1930 - Recording Monuments       At the 1930 Annual Meeting an animated post-mortem on the results of the referendum was stirred up by those members who opposed the idea of recording all monuments. These were mainly surveyors in private practice who had been able over the years to develop, an exclusive domain of their own in various localities. They were resentful of any suggestion that the "private" survey marks which they established within their territories should become a matter of public record, thus enabling other surveyors not only to come in and deprive them of future work but to do so by utilizing information which they alone had created through their own efforts and often at their own expense. Although it was finally decided that further action should be left to the discretion of the incoming Council, this proposal aroused some hard feelings, and at least one member who had for many years been active in Association affairs felt so upset about it that he never appeared at an Association meeting again. At this meeting nearly half the members were present. The week before, five of them, including the President and the Secretary-Treasurer, had attended the Jubilee Annual Meeting at which the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Association of Manitoba Land Surveyors was celebrated at Winnipeg. That occasion had been marked by the federal government's announcement of its early intention to erect a historic monument on the Principal Meridian to commemorate the establishment of the first line of reference from which the land survey system throughout the prairie provinces had been started. The President reported this as the most representative gathering of members of the surveying profession ever held in Canada, having been attended by delegates representing the Dominion Land Surveyors' Association and all the provincial associations west of the Maritimes. In 1929, the new Town Planning Act had been passed and under its provisions a revised set of subdivision regulations had been promulgated. Mr. Seymour was again on hand to enlighten the members regarding the objects and operation of these enactments and delivered an address on the topic of subdivision design. On this occasion he said twice that the future success of the town planning movement in Alberta would depend greatly upon the support and understanding of the land surveyors and he made no mention of the role of the architect which had caused some consternation the year before. He was accorded a hearty vote of thanks and invited to attend the annual dinner as an honoured guest. Later in the year, the Council appointed a committee to interview the Minister of Public Works and promote the systematic inspection of surveys. The Council also spent much time in reviewing a re-draft of The Alberta Surveys Act which had been prepared for anticipated enactment in 1931 and embodied new provisions relating to the survey of Crown lands which, along with other natural resources, had recently been transferred from the federal government to the ownership and administration of the province.   Back - 1929 - Things Were Looking Up Forward - 1931-1934 - Hard Times