PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
‚T:「 །
سلسل
Reference :-
C.O.885
18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
100
would often not tolerate his errors being detected by a man of the same, or even of junior rank. Accuracy and honesty are best ensured by careful checking on the part of the officers in charge of parties, and by the fact being impressed upon all subordinates that work of a deliberately dishonest character will lead to instant dismissal.
It may be noted that in all cases where settlement takes place under the Waste Lands Ordinance, the demarcations and definitions required form a most effective verification of the accuracy of the original work. As these are done by a party entirely different from that which made the survey, they constitute an automatic check upon the whole which, in general, comes into operation within a very few years. Those responsible for errors can then readily be traced and called to account.
The second point is whether the plane-table could not advantageously replace the theodolite and chain for the detail survey. If the whole work were being started and the staff trained, ab initio, this instrument would find many advocates.
As, however, there is already a large staff trained in the present method, as this produces perfectly satisfactory results, and as, moreover, the balance of advantage is by no means all on the side of the plane-table, it will probably be conceded that it is better in this particular to let well alone. The double record contained in the field book and on the face of the plan, where the traverse method is used, is often of substantial value, whereas with the plane-table there is only the field sheet_to refer to. A replotting of the work on larger scale, such, for instance, as has already proved of such value with the, old 8-chain sheets, is difficult, if not impossible. For the main circuit traverses it would be well to substitute 5-inch micrometer theodolites for the vernier instruments. At present the angular measures are of an inferior order of precision to the linear chainage.
The average cost of the block surveys for 1906 was 55 cents per acre, or nearly £24 per square mile, the lowest being 43 cents, or £19 respectively, in the Southern Province. The cost is somewhat swollen by causes that are dealt with below, but it is not probable that it can be reduced appreciably below the smaller figure, nor can this be considered other than a moderate one. As contrasted with these figures the cost of surveys for applications and special questions averaged 273 rupees per acre. It is not easy to see how this extravagant work can be avoided, unless the present system of selling land by auction is discontinued, and the only course seems to be to push forward the block survey as fast as practicable. In areas already covered by the block survey, the cost of special surveys may be reckoned at 70 to 80 cents per acre.
There are many factors operating to retard the progress of all this revenue survey work both block and special which should be carefully watched and kept in check when possible. Among these may be enumerated :--
(a) Men are taken from the block survey parties to meet urgent demands for application work, such as arose to a marked extent during the rubber "boom" of 1905-6.
(6) Full parties are not available for the block survey in some provinces. Thus, in the North-Central Province there is now a party of only three men, and in Sabaragamuwa one of only two men at work. Such small parties cannot operate economically, and there is, more- over, substantial danger of inaccurate work creeping in. Wherever possible only full parties of one Assistant Superintendent and 10 men should be employed, and it would increase efficiency and reduce cost if the provinces now short of men could be brought up to this minimum strength.
(c) The settlement under the Waste Lands Ordinance as now carried out goes somewhat beyond the original intention of the Act, which was merely to define Crown land, and separate it from private land. The settle- ment department has, however, become a land sale department, and strenuous efforts are made to effect sales to villagers. This extension of their functions involves a large amount of demarcation-for instance, one village, which was in 26 lots before settlement, became 135 lots after settlement-and also means the "closing" of the village for a considerable period, in some cases up to three years. Without in any way criticising this policy, which may be, and probably is, an excellent one for the country as a whole, it is obvious that it throws much more
the
101
work upon the survey than was contemplated when the Act was passed.
(d) A number of villages still remain to be settled upon the old " interim" system, i.e., by the Government Agent. This Officer is often so fully engaged with his ordinary work that he has little time to attend to settlement. As, further, he may sometimes be inexperienced in the work, he demands an altogether unreasonable amount of demarca- tion, amounting in many cases to what is practically a cadastral survey. From the point of view of the survey it would be preferable that these villages should be handed over to the Settlement Officer.
(e) Both the Settlement Officer and Government Agents often demand block surveys of small isolated pieces of country. It cannot be too clearly understood that it is extravagant to take this up in any smaller blocks than that of a season's work for a full party, ie, 50,000 to 60,000 acres. As, further, the triangulation and the main circuit traverses must be carried out well in advance of the survey, preferably a full season ahead, it is obvious that the block survey must be undertaken upon a systematic programme which should be settled some time beforehand, and not interfered with except upon really urgent con- siderations.
(f) The Government Agents make many applications for the survey of plots of land the sales of which, for one reason of another, are not proceeded with. Care should be exercised that any impediments to the sale are fully considered before the request for survey is made. Applica- tions are sometimes made upon old plans upon which it is difficult, and often impossible, to reconcile the boundaries as shown in the plan with those pointed out upon the ground. Government Agents should always communicate with the Survey Office and enquire if there are any objections, before applying for a sale to be made on a plan more than five years old.
As the primary use of the block survey plans is for the purpose of facilitating progress of land settlement, it is naturally of vital importance that a due balance should be maintained between survey and settlement. The ideal condition is that the survey should be always ahead of the settlement, but should not be allowed to run so far in advance that any large interval of time elapses between the visits of Surveyor and Settlement Officer. At present, with the existing strength of the two departments, this balance seems to be decidedly on the side of the survey.
Taking as the test the number of villages of which the plans have been com- pleted, and the number which have been finally settled, the following are the figures for the last two years:
Plans issued
Villages settled
1905.
1906.
227
196
459
140
The survey is, therefore, at present well ahead, and unless the settlement staff is augmented, this advantage is likely rather to increase than to diminish in the immediate future. Should, however, it be decided to accelerate the progress of settlement to any material extent, a corresponding augmentation of the survey staff will be demanded.
As has been already stated, a full block survey party should cover at teast 50,000 acres of country per annum, while it may be assumed that a Settlement Officer can complete about 25,000 acres in the same time. Each survey party can, therefore, keep two settlement officers fully employed. Each of these last will further require eight surveyors and four draughtsmen continuously engaged on demarcation work. Thus, to take a specific example, no settlement has yet been done in the Central Province. Should such he ordered now it would be 18 months before any village plans could be supplied. The extra survey staff required would be in the proportion of one block survey party (one Assistant Superintendent and 10 surveyors) immediately, and 16 surveyors and eight draughtsmen at the end of 18 months to every two settlement officers.
: