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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

|ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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27063

11'8

No. 69.

COLONIAL SURVEY COMMITTEE.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 24TH JULY, 1907.

PRESENT:

Colonel R. C. Hellard, C.B., R.E., Director-General, Ordnance Survey; Major C. F. Close, C.M.G., R.E., Topographical Section, General Staff, War Office;

and

Mr. H. J. Read, C.M.G., Colonial Office; and

Mr. W. C. Bottomley, Colonial Office, Secretary.

1.-Annual Report.

The Committee's second report was considered in proof, and with a few altera- tions was approved for submission to the Secretary of State.

2.-Gold Coast Survey Department.

A despatch* on the subject of the future arrangements in regard to the Depart- ment was considered in consultation with Major Guggisberg, the Director of Surveys. Major Close feared that there was but little prospect of obtaining the services of an officer of the Royal Engineers to take charge of the new Department as the Governor wished, and the Committee considered that it would be best to offer the post to Mr. Stronach, who was recommended by Major Guggisberg as a thoroughly practical man, well able to do the work. It was, however, doubtful whether he would accept the appointment on the terms proposed £500 a year with £100 a year duty allowance, and the Committee recommended an incremental scale of salary from £500 to £600 with duty allowance in addition.

With regard to the Governor's remarks as to topographical work, it was pointed out that cadastral work on the Gold Coast could not be said to have been remunera- tive, since the net cost of the Department up to the present had amounted to £86,000, and that topographical surveys were essential for military purposes. It was also observed that progress could be made with the topographical work without any special expenditure, since it could be carried on by the ordinary staff concur- rently with their ordinary duties.

Major Close drew attention to the absence of any accurate determination of heights on the Gold Coast, and Major Guggisberg was invited to furnish a report giving his views as to the way in which this deficiency might best be supplied.

3.--Survey School for Southern Nigeria.

The Committee further considered the proposal to establish a school at Lagos, which had been discussed with Sir W. Egerton since the last meeting, and approved of the scheme and syllabus which had been prepared by Major Close for the conduct of the school. Considerable difficulty was anticipated in connection with the selection of an Instructor, but Colonel Hellard suggested Sergeant-Major Cox, at present employed in the trigonometrical Branch of the East Africa Protectorate Survey De- partment, as a suitable person for the post.

4. Instruction of Candidates selected for Ceylon vacancies.

For these vacancies one candidate had been selected, and it was hoped that two other suitable candidates would shortly be available. Major Close was, how- ever, strongly of opinion that they should undergo a month's instruction at South- ampton, and Colonel Hellard agreed to make the necessary arrangements when the selection of all the candidates had been completed, although considerable inconveni- ence to the staff of the Ordnance Survey would be involved.

5.-East Africa Protectorate.

In connection with the report on the Land Department, attention was drawn to the undesirability of the transfer of Mr. Waring to the temporary charge of the Land Department, which tended to impair the efficiency of the cadastral branch.

• No. 56.

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the work of which it was very desirable to accelerate. It was agreed to discuss these points and the general relations of the Land and Survey Departments with Major Hills on his return to England.

6.-Uganda.

The Committee noted that the expected rate of progress of the work had not been realised. It was considered that the attention of the Acting Commissioner should be drawn to the delay which had occurred in rendering the progress report called for in April.

With regard to the triangulation' work which had been done for the purpose of connecting the Uganda surveys with the chain of triangles running down to Mombasa and the computations for which were to be completed by Mr. Fraser during his leave, Major Close explained that the work had been founded on an un- satisfactory azimuth, and that therefore Mr. Fraser's work would have to be done again when the correct data were received.

7-Arc of Meridian 30o E.

The Committee expressed satisfaction at the approval given by the Treasury to the payment from Imperial funds of one-half the cost of the work of measuring the portion of the arc in the neighbourhood of the Uganda-Congo Boundary, the balance of the cost being borne by the learned societies interested in the matter. It was recommended that the services of Mr. G. T. McCaw, of the geodetic survey, North- Eastern Rhodesia, should be obtained for this work.

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SIR,

No. 70.

UGANDA.

COLONIAL OFFICE to FOREIGN OFFICE.

[Copy to Acting Commissioner, August 16, 1907. No. 205. L.F.]

Downing Street, July 24, 1907. In reply to your letter of the 18th of July,* I am directed by the Earl of Elgin to request you to inform Secretary Sir Edward Grey that it was not his inten- tion that the Congo Government should be invited to contribute towards the cost of the measurement of that part of the arc of the meridian 30° E. of Greenwich which lies within the region in which the Uganda-Congo Boundary Commission is

at work.

2. It is proposed that the work should be carried out entirely by the British section of the Commission, and the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury have agreed to one-half of the cost being borne by Imperial funds, the other half being borne by the British learned societies interested in the matter.

3. Lord Elgin's suggestion that the Congo Government should be informed of what was proposed was made with a view to avoiding any misunderstanding as to the exact scope of the survey and so preventing any difficulties being placed in the way of its execution.

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No. 71.

SOUTHERN NIGERIA.

I am,

&c.,

R. L. ANTROBUS.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE ACTING GOVERNOR. (Sent 4.30 p.m., July 27, 1907.)

July 27.

TELEGRAM.

[Answered by No. 80.]

Referring to your Confidential despatch of 24th June,t please

instruct Director of Surveys no need to draw maps for direct reproduction, he

• No. 64.

† No. 63.