The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-08-21

s. .ss- "a ~ -. ~ ~~~-~ n.
ot6ereht views On the vexed Que

oi4ereht views On the vexed Question.
The new wh1rf lease. by which,
through the extension Of one year
granted to Mr.. Il. Ellerman, the city
Will lose In revenues $2oo, 900 or more, Is
ready to receive the signatures Of the
parties thereto. -,--.-,rr-.@g
The opinion Of the DEMOCRAT, fire.
duently expressed against the conces-
sion asked by the lessee. or any conces-
sion whatever Of similar nature, not
having changed, one OF our, representa-
tives interviewed Mayor Leeds on the
subject. At l@4
a11 THE MAYORS APPRECIATION H.
OF the situation, which 10 doubtless that
Of the. city administrators, who voted
for the extension and for n reduction OF
the monthly payments fifty per cent, Is
that the city cannot assume charge or
the wharvts, owing to q want Of money
to put them In immediate repair, and
the further candid assertion OF It's inca
pacfty OF collecting the wharf revenues
without mourning the danger Of loss
through negligent and unfaithful SER
wants. Mr.. Leeds, however, does not
refer to the present administration, but
says'that incoming ones might not at
tend to the matter as strictly as the
budget would require Of them.
Referring to the resale OF the lease In
accordance with the decision OF the Su-
perior District Court, the Mayor added
that there were no prospects, OF other
contractors Offering satisfactory bids,
and that as to holding the securities OF
Ellerman responsible for the damages
chat might result should the contract
be sold over, at the risk OF Ellerman, he
feared that nothing could be made out
against them would require couple OF
years at least before 1t could be decided,
and meanwhile the sureties would fore
stall the execution of the decree, II In
favor OF the city, by transferring their
property, and the city instead OF deriv-
Ing any benefit by the suit would be
mulcted for costs.
To put the wharves In order would
require
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS,
and the city is in no condition to incur
the expense. These arguments OF the
Mayor are, from another point Of view,
considered groundless. The assertion
that the city could not collect the reve-
nues of the wharves Is met by the
answer that IL those charged with such
collection were made to give unques-
tionable security for the faithful per-
Torrance Of their duties, there would
be no reason to entertain any fears in
asked IL the securities OF Ellerman can
not now be held to an accountability for
the failures OF their principal will they
be in any manner accountable should
Ellerman fail to comply with the terms
of his new contract? 1t Is also denied
that 1t will require one hundred thou
sand dollars to repair the wharves now
and that less than fifty thousand dol
lars would accomplish the work.
AT ALL EVENTS.
and admitting that the first named sum
| Is the correct one, the revenues OF the
last six months Of the year would be
more than sufficient to meet the expen-
ses, on the basis Of $215. ZOO year, the
estimate Of Ellerman himself in lis ex-
pose to the Council asking for relief,
| which, therefore, cannot be supposed to
| be exaggerated. On the contrary 1t Is ad-
mitted that even under the compare
| tive stagnation OF business the wharf
revenues should exceed 1915 900 annu-
ally, and particularly since it Is beyond
q question that they will increase during
| the Ave years to come.
The decision OF the Council does en-
tirely away with the proposition to re-
duce the area of the wharves one-half
| by filling in the batture under them,
with the aid of the dredge boats recent
lily acquired from the Drainage Com
pany, and Mr.. Ellerman, in his new
! proposition, makes no allusiOn to his
offer to reclaim ground equal to three
squares above Canal street, which will
be worth to the city from $25O,0O0 to
$500, OOO." Nor does it appear that the
City Council have brought up the sub
| ject in their .~.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE,
where all discussions have taken place,
leaving the public to get at the facts
only through imperfect interviews OF
the representatives Of the press with In
dividual members Of the city admins
tratiOn.