on so much talked about now by Aspiranis: to the legislature. Au- 

 .horitywas given Id a council lo undertake and carry out drainage 

 end other vaii as local i noi "cicei.t to be paid for by tho '-lU 1 ij-'.ie- 

 fitted over a number of years. The council could issue debentures 

 on a special rate aod pay the cost of the work as it progressed. 



Here is briefly stated the authority on which our local improvement 

 was authorized which has been so very beneficial to this Province 

 and particularly so to the three counties of the old Western District. 

 And now for our first experiment. One of the members of our 



council, the late David Hossie was aware of the existance of a 

 large tract of land much of which was low, swampy and part of it 



covered with tamarac wcods and lying to the north-east of the 

 tcv/n';h p. The ■ i.ly outlet for tho surface water except by evaporat- 

 ion was northerly to the head of the Perche Creek, thence through 

 Sarnia township to I^ake Huron. Getting necessary petition to the 

 council for the drainage of this locality, Mr. Hossie secured the 

 f-ervicc of an engineer, a survey was made, and level? tnken, 

 and it was found there was a fairly good fall for a short distance in 

 the adjoining township. The work went on and it was eminently 



successful. Other members of our own council as well as others 

 took up similar enterprises and it was not many years till every 

 part of the township was placed within easy access of fairly good 

 cutlets. The well draCined laind allowed the tiller of the soil to sow 

 without the danger of flooding, and not that alone, the removal uC 

 Btapnant water made the township healthy. No longer was: a 

 If ver and ague patient to be fo>ind in almost every hamlet. No 

 Jnnser whole herds of horned cattle died of that mysterious !-courya 

 called murrain. Moreover the judicious construction of drains 

 (r.g our Pi.rtly cpened roj'^^jwa's afforded opporuinily i"."»r a sub- 

 'faiitial well craded turnpiiie'?. These chaugjs were anpareni in a 

 Minfil. and these local councils were gifiod with exteusivf; powers, 

 and thus oppo:tunity was afforded the little local Parliaments within 

 tiicir respective townships, power to undertake progressive legislat- 

 lf\v years ar.d bright results followed. LanJ Li the ;'outli-west of 

 Moore. whic"-> a low jears previo.is sold at putiic aurtioa for J.rty 

 cints an acre, Vui foxiiia jy drainage to be v (i) t.dapt j1 for terming 

 and soon sustained a teeming population, erecting sustantial homes 

 8( hools and churches, replacing tamerac and older swamp and worth- 

 less duckponds of the past .'. 

 iarnia, December 2nd, 1911. 



ROBT FLECK 



