New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-24

> misdemeanors in Office; be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State
Louisiana, That the Senate now resolv
itself into a high court Of Impeachment
and that the presiding officer of the Seua,
, notify the Chief Justice of the Supren
Court, or his senior associate, of the actiO
. of the Senate.
Adopted.
: Mr.. Weber offered the following:
Resolred, That the President of the Sci
ate shall appoint committee, to consist
six members Of the Senate, one from eac
congressional district, to be known as IL
: omnibus committee. to whom all Hou,
bills shall be referred.
Lies over.
, Mr.. Burch moved that the Preside1
appoint committee to prepare rules ,
govern the Senate while sitting as a coul
of impeachment.
Adopted.
Mr.. Whitney, chairman of the specis
committee to examine the books of til
Louisiana Levee Company, submitted tn
following report, viz:
To the Honorable President and Members of th
| Senate:
Your special comm lite, appointed to il
vestiga the affairs of the Louisiana Leve
Company and the Board of State Engineers
beg leave tc submit the following report:
The plan OF the committee led to the fol
loving as the principal points Of the invee
LEGATION:
l. The nature of the contract entered int,
between the State and the Levee Compan,
and Its subsequent notifications.
= The responsibilities of each of the par
ties under that contract.
3. The manner in which the Levee Com
pany has performed its contract
a. The amount, in cubic yards, of worb
performed by the company, and thu
amount earned on account of said work.
D. The amount received by the company
from the State on account of construction
and the amount received on account Of re-
pairs, as allowed by their contract and
| charter.
6. The amount due the company on &C.
count of construction and repairs, and what
amount. IT any, has been forfeited to the
State on account of failure to comply with
! the terms of the contract
L. The financial ability of the Levee Com.
pany to build all the levees of the State,
| ana II unable, the reasons and remedy for
such inability.
8. The nature of the law passed at the
last session of the General Assembly, re-
lieving the company from liability for dam
ages, and what was the consideration tor
such release.
Your committee have examined a large
number of witnesses, including the State
engineer and the officers of the Levee Com.
pany, and have obtained from the State
offlcers such information as they sought in
relation to the Levee Company, and the
amounts paid from time to time as cOmpen-
sation for work done. In this connection
your committee desire to say that it is a
matter OF regret to them thai they have
been nn2hlQ m Obtain tho ~
u. r. kenner, vice president, or of Pro-
lessor Z. &. Forshey, late chief engineer of
the Levee Company, both being absent
from the city during the whole time COW
cred by this investigation.
=. The original contract entered into in
1871. between the State and the company,
required the company to build the first year
yards each year thereafter. till 100000
cubic yards should be completed, which
was to be paid for by the State at the rate
OF sixty cents per cubic yard. 1t also pro-
vlded that tax of two mills should be
levied and collected annually for twenty.
one years, and paid over to the company as
compensation for keeping such levees in
repair, and made the company liable in
damages to persons injured by their neglect
or failure.
This contract was amended in 1873, and,
as amended, required the company to build |
only such levees as should be ordered BY
the commission OF engineers, and reduced |
the price to fifty cents per cubic yard, and |
provided that sufficient tax should be |
levied each year to pay for the work SO |
ordered and performed.
In 1874 the contract was further amended !
by relieving the company from liability for
damages arising from breaks in the levees.
:. The State has undertaken under this
contract to pay the Levee Company sixty
cents per cubic yard for all work done
PRIOR to October /. 1873, and fifty cents Der
'uoic yard for all work performed after
shat date, and the company is bound to
,nlio such ievees as may be ordered by the
commission of engineers"
3. 1t will be seen that all the witnesses
Examined agree in three statements, that
ne company has faith fully performed its
'art OF the contract, and after as thorough
q lnVest1g alton as time would permit, we
re not able to discover any violation on
5s part.
a. The whole amount of work done up to
ne present time amounts to 4 ,94l $50 cubic
ards, and the amount earned on aceOunt |
said work is 81, 923, 969 81.
D. The State Treasurer gives the follow.
y statement Of the amount paid the Levee
company. viz:
turing the year 1872, for con.
struction. 49,. ......... 100000
uring the year 1872, for repairs 100000 .
uring the year 1873, for con-
struction. 100000
uring the year 1873. for repairs 259,2OO
nring the year 1874, for con-
struction and repairs. -. .... AGA 200
urlng the year 1875, for con-
strucuOn and repairs. . $4,000
Aoeoi. o. ,406, 1UU .
b. From this statement it appears that {
g sum OF 81 49, 500 is still due the com.
ny for work completed up to this date
Q: Inc officers of the company declare /
cir full financial ability to perform all
'rk which can be ordered under existing [
VS., and do not recommend any change to
MADE IN the system. At the. same time
Is but Just to say that they express their T
tire willingness to surrender the contract
on the payment by the State of the
lount already earned by the company.
ur committee would call attention to
OF the present system as pro-
sed by Mr.. Van Pelt, chief engineer of s
LeVee Company, but are not prepared
recommend them for adoption.
y In regard to the law passed at the last
sion Of the General Assembly, relieving
} company from liability for damages A
ar committee desire to state that there a
bellef IN the minds of many that this A
was passed and ante-dated for the pur-
e OF renewing the company from dam A
g from the break at Bass levee, above a.
river. A thorough investigation dis
ses facts that entirely exOnerate both the
wee Company and the State officials from
charge of that nature. Neither has
thing appeared during the examination +
sustain the oftrepeated charge that
aey was used to secure the passage Of
act, 1t appearing that the com pany was
eVed from its responsibility for breaks
urring in consideration of it's accepting
uction of the tax already earned and due
company, from four mills to three mills. G.,
n Hivor %<,f 81 l.. |