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4.

Northern Nigeria.

In view of the despatch* which had been received from the High Commissioner, it was agreed to take no action for the present in regard to the survey of the tin- mining area.

With regard to the topographical work of the Intelligence Officer, Major Close mentioned that it was desirable that the services of a non-commissioned officer should be placed at Captain Kempthorne's disposal, and that if this could be arranged he thought that it would be possible for the War Office to lend a number of sextants and other instruments for the work. It was agreed that Major Close should discuss the matter with Captain Kempthorne and prepare a scheme for the conduct of the work. The Committee considered that little progress could be hoped for so far as the political staff were concerned, but that a considerable output might be expected from the officers of the West African Frontier Force.

5. Uganda.

Major Hills joined the meeting at this point and assisted the Committee in the consideration of the remaining business. His report on the Uganda Survey Department and the remarks of the Commissioner and the Acting Commissioner upon it were discussed.

In connexion with the trigonometrical and cadastral work the Committee recommended the adoption of Major Hill's views as to the importance of working in parties and of a recess system and, generally, that his technical recommendations as Inspecting Officer should be carried out. Stress was laid on the importance of providing suitable quarters at Entebbe as soon as possible. Major Hills's recom- mendations as to the issue of definitive certificates of title were endorsed.

Attention was drawn to the slow progress of the topographical work, and it was agreed that Major Hills and Major Close should prepare a scheme for the employment of a Survey Section of the Royal Engineers, with a view to completing the work within three years. The adoption of this course would set free a number of the surveyors at present engaged on topographical work. These could be detached for the special appointments recommended by Mr. Hesketh Bell and so relieve the Survey Department of the interruptions in their work caused by the temporary loss of surveyors for duties connected with the Public Works Department or the Land Office.

It was also arranged that Major Hills should prepare a programme of the work of the Department generally for the year 1908-9, and that the Estimates for that year should be framed accordingly.

With regard to staff, it was decided that the two surveyors whose re-employ- ment was still under consideration should be re-engaged at a salary of £360-£20- £400, and that the question of pension rights should be dealt with separately. It was considered that at least six permanent appointments would be required.

6. East Africa Protectorate.

The Committee agreed that it was most desirable that a start should be made with the topographical work, and recommended that provision should be made in the Estimates for the addition of one subaltern and two non-commissioned officers to the trigonometrical section, which could be styled the Trigonometrical and Topo- graphical Branch. The extra cost was estimated at £1,700 a year. It was pointed out that the proposal involved no reflection on the work already done by the Trigono- metrical Branch, but was merely intended to make it possible for them to make a start with the topographical work.

The opinion was expressed that the office staff of the Cadastral Branch was insufficient. In connexion with the Governor's proposal to appoint a Land Ranger for the Land Office, Major Hills pointed out that he had proposed that the District Surveyors should act as Land Rangers, but it was eventually recommended that the Governor's proposal should be approved.

7. Recruiting of Candidates.

Mr. Read suggested that this matter should be put on a systematic footing and that a reserve should be formed of candidates who had undergone instruction at

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Southampton and who would be sent out at the end of the course to those Colonies in which vacancies existed or were likely to occur. There would generally be some excess over the immediate requirements, but the supernumerary men would soon be absorbed.

Major Close considered that the present system by which candidates were selected and sent to Southampton on the occurrence of vacancies was fairly satis- factory, and it was decided to adhere to it. The Committee agreed that in any case it was impossible to secure a supply of fully-qualified men, and that therefore the training of selected candidates must be completed locally. It was decided to approach a number of the Engineering Colleges in London and the provinces with a view to obtaining a larger number of candidates.

35943

No. 90.

UGANDA.

MEMORANDUM ON THE TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF UGANDA.

1. At present the topographical survey is being carried out by the Survey Department. It is estimated that the cost of the topographical work organised as suggested in the Inspecting Officer's report, will be £2,455 per annum; that the rate of progress is not likely to be greater than 1,500 square miles a year; and that the survey of the Kingdom of Uganda will not be completed for nine years. The future estimated cost per square mile is thus £164, but this would probably be exceeded.

2. It is important to note that Treasury sanction was obtained for a total expenditure on the topographical map of £35,667 to be spread over eight years dating from the 1st January, 1905. This allows for a rate of £238 per square mile and an annual out-turn of 1,875 square miles. The effect of the arrangement described in (1) would be to hasten the cadastral work (the cost of which was greatly underestimated by the Director of Surveys) at the expense of the topographical survey. It is questionable if this could be done without reference to Treasury. The Survey Department has not, for various reasons, been able to carry out the topographical survey at the estimated cost or speed.

3. If the arrangement described in (1) is carried out, the topographical map of the "Kingdom" of Uganda (which has an area of 15,000 square miles), will not be finished for twelve years (counting from 1905). This long period is utterly inadmis- sible for the topographical survey of so small an area. One of the principal objects of such a survey is to provide a map which shall be useful to the administration in developing the resources of the country; the map is wanted now. Moreover, a map of which the execution has been spread over so many years is not homogeneous, and some areas will require revision before other areas are surveyed.

If this were the only means of providing an accurate topographical map, it is questionable whether it would not be wise to give up the attempt for the present and take steps to execute a rapid geographical survey.

4. But there is another and better way. The reasons for the high cost and slow progress of the Uganda topographical survey are chiefly that the surveyors are unaccustomed to topographical surveying, and do not work as a body organised for a definite purpose, and there is an absence of system and method.

In averagely difficult country in India a native surveyor working on the scale of 1/125,000 (the Uganda scale) would turn out 25 square miles a day. In the Orange River Colony each non-commissioned officer, working on the same scale, turns out an average of 56 square miles a day all the year round, i.e., four non-commissioned officers complete 8,000 square miles a year.

The question now arises, what would be a reasonable rate of progress to expect from a similar organisation in Uganda? If, instead of expecting 2,000 square miles per annum from each non-commissioned officer we exact 900 square miles, we shall be on the safe side. It may, therefore, be stated confidently that a section composed of two officers and six non-commissioned officers would survey the "Kingdom" of Uganda in 2 years.

Such a section should be at once despatched, and the strength of the Uganda