A Rural Water Policy The British Association has for two
years had a com- mittee on Inland Water Supply, and it seems a great pity that its policy, endorsed by the Institute of Civil Engin- eers, has not hitherto received more serious attention from the Government. Its points are two—first, that a sys- tematic survey of Great Britain's water resources is urgently required ; secondly, that it ought to be under the auspices of a Government Department " independent of any interest in the administration, control, or use of water." . This is obviously not the Ministry of Health ; and in fact the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is indicated—in any case, by far the best body for any really scientific inquiry. Yet all that the Govern- ment has done has been to refer the matter to the Minister of Health ; who received the Presidents of the British Association and the Institute of Civil Engineers, and expressed himself in non-committal terms unlikely in themselves to lead anywhere. How urgent the matter is, one illustration may show. Artesian wells, sunk by a private company, may pump for industrial uses as much water as would supply a largish town for a year. Any- body with surface rights over the soil can sink such wells anywhere, and the practice is fast extending. No one has gauged its consequences, or is attempting to regulate the drain of water it may involve. * *
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