traverses run mainly along the artificial 
features such as railways and roads. These traverses 
are closed on to Trigonometrical points and marks 
are emplaced at an average distance of about 16 
chains (220 yards) apart. The property surveys 
are tied on to these traverse points and thus, not 
only is the actual survey checked but accumulation 
of error is prevented. 
The property surveys are known as the 
“ Revenue ” survey, because it is on the basis of 
this work that the rents are assessed. 
