New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-18

PradoS and William IL. Pempeftou, NHdii-
men Finance Committees: are registered by
the Deputy Controller. Ike following Is
copy of certificate No. pa:
Finance Committee. entered January 90 1870
Correetl
FINANCE COMMITTEE,
City Hail. New Orleans, January ~, l8p. }
The Controller is hereby authorized to
warrant on the Treasurer IN favor OF John
Coleman & Co., for the SWIM OF one thousand
one hundred and eighty-seven dollars, ana
chaiee the same to account OF contingent,
in accordance with resolution No. l4o'.
No. 244.
ISigned) VICTOR PRADOS,
fSignedj w. H. PEMBERTON,
Chairmen Finance Committees.
Registered February 26, 1870,
(Signed) PAS. LABARRE,
Deputy Controller
The others are of Ike tenor, except
in some instances the number of the re'o
ton is omitted.
The City Attorney takes ground against
the authority of the late Council to pass
resolution No. l467. and there is evidence
on record showing that the chairmen of the
Finance Committees issued certificates to
the extent of S43.6S9 30 to Coleman & Co.
on losses which that firm allege they sus-
tanned upon certificates issued to them for
paving Esplanade street, and that the
chairmen of the Finance Committee also
issued certificates to Coleman g. Co. to the
extent of $l4, 125 70 upon losses sustained by
them upon Rampant street.
Thus it will be seen that the Esplanade
street certificates, amounting to $40. 6o9 %,
were issued in direct violation OF the pro
yisO of resolution No. 1867, and that the
Rampant street certificates, although pur-
porting to be by authority of that resolu-
zion. were issued for losses that had been
incurred on that street. Without consider
| ing the point made by the City Attorney
that resolution No. 1867 was passed without
| legal authority, the evidence shows that the
| Esplanade street certificates We're not CON
! templated nor authorized by 1t; and with
reference to the Rampant street certificates,
| the construction, and the only reasonable
one, that the resolution referred to work to
be done, and not to work that had been fin
| ished and paid for, is against the liability OF
the city for their payment.
| This question is to be determined by the
| Council: Is the city liable for the addi-
| tional twenty-five per cent certificates Is
sued as above, when the work upon which
| they were issued was once turned over by
the contractors and payment was made, &C
cOrding to the contract, to them
In determining this question, there ap'
| pears to be no warrant in law, either III
resolution No. l467, or in the acts done
under its assumed authority. But the
Council must consider whether they will
reject certificates of Indebtedness, bearing
upon their face every evidence of good
faith, and which have passed into the hands
of parties who could not by their terms
Judge whether they were or were not ISSUED
| according to law. Attention is PARTICULAR
asked to the terms of the certificate above
copied. and the undersigned fails to see how
a purchaser of such securities could be pre-
vented from being imposed upon.
j. L. WEST, Administrator.
DEPARTMENT OF IMPROVEMENTS.
The undersigned, to whom have been re
ferred the resolutions OF the Admlnlstra
tor of Public Accounts, relative to con
structing a protection levee III the rear Q
the city, and procuring the AID OF tn
Board Of Public Works of the State IN tn
same would respectfully report that tn
the importance of this great work can NO
be lightly regarded by any who reflect upo
it, nor the obligation of the State author
ties, to assist in its construction, denied.
| As is rightly averred in the resolutions
the city pays more than half the take
raised by the State, including those to
leyee purposes, and hence it is the duty {
the Levee Board to do such levee work a
the CITY may require for its protection, an
such as is peculiarly suited to its necess
ties. If the city does not take for this pul
pose more than what it pays into the leve
fund, it only gets its own. The building {
levees is the object for which the fund
is as much the duty of the Board of Publ
Works to build them for New Orleans a
| for any parish upon the river.
Nearly nine millions of dollars have we bee
appropriated by the Legsatunre El Inc pa,
, ing more than half the taxes OF the stat
will have to meet more than one-half OF tn
liability; yet of all this expenditure, not
dollar has been bestowed on its territor.
or made use Of to directly protect 1t 1rol
inundatiOn. =,
It will be argued, no doubt, that tt
money is used to aid agricultural reglo1
! | which give New Orleans their trade; Q.
! | those regions have not the same expense
, for local governments which we have, an
f ought to, at least, allow us out of the tunt
, to which we contribute, some portion Their
) Of, to be used to make the lcyees we requir
l rn1rna an iruvnNYS