1899_public laws_666_2
CHAPTER 665 An act regulating the use of and for the protection of meridian monu- ments and standards of measure at the several county seats in North Carolina. WHEREAS, meridian requirements for determining the varia- tion of the magnetic needle of the compass from the TRUE north, and a standard length for measuring surveyors chains have  already been established in nearly one-half of the counties of the state by the North Carolina Geological Survey and the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, cooperating with the commis- sioners in the several counties and similar provision has bees made for establishing such standards at the remaining county seats of the state during the present year; and WHEREAS, it is of great importance in the making of all sur- veys of boundaries of lands, townships, counties, ete., that the chains, compasses and other instruments used by surveyors should at intervals be properly tested: The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:
That every surveyor operating in any of the counties of this state with magnetic instruments, whether in a public or private capacity, shall between the first day of January and thirty-first day of December in each and every year carefully test his needle upon the official meridiary monuments in the eounty in which he resides or the nearest county in which such monuments have been erected, by adjusting his instrument over the intersection of the lines cut into the top of. one of the meridian monuments by established and sighting to the insersection of the lines cut into the top of the other meridian monuments, noting the variation of the magnetic from the TRUE meridian and the direction thereof; and shall test the chain or other instrument of line or measure upon the distance from centre to centre as indicated by intersecting lines of the two beans, tablets or other official monuments set at or near the county court-house for this purpose, noting the error of such instrument as compared with the standard of the monuments. Such tests and the correction, if any, resulting therefrom shall be returned by the surveyor in writing and under oath to the register of deeds for the county in which such meridian is situate within ten days from the taking of the observations aforesaid,.setting forth the name of the surveyor, his residence, the character of the instrument tested, the date of the observations, the declination east or west of the magnetic needle from the TRUE meridian, together with a fee of ten cents for filing and recording the same; and such return shall be filed and recorded by the register of deeds in a book properly raled and lettered, to be furnished by the board of commissioners of the county, to be used for such purpose exclusively and entitled the meridian record: Provided, that before making surveys in any county other [than] the one in which the magnetic instruments and instruments for line or measure to be used have already been tested, said surveyor shall procure in writing from the register of deeds of the county in which said monuments have been established, nearest to the point where the survey is to be made, a statement giving the declination of the magnetic needle for the year in which it was Jast determined, and the rate and direction of the variation of said magnetic needle since that time, and this data shall be recorded as a part"of the record of his survey: Provided further, that no surveyor shall be required to go outside of the county in which he resides for the purpose of ot ing the instruments herein named. :