Seventy-Third Annual Report 1191 



T liavo not gone into the thing far enongh to know whether wc 

 would have run across any obstacles if we had not taken thar 

 precaution. 



The mode is very simple. The members interested petition tlie 

 court for a commission to be appointed. The commission pro- 

 ceeds, viewing the lands and determining whether it is proper to 

 drain them. If this commission decides it is proper to undertake 

 the work, we advertise or give notice to all interested parties — 

 1 think ten days or two weeks for a hearing — after which time 

 they have the right of appeal. When they have determined that 

 the law provides tluit the engineers should go ahead and make a 

 survey, it shoidd be tiled, when the work is completed, in the 

 county clerk's office in the county in which the work is to be done. 

 The commission is very autocratic in their powers. They go ahead 

 and condemn and take the right of way as far as interested parties 

 have petitioned. You cannot go beyond the last petitioner. So 

 in doing any such work it is very necessary that you have a peti- 

 tioner as far up in the watershed as you want to go so as to get 

 to the source of the water. After that they can either let the 

 work by contract or go ahead and do it by hiring help, as they 

 see fit. Then it is absolutely within their powers to make assess- 

 ments against the properties. They also have the right, by per- 

 mission of the court, to l)orrow such moneys as are necessary to 

 ])ay the bills of the commission as they go along. After the work 

 is completed they make requisition upon the supervisor of the 

 town or towns in which the work is located and issue bonds, or 

 provide bonds, to spread over a term of years not to exceed thirty 

 assessments, or it can be assessed all at one time; but any of the 

 land owners have the right to pay their assessment in full at any 

 time. After the commission finishes its work the supervisor of 

 the town becomes water commissioner and it devolves upon him 

 to see that the drains are kept open. 



T think the law for that particular line of drainage is ample. 

 It seems to me that we need provisions to cover such as tile 

 drainage. As I understand it the state is not empowered in any 

 way to assist any individual effort along that line; we are not in 

 position to do anything, as in Canada, that will require any state 

 assistance. 



