SURVEYORS CONFER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 190, 12 August 1926, Page 9

SURVEYORS CONFER.

»■ — m —- A MATTER OF TRAINING. BETTER EDUCATED CADETS. REGISTRATION OF ENGINEERS. About forty delegates are attending the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, which is being held this year in Auckland. Owing to the breakdown of the Limited express the Southern delegates were two hours late in reaching Auckland and the business was somewhat delayed. From the train the visitors were driven to the Star Hotel where the local branch of the institute entertained them to lunch. The business meeting was held during the afternoon in the Chamber of Commence rooms, the president, Mr. F. I. Ledger, of Nelson, being in the chair. According to the annual report there are now 319 members in the institute, and the year ended with a surplus of £67 as against the loss of £44 the previous year. Accumulated funds now total £732. Messrs. M. H. Miller, of Auckland, and E. C. Baker and C. Hastings Bridge, of Christchurch, were appointed to fill three vacancies on the council; and Mr. W. S. Wheeler was appointed auditor. Mr. Preston Chambers was elected a fellow of the institute. A matter of importance was the question of the training of cadets. It was stated that there had been complaints of the incompetence of cadets, many of whom were quite unfitted and unsuited for the work. One of the speakers pointed out that in Australia the boards were advocating that the cadets should be University trained. Mr. A. H. Bogle, who is a member of the Surveyors' Board, pointed out that it was not only in the interest of the surveyors themselves that the cadets should be properly trained, but the public had a right to demand that survey work should be done by competent, qualified men, and not by incompetent boys. Several speakers urged a higher educational standard for lads taking up the profession. The conference appointed a committee to formulate ways and means for ensuring a better standard of education among cadets, the members being Messrs. Ledger, Bogle, S. T. Seddon and M. Crompton-Smith. The president called attention to the manner in which the Engineers Registration Act was being administered. It had been understood that the Premier had suggested to the board that it should reconsider any applications for registration which the council of the institute should recommend for re-hear-ing, on the ground that there had been hardship. However, the board did not seem disposed to follow that course, as it considered the institute was not entitled to interfere. The conference decided to follow the matter up.