PROCEEDINGS. 73 



disastrous inundation was prevented by persons acting on their 

 own responsibility, while the authorities directly interested in 

 preventing the inundation had no jurisdiction over the river 

 banks. 



The engineers who have had the most extensive experience in 

 connection with water conservation and supply in England are 

 fully alive to the glaring defects of the administration in regard 

 to these matters, and are unanimous in the opinion that sweeping 

 reforms are necessary. Two eminent engineers, who were 

 appointed as a Royal Commission to enquire into and report on 

 this subject, gave the opinion that all the rivers should be under 

 one jurisdiction, with a central office in London, and a Cabinet 

 Minister at its head. But the difficulties in the way of carrying 

 out useful legislation have prevented any such measure from being 

 passed. Besides in a country like England, where numerous and 

 complicated rights to water have been acquired, the difficulties to 

 be encountered and overcome in passing such laws as would place 

 the question of water conservation on a sound basis, would be 

 very great. In a new country, where settlement is incomplete 

 and the development of the natural resources has only commenced, 

 the obstacles in the way of passing suitable laws dealing 

 exhaustively with the general principles of water conservation 

 and supply are comparatively trifling. But delay in this matter 

 is dangerous, and the cases of England and America show the 

 nature of the danger and the fate of the water supply when 

 enterprise is fettered by the British Law of Riparian Rights — 

 the law which is still in force in New South Wales as some of 

 our most enterprising pastoralists know to their cost. 



WEDNESDAY, 6 JULY, 1887. 



Dr. Leibius M.A., F.C.S., in the Chair. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. 



The certificates of five new candidates were read for the third 

 time, of five for the second time, and of seven for the first time. 



The ballot for the election of the candidates whose certificates 

 had been read for the third time was postponed to the next 

 monthly meeting on account of there being one deficient of the 

 required number to make a quorum. 



