LXX. ' REVIEW OF WATER CONSERVATION IN N.S.W. 
water from a river for domestic purposes, or for watering 
stock, or for the irrigation of a garden of less than 5 acres 
attached to a dwelling. For all other purposes a license 
must be obtained from the Crown. These licenses are 
issued for a period not exceeding 10 years, and the holder 
has exclusive use of the work even against the Crown. 
Licensed works are generally dams across small streams 
for holding up a supply, cuttings through river banks for 
the abstraction of flood-waters, or pumping plants. Up to 
the present time nearly a thousand of these licenses have 
been granted, and the number is likely to largely increase. 
The act also provides various penalties for polluting or 
wasting any water supply, and one section was designed to 
make provision for carrying out public works of conserva- 
tion or drainage, but this part of the act has been now 
superseded by :— 
The Water and Drainage Act, passed last year. This is 
the first legislative enactment dealing with the practical 
aspect of water conservation. The main provision is one 
setting apart a million sterling for the construction of 
hydraulic works within the next five years. As the work- 
ing of this act will be so important, I will describe its pro- 
visions somewhat in detail :—The funds are to be expended 
on works under the following heads: State Works, Small 
Conservation Works, Trust Works, and Works under pre- 
ceding acts. 
The definition of a State work is not given in the act, 
but is left to be determined by the policy of the Minister. 
Any large works, such as storage reservoirs for balancing 
the flow of a large river, or extensive diversions from the 
rivers, or even the main channels of irrigation schemes, 
would naturally be classed as State works. Briefly, a State 
work would be any undertaking of some magnitude on 
which a number of smaller works might depend. 
