CO885-(16-18) — Page 747

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

Thirteenth Day. 8 May 1907.

RECIPROCITY AS

72

on record. We have cases in New Zealand of English surveyors who have come to our country for the purposes of health; they have all the qualifica- tions necessary, but they are not allowed to practice in our country as surveyors. I have read the memorandum from those responsible for TO SURVEYORS, Circulating it in reference to the matter of reciprocity for the protection of land surveyors and architects, and all I can say in connection with this is that the principal surveyors in New Zealand all belong to the Surveyors' Institute, which is not a mere gathering together of men controlled as explained by the Act of Parliament, but they are inost jealous of the privileges of the surveying profession.

(Sir Joseph Ward.)

Mr. F. R. MOOR; 1 do not like to interrupt, Lord Elgin, but there are only one or two delegates here now, and I would like to know what has been done with respect to that previous resolution. It has not been put in any shape or form.

CHAIRMAN: The last one? It was decided that it should be recorded, and the only resolution upon it was that it should be reserved for further consideration.

Sir JOSEPH WARD: What the New Zealand surveyors are anxious to do is this. They want to prevent a man having to conunence again, and go over the whole gamut of the ordinary examinations, but they want him to comply, by examination, with all the local conditions, local requirements, and local regulations in the case of a man from England.

CHAIRMAN: Is there any objection to accepting it?

Dr. SMARTT: Before that is accepted, I should like to have the opportunity of seeing some papers we have on the subject, and I have not got a copy here. I understand that what Sir Joseph Ward suggests is that any surveyor who is qualified in New Zealand should, under the reciprocal arrangement to be authorised, if he has satisfied the authorities that he has the necessary knowledge of the local Acts or regulations which may be in force relating to the survey of land, &c., be entitled to practise. As far as I am informed, in the Cape Colony the surveyors' examination is an examina- tion of a very high standard indeed, and deals with many matters besides the mere surveying of land, and I would like to have an opportunity, before the Conference came to a resolution upon this, to look at these papers.

CHAIRMAN: It is dealt with in the report from the Surveyor's

Institution.

Dr. SMARTT: I have not had an opportunity of reading that.

CHAIRMAN: I think you will see that there they propose to establish an examination which would satisfy those conditions.

Dr. SMARTT: Sir Joseph Ward's resolution does not propose that. He proposes that if a man is qualified as a surveyor in New Zealand, on showing he has a knowledge of the Acts in force in the other portions of the Empire in which he desired to practise he should have the opportunity of being allowed to practise the profession of surveyor irrespective of whether there was a difference in the standards of the examination in the various parts of

73

the Empire. That is a very important thing; it is very much on the lines on which the Solicitor-General has been referring to, the reciprocity among barristers.

¡

Sir JOSEPH WARD: I would only like to say that in New Zealand land surveying is recognised as a profession as much as law, medicine, engineering, or anything else, and it is not (which appears to be passing in your mind) the possibility of a New Zealand surveyor coming to, say, South Africa, that I was contemplating. We can take hundreds of them in New Zealand when we get them, but if they come from England they must go through all the formal examinations that they go through here, and they must conform with all the conditions of the Surveyors' Institute.

Dr. SMARTT: Would it mean that they would have to pass an examination?

Sir JOSEPH WARD: In local regulations.

Dr. SMARTT: If I am rightly informed, our surveyors have to pass You would an examination in other subjects besides the survey of land. then have a surveyor coming in saying that he was acquainted with the local conditions, and allowed to practise on much easier terms than those upon which local men would be allowed to practisc.

Sir JOSEPII WARD: That is not so.

Dr. SMARTT: I will look it up, if you do not mind allowing it to stand over till the next meeting of the Conference. I understand our examination deals with more than mere land surveying.

Sir JOSEPH WARD: This is only to affirm that reciprocity should be established; you cannot give effect to it without legislation."

Dr. SMARTT: Will you put it in the form of the other resolution, that it should be favourably considered? The difficulty is the question of examination. I am all in favour of having the examinations on the same basis, so that they could go wherever they liked, but it is a very serious thing to have one standard of examination for one Colony, and another man passing with another standard in another.

Sir JOSEPH WARD: Have you read my resolution?

Dr. SMARTT: Yes. 'That reciprocity should be established between "the respective Governments and examining authorities throughout the Empire with regard to the examination and authorisation of land surveyors."

CC

"

Sir JOSEPH WARD: Read the last part "subject only."

CHAIRMAN: "Subject only" seems to me to be the difficulty, and surely what the Surveyor's Institution propose is that there should be au examination or some means of examining a Surveyor in every part of the world up to the proper standard.

Mr. BRODEUR: The last part of the resolution simply deals with the one part of the regulations which have to be passed in each province. In

I 19446.

T

Thirteenth Day.

8 May 1987.

RECIPROCITY AS

TO SURVEYORS. (Dr. Smarti.)