NO COMPETITION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 79, 3 April 1928, Page 8

NO COMPETITION.

STATE SURVEY WORK. SATETT pr STANDARD MARKS -"f-t >,k. J ; i ii . iV* • MlN'tSffefl'S* ftEPtiY TO CRITICISM. •< > • « ____ P ■: ** • - Special to "Star.") "WeLLINGTOX, this day.

"It is apparently another instance of the Government being accused for politiy ciil reasons of entering into competition with private persons," said the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands, to-day, in reference to complaints, which have n[i|>cared in* the Press, that the Govcrniriehi wais interfering with the business of private surveyors. Fears expressed by Mr. K. G. ■ Barker, of Christchurch, tlmt.the Government was soliciting work were described by Mr. McLeod as absolutely groundless. "No circulars soliciting survey work of any description have been issued to local bodies either by the chief surveyor, or by the head office at Wellington," said Mr. McLeod. "Neither does the Department tout for technical work. It has sufficient of its own to keep it busy. , Mr. Barker declares that he xniikes these statements on the best authority. I wish that Mr. Barker would produce his 'best authority.' "With reference to the question of standard surveys I nni able to say that nt no time in the history of New Zealand have so many standard surveys been in progress as there are to-day. Fears which have been expressed that the present main highway construction will endanger permanent survey marks are not warranted, for constant surveillance is exercised-by .the technical officers of the Department." As the cities contribute toward the cost of standard surveys they are naturally jealous of any damage to permanent marks by street works, and invariably advise the chief surveyors of any promised changes. Upon receipt of this advice the technical sthffs take precautions for.the protection or the demarcation of pionuments. Thi Dominion's Maps.

"Criticism of the Dominion's maps which haa beefc voiced is surprising. According tq the advice of my technical staff the country is divided into a number of areas or circuits within each of which the sphereoid is treated as a plane. The detail or cadastral surveys, controlled by triangulation, are rigorously made and the rectangular co-ordinates of cach point are mathematically reduced to the meridiaitand perpendicular of the initial station of the circuit. No error capable of being plotted on large-scale maps can lb?, introduced by this method which is admitted to be the simplest and best methdtf of Cadastral survey. Smallscale mapfl' of larger areas, of course, take into/ilcepunt; the sphereoidal shape of the eartW' * ;

- rfy — Contour*! Topographical Survey. "A contoured topographical survey is now in various places, but it will bfc Wtf fAinf: years 'before even the mostr portions ofthe Dominion are cove«i : by it.' It is hardly fair to compai&jsieJniblishcd maps in New Zealand Vw&fi&jieof Che Ordnance Survey of been.done. , The Ordnance ®nr»ey"hasr been in existence for 180 a densely-populated country i maps are necessary purposes. In "New Zealand tft&ipiiNt- *••!!' a mathematical survey fully recorded and up to recent years the energies of the Survey Branch have been directed toward quick, accurate surveys, for settlement purposes. The Dominion system has proved exceptionally suitable for young countries. The fact that New Zealand-trained sur-

veyors have been sought for such countries a» the Malay States, Kenya, British North Borneo, Western Australia and Fiji is. in itself a sincere compliment to the professional system of the Lands and Survey Department."