66 NOTES ON ADMINISTRATION OF WATER SUPPLY. 



Investigations are made by him into the circumstances of the 

 proposal, and the subject is then made over to the engineer of 

 the Department, who reports on the merits of the project from an 

 engineering standpoint. As in Italy, applications for water 

 privileges must be accompanied by plans and sections, and also as 

 in that country, the engineer to whom they are made over for 

 report is a highly trained Government officer. Having investigated 

 the application, the engineer returns it with his report to the 

 prefect who adds any remarks he may consider necessary, and 

 then forwards all the papers to the Central Government where 

 they are considered by the Council of State. If the application 

 be granted, the proposed works must be carried out under terms 

 prescribed by Government, and subject to the supervision and 

 approval of the Government engineers. [The foregoing is the 

 procedure in the case of large works or claims, but for water 

 privileges of minor importance the prefect has discretionary 

 powers to grant claims which are recommended by the engineer.] 



The fact that the State does not lay claim to rivers and streams 

 which are not navigable, has led indirectly to difficulties in the 

 way of irrigation enterprise. Another cause of injury to irrigation 

 prospects has been the difficulty and expense attendant on 

 obtaining a right of way for water, and a right to abut a dam 

 on the property of others. These difficulties have in a great 

 measure been surmounted by the system of having works 

 constructed and managed by syndicates or associations composed 

 of the persons directly interested in them. Two kinds of such 

 syndicates are recognized by the Laws, the one termed " free," 

 because its members in all cases join it voluntarily and are at 

 liberty to leave it if they desire ; the other termed " authorized," 

 because it is empowered by the State to exercise certain rights, 

 and among others to acquire any land which may be necessary for 

 its purposes. On the whole a free syndicate bears to an authorized 

 syndicate nearly the same relation as a Progress Committee in 

 this Colony bears to a Municipal Council. The main principle of 

 either kind of syndicate is purely that of local government, the 

 construction and management of irrigation or other kindred works 

 being in the responsible charge of a body elected by those 

 directly interested. 



In Upper India, the Canal Act of 1873 deals in a concise, as 

 well as comprehensive manner with the question of water 

 conservation and supply. This Act is the outcome of two excellent 

 reports, which were furnished to the Indian Government at 

 different times by two engineers, who were specially deputed to 

 visit irrigation works in the South of Europe, and to report on 

 their character and administration. The countries drawn on for 

 information and experience were Italy, Spain, and France, and 



