The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-17

investigations had been assigned that an accurate. and comprehensive per- formance of their duties was impos- sible without an adequate topographic base map. The expense of making such
 maps, however. was found to exceed | in most localities the resources pro-
 curable through state aid and the lack of the skilled men in making such sur veys was a barrier not easily sur
 mounted. Competent topographers are
 rare. and there Is little inducement for young engineers of ability to make
 this their profession outside of the work of the general government, as | there Is so little opportunity for steady employment in this kind of work else where It was apparent that in the states availing themselves of the per sonnel and administrative knowledge of the federal survey the opportunities for systematic mapping would be great ly increased
 Accordingly, the first important step in the development of the existing sys- tenn of co-opera ton was taken in con- geographic mapping. The benefits to the state from cooperation of this kind are numerous. It gains a complete topographic map of its area, which is | of importance to the development of | its economic resources and sceatly fla cilitates the study and perfectic>2 of all engineering plans and works within it. Topographic maps are useful for l planning extensive irrigation and | drainage projects. being used as pre- l liminary maps. The same is true in laying out highways, electric roads, railways and aqueducts. thus saving the cost of preliminary surveys. These same maps are also great advantage l in classifying the lands and plotting | the nature and distribution of the soils and of the geological and minera, resources of the country, as well as showing the extent and character of the forest and grazing lands. They are valuable in maneuvers of the National
 Guard, in the development of military problems and in the selection of routes for road marches or strategical move
 ments of the troops, particularly of artillery or cavalry. As a means of promoting an exact knowledge of the
 country and serving teachers and pu- pills in geographic studies they are in valuable.
 Tn addition, as an incident in the | making of @ topographic map, mon 1 uments are established through out the state. and as their positions are &C., | curately determined by geodetlc meth ods, they serve as datum points for all other government, private and cadastral surveys. The work includes also the establishment thrOughOut the state or bench marks or permanent monuments, which furnish datum elevations for
 the determination of height in connec- tion with all future public or private engineering works. The magnetic
 declination is frequently determined and this work aids local and county surveyors in determining the declina- tion of their compases and thus great ly facilitates the search of old property lines.
 "It is estimated that 80 per cent of the total funds appropriated by both federal and state governments in CO., operative topographic surveys is ex- pended within the boundaries of the cooperating state.
 'Is this bill an experiment or have you anything upon which you can base results?
 "One has only to remember Dr. Flu gene A. Smiths map of Warrior coal field which is in the office of nearly every man in the state to be convinced that this bill should pass. Dr. Smiths survey of the Warrior and the Cahaba coal fields brought increased revenue to the state and the most important industrial development ever had in the state.
 "Every commercial organization in the state ought to at once communicate with their senators and represen tatives urging them to see that this bill be- comes a law"