The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-12-27

- svuS surveying districts. Set ere
surveyor general OF each District essfrssrs
-. - COST OF examination for each e1utra~r
2sss aggregate OF which SUNS SHOULD he So.
49, % ee Used solely IN payment OF the
.s,. u sAassinat TONS OF course. szich e.
Noaad 10 some Instances fan short
=. ths cost of examinations. bat. Ip5n
80 none. the tendency wozild be fer this
70 exceed, rather than fail short
-. Ie8airea amount. through failures
OF certain deputies TO carry out their eou-
tract
ihis would do away with one OF the
causes OF delays In sxarn;nassor~ viz
The Lack OF funds, OF which there wo,,)a
never be any. under the proposed Mar
as De the appropriation for SURVEYS FOR
any state, large or small. II wo,.ia always
carry with it sufficient funds fer exa.r,Iu-
atsons IL ig nanifesly unfair. after a
deputy has completed his work efHci.ntrv
70 make him wait year or SO fer an ex-
summation This is the method employed
in private works, for each estimate for
construction Of railroads, water works
anu 50 on. must necessarily carry an
amount Tor engineering and supervision"
sirangIed by Esa Tape.
Fourth-Anssh=r fruitful cause az A.
up In this branch OF the department. bv
which muca of the discretion originally
lodged In the surveyor general. has been
taken away and centralized in Washing
ton city. making il necessary 10 refer
many trivial matters TO the general land
Office.
A brief resume of the methods Of hay-
Ing land surveyed and accepted Will n
lussrate this.
hen II IL wished to have a township
or part thereof surveyed, petition from
the bona fide settlers thereon Is sent TO
tue surveyor general and by him sent
20 TIE general land Office. with his APP
pfosa1, Tor Its approval, after which the
surveyor general is authorized to let a
contract, which also has to be sent to
washington for approval before work
can be begun All this consumes time
from i've 10 six months. But this is not
the worst. After doing his work and
turning his notes in TO the surveyor gen.
erai. the deputy has often to wait six
months or a year for an exaTlina ton,
Tor this cannot be made or even oraeres!
by the surveyor general, but he can mere
~ report to Washington that the survey
IL ready for examination, and ii has 10
wait until such time as the general land
Office can order such. and this is so over
crowded with unnecessary detail that
1t takes quite time to even consider
each case. Thus Is shown the folly and
injustice OF a survey that is completed
In the field in two or three months and
costing 81 SEQ or $500. and taking a year
and often two years to get au1iited and
approved.
This was not so formerly. for the sur
vesFor general had the authority to make
contract with equity. who could at
once enter upon his work. ard when 1t
was finished n was examined at once
There was then no complaint of delays
and i venture to say. the surveys were
done fully as well as now 1t was the
intention OF the law TO clothe the sur
veyor general with large discretion. for
the law made his duties responsible and
often onerous. His bend is sso.eoa. The
folly OF this circumlocation is shown in
the fact that the department almost in
rariahly takes the Recommendation of the
surveyor general as TO the letting of
contracts.
Proposes to DO Even Worse.
Not satisfied with this curtailment of
the original discretion OF the surveyor
general, the commissioner of the general
land Office in his last annual report has
recommended that the public land survey
ing be done by the geological survey
under the direction of the director there
OF. This Is u radical change of long
existing law and should not be enacted
without a full consideration and those
states as vitality interested as our own
are heard from through their executives
or legislatures. To this / replied n part
as follows:
THE honorable commissioner recon-
mends that the work be done By the geo.
logical survey, through employees under
him. while said parties are at work
getting data To make II topographic map
of The United States.
"ff the government had only one object
In View in making these two surveys
they might Well be combined. The OBJ
jacts OF these surveys. however. are very
different. That OF the geological survey
Is to make an accurate topographic map
of the United States accuracy being the
prime object Of the field work: the work
is consequently slow.
MFR Henry Gannett, chief tcpographer.
in his very excellent Manual of Topo-
graphic Methods QsSs3 estimated that
cost of a topographic map OF the entire
United States. excluding Alaska, on lines
of present work being done by geological
survey. would be In the nesghborhood or
sao oee. coo. and take fifty years 10 COM
plete.
'sThe geological survey Is engaged Iii
scientific work Similar work IS being
done by the United States coast and
geoeesic survey. the United States lake
survey aud tho Quilted States engineer
corps as mapping tEe Mississippi aud
other rivers. In such work time is not
the essence Of the contract IL is of
the utmost Importance that these maps
be accurate and for this reason methods
aud instruments OF the utmost precision
are used. for unless the work Is aceuT-
ately done, IL Is a simple waste of puhlic
money As slow az the present system
is. on account OF being so hedged in by
red tape. r think IL would be an act OF
great injustice 20 the settlers on ursar-
seyes land 10 put them al the mercy OF
a scientific bureau Of the government.
ssNow the primary object in having the
publtc lands surveyed is 20 ennbie the
settlers 10 set titles 10 ;heir homes: the
object is OF immediate, practical tEsTSe.ss
and the work should in justice tc the
settlers. be expedited as mues as possl-
bic. TIE surveying should ne done as
accurately as the market value OF the
land fustilies. This Is FROM SIS IN $3.50
per acre. - s&E45z4fff
Tn. settler Would Gss the worst
.fr the survey OF she puddle laIs.s& ware
70 b., done by the geological survey
would they To; as a Whole. be itnTaeaSar-