PUBLIC OPINION CONDUCT OF SURVEYS

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11783, 20 March 1924, Page 4

PUBLIC OPINION

CONDUCT OF SURVEYS

SOME NEW REGULATIONS. To tho Editor “N.Z. Times.” Sir, —Quite recently tho Now Zealand Surveyors’ Board, of which tho SurveyorGoneral is tho chairman, has revised and

issued a new set of regulations governing the carrying out of all surveys. Tho portion of these regulations more particularly of interest to the public is that appertaining to surveys under the Land Transfer Act. These have been made considerably more exacting, and we contend quite unnecessarily so. Office and plan details particularly have been considerably added to, without in any way increasing the safeguards to the Land Transfer Assurance Fund. The Surveyors’ Board has entirely overlooked —or ignored—the commercial aspect of the quostion, the result being that the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, which is the body legally entitled to decide the scale of fees for land transfer surveys, should in fairness to its members increase foos to compensate for the increased work and worry involved. Tho institute is endeavouring to avoid this, and feels that it has the support of the public. The institute has strongly and continuously objected to, and criticised, those new regulations, contending that they are altogether unnecessary. Further, it has been announced in certain district! that the responsible officers of the Lands and Survey Department intend to enforce them in overy particular. The following figures will, I think, prove that the standard of surveys is such that more drastio regulations are not required:— Amount to credit of Land Transfer Assurauco Fund at March 31st, 1908, £20,546 odd. Amount to credit of Land Transfe: Assurance Fund at March 31st, 1923, £55,897 odd.

The following is an extract from tho report of 'he Public Trust Office, 1923, B. 9. P. 9-. "During the year the balance of £55.897 19s at credit of tire Land Assurance Fund was transferred to the Treasury in accordance with instructions received from the Controllor and AuditorGeneral, who had been advised by the Solicitor-General with regard to tho investment of this found." The period covered by the above figures corresponds within a few months with the ovfrremcy of the previous survey regulations, and our institute contends that the above figures prove conclusively that the regulations them in force were ample to safeguard the Lands Transfer Assurance Fund: and that there is no necessity for a more drastio set of regulations. The interests of the public will not suffer, because the Surveyors’ Board has dull power to deal with a defaulting surveyor’s license. In any' case, whatever the regulations are, the survey must he inspected on the ground before errors or dishonesty can be discovered. Drastio regulations alone will not prevent such inaccuracies ik field work. _ (Signed) ARTHUR H. BRIDGE, President, N.Z. Institute of Surveyors.