The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-02-08

vide that wherever drainage is dies
irable, a certain proportion Of tia
land owners within a given are
may, BY application to the court
secure the appointment Of viewers
who viii report to the court what
lands will be affected by the propos-
ed scheme, what it viii cost, whether
it be practicable, how it shall be
done, and whether it will pay.
All interested parties must receive
notice and may be heard The
drainage court may reject or adopt
the report, and, if the scheme be
advisable. drainage commissioners
are appointed who with the assis-
htanee Of the necessary engineers will
carry out the plan, or such modified
plan as may be desirable, and re-
port the scheme Of assessment, the
lands being divided into classes in
proportion to the benefits received,
class 5 paying five times as much
per acre as class / If the cost per
acre be sufficiently great to require
it, drainage commissioners may issue
bonds maturing serially within a
reasonable number Of years. The
cost, whether paid by bonds or in
cash, and the enterest on the bonds
if any, are assessed upon the lands,
and these assessments constitute q
lawful lien superior to all other liens
except taxes. The right of appeal
and jury trial is preserved for all
who may be dissatisfied, and the
drainage commissioners are vested
with the right Of condemnation
wherever necessary.
Earnest efforts are being made to
secure the enactment Of similar
statutes in other Southern states.
When this is done, we may con-
fidently lock for much good work
and for the reclamation Of a large
part Of these lands which otherwise
will remain ullproductiye and con-
tinue to breed the deadly mosquito,
continuous menace to the health
of many sections of our country.
As a rule these lands when re-
CLAIMED are the richest agricultural
lands. Their reclamation viii add
greatly to the material prosperity
not only Of the individual land
owner but of the communities ii which
they are situated and Of the states.
The whole public will get the
5eneft. The states and counties
will reap this benefit directly through
the great Increase in taxable values.
The Legislature should go even
further than it has. ] would be a
paying investment to make appro-
priations out Of the public treasury
to promote action under the drain
age laws. AS these laws now read
if the drainage scheme b. reported
as impracticable, or if it shonld
appear from the report Of the view
ers that it will not pay, and no
drainage district be established and
no work done, the promoters are
saddled with all the expense Of the
work incurred in the employment o.
engineers, costs of court, etc. The
state could well afford under proper
safeguards to pay the expenses Of
preliminary surveys and examin-
alton which would give sufficient
information to make very rae such
cases and to prevent burdensome
expenses being thrust upon those
who are seeking the public good.
The question Of drainage is by nc
means a local one; it is Of national
importance. Indignation gatherC
lby the federal government shows
that there are in the United States
l74,541, 800 acres Of wet lands; thar
is to say, swamp and oyeraoweC
: lands. We Of the South are apt t.
: think that these lands are mostly
! confined to our territory It Is true
that there are in Alabama I 10000
E acres, sn South Carolina 100000
acres. in Texts I $4,000 in Nortl