The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-23

over twenty-five cents. How, then, can tn
completed its work within the contrlc
time, three years, because the State had no
furnished it the means, when by the con
tract, the State was not, through the Leve
| Construction Fund tax, to repay the amour
| expended under the contract only durin;
| twenty-one years
| The most favorable construction that car
be given to the contract is, that the com
yards in 1872; five million in 1873, five mil
| lion in lS74, and two million i'm 1873, and t,
keep the levees as built in complete repai
for twenty-one wears, or until the end 0
1892. Yet, up to date, only four million
cubic yards are reported as having beer
completed whereas the amount called fol
by the contract, on the first Of April, 1874
was nine and one quarter million (9,23O,0 900
cubic yards. Has the Levee Company com
piled with its contract and is it blamcless
But the various crevasses, through which
the water flows which is now devastating
the finest and richest portion Of Louisiana
happened at points where the levees were
ont of repair, and through want Of such re.
pair as the planters were accustomed in tie
proper season to make, but which, by the
exclusive custody and control" of the
Levee Company, they were prohibited from
att. ntling to. Fifty thousand dollars, since
the first Of last October, is not enough to
have repaired, or kept in repair, "the
twelve hundred miles of levee" under the
control Of the company. Nor can the COM
pany say the State had failed to furnish the
means to make such necessary repairs. The
report of the President admits that the
company has received from the State
S1,1Ol 800. Now, one-half Of this, OF $3.50
900, belongs to the "levee repair fund.-"
and could have been properly used by the
company only in the repair of levees, or in
repayiDg the Levee Company the money
which it might have already expended in
such repairs.
Can any one doubt that had only the
$3.50, 800 Of the "levee repair fund tax" been
in the actual repair Of levees (the
company were not restricted to the amount
Of this fund IS collected, but was required
to keep the leyees in complete repair at any
cost and had she PSI, 900 cubic yards of new
levee been bulls on the LIST Of April 1874, as
required by the contract, instead Of the
1, 100000 reported by the President Of the
a.,
high stage Of water the damage to the plant
RS of Louisiana would have been in sintely
ess than now, if not wholly avoided
The Louisiana Levee Company aSyee to
construct in three years 15,OOO,OOo cubic
7ards of levee for S9,OOO,OOO, to be paid in
wenty lone annual installments, or by the
,wO mill Levee Construction Fund tax for
jwenty-One years, as the same shOnla be
up to the nine million dolIaTs-
1t also agreed to keep in complete repair
lp to the standard, all the levees Of the
State for twenty-one years, for the two mil
-evee Repair Fund tax for twenty One years,
Is the same should be collected.
These, in brief, were the two contracts of
ne Levee Company. 1T was not simply to
'xpend the money, as collected of those two
evees of taxes, but was to advance all til 9
money necessary to carry out to the 10 ter
Is part of the contract; such advances to be
'epaid as the Levee funds We're collected.
The truth is, the Levee Company under
ook work, costing, say Sl0,OOO,O0O, to be
lone for the most part in three years, and to
ldvance the means necessary for the work
o be repaired, with such profits as might be
~ four mill tax on the entire property of
he State for II years, in 81 annual Install
nents. The foregoing will show what claims
he company has for honestly carrying out |
Is part Of the contract, and how, for the |
'etty advance of $41O,05O, by the company,
an give it any claims to the favorable con-
of the public, or excuse it for its
allure in its obligations.