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necessary to practise as a land surveyor in this Protectorate, and whether a survey and plans prepared by such a surveyor in accordance with the Crown Lands Ordin- ance and Survey Rules would be accepted by the Government as a sufficient survey

of the land.

I transmit herewith a copy of a memorandum, dated the 13th instant, by the Director of Surveys. Mr. Allen is opposed to the proposal. As to the desirability of the proposal from a technical point of view, I am not qualified to express an opinion; but unless the technical objections are extremely grave, I consider the position at present is such that every encouragement should be given to qualified surveyors to do survey work in Uganda.

3. At present there are two fully qualified non-official surveyors who have settled in Uganda, Mr. Mayne and Mr. Seth-Smith. Both of these gentlemen were engaged in the Survey Department, and the work done by them in that Department was entirely satisfactory. They have now taken up land for planting purposes, and can see no reason whatever why such survey services as they might from time to time be desirous of rendering should not be eagerly accepted. The Director of Surveys informs me that he would have no objection to these gentlemen surveying their own estates; and, indeed, in view of the position as regards surveys in this Pro tectorate, to which I shall allude later, it would appear unreasonable to send out a Government surveyor to survey an estate upon which there was a highly qualified and entirely trustworthy surveyor.

4. The position as regards the survey of estates which are being taken up by Europeans is unsatisfactory. There are some estates applied for more than six months ago which it has been found impossible to survey. I have asked the Director of Surveys whether I could inform a prospective planter that the survey of land which he would propose to take up would be completed and the land granted within six months. The Director of Surveys was unable to give me any such assurance. and stated that it might be more than a year before the survey could be undertaken.

5. I consider this position highly unsatisfactory. I am confident that it is essential for the progress of the country that no such delay in survey should occur. There is nothing which is more likely to deter intending planters from taking up land in Uganda than the Protectorate obtaining a bad reputation for delay in the matter of survey and deeds, and capital once diverted from a country is lost.

6. I am convinced that the survey work is being carried on as expeditiously as possible, but the fact remains that owing to the small staff and the amount of work to be done it is unable to keep up with the demand for new surveyed land.

7. I therefore consider that we should embrace every opportunity of obtaining such skilled assistance as might from time to time be rendered by Mr. Mayne and Mr. Seth-Smith.

8. With regard to paragraph 3 of the memorandum of the Director of Surveys, I am wholly unaffected by sub-paragraphs (a) and (b). The mere fact that a few pounds would be earned by private surveyors instead of by the Survey Department seems to me a small matter compared to the more rapid disposal of survey of land for planters who are now waiting the survey of their estates with such patience as they may have.

9. It is very unlikely that surveyors will come to Uganda for the express purpose of survey work, and it may be assumed that for many years to come Mr. Mayne and Mr. Seth-Smith will be the only qualified surveyors in the Protectorate. They are so highly qualified, and have such experience that I cannot think there should be any reluctance to accept their work as correct.

10. I have shown Mr. Allen this despatch, and I transmit a copy of a further minute, dated the 18th instant, written by him. The matter is one of great urgency. vitally affecting the prosperity of this Protectorate, and should you be of Mr. Allen's opinion I trust you may see fit to sanction the engagement of another surveyor for the main purpose of dealing with lands sold to Europeans.

I have, &c.,

STANLEY C. TOMKINS,

Acting Governor.

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Enclosure in No. 50.

From DIRECTOR OF SURVEYS to CHIEF SECRETARY.

(Memorandum No. 19/11.)

Licence to Practise as a Surveyor—Mr. Mayne,

Mr. V. F. Mayne, lately an assistant in the Land and Survey Department, has written asking (a) whether a licence is necessary to practise as a surveyor, and (b) whether surveys carried out by a licensed surveyor will be accepted in lieu of Government surveys.

2. I am not at all in favour of granting licences to private individuals to practise as surveyors. In this connection I would quote the following extracts from various reports :—

(a) Major Hills's report on Survey of Uganda:

The custom of employing private licensed surveyors should not ne introduced into Uganda."

(b) Major Hills's report on Survey of East Africa:

As the small staff of the Land Office were thus quite unable to keep up with the demand for new land, the custom arose of employing private licensed surveyors. The work done by these men is of varying order of merit, and while fulfilling the immediate purpose for which required, presents the disadvantages that it is costly and that the resulting plans cannot be combined into a cadastral topographical map. The use of licensed surveyors must be looked upon as a temporary expedient to meet a temporary difficulty, and should be discontinued as soon as the cadastral branch can be worked up to a reasonable strength and efficiency. A sudden break of policy is impossible, as it would only result in throwing the work further into arrear, so that the change must be spread over a few, say, conveniently, three, years.

The money saved by the discontinuance of the use of licensed surveyors should be added to the vote for the Cadastral Branch." (c) Report of the East Africa Protectorate Survey Department, 1909:

"The licensed surveyors were not employed so much as in the former years, the reason being that most of the work was of an isolated character and consequently more unremunerative, and the official staff was at liberty to undertake much of the work which was formerly given out to licensed surveyors. In this manner the recommendations of Major Hills, C.M.G., R.E., to carry out surveys departmentally and to gradually reduce the work given out to contract are being carried out."

(d) Report of Colonial Survey Committee, 1909:

Dealing with East Africa Survey. A considerable amount of re- survey was done to re-establish lost beacons. This was necessary owing in other cases their never having been erected by the licensed surveyors making the original survey."

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3. The introduction of licensed surveyors means (a) a good deal of additional work of an entirely unremunerative character thrown on the Survey Department in supplying them with details necessary to commence work and to join it up with existing surveys; (b) the loss of work of a remunerative character, as only the easy bits will be taken by licensed surveyors; (c) additional supervision to check in the field work done by licensed surveyors; and (d) the fact that the Land Officer will be called upon to deal with and to sign as correct plans prepared by non-officials, and

accuracy of which he is both unable and unwilling to guarantee.

R. C. ALLEN,

the

Entebbe,

13th February, 1911.

CHIEF SECRETARY,

Director of Surveys.

I Do not think that the solution of this question lies in the licensing of private surveyors, as such men, in my opinion, cannot be employed to survey native estates prior to the Government survey, and quite a number of the pending surveys are of unsurveyed native lands. The question relating to the boundaries of native lands

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