New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-14
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN WEDNESDAY, JANUARY II, 1874

represents $1,000 worth of property, but in
| list of 1900 taxpayers, there are 1O,27S
whole bills are less than 500, and whose
Indebtedness was only about $1,000 while
the remaining 1926 owed about five times as
| much.
| In the assessment Of taxes for 1874 we
have been strictly controlled either by the
| plain and positive requirements of the law,
| or the absolutely necessary wants OF the
| city government. For the city debt, inter
est, maturing of bonds and repurchase of
bonds. the charter compels an assessment
of fifteen mills and three tenths per dollar
| Act No &c of 1873 obliges us to assess for
school purposes tax OF two and one
halt mills. Act No. 81 Of the extra
session of 1870, in like manner, commands
| an assessment OF a park tax OF one
| mill and one-tOurth. Act No. - Of
1872 (city charter, requires a tax to be lev
| led for current city expenses, including the
| cost of the Metropolitan Police. After very
| careful computation OF expenses absolutely
necessary, and Of others made compulsory
by law. the current city expense tax was
| levied at the rate OF eleven mills and twenty
TWO hundredths per dollar. These four
! taxes amount to three per cent on the taxa
BILE property of the city, assessed tor $751;
1886, ana are estimated to yield, after
| allowing i've per cen: ter non-co!!est:on.
| s3.i!0.lIl.
Bulge, for 1874.
! The total receipts FOR 1874 are estimated
| By ordinance, as required by the charter.
at a total Of s4,.2S, 1876. In addition to re-
| ceipts for taxes as above stated, 81, ago, III.
more than half of which will be required
for the city debt: licenses on professions
! and caling5 are estimated at S5O0000,
nearly all Of which will be absorbed in
| police pay warrants and in pay accounts of
| employees. The market revenues are est
mated at S2600C0, and by direction OF the
| Council have already been sold for the en-
! tire year for some hundreds OF dollars more
! than the estimate.
! These revenues. by ordinance No. 1882,
| adopted October %. 1872. are pledged 70
! the Fiscal Agent III payment OF debt and
I are not available for the currer. expenses
OF the city. They are IN effect q tax on
! meat and vegetables to pay the floating
debt of 1872 and 1871. From levee dues the
| receipts are estimated at $40 600 of which
! $l2l .l0O is specially pledged by various
| ordinances previous 20 1873 for the pay.
| ment Of inteIes. ON wharf bonds and the
| redemption OF Hne-tenth of the principal.
! From water rents the receipts are estimated
| at $4,000. From the drainage tax the re.
ceipts are estimated at 500 600. from which
| we are obliged to pay SS7 $50 Cor interest
| on bonds Ut the drainage SERIES etc. Other
| 100000: city railroads $500; reimburse.
! ment on overdue tax bills, etc, SIS. 900;
! ground rents $1,000: bills receivable $H ,ll0:
| pound fees $1,000: cemeteries $4,000: Sugar
Shed Company $1,000: street assessment
| bonds. assessnen: and :nteyes: Sll!5, and
| miscellaneous $1,000.
The estimate OF expenditures is based
| upon this estimate of receipts. and is, ac.
| cording to law. limited by it TO the same
amount, to wit: S4,72S.l36. This obliged
the Council to limit the budget TO sum
| nearly 81 100000 less than that Of 1878, and
! about S2,230,000 less than the bulge: of
! 1872. all Of which was expended. Gu: o:
this budget the city deb: will require for
interest and redemption $l,961 90: the
| market revenues will be paid to the Fiscal
! Agent. $500. 600: wharf bonds and interest
thereon will cali Cor 1921 ,iO0; drainage
bonds and interest thereon will call Tor
sS7 so: the park tax receipts will he paid
to the park fund, Si63,sii, ard to the police
, the sum OF 100000 tout OF the $4,000
called Tor by the estimate OF the Board OF
Police Commissioners, which amount must
be paid in full. These six compulsory items
OF city expenditure .sre commanded by law.
and are obligatory upon the City Council.
They amount TO 81 .999 So, leaving. when de.
Quoted from the budget. sl..2S.I6 TIE
! lightin. OF the city. under contract made
by your predecessors amt obligatory upon
you. Will call for S235 Geo, which leaves for
all other expenses $l.493 les. all the balance
OF the estimated receipts being placed. by
law or by obligatory contracts. beyond our
control.
Til amount has been distributed in the
bulge; with extreme care. and 10 the best
Of Your ability. as follows: To be expended
on streets, 10: repairs. opening, contracts,
wages. salaries, cart lire and bridges,
s3l5..97 against s70s.00o i'll 1879: fol city
drainage $iiO.60o. not payable from the
drainage tax. against 5000 in 1873 and
100000 ia 1872: for wharves and landings
$SI.il6: City Surveyors office. for salaries.
wages and expenses, $3.50: for city Water.
work $4,000: public buildings. repairs, fur.
niture. fuel, City Hall. couythouses. market.
houses. schoolhousss. etc. Sa4, !5G; public
pounds. squares and cemeteries SIS, 500:
fire department s!G+000: printing i7.O0G;
Cfimina! Court. tos rent, clerks tees.
trict attorneys fees. $4,000; salaries of
four municipal judges. clerks, etc. fixed
by law. si4,.2o; City Workhouse sl7 800:
Boys House OF Refuge. 20,520: Parish
Prison. fer the keeping and lnainra nance of
prisoners. turkeys fees and expenses,
$4,000: City Attorney. salaries ard office
expenses. SIS, $50: charity. public asylums.
smallpox patients. Home OF Aged and In
firm. recording deaths, etc. $4,000: coro.
ners $4,000: sanitary expenses $4,000; tax
bills and registers Sl!,l00: office expenses
for Mayor. Council and the seven depart
ments S]S,550: administration. being saia.
ries OF Mayor. Administrators, librarian.
keeper OF archives, secretaries. clerks, JAM.
tor. messengers and poI tiers, $l9l $3.50: REIN
bursement OF taxes $1,000; law charges
100000: notarial records $500; bills payable
$500; interest on current accounts s50CU;
judgments $4,000: rent of Davidson Court
for police central station $4,000. and contin.
gent $4,000.
The budget is obligatory only 2. a limit
to expenditures. The items left to the dis.
erection Of the Council are as small in
amount as they can properly be made. and
are less than for any year preceding this
administration by from twenty tive 10 sey.
enty tive per cent.
i.itigafior.
IN July the Hon. George s. Lacey. city
attorney. furnished ine with an interesting
statement of city suits from January l to
June 80. 1873, which was communicated to
the Council and spread upon the minutes.
AS there stated . the suits decided in favor
of the city during that period involved the
enormous sum of $49G6, 0lS, while those de.
cided adversely amount to only $2ll .47G.
making tue actual net gain to the city mOre
than $4,000 00.' The total number of suits
ended during six months was $685. The
cases pending January |. 1873, were eleven
in federal courts. 335 in the Louisiana So.
premr Court, 230:; in State d.stris. courts.
and l15 in justices courts.
During the last six months tic city has
lost by litigation only $50. The decision
OF the Supreme Court in the Cannon ease.
when it will become final, will not only rec
leve the city from the paymen: of 100000
claimed by the steamboat X. T.. Lee and
some thirty one other steamers for wharfage
taxes paid TO the city. but the validity of