CO885-(18-19) — Page 320

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

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

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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received, and I, therefore, deemed it my duty to carry out the work in what I considered to be the most suitable manner.

4. In so doing I was strongly influenced by the commercial aspect of the question, and did my best to give the public what I considered to be best value for the money voted, at the same time adhering as far as possible to the scheme which I discussed with you in 1906.

5. Speaking from memory, we then agreed that about 4,800 miles would be sufficient to put into the area set apart for 1907. May I point out that a greater mileage was actually surveyed, and now appears in the map of that area.

6. I had intended to established contours (sic), but our Senior Surveyor, who was intended for that work, took sick early in the year and was finally invalided late in the year.

7. With the limited funds available, and a shortage in our staff caused by a large amount of sickness, it was quite impossible to carry out this part of the programme.

8. Whatever the faults of the map may be, of this I am certain, that every line on it is good and necessary work; and if it is not as complete as it might be, it at least shows every road, track, village, town, and river, and describes the country with considerable accuracy, especially when perused in conjunction with the report which I am at present preparing.

8A. Perhaps it may be thought that I should have made some use of the surveys other than our own. May I point out that most of these were along good roads, which it was necessary to survey for "closing" purposes, and as the Intelligence Department is, I presume, supplied with all this old work, perhaps I might be allowed to suggest that it would be more economical for them to deal with it than for us.

I must frankly confess that I could not conscientiously incorporate it. 9. I also considered that it would have been misleading to have sketched in contours from the number of stations which we had determined; I realised that it would, perhaps frequently, be the cause of tilting the terrain the wrong way. I considered it much wiser to let this important work stand over until it could be carried out in a proper manner. I may mention that Mr. Cleminson intends to fill in these contours while I am on leave.

In the foregoing pages I have endeavoured to set forth what, in the absence of specific instructions, I considered would meet with general approval, and I am very sorry to find that what has been done is not what was required by the Colonial Survey Committee. No one is more anxious than I to fall in with the views of that body, knowing as I now do that the Colonial Office desire that their views should be carried out as far as possible.

10. I think what has been done will form an excellent framework on which may be filled in work such as you desire, and if it would be convenient for you to arrange a date quite suitable to yourself, I shall be glad to call; we might then discuss your wishes, and it will give me great pleasure to carry them out to the best of my ability.

Sincerely yours,

E. P. COTTON.

P.S.-If it is your intention to have some copies struck off to meet present demand, may I enquire when it is likely that they will be finished?

E. P. C.

4478

No. 110.

COLONIAL SURVEY COMMITTEE. MINUTES OF MEETING OF 27TH JANUARY, 1908.

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.

Major E. H. Hills, C.M.G., R.E., also attended the meeting in order to advise

the Committee in regard to matters arising out of his recent tour of inspection.

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1.-Uganda Surveys.

1

The Committee considered a letter* from the Treasury, in which it was suggested that the whole question of the surveys should be reconsidered.

With regard to the Cadastral Survey, Major Hills pointed out that the main expense of the work was in connection with transport, and that, therefore, approxi- mate methods would not lead to any economy great enough to compensate for the less satisfactory character of the work. It was suggested that some delay might be saved by substituting compass for plane table traverses in order to avoid the necessity for clearing the boundaries, but Major Hills pointed out that the work of clearing was a matter for the native holders of estates, and he was unable to admit that any material delay was caused in this way.

As it appeared that the Treasury did not attach importance to the estates granted being confined to the exact areas to which the holders were entitled, it was suggested that it would be sufficient to fix a point in order to determine generally the position of an estate and to let the holder take any land in the neighbourhood of that point. The Committee considered, however, that this course would give rise to too great an expansion of estates and consequent disputes, and Major Hills also pointed out that it would have the effect of encouraging the tendency, which already existed, of accumulating large areas in the hands of the Regents and other wealthy natives.

The Committee finally decided, on Major Hills's suggestion, to recommend that the Treasury should be informed that it was impossible to adopt a more economical system, that the survey of estates must be continued in order to give the natives confidence, but that, as the country was still in its infancy and the cost of the survey was certainly large, it would be possible to reduce the annual cost by reducing the speed of the work for a few years. It might be hoped that at the end of that time the Protectorate would be better able to afford the cost of the survey, and also that the natives themselves would be able to pay a larger sum in the shape of survey fees. In the meantime there would be no loss of economy, since the work done would be well done, and the saving of expenditure could be devoted to pushing on with the topographical survey before the results of the trigonometrical survey were lost.

It was agreed that Major Hills and Major Close should recast their memorandum on the Uganda work on these lines.

Major Hills expressed the opinion that it was most desirable to put the Uganda Survey Department on a permanent basis, as it was impossible to induce first-rate men to go to Africa on a three years' agreement.

As regards the topographical work it was pointed out that the suggestion of

a rapid geographical survey in the memorandum by Major Hills and Major Close was made as an alternative to the slow topographical work now being done, and not as an alternative to a proper topographical survey such as a Royal Engineer party could complete in 2 years. Colonel Hellard pointed out that Major Hills's argument that the main expense of the survey did not depend on the method applied in this case also, and that, therefore, the saving which would be effected by a rapid geographical survey would not be sufficient to justify the substitution of such a survey, which would probably have to be replaced by a topographical survey at a later date when the trigonometrical points would probably have been lost.

The Committee agreed that, so far as the area covered by the trigonometrical work was concerned, it was undesirable that the topographical survey should not be made.

2.-East Africa Protectorate.

On the revised estimate for 1908-9 Major Hills observed that the increase of staff was stated to be in accordance with his recommendations. He pointed out that those recommendations were made merely with a view to utilising the savings resulting from the absorption of the licensed surveyors, and, as the estimate was greatly increased through the fact that the vote for transport in 1907-8 was seriously underestimated, he agreed that it would be necessary to reduce the estimate so as to show no excess. He promised to revise Major Smith's estimate on this basis.

It was agreed that the Survey Department should be congratulated on the reduction in the arrears of work.

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• No. 108.

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