The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-06


fifty cents per cubic yard for canal ex
cavations and one dollar per cubic yart
. for protection .levees. This company
; ceased active operations and transferred
! their powers and franchises to Warne
Van Norden, Esq, and under the re
; duirements OF said act No. 30, there has
, been issued to said company or trans
fierce bonds or warrants. as follows:
Gold bonds, drainage series. s1.624.0oO
, Drainage warrants ............ ....,.. 452.1Oo
$9.O7e1 100 o.
Besides large amounts expended from
the City Treasury for .revetments, etc
J At the rates paid for like work by thu
Drainage Commissioners, who had con
troll prior to the passage OF act No. 30
! the work for which $2076, 100 in city OBJ
legations has been paid, would have cost
the city not exceeding $800,OO0.
The collection OF drainage taxes In
1876, even under peremptory writs from
the courts amount to but 1927, 1874 81
while the warrants issued In 1876 fol
work done amount to $429,680 81. Total
amount of uncollected drainage tax
January 1, 1876, is 81, SOC, SIS As, and in.
terest thereon. Much of this tax rests
upon swamp lands between. the ridge
in the present condition OF affairs, the
lands would not realize the tax.
Should your honorable body afford
the city no relief upon this subject, and
should the transferee continue work at
the prices stipulated by legislative act,
until the amount of uncollected drain
age tax should be exhausted, then and
in that event, the result to the people OF
New Orleans will be-
Gnycoiisse q taxes and interest less "
| unpafd warrants 300 900 O0
Total expenditures. 1885, 100 90
for work that would not have cost over
81 100000 II the work had been let
by contract to the lowest bidder, and
had been paid for in cash.
which are being issued, largely in ex-
cess Of the collection Of the drainage
taxes, must certainly depreciate their
value, and whilst this depreciation may
not exceed the enormous margin be-
tween fair cash price for work and the
price stipulated in act 80, yet the ulti
mate result to the taxpayer Is the same.
| The property of the city is ultimately
forced to pay thrice as much as the
work is.worth, although the transferee
may not realize such a profit.
Under the law vast protection leyee
along the lake shore Is provided for.
|
levels for the work.
| A work Of such magnitude Is not re-
quired, and il this work should be con-
| tinued as directed by existing laws, and
the collection of drainage taxes should
| be enforced for warrants issued for work
to be done during this year the exac-
ton would equal three-quarters Of one
per cent taxation on the entire real and
personal property OF this city.
We respectfully ask at your hands
such legislation as will place this work
under control Of the city government
in order that the work may be limited
to present exigencies and the cost there
Of be reduced to legitimate amount.
COURT EXPENSES
Under this head the expenses for the
year 1876 have been:
For maintenance Of prisoners. Parish
Court fees--Sunerior Criminal and 49, "
First District Courts. ................ 2s.732 80
Total .........................s l23, 566 10
SALARY and expenses. ST, 1893 81
First District Court-Gerk's fees s. $3.50 Is
Superior District Court
Clerks costs in tax suits. ......... $4,000 90
Municipal Court expenses. ............. 7O972 rs
All of the above expenses are regu-
lated by legislative enactments, and we
earnestly urge such action as will best
enable the city to reduce taxation for
these purposes.
The Criminal Sheriff has repeatedly
assured the Administrators Of his viii
liingness 4 to reduce the expense
Legislature will afford the city
such general relief as will enable
the city to pay cash; he asserts that the
exactions for other purposes fixed by
legislative enactments has heretofore
imposed rates OF taxation that has rem
dered the collection of the tax uncer-
tain, causing delays in payment and
forcing him to make sacrifices in order
to procure funds to advance for provis
ions and expenses.
The amount due Criminal Sheriff, ac-
count 1874, 100000; amount due Crimi-
nal Sheriff, account 1875, $4,000.
The Civil Sheriff's cost in tax suits are
not advanced by the city as in the case
OF clerks fees, but are collected from
defendants, and we therefore have no
record OF the amount at the City Hall
his regular fee is one dollar upon each
writ, two per cent. commission on tax
and interest upon sums of five hundred
dollars or less, and one per cent. upon
sums over five hundred dollars.
This city is required to maintain seven
HuulcllAI OF ponce courts, including
the fifth and seventh justices, at a cost
OF over 10000 per year, when one or two
courts would transact all the business.
The city OF Cincinnati, with a larger
population than New Orleans, requires |
but one police court, AID the cost Of the |
same does not exceed the amount which |
the city OF New Orleans is forced to pay
for each one Of her courts.
CITY INSANE ASYLUM.
This institution contains one hundred |
and seventy-five inmates, and cost the
city last year eighteen thousand dollars. |
Notwithstanding the fact that the city
OF New Orleans pays nearly two-t thirds of
the expenses Of the State Asylum at |
Jackson, it is impossible to procure adj
for any of these patients in said |
asylum. Only one-half of the present |
inmates OF the City Asylum are from the
city OF New Orleans. Provision should
be made for these unfortunates in the
State Asylum, or the State should re-
pay the amount disbursed for their sup
port.
INSTRUCTIONS TO BATTURE AND STREETS,
For several years past, the right of the
inhabitants Of the First District to free
ngress and egress to and from the
levee has been outraged by railroad cor
pOrations, who have closed to the public
ali the streets leading to the levee, from
lIlrOd to Ca1liOnn q distance of 1900