St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1921-09-24
Individual Effort Is Proved
Costly, Results Not
Satisfactory.
REPRESENTATION
NOT PRACTICAL
Woods Fires, Free Range
and Hogs Make II I'M
possible to Succeed
lBy a. p. BriggSl

(By A. E. BrlggS)
The question might naturally arise
to the reader OF last weeks article
whether it would not pay a large
land owner better to map out and
construct his own system OF DRAM
age. To those H.iO have carei lily
read and considered the facts pre-
sented i'll these columns concerning
drainage and present land conditions
in this parish it viii be unnecessary
to urge further that, whether he be-
land owner, stockman or farmer, his
interests here will be greatly pros
pered by the earliest possible drain.
age Development, and he is no"
ready to consider what system OF
plan would be most advantageous to
him peTusnaliy.
Every American is properly preJu-
diced in favor Of private enterprise.
But experience has proven that some
undertakings succeed better under
public initiative, construction and
control than by any private Or indi-
vidual means. The story OF the de-
yelopment of drainage organizations
is thus told by H. S. Yoke, Expert
on Drainage Organization for the t.
s. Government, in f. B. S15:
"The first attempts at drainage
were made by a few individual land
owners who were convinced that
their wet land would be highly pro-
ductive if drained. Usually their
first efforts were confined to drain
ing wet places in their cultivated
fields. Later, those who titled land
adjoining large areas OF wet land
extended their cultivable area by
draining a few acres Of this wet lana
This individual effort, however, usu-
ally was costly and frequently did
not !. produce satisfactory results.
Again, it did not permit drainage Of
more than comparatively few
acres, for the farmer usually conlt
not get the required outlet on his
own farm to drain a large tract.
These individual attempts at
drainage were followed in progress
sive communities by united effort
made in the hope Of getting more
effective drainage and adequate out
let's at lower costs. Several farmers
who could use common outlet, or
who by natural conditions were
obliged to use common drain to
: reach an outlet, understood to CO.
operate in constructing drains. Their
attempth to agree upon the location
of drains, methods of construction
and distinction Of costs generally
ended in q quarrel and only occasion
ally was it possible to complete the
proposed improvements. Such unit
ed effort, while in some Instances an
Improvement over that OF the lndl-
vidual farmer, was not suited tc
carrying on drainage on a large
scale. The landowners lacked re-
sponsbIe, continuous organlZatlon'
as unit they had no standing in the
eyes Of the law; they could not bor'-
row money except as each memDef
made himself personally Responsible;
they had no responsible executive
head: they possessed no machinery
for determining and enforcing the
collection Of each landowner s share
of the cost; they We're strong or
weak, and succeeded in accomplish
ing or failed to accomplish their pu!-
poses in proportion only as the III
dividuals had the capacity and dlspo-
sitiOn 10 work in harmony and adjusI
differences. These so-called organl-
cations were not fitted to carry on
work on even small scale efficiently
and at a minimum cost. When pro-
iects involving thousands OF acres
were to be undertaken, it developer
soon that adequate outlets coIld not
be obtained except by carrying the
bitches across the lands OF un1nter-
ested parties. AS the landowners
were not serving a public purpose,
they could not cross the lands of
unintcrested persons unelss some
agreement could be made with the
owners, which frequently was I'M
possible. Further, the systems SO
constructed frequently would afford
drainage to the lands Of owners who
would not join with their neighbors,
and who could net be compelled to
pay for the benefits thus conferred
upon their lands. In addition, theh,
to the Inherent weaknesses, tnls CO.
operative effort was wholly lhade-s
quate in that it did not possess any
power whereby all landowners VINO
were benefited could be compelled
to pay their just share Of the costs,
nor did it possess the machinery lof
forcing any landowner to permit the
construction of drains across his
lands when necessary to secrue OUT
let's. In short, the landowners VINO
wished to drain could suggest ANA
negotiate, but they could not COM
pei action even among themselves.
.'The failure of individual and vol
nntary cooperative efforts to accom-
plish drainage economically indieat-
red the need for a responsible, con-
tinuous organization clothed by the
legislature with certain powers 70
meet this need practically al the
states in which are located large
areas Of wet lands have enacted laws
providing, under certain conditions,
4 for the organization Of lands into
drainage district. When properly
organized these drainage districts
possess the following distinguish
ing attributes:
I HtNA