DIFFICULTIES OF SURVEYORS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20619, 8 August 1932, Page 10

DIFFICULTIES OF SURVEYORS.

ECONOMIC RELIEF SOUGHT. SCHEMES OF NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE. The offecfc of tho present economic situation on New Zealand surveyors ts giving tho Institute of Surveyors much concern, according to the latest issue of the "New Zealand Survoyor." A committee from the Institute, accompanied by the Surveyor-General, recently waited on. the Unemployment Board and tho president (Mr A. H. Boglo, Wanganui), and the same committee interviewed the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister for Jfcamployrnent). The Unemployment .board is stated to have fully appreciated tne position lam beioro tneui, namely, that trained piotessionul men, sucn as survoyors ana civil engineers, were capable ot managing ana supervising renef worKs and generally directing in an efficient manor, and that it was an economic waste to employ them otherwise. "This point of view was apprehended and agreed to at once by the members, of tho Board, who wished to be kept informed of surveyors who would be available in these capacities," states the article. "It was, however, clearly pointed out that such surveyors must be fully eligible men for relief under the Act; that is to say, that only qualified surveyors, quite without financial resources of any kind, were eligible for consideration at all. Rural Traverse of Roads. "Another scheme for the employment of surveyors was also sketched out, namely, the continuance ul the rural standard traverse of roads throughout the country under relief conditions. This would mean the employment of surveyors under the Survey Department, not at our own schedule rates, but at a temporary relief rate agreed upon, such rate to be subsidised, to the statutory unemployment relief amount, in the case of eligible men, the balance to be provided by the Survey Department controlling the work, Jhe necessary labour being provided under the Unemployment Board's normal conditions. To such s> scheme the Board was favourable if it could be instituted, though obviously the initiation must proceed from the Department." Surveying of Farm Blocks. A definite proposal was put before the Minister for Employment on behalf of private surveyors for them to do the necessary surveying, required by the Minister's scheme, of five and ten-acre farm lots at a special price per lot. It was asked that the work should not he done, as in past years, by temporarily appointed salaried officers who would, on the completion ot the work, make difficulties of administration and employment. It is stated that Mr Coates appeared to welcome the proposal, and to show no disposition to hand over any part of his scheme to any Department outside that through which he was working—the I Department of Agriculture.