The Surveyor as a Salesman

Abstract I wish to-night to touch upon a subject which may reveal surveyors in a new light, a light which—if not as yet appreciated by the general public, by Real Estate Agents, and by our own clients—is due largely to the fact that it may not be generally appreciated by surveyors themselves. Permit me to explain to you exactly what I mean. I am not about to address you upon Town Planning in relation to the subdivision of land, and I am not about to tell you what you should give the public for their own benefit, even though they have no desire for it, or may even dislike it; but I am about to tell you what, in my opinion, is best appreciated by the public in the subdivision of suburban land. In other words, how the surveyor as a silent salesman, can successfully help to sell a subdivision before the auctioneer steps upon the rostrum, or before the purchaser by private treaty steps upon the ground. As a profession, we are sadly in need of more appreciation by the public of the services we render. The successful advocate, the eminent surgeon, or physician, or engineer, is generally known and acclaimed, and yet by what means can the public distinguish one surveyor from another? Here, gentlemen, is a field in which to erect monuments of our capacity or incapacity—a very extensive field in which we can advertise ourselves in keeping with our professional ethics, and one in which we can render tremendous financial aid to our clients and generally help and educate the public.