TH K 1 K R I G ATI ON AGE. 



143 



petition may be granted. No other considerations may 

 be taken into account. After the drain asked for has 

 been established on these grounds, the element of public 

 welfare virtually disappears and it is directed that the 

 cost of the work shall be met by a special tax assessed 

 upon individual property in proportion to the benefits 

 it will receive by reason of the execution of the work 

 petitioned for. It does not require a legal mind to 

 discover the illogical gap here exposed which the courts 

 have obligingly closed by ruling that work of this char- 

 acter performed by individuals for private gain and 

 paid for by special tax is conducive to the public wel- 

 fare. This view of the case is now so well established 

 that it is not considered necessary for legislatures to be 

 empowered by constitutional amendment to enact drain- 

 age laws, though it is admited by jurists that these 

 statutes would be more direct and logical were this done. 



by the improvement, apportion the cost of the same to 

 each tract as benefited, submit full specifications for the 

 construction of the work, and superintend and inspect 

 the same during construction. 



In Illinois the employment of an engineer is 

 optional with the drainage commissioners. Any com- 

 petent engineer may be appointed. He shall make 

 preliminary surveys, maps, and estimates for the work 

 called for by the petition if so directed by the commis- 

 sioners and supervise its construction. 



In Indiana the county surveyor is charged with the 

 preparation of plans and specifications and with the 

 superintendence of work during construction. The 

 amount of work he performs is optional with the 

 viewers or commissioners, as the case may be, but he is 

 usually the chief adviser upon matters of constructive 

 detail. 





Courtesy 

 Colorado Midland By. 



IRRIGATION IN THE 

 GRAND VALLEY. 



A review of the work performed under the pro- 

 visions of state laws leads to the conclusion that en- 

 gineers have in many instances received scant courtesy, 

 and their opinions as often given little weight. There 

 may have been good and sufficient reasons for this state 

 of affairs. Be that as it may, the work is assigned to 

 engineers by state drainage laws is important and 

 requires prudent and careful engineering work to which 

 should be added a knowledge of finance and practical 

 agricultural economics. 



In Ohio the county surveyor is engineer and is in- 

 structed to make surveys, plans and estimates, describe 

 and report to the county commissioners the land affected 



In Iowa any engineer may be apointed by the board 

 to make surveys and plans. He must also report the 

 lands affected by the proposed work and the manner in 

 which they will be benefited. By virtue of his appoint- 

 ment he is a member of the commission for making 

 assessments upon the property. 



In general it may be said that the engineer of any 

 drainage project is in a position to be more intimately 

 acquainted with the conditions affecting every detail 

 of the work than any other officer under the law. If 

 he chooses to familiarize himself with them and study 

 them with that care which the importance of the un- 

 dertaking merits, he may practically become the lead- 



