Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05
AUTHORIZED SURVEYORS.


Action of Commissioners ON Matter Of
Local Interest.
The District Commissioners have trans
mitteJ to Congress the draft of a bill Great
ing three offices of authorized surveyors
for the District, each to be assigned to a
specific district. They are to receive no
compensation from the District, being au-
thorized to receive from individuals the
same fees as are charged by the District
surveyor.
In transmitting the bill the Commission
ers make the following statement:
Existing law requires that all plats of
surveys or subdivisions that are to be re-
corded in the Office of the surveyor of the
District of Columbia shall be made by him.
Until recently it has been the Gust ON of the
surveyor to admit to the records of his
once ono over ms signature surveys and Nsub-
divisions rot made by himself or his as
sistants. but made by surveyors in private
practice. This practice being contrary to
law, has been discontinued. and private sur
veyors have. as consequence. suffered
some loss Of business which had heretofore
fallen into their hands. Some of the sur
veyors have been long in practice In the
District, and are in possession of much in
formation not of record In the surveyor 9
once, and of much value to him in execut-
ing the duties assigned to him by law In
fact. 1t is stated by the surveyor that In
certain sections of the District II would be
impracticable for him to execute the duties
OF his office without the assistance of ono
or the other of the private surveyors re-
ferred to. 1t Is extremely desirable that
the experience of these private surveyors
should be utilized to its fullest extent for
the benefit of the public, and that this valu-
able information and data with regard to
property lines should become the property
OF the District and be available for the use
of the surveyors office.
"One of several methods may be en-
f(,ra int, DC s,f4 \
the accompanying proposed bill, 1t Is
thought, will accomplish the desired end
with the least hardship to the private sur
veyors and to the best interests of the pub
lie.
This proposed act may be summarized
as follows: The act creates three offices of
authorized surveyors, which offices expire
when vacated by the original appointees.
These authorized surveyors are to be bond
ed and subject to the control of the Com
nnissioners. much the same Is the sur
veyor of the District of Columbia. Each of
them Is to be assigned to a specific district,
can do work only in the District. and can
not be transferred from 1t. The object of
this provision, as we'll as section 1. is to
limit their operations to the sections in
which their past experience will be most
valuable to the District, and to terminate
tine existing conditions with the services of
the original appointees. They are author
lied to have their plats recorded after
proper certification in the office of the sur
veyor of the District of Columbia, and the
surveyor is given such supervision as may
be necessary to protect the public from
having placed on record inaccurate work.
In consideration of the privileges grant
ed to them as above, the proposed act re-
quires that the appointees shall place at
the disposal of the surveyor of the District
of Columbia all of the information in thei;.
possession relating to the work in the Dis
trict that will be of use to the surveyor in
performing his duties, and at the expiration
OF eight CO years all of their notes and
other records deemed by the surveyor as
useful for the performance of his duties
shall become public property and be trans.
TERED to the surveyors Office"