8 



Land Drainage. 



[APRIL, 



Agricultural Executive Committee has since the beginning 

 of this year withdrawn from 705 acres out of a total of 812 

 acres that were either being farmed by the Committee or were 

 let by them to farmers at the end of 191 9. The Ministry 

 is still in possession of about 35,000 acres of land throughout 

 the country, and in exceptional cases the power to enter on 

 land which is either derelict or is badly farmed is still 

 being exercised. The power under the Defence of the Realm 

 Regulations will lapse in the near future, but Part IV. of the 

 Corn Production Act, 191 7, provides similar, though somewhat 

 less drastic, powers. The Ministry is delegating its powers 

 under Part IV. of the Act to the same Committees which 

 functioned under Regulation 211. Eventually these powers 

 will be delegated to the County Agricultural Committees 

 that are now being set up under, the Ministry of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries Act, 191 9, and the enforcement of good cultivation 

 will then become a branch of the county administration. 



****** 



During the year 191 9 eight Orders under the Land Drainage 



Act, 1 91 8, establishing new drainage authorities or extending 



, „ . the area of existing drainage authorities, 



Land Drainage. n n r j , , 



were finally confirmed, the total area 



brought under their jurisdiction being 31,000 acres.* During 



the present year the Ministry has finally confirmed three 



similar Orders affecting a total area of, approximately, 22,000 



acres. In addition, five draft Orders, concerning about 



24,000 acres, have been deposited for public inspection, while 



two Orders affecting 37,000 acres have been sealed by the 



Ministry and now await final confirmation. There is reason 



for hoping that the Orders which have not yet been 



finally confirmed will become operative without any serious 



opposition. 



Mention has already been made in this Journal (March, 

 1920, p. 1172) of a Provisional Order which the Ministry has 

 settled and made, establishing a single authority for the whole 

 of the drainage area of the Great Ouse and its tributaries, 

 comprising 480,000 acres. The great size of this area, and 

 the difficulties of reconciling the numerous interests concerned 

 and of arriving at an equitable system of rating for the expenses 

 of the Drainage Board, have been such as to render it necessary 

 to submit the Order to Parliament for confirmation. 



* A review of the work of the Ministry under the provisions of the Land 

 Drainage Act, 1918, was published in this Journal, February, 1920, p. 1088. 



