374 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



material success be achieved. On the contrary they seem each and 

 all interested only in the fortunes of the particular Districts which 

 they represent and the idea of one District receiving a large grant 

 of money in which others are not tO' share equally is utterly abhor- 

 rent to them. 



Thus, whenever a large Government Irrigation scheme is propos- 

 ed some Member is sure to rise and argue that it would be far better 

 to allow 500 farmers to have an irrigation dam each at the public 

 expense than that the whole of the sum total should be spent upon 

 one comprehensive scheme in a single District. And that Member 

 invariably secures considerable support in his contention. 



Next in importance to the subject just mentioned is the fact of 

 the non-existence of efificient and comprehensive laws dealing with 

 the ownership of water and its apportionment. Although the subject 

 has been brought to its notice year after year for nearly half a century, 

 the Legislature of the Colony has never yet made a serious effort to 

 establish a code of laws which would once for all settle the vexed 

 question of water-rights. It has acted rather on the assumption that 

 the existing laws, such as they are, may be looked upon as sufficient, 

 and has contented itself in facilitating their application in certain 

 directions. 



Various Bills dealing with irrigation were submitted to the 

 Legislature between 1861 and 1875, but these were either rejected 

 by the Council or by the Assembly, or else withdrawn by their 

 proposers. 



The first Act which passed the Legislature and became law in 

 the Colony was Act 24 of 1876, called the " Right of passage for 

 Water Act," dealing with the right of conveying water for irrigation 

 purposes across other persons' lands and with matters connected 

 therewith. This Act was, however, repealed by Act 36 of 1882. 



In the year following another Act was passed. Act 8 of 1877, 

 constituting Irrigation Districts and Irrigation Boards, defining their 

 powers and duties, the raising of loans and fixing of rates of interest 

 and repayment, providing for irrigation schemes promoted by private 

 individuals, granting them powers to raise loans in Districts where 

 Irrigation Boards had not been constituted and laying down regula- 

 tions for the settlement of disputes by Arbitration. 



Act 28 of 1879 provides for Municipalities exercising under 

 certain conditions the same powers as Irrigation Boards with regard 

 to the raising of loans and the imposition of general rates for purposes 

 of irrigation or domestic water supplies. 



Act 7 of 1880 was passed in amendment of Act 8 of 1877, 

 enabling Government tO' advance instalments of one-fifth of the total 

 amount of a loan granted under previous Acts in order tO' assist in 

 the construction of Works and to cover preliminary expenditure. 



By Act 26 of 1882, as already stated above. Act 24 of 1876 was 

 repealed. It provides more in detail the means of passing water over 

 the lands of other proprietors, compensation bv arbitration and 

 limitation of servitude. 



