engaged solely on cadastral surveys, could not adequately cope with the supply of topo- 
graphical mapping required of them by various governmental departments who would require 
air photography and mapping for the planning, investigation and design of the numerous 
projects envisaged. To overcome this difficulty during the period 1946-1950 a topographi- 
cal mapping branch was authorised within the organisation of the various State Lands De- 
partments, 
Similarly as the National Mapping Council was formed to co-ordinate, on a 
national basis, the mapping activities of each mapping agency,so has each State set up 
their own Co-ordinating Council or Committee to likewise co-ordinate surveys, aerial 
photography and mapping requirements of all the user departments within their own State, 
This Committee is generally under the chairmanship of the Surveyor General with menbers 
of the committee generally being drawn from a representative of the Departments who re- 
gulire: such service, 
  
Owing to the keen demand for the services of surveyors, photogrammetrists, 
draftsmen etc, from governmental departments and private enterprise alike the farmer bodies 
have found it difficult to compete with private enterprise who, in some respects, offer a 
more attractive remuneration for services rendered, Consequently, many governmental 
pping agencies have vacancies in their establishments which they are unable to fill 
yly trained personnel, 
  
ma 
   
  
n°4 1 1134-631 
with suitat 
  
This shortage has, in some instances, accounted for the fact that state mapping 
authority, whose normal function is to supply their client departments with mapping, have 
been unable to do so in the time required. Under these circumstances some bodies such as 
forestry, irrigation and hydro-electric commissions have carried out mapping with their 
own staff to cover their own particular areas of interest, This large and medium scale 
mapping which is compiled by simple graphical methods does not cover large areas nor does 
it conform to any regular system of sheet boundary, 
The following is a summary of the various activities and methods of each topo- 
graphical mapping organisation of the State Lands Departments. 
Department of Public Lands, Queensland 
  
The mapping section in this State was formed in 1950 and is the only State 
organisation of any magnitude to carry out topographical mapping from aerial photographs 
in Queensland, 
After consideration of the various demands of the user departments it was decided 
that a compromise scale for future aerial photography would be at approximately 1:25,000, 
This would satisfy most requirements whilst larger scale photography would be flown for 
special projects. 
A considerable area of the state was flown by Royal Australian Air Force during 
the war and in some areas this photography is considerably out of date, Aerial photog- 
raphy for State government use has been flown by private contractors who have used a 
Williamson Eagle IX camera fitted with Ross 6 inch wide angle lens. New areas and area 
covered by out of date photography are being rephotographed, 
This department has acquired a Wild A5 Autograph and A6 and A8 Stereoplotters 
plus a projector and three 3 projector units of Williamson Ross Multiplex Equipment for 
plotting of all large and medium scale mapping. 
The National Geodetic Survey is used to control any mapping undertaken but owing 
to the large area covered by the State this is not always available, Under these circum- 
stances the cadastral survey, which has been very well co-ordinated, can be connected to 
the National Geodetic Survey. This generally affords a close network of control for most 
map compilations, In the extreme west and northern areas of the State, where no surveys 
exist, photographs are controlled by astronomical fixations using the slotted template 
method of assembly. 
Height control in the majority of cases is supplied by spirit levelling of 
which there is a good co-ordinated framework for any extension to most areas of the State, 
In remote areas to be mapped barometric level ling has supplied the heights necessary for 
subsequent plotting of contours, 
No standard topographical mapping has yet been undertaken although the Wild and 
Williamson equipment have been used in compilation of irregular areas at a variety of 
scale and contour intervals for project work, Amongst such tasks in hand or completed are 
1,000 square miles at 1:25,000 with 25 ft contours for water eonservation; forestry and 
road maps; 200 square miles at 1:25,000 with 10 ft contours for state developmental pur- 
poses; 1800 square miles at 1:15,840 with 1 ft contours for soil erosion on the black 
soil plains of the Darling Downs; numerous small miscellaneous areas at scales varying 
from 1:10,000 with 10 ft contours to 1:3600 with 4 ft ‘contours for irrigation, water con- 
servation, road design, railways, town planning etc. 
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