94 BELGIUM - MISCELLANEOUS 



On the other hand, the report of a Commission, instituted in 1900 for 

 the study of the Campine from the point of view of forestry, informs us 

 that the two provinces of Antwerp and lyimburg at that date had altogether 

 77,000 hectares of heath land, 40,000 of which were owned by private 

 individuals. To this must be added, in the opinion of the same Commission, 

 the area of all forests t h at are badly regulated and impoverished, infested with 

 insects and fated to become moorland, unless steps are at once taken to re- 

 store the fertility of the soil. The Commission therefore held there was no exag- 

 geration in estimating at 140,000 ha. the total area of the land to be improved 

 and cultivated scientifically in the Campine district. Considering, however, 

 that all this area could not for economic reasons be converted into fields and 

 meadows, the commission came to the conclusion that, of the above 140,000 

 ha., at least 50,000 could be with advantage utilised for agriculture. 



Statistics are wanting in the case of the other provinces, but it is calcul- 

 ated that there are today in Belgium more than ico.ooo hectares that might 

 be transformed into arable and meadow land, without counting all the land 

 that might be rendered more productive by means of works of agricultural 

 improvement and especially by drainage. 



§ 3. Proposals est regard to the road system 

 and the regulation of waters. 



The cultivation of farms first of all calls for the construction of many 

 roads and a system of drainage. Extensive mors and heaths are in fact 

 only abandoned on account of the want of roads. Almost always the mere 

 opening of a suitable road is enough to promote the clearing of the land and 

 the erection of the first rural buildings. It is therefore urgent, observes 

 the report above mentioned, to request the public authorities to make the 

 roads indispensable for the work of drainage and chiefly the large roads giving 

 means of access, when considerable areas have to be cleared. 



When this duty is entrusted to the communes, the State and the pro- 

 vinces should grant them subsidies and special facilities. 



But if it is desirable to stimulate public action for the purpose, private 

 action must not be abandoned, and therefore, the Commission, considering 

 that, under the existing Belgian laws, no form of society would lend itself 

 to the constitution of road making consortiums amongst private individuals, 

 proposes the passing of a special law to authorize the landowners to asso- 

 ciate for the construction and maintenance of rural roads, granting such con- 

 sortiums rights and privileges analogous to those of theWaferingues. These lat- 

 ter are associations formed for the drainage of marshy land and enjoy im- 

 portant privileges; indeed, not only have they civil personality, but they have 

 the character of public administrations, that is, they are real public author- 

 ities which, within the limits of their powers and of their districts, may ex- 

 propriate, impose direct taxes, publish special police regulations etc. 



As regards the regulation of the water supply, wliich is of capital im- 

 portance for the subject under consideration, the Commission holding 



