L. A. B WADE. LXIX. 
their undertaking to pay an annual rate not exceeding 67 
of the cost of the work. An artesian bore in this State is 
generally too expensive an enterprise for a small selector, 
as the average depth required to get the supply is over 
1,000 feet. Atthesame timea successful bore will deliver 
more water than several selectors can properly utilize. 
The Crown, therefore, sinks the bore, taking all the risk of 
finding the artesian water, lines it with metal casing, and 
constructs the drains to each holding. The local Land 
Board then assesses the rate payable by each landowner 
to the Crown. As the progress of such schemes could be 
blocked by a single litigious settler, the act provides that 
the work can be carried out if the holders of three-fourths 
of the area agree to the proposal; this isa most important 
feature of the act. There are now 17 of these bores com- 
pleted, and 5 others are in progress. After the stock have 
been supplied, there is sometimes a surplus of water which 
can be used for watering a small garden, and it is encourag- 
ing to note that some progress has already been made in 
this way. 
The Water Rights Act, passed in 1895 is the most im- 
portant of all. Previous toits passage, the landowners on 
either bank of a stream practically owned the flow of the 
water. This is the usage under the Common Law of 
England, but the natural conditions there, are of course, 
quite different to the conditions of the arid country here. 
Under the act, all the flowing water of this State became 
vested in the Crown. It may be remarked that similar 
legislation was necessary in the United States to promote 
the settlement of the arid areas there. The main idea is 
that water should be looked upon as the essential adjunct 
to the land. The act provides that the State shall be 
henceforth considered the chief conservator of water, and 
its officers are authorised to take any measures necessary 
for this purpose. Private individuals are entitled to take 
