A.—s

504

the Empire. That is a very important thing; it is very much on the lines on which the Solicitor-General has been referring to, the reciprocity among barristers. Sir JOSEPH WARD : I would only like to-say that in New Zealand land surveying is recognised as a profession as much as law, medicine, engineering, or anything else, and it is not (which appears to be passing in your mind) the possibility of a New Zealand surveyor coming to, say, South Africa, that I was contemplating. We can take hundreds of them in New Zealand when we get them, but if they come from England they must go through all the formal examinations that they go through here, and they must conform with all the conditions of the Surveyors' Institute. Dr. SMARTT : Would it mean that they would have to pass an examination ? Sir JOSEPH WARD : In local regulations. Dr. SMARTT : If I am rightly informed, our surveyors have to pass an examination in other subjects besides the survey of land. You would then have a surveyor coming in saying that he was acquainted with the local conditions, and allowed to practise on much easier terms than those upon which local men would be allowed to practise. Sir JOSEPH WARD : That is not so. Dr. SMARTT : I will look it up, if you do not mind allowing it to stand over till the next meeting of the Conference. I understand our examination deals with more than mere land surveying. Sir JOSEPH WARD : This is only to affirm that reciprocity should be established; you cannot give effect to it without legislation. Dr. SMARTT : Will you put it in the form of the other resolution, that it should be favourably considered ? The difficulty is the question of examination. lam all in favour of having the exami nations on the same basis, so that they could go wherever they liked, but it is a very serious thing to have one standard of examination for one Colony, and another man passing with another standard in another. Sir JOSEPH WARD : Have you read my resolution ? Dr. SMARTT : Yes. "That reciprocity should be established between " the respective Governments and examining authorities throughout the " Empire with regard to the examination and authorisation of land " surveyors." Sir JOSEPH WARD : Read the last part " subject only." CHAIRMAN : " Subject only " seems to me to be the difficulty, and surely what the Surveyors' Institution propose is that there should be an examination or some means of examining a Surveyor in every part of the world up to the proper standard. Mr. BRODEUR : The last part of the resolution simply deals with the one part of the regulations which have to be passed in each province. In

Thirteenth Day. 8 May 1907.

RKCIIMiorITY AS to Surveyors. (Dr. Smartt.)