Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1859-04-30


being registered by the Secretary as rc
quircd by law.
Your committee were informed hy
some of the Commissioners that compe
tent engineers could not be procured at
the stated salary allowed by Inv. The
committee know of no law authorizing
the Commissioners to contract for engl-
necring, and are satisfied that the work
would be better and more economically
performed by engineers employed at an
annual salary. If thea salary allowed
by law was insufficient, an application
Ishould have been made to the Legisia-
turc to increase the sum allowed
The committee find that the Commits
sioncr of the First District paid out for
engineering, from the 9th of August,
1857, to the 10th of March, 1858, five
| thousand six hundred and twelve dol
lars. And that during the year 1858, the
sum of eighteen thousand eight hundred
and seveuty.nine dollars and ninety
nine cents was paid for engineering and
the expenses in the Second District
And that in the year 1858, the Commits
sioner of the Fourth District paid for
engineering three thousand one hundred
and ninety dollars. .... ...s.
In the year 1858, An Act was passed
relative to Swamp Land Commissioners,
Of which the following is copy:
Sec l. The several Swamp Land
Commissioners, before proceeding fur
ther with the duties Of their respective
offices or exercising any of the powers
or rights conferred upon them by law,
shall execute their bonds for the sum Of
twenty thousand dollars each, with good
and sufficient sureties, to. be approved
by the Governor of the State of Louis
lana, for the faithful performance Of the
duties of their Office. ...-...... .t......#
| Sec. 2. The said Commissioners shall
draw no moneys from the Treasury, ex-
Eccpt for the payment of work and labor
actually performed or contracted for and
in course Of performance, and all drafts
for money which said Commissioners
are authorized to draw, shall be made
payable to the contractor Or contractors,
and shall be accompanied by certifi-
tcate from the Commissioner that the
I money drawn is actually due to the
person in whose favor the draft is drawn;
t Pforided, That nothing in this Act shall
tbe 80 construed as to affect the right OF
said Commissioners to draw for their
salaries or those of their engineers OF
assistants. .as..zs e.4z st e-5z
Sec. 5. All moneys now in the hands
of the Swamp Land Commissioners shall
be Immediately paid back to the Treas
urer of the State, and thereafter sllal
ionly be drawn as is provided for by the
Iseeond section Of this Act. az as-
Sec. 4. This Act shall take efee
from and after its passage. ...s.
Your committee are satisfied that Tx
provisions of this Act and especially tho
second second Section thereof, are emf
nently wise and proper, and they will
in future avoid much trouble that has
heretofore existed in the investigation
Iof the accounts of the Swamp Lane
Commissioners. The committee find
that when this Act took effect, the Com
missioner of the First District had il
his hands one thousand seven hundred
and forty-two dollars and sixty cents
And the Commissioner of the Second
District had fifteen thousand six hundred
land nine dollars and sixteen cents. The
Commissioner of the Third District com
Piled with the provisions Of this Act
/ and resigned. And that on the 1otf
: dav of July, 1858, the Commissioner o
the Fourth District presented to the
Estate Treasures certificate showing
! that he had no money in his hands.
Owing to the failure of the Commits
sioners of the Second and Third Districts
Z to comply with the. provisions of tni'
Act of 1853, the Treasurer refused tt
recognize them in their official capacity
and to honor the warrants drawn by tlr
Auditor, predicated upon i. the warrant:
/ of those Commissioners. Your commit
tee do not undertake to decide, whethe
the Interpretation given by the Treasu
! rer to this Section was correct or moi
but they are of the opinion that the RI
fusal of the Commissioners to pay tn
: money in their hands into the Treasury
: was inexcusablc. The reason given b
} these Commissioners was, that work
4 were under contract that would absor
t the funds in their hands, and that if tn
t money was paid over by them into th
: Treasury they could not draw the sam
b in payment of these works without a
appropriation by an Act Of the Legisl;
B ture. reommittee do not undertak
a to decide this point, brt the requiremer
{ of the law was positive and uneond
], tional, and if any injustice would II
! suit from the operation OF the law, II
r consideration should have been urge
/ to the Legislature to prevent the pa
3 e ~