A CORPORATE BODY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23556, 20 July 1938, Page 10

A CORPORATE BODY

SURVEYORS’ BILL PASSED EXPLANATION BY MINISTER BOARD TO BE SET UP ( . (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 19. “ This is a simple measure which will consolidate the existing law and make one or two small additions,” said the Minister of Lands (Mr F. Langstone) when moving the second reading of the Surveyors Bill in the House of Representatives this evening. “It will constitute the surveyors of the country into a corporate body on the lines of the Law Society and it will provide for a certain amount of finance that they find necessary in conducting the institute.” The Minister said that all New Zealand should be grateful to the surveyors who were, in so many instances, the practical pioneers of New Zealand. The survey board to be set up would consist of the Sur-veyor-general, who would act as chairman, two members nominated by the institute, and two members appointed by the Minister. When the Bill became law the survey board would receive about £l5O a year from the institute. Mr Forbes: Is the Government providing any money? The Minister: Financial support was given by the Government till 1932 when, as an economy measure, it was withdrawn.

Mr Forbes: Is it proposed to give any now? The Minister: No, the money will come from the examination fees.

The legislation would not add to the cost of surveys, the Minister said. Surveying was one of the oldest of the scientific professions, and he thought the House could agree to give the surveyors the recognition they were asking. The profession was celebrating its jubilee this year, and the time seemed appropriate for the passing of the legislation. There was little new in it, and every safeguard had been taken.

Mr Forbes said that the Bill was a highly technical c.ie, but as long as there was no objection from the profession it was probably a step in the right direction. Mr W. J. Poison (Opposition. Stratford) said that_ all the surveyors would come within the scope of the new law. In the past the scale of charges varied according to the work to be done. Now there was to be a uniform scale, a cast-iron, rigid scale in imitation of the legal profession and of certain other organisations which had received assistance in that way from Parliament. There was a good deal of protection for the surveyor, but there did not appear to be any for the public. A complete monopoly of control was created. The institute would be as close a body as any trade union, and indeed far more autocratic than even the B.M.A. The institute was empowered to fix the fees, and apparently there was to be no over-riding authority. The fees charged now were pretty high. The Bill was passed after a little more discussion.