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And what about the cost of transfer of expensive commercial, 
industrial and state properties? Considering further the effe-ct 
of continuous inflation, it is probably correct to assume, that 
the total cost of land transfer alone in the U.S.A. at present 
moment amounts to $50 - 70 billion annually. The lion's share 
of this money is probably absorbed by lawyers. This, however, 
is only a part of a dismal picture, and, in ail probability, not 
the major part. Unnecessary repetition (in surveying and 
mapping), and blunders and delays in projects caused by the lack 
of pertinent and reliable land data, are also very expensive. 
It can also be argued that with the availability of modern 
methods, particularly with computers and other copying and 
processing capabilities, many of the needed smaller scale maps 
and generalized information could be derived efficiently and 
economically from a properly designed and functioning cadastre. 
Such a cadastre could employ photogrammetric techniques outside 
of built-up areas. This would result in an important saving in 
energy, time and expense. After all, this approach was 
demonstrated in the last century in Switzerland, long before 
modern photogrammetry and computers were introduced. 
In the context of our present discussion, the poor state of 
our discipline and profession in countries of this category, is 
most unfortunate since some of them, like the U.S.A., are - very 
generous and active in ail kinds of foreign aid programs. The 
question is this: what lasting value may even the most generous 
and noble help in the field of our concern have, when the donor 
country itself is using antiquitated and wasteful concepts and 
operational schemes? 
Category III: This is the remaining part of the world, 
which is actually 75% of the land mass. In -these countries there 
is some land survey data but generally speaking it is of little 
value, covering only a negligible fraction’ of land properties in 
an uncorrelated manner and in a meaning less form. Thus it is 
difficult to consider such survey aata as an asset in a viable 
land survey system. Some of the countries belonging to this 
category are endowed by nature with abundant natural resources 
(e.g. China, Russia) while others are extremely poor (e.g. many 
African and South American countries). Their common feature is 
the sad fact that the huge majority of their population lives at 
the level of starvation, or in conditions close to it. However, 
it is generally ignored (particularly by cur profession) that the 
Lac k jp.£_ad equate land information, e specially the information on 
who. owns the land or carries the responsabil ity for its _u.se or 
missuse. is one of the very basic obstacles in the__improvement 
db-the economic conditions of these countries. Cur own indolence 
in these matters is to a large extent responsible for this 
situation. I could illustrate this by dozens of examples from 
personal experience.