New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-24

Csm,pissioners for the Csnseructjen Of
Levees Have . Meeting.


Levees Have = Meeting.
| from the Memphis Appeal
| Att the last session of the Mississippi Leg
| islature, law was passed providing for the
| constrnction of levee, from Horn Lake to
the southern bounds of C0ahOma county,
where the levee is to connect with one al
ready under course of construction TO the
Yazoo river. The law which provides for
| the erection of these levees, has among IT'S
provisions one providing for the appoint
| ment of q commissioner for each OF the conn-
| ties concerned. These are to be elected BY
| the board of supervisors of each county,
and when so elected, are to form body 10
be known as the board of levee commission
ers, whose duty it is to see that the afore-
mentioned work shall be done. The board
at present consists of five members, as fol-
lows: Desoto county, F. S. Tate; Tunica
county, John Mccain; Pamela county, w.
w. Howe; Tallahatchie county. Hawkins;
COahoma county, A. 8. DOwd. At the
meeting, yesterday, Mr.. Hawkins was not
present, but the other four were. A. 8.
Dowd is president and A. r. Howe, Of Pan
ola county, secretary and treasurer.
The proposed levee will be l2O miles in
length. and, when finished, will protect
about GOO. 900 acres OF the finest land in the
world from overflow. The drier it can be
kept the better crop it yields. With such
cultivation as is in other places bestowed on
corn, it will produce from eighty to one hun
dred bushels of corn to the acre. Cattle
may be taken out of the woods in winter
and killed, they being in better condition
for the butchers knife than those that are
stalled all the winter. This land is in truth
as rich as gold. Crops can be raised on it.
even with the overflow, but they have this
disadvantage, they have to be put in late
say in June-and it therefore becomes nee
essary for the hands to work through the
hoo ~ I,,1v A,,ru hofnro
Laid by This work, in the very Rot
weather, sickens the laborer; he can not do
it with IMMUNITY. Beside this, the crops so
put in are usually short, and are very late
coming in. When the land is protected by
q levee the crops may be put in during
March, and laid by before the heats of June
good yield, because the drier the ground is
the better crops can be raised from it.
The law providing for these levees fixes
an aggregate tax on those low lands of $l25,-
O00 per year. to pay for the work, to be
raised every year for tweve years. The law
also authorizes the sale of lands for nom
been decided to be valid and the titles good.
The commissioners are authorized to issue
bonds to the amount of $1,000, 900. but
which are not to be negotiated for less than
ninety cents on the dollar. The interest on
these bonds is secured by the tax of $l25, 900
per year IeVleO upon the grounds which are
to be benefited by the levee, so that those
bonds may be considered lien on the lands
that fail to pay this tax. Memphis has
deep interest in these lands. They are the
richest cotton lands i'll the world, capable of
nearly a million bales of cotton
n one year, if brought under proper cultiya-
ton. Memphis commands all tho trade OF
his vast and luxurious sectiOn-a section
hat is destined at no distant day to swarm
With dense and rich population.
The board was principally occupied in
considering number Of bids that were
tent in for the proposed work, and in dis
ussing the manner of dispOsing Of the
.onds, which are now being printed in New
York. There was no decision arrived at in
aspect to letting out the work vet. The
commissioners have decided to remain in
he city until a chance shall have been at
orded to all the contractors to investigate
nd consider the matter, and put in their
ids. They will meet again to-day. They
re elected for four years, so that the work
nay be completed while in their hands.
)ne hundred and twenty miles of leveeing
I'LL afford considerable work to our labor
rs for some time. Only think Of the
mount of 4uinine and whisky that will
e swallowed during the progress of the
,Ork