CULTIVATION OF WASTE LAND 97 



Lastly, in respect to the encouragements to be given to the large landed 

 proprietors, it was the opinion of the Commission that they must be limited to 

 roadmaking and the improvement of roads and the supply of water and the 

 improvement of the existing supply, and to the grant of the right to 

 consult free of charge the various technical offices of the State (Agricultural 

 Hydraulic, Government Agricultural Engineering and Forestry Offices) . 



§ 6. Society for the cultivation of waste land. 



The utility of a special organization to promote and assist the various 

 undertakings initiated for the clearance of moor and heath land does not need 

 to be proved. Up to the present, these undertakings have been left exclus- 

 ively to the indi\'idual owners of small and medium sized farms. 

 Now it is evident that mere individual effort asks for too much time. Con- 

 vinced of this, the Commission passed the following vote : 



I. That a co-operative society may speedily be formed, with regional 

 divisions, for the purposes of {a) studying and carrying out all works of 

 clearing, farm improvement, the bringing of land iinder cultivation whether 

 for agricultural or forestry purposes, rural buildings etc ; {b) maintenance of 

 the v.orks carried out ; (c) extension of pisciculture ; (i) search for and em- 

 ployment of all means that may lead to the rapid and productive cultiv- 

 ation of waste land, such as drainage, irrigation, road construction etc. ; 



2 . That the public authorities ma^^ encourage such a society, by grant 

 of subventions for all its undertakings of public or collective interest; 



3. Finally, that the officers of the proper departments of State (Agri- 

 cultural Waters and Forests, Agricultural Hydrauhcs and Road Construc- 

 tion) ma}^ perform for this society and its members an office similar to that 

 performed by the State agricultural engineers and forestry agents in the case 

 of private individuals. 



The reader will remember that shortly after the passing of this 

 vote a society of the kind was founded at Louvain on the initiative of some 

 members of the Commission with which we are dealing: its organization was 

 dealt with in the number of this Bulletin for August, 1913, pp. 24 et seqq. 



Finally, as far as the Campine in particular is concerned, the Commission 

 calls the attention of those concerned to the advantage that might be derived 

 from contracts and the collective undertaking of work. An intermediary, a 

 private contractor or society, might, that is to say, substitute the land- 

 owner and the whole work of clearing and bringing the land under cultiv- 

 ation might be carried out for private account and with private capital, the 

 advantage consisting either in the use of the land for a length of time or in 

 a share in the produce or in the ownership. 



If these undertakings are organized in such a way as really to guarantee 

 the sjDeedy bringing of the land under cultivation, the Commission considers 

 that the Government will have every interest in encouraging their found- 

 ation, either with special subsidies or by the subscription of shares or again 

 b\' advances of monev. 



