I move the Second Reading of this Bill. Briefly, this Bill will alter the financial provisions of the Barrow Drainage Act, 1927, in three particulars. It will increase to £550,000 from £425,000 the maximum expenditure on the drainage of the River Barrow. The additional sum is being provided in equal shares by a Free State grant and by advances by the Commissioners of Public Works, repayable by the people in the localities concerned in accordance with Section 9 of the Act of 1927. It will also provide for an increase from £4,000 to £6,500 in the average annual expenditure on maintenance. It will enable advances, not exceeding in the aggregate a sum of £3,250, to be made to the Barrow Drainage Board by the State towards the cost of maintenance during the first year following the date of a final award. That covers the operative portions of the Bill. Certain explanatory particulars may be of use to Deputies, but I think most of them are familiar with the main provisions of the 1927 Act.
The Barrow Drainage Act of 1927 provided for a maximum expenditure of £425,000 on the drainage of the River Barrow. This sum is now found to be insufficient for two reasons. The first reason is that the cost of excavation will be more expensive than was originally estimated and the second is that it is desirable to carry out the cleaning of a large number of minor tributaries and drains which had not been included in the original scheme under the 1927 Act. As the House is probably aware, the Barrow drainage was begun in 1926 in anticipation of an enabling Bill which was passed in 1927 and under a scheme which was confirmed by the Minister for Finance in 1930. The fact that works on the River Barrow were begun in anticipation of legislation was an indication of the general desire to take early steps to remedy grievances regarding the flooding of the river. In order not to delay the introduction of the enabling Bill, a more or less preliminary estimate of £425,000 was made. This estimate was based on a survey of the river made in 1885. As there was little reason at the time to doubt the accuracy of this survey, it was decided to avoid the delay and expenditure involved in a new survey of the river.
During the progress of the works, however, it was found that the levels of the bed of the river as shown in the old survey were inaccurate and that considerable silting had occurred in the last 40 years at many points. These two factors were in themselves sufficient to cause a rather large increase in the amount of excavation now deemed necessary. The quantities of rock and "soft"—that is, everything except rock—were originally estimated at about 56,000 cubic yards and 2,200,000 cubic yards. These figures are now estimated to be increased to 120,000 cubic yards and 3,000,000 cubic yards, respectively.
Under the Act of 1927, it was the intention to deal only with the main artery, and as the scheme was regarded purely as an arterial drainage scheme, little attention was paid at the time of the passing of the Act to the cleaning of auxiliary drains and minor tributaries. The results of the works already executed now show how very desirable it is from the point of view of the occupiers to have the large drains forming the boundaries of their holdings efficiently cleaned and properly maintained in the future. These drains are numerous, widely separated and of a total length of more than 120 miles. The cost of including the arterial drains in the Barrow drainage scheme is fairly high, but none the less the cost of executing small individual drainage schemes would be considerably greater.
The amending Bill deals with another question of financial importance, viz., the expenditure on maintenance of the completed works. Provision is made for an increase from £4,000 to £6,500 in the average annual cost of maintenance during the first 35 years after completion of the works. The necessity for this increase is obvious, in view chiefly of the additional expenditure to be incurred on the numerous minor tributaries and auxiliary drains. The fixed annual sum payable by the county council is accordingly to be increased from £2,000 to £3,250, while, as under the original Act, one-half of the ascertained expenditure in each year will be defrayed from State funds.
Section 19 of the Act of 1927 provides that the county councils concerned should pay their contribution towards maintenance by equal moieties on each 30th September and 31st March, and that the Government contribution should be paid at the end of each financial year on the certificate of the Commissioners of Public Works that the works had been properly maintained.
It may happen, however—it will happen—that during the first year the Barrow Drainage Board may not have sufficient funds available for maintenance works and the Minister for Finance consequently proposes in this Bill to take power to advance sums not exceeding £3,250 to the Board during that year. The advances will be recoverable by deductions from the sums payable by the State towards the cost of maintenance in subsequent years, or, in the alternative, shall be repaid by the Barrow Drainage Board after the expiration of the 35 years period.
I might remind the House that the amendment of the Act increases the total expenditure from £425,000 to £550,000. It is enabling the maintenance to be increased from £4,000 to £6,500, and enables the State to advance £3,250 in the first year, in advance of moneys which in the ordinary way it would advance to enable the schemes to be comfortably maintained.
