THE ENGINEER AND SURVEY DEPARTMENTS.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 566, 2 September 1869, Page 2

THE ENGINEER AND SURVEY DEPARTMENTS.

(To the Editor of the Gtrey River Argus.) Sir.— = Will you allow me to make a few remarks on a subject broached in your Saturday's leader, via,, the amalgamation of the Engineer's and Survey Departments. This is evidently a subject of great importance at present to Westland (as indeed it is to all young colonies), for much of ourjuture progress will depend upon having*!! judiciously arranged sys-i tern of roads, and the land thrown cpen in a manner most conducive to settlement. It is desirable, therefore, to throw as much light as possible upon the question, the more so as it is a technical one," and the general public are hardly able to form an opinion in the matter. One argument we -have heard urged, viz., that the Survey staff could do their own work and the work done at present by the Engineer's staff without extra cost to the County, ia fallacious evidently, or else there has been gross waste of the public money in tha employment of a too large Survey staff, a great part of whose time must have been wasted or employed needlessly. Should the proposed arrangement be effected, there is no doubt the present Survey staif must be augmented to do the additional work, so that the only real alteration effected would be this : that the roads and public works would be under the control of the County Surveyor instead of the County Engineer, and a great deal of power would be thrown into the. hands of one .officer, with hardly any check Tipon»his proceedings. The public works would" be set out by surveyors who, as a class, are utterly in-* competent to do so correctly, and are, generally speaking, quite innocent of any constructive knowledge. There is as much difference between the training of an engineer and a* surveyor as there is between a shoemaker and a pastry-cook. It would pay the County much better to employ an engineer's department at a much greater cost than has hitherto been the case, than to have these works set out for nothing by the survey staff, and the works of course spoilt. Then there is another consideration ; should not the setting out of these roads be under the direction of an experienced engineer, who understands the lay of the country, who has studied its natural facilities, and who would personally examine the ground and overlook his assistants in the carrying out of his instructions. To be able to do this thoroughly, Mr Rochfort must have his assistant engineers thoroughly under Irs control. The contemplated arrangement would place our County Engineer in a very ridiculous position, were any difference of opinion to arise between himself and the County Surveyor, and it does not seem at all improbable that such differences would occur. I believe that the proposed alteration is a scheme that, at first sight, has a specious appearance of economy, but that should it ever be carried out, will cost the County dear in the long ruu. I am, &c, Advawce Westland.