The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-04

70 the payment by the State Of certain claim
If which they allege to be due them for wor
:. done. This, also, is question which may
a left for future consideration and action. TIL
j. immediate and practical point to be detel
a mined is can the revenues which the preser
r three-mill tax, or a less tax will yield, be g
o utilized as to give the State more levee wor
!. than the Louisiana Levee Company hav
= heretofore supplied? believe they can.
: there any better plan within our reach?
4 feel confident there is.
9 UTILIZATION OF CONVICT LABOR.
e The plan which seems to me most likely t
give increased efficiency and economy to on
4 leves system consists in the employment O
the able-bodied convicts of the State. L
. older countries the practice of thus employ
ing convict labor has been pursued for year
with beneficial results. From an officia
| statement made to me by the Off cers of tn
, State penitentiary. learn that they had unde
J their Charge, on the 2Otn of December, 1875
J 5S2 convicts, classified as under: males 554
females %; abe-bodied males $50. Thi
, number of able-bodied men is not likely Il
diminish. On the contrary, as population in
creases, aud the laws become more rigidly en-
forces the number will be largely augmented
from year to year. The Federal prisoners
military and civil, convicted within this dis
trict, were formerly confined in our State Pen
itentiary, the government paying for theil
support fifty cents head per day. There
would probably be no objection to these Fed
eral convicts being ordered to the State Peni
Tertiary again, and worked under proper dis.
cipline in the same manner as the State con.
vcts. In any event, at the lowest estimate by
the plan proposed, it is believed there will be
at least 500 able odied men available for work
| on the levees all the year round.
The Penitentiary situated at Baton Rouge,
| on the river, about the center Of the field OF
operations, is most conveniently located for a
base of Supplies BY means of boats adapted
for that purpose, the convcts, securely
guarded, could bs moved from point to point
with the CELEBRITY and precision Of q military
organization. Il is estimated by the State En-
gineer that 500 able-bodied men will build
5000 cubic yards per day. Experienced con-
tractors rate convict labor higher than other
labor. The State Engineers estimate l,50O,-
900 cubic yards as the lowest amount of
levees necessary to be built each year. Five
hundred convicts. working but 200 days in the
year, can build at least 100000 cubic yards
OF levee. Seventy cents is believed to be
a very liberal estimate for the cost of guards,
ratlons and clothing per day per man. II
contracts were made for these items with the
lowest bidder the State would doubtless be
enabled to secure them at less rate of cost.
As the State, in taking charge Of the convicts,
would be compelled to subsist them the en-
tire year the cost for 365 days should be con-
sidered, which would amount to 1927, $50;
add for cost of transportation S25 900, which
would probably be less if the State were to pro-
vide two steam tugs and convict barges, one to
be used above the mouth of Red River and one
below, the result is an outlay of Sl52, $50 per
annum; add the support of all the convcts
not able bodied, say 100 at fifty cents per day
each. making S1S. $50 per annum, aud by this
calculation 1000, 900 cubic yards of levees can
be built by the State at a total cost of IL 10
cents per cubic yard. The State, if neces-
sary, could employ hired laborers for the
building of the remaining 500, 600 cubic yards
computed to be necessary. This could GER
tainly be done for 30 cents per cubic yard, or
even less, say Sl50O0O. The amount of
necessary salaries for commissioners and en-
gineers, etc, would be, say $4,000. This
would make the cost OF the l, 500, 900 cubic
yards Of levee amount to $685. 900, or an
average of % 70 100 cents per cubic yard.
Upon this showing it is evident that the
present levee tax could be reduced, and the |
revenues, if properly utilized under the pro-
posed plan, would build quite as many more
levees than are now built by the Levee Com
pauy This company receives three fourths |
IS much from the State as il paid for all State |
purposes, including the half mill for the pur-
chase of the State House.
BOARD OF WORKS
Should policy Of this kind be adopted by |
The State it seems to me that its practical |
operation could be best carried into effect |
BY board of public works, TO be composed |
If five or three competent citizens to be |
elected by the General Assembly in joint
ballot, or in order to divide the response
oi!ity, three to be elected by the General
and two to be appointed by the
or two elected and one appointed,
who should be authorized to take charge of
The entire levee system of the State.
Chief Engineer and two assistants to be ap-
pointed, whose duty it should be to survey
md locate the levees required under
he direction of the board OF works this
board to have absolute control Of all the
convict labor Of the State; the work on the
evees to be prosecuted during the entire
rear; the revenues derived from taxation for
evee purposes to be disbursed for work per-
ormed in the same manner as other claims
gainst the State are audited and paid, the
BOARD accounting to the Legislature annually
or the proper performance of their duties, or
o the Governor whenever required to do so.
y oCouIS W Auc tAdt, Will parties 80 evenly
alanced as they are now, with q large Con-
ervative element pervading the General As
emily. this is most propitious time to secure
b. appointment of competent men. not politi-
al partisans, whose high character and I'M
uestioned capacity will give a guarantee
nat the money collected for levee purposes ,
ill be wisely and properly expended. L am
70 oundly impressed with The peculiar SEN
bility of the public mind in this respect.
he whole levee system should be lifted out {
all political influences. Under the present ! !
7stem the Executive appoints two of the :
,ree commissioners, and tue three engineers,
nd under the law of the Levee Conn any can
My build levees in such places and to such G
ktent as the Board of Commissioners may de- :
'rmine There is certainly greater facility
nder the present system for making the
ublic works political lever, than {
nder the proposed plan, though it ri
only right to say this has not $
cen done. BY the plan have sketched out f
le laborers being mainly convicts deprived c
all political rights and the Controlling o