本文透過整理歷來臺灣水利史研究較少使用的《土地申告書》中記錄的水租資料作為核心史料，針對清治至日治時代新竹隆恩圳水租的特質，進行歷史變遷與空間分布等兩個面向的分析，並探討水租與水利秩序的關連性。歷史變遷方面，新竹隆恩圳在清代從私有轉為屬於公部門的綠營所有，然其經營仍委託予紳商家族管理，並引發經營權的爭奪，導致水利失序，復以水租的收支管理不當，壓縮維修費用，影響維繫水利秩序的穩定；進入日治時代，官方推動水利公共化，要求水租額訂定與收支管理的合理化，並依據法令處理抗納水租案件，以維繫水利秩序的穩定。

空間分析方面，本文發現隆恩圳灌區內9庄的平均水租額參差不齊，與離隆恩圳圳頭遠近並無產生相對關係，這可能與隆恩圳最初並無明定水租額的水利契約，且圳主權經多次轉手，水租額經常變動有關。而在隆恩圳水租率的分布情形方面，呈現與筆者對於後村圳的研究結果有所差異，這與灌區內自然環境的差異性，以及頭前溪各水利系統取水口的分布有關。

最後，從隆恩圳的案例可知，日治時代官方引進近代化水利工程技術，大幅改善隆恩圳的輸水效率，讓靠近與遠離取水口的區域皆能得到較為穩定的供水，向引水人收取的水租額因此一致化。而水租額從清治時代灌區內依水源多寡、土地肥瘠之差異收取不同租額，到日治時代統一收取固定租額，呈現了在臺灣總督府推動水利公共化政策之下，清治以來的傳統水利秩序裂解、近代水利秩序建立的一個側面。

This paper analyzes the characteristics of water rent in the Longen water conservancy system in Hsinchu during the Qing Dynasty to the Japanese colonial era, using previously underutilized data from the "Land Declaration Form" as a core historical source. The analysis focuses on two aspects: historical changes and spatial distribution, while exploring the relationship between water rent and hydraulic order.

In terms of historical changes, during the Qing Dynasty, the Longen water conservancy system transitioned from private ownership to being managed by the government's Green Camp. However, its operation was still entrusted to influential merchant families, leading to disputes over management rights, resulting in hydraulic disorder. Improper financial management of water rent further compressed maintenance costs, affecting the stability of hydraulic order. In the Japanese colonial era, the government promoted the publicization of water resources, rationalizing the determination of water rent quotas and financial management. Legal measures were implemented to handle disputes related to water rent resistance, aiming to maintain stability in hydraulic order.

In spatial analysis, the study found uneven water rent quotas among the nine villages in the Longen water conservancy system irrigation area. The distance from the canal head did not show a consistent relationship, possibly due to the absence of a clear water rent contract initially and multiple transfers of water conservancy system ownership. The distribution of water rent rates in the Longen water conservancy system differed from the general pattern in Taiwan, influenced by the environmental variations within the irrigation area and the distribution of water intake points along the Headstream River's various hydraulic systems.

Finally, the case of the Longen water conservancy system illustrates that the introduction of modern hydraulic engineering technology during the Japanese colonial era significantly improved water conveyance efficiency. This resulted in a more stable water supply for both areas near and far from the water intake, leading to a uniform water rent collection. The shift from varying rents based on water sources and land fertility during the Qing Dynasty to a unified fixed rent collection during the Japanese colonial era reflects a facet of the breakdown of traditional hydraulic order and the establishment of a modern hydraulic order under the policy of hydraulic publicization by the Taiwan Governor-General's Office.

水租;水利秩序;水利社會;新竹隆恩圳

Water rent; Water conservancy order; Water conservancy society; Longen water conservancy system in Hsinchu