New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-18
reliable and emeient

| In fact. your committee think that IL
would be better that nothing were done
than that the present company should be
permitted to continue, since the existence
out . hope of protection, however
feeble, and . reliance upon this hope ee-
gets, a. q general rule, an inactivity ON the
part Of the riparian proprietors BY lu!linR
them into reliance upon fallscious nope
which more than compromises IN
harm for the limited good accomplished Dy
| the ieolsted levees undertaken to be built
by the company.
| In determining what eyetem to recon.
| in perplexities we'll calculated to deter the
most experienced of our citizens. On the
one hand the magnitude of the work and
| the manifold ruin produced by it's non
accomplishment; on the other, the imp0v-
erisbed condition of the State and the
almost certainty that any system will
prove inadequate to secure total immunity.
civil war, by which the riparian proprietor
was compelled to build and repair, and
under which the local authorities possessed
| the power to enforce the obligation has be-
come impossible on account of the revolution
| which has taken place in our entire system OF
labor. Presently considered, two general
modes only are usually suggested.
l The undertaking of the levee system
by the national government
9 The building Of the levees by the state.
While it is universally agreed that the
| first plan is the most desirable, 1t 10 none
| the less universally admitted that some
thing should be presently done. even If only
"a Temporary expedient, until tho national
? government undertakes the work.
Your committee consider that it anything
| ia to be done at this session of the General
Assembly, it must be an expedient, to take
| the place of the present system until the
national government shalt have acted.
The plan of building by the State has
Since 1860 lands and Obligations of the
| State to the amount of 2,OOO,O 900 have
been issued for levee purposes.
And your committee believe that If the
| burden were presently assumed by the
State it would, while ultimating in little or
no relief to the overlooked districts, entail
upon the State responsibilities which she
| could not meet besides giving rise to the
very serious question of how far those Dor
! tions of the State not subject to overflow
| should be called upon to contribute equally
| to the payment of the building Of levoes.
Your committee, therefore, in view Of
these facts, have determined to recommend,
| first the creation of q board of public
works, to be composed OF three to be elect
ed by the General Assembly on Joint bal
| lot, to whom shall be delegated the power
to supervise the entire levee system Of the
State; to assess annually q tax OF not ex-
ceeding one and halt mills for levee pur-
poses, this tax to be passed to the credit OF
q fund to be denominated the general levee
fund, and to be under the control Of the
board The board to have power to expend
tho amount Of this tax as they may think
proper in building those levees which may
1 K tn
largest area of country, and therefore most
important. All contracts by the board to
be adjudicated after public notice. the
board to have NO power to contract
to any amount beyond eighty per
cent Of the annual tax. The pay
ment for the work to be made BY
warrants of the board, which shall not be
debts of the State, hut simply claims on the
tax for the year the levees are built. and
which warrsnts shall be receivable for such
tax, and payable therefore whom collec ted.
This plan would, in the opinion of your
committee, give all the State can afford to
the general system; would tighten the bur.
dene imposed on those parishes not subject
to overflow, and represent more fairly the
quota which they can properly be called
upon to contribute for the general we'll
being. It would certainly accomplish re-
duction in taxation, and secure the build
ing, with the reduced taxation, OF more
cubic yards per annum than is now done
BY the Levee Company at the exorbitant
rate allowed them, there being no reason
why, under such plan, levees could not
be built as cheaply, if not more go. than is
done at present by the Levee Company:
g The subdivision by the board Of the
alluvial lands into three or more levee dis
tricts, the districts to be made up with
reference to the common local necessities,
and the assessing in these districts OF an
additional or local tax of one mill, the tax
realized from each district to be passed to
the credit of the particular district and to
be expended solely for work done therein
g. The creation in each alluvial parish OF
board of levee control, the board to
parish, one to be appointed by the Board OF
Public Works, one to be elected by the
property owners of the parish, and q third
bv the police Jury. This parieh board to
have control of the local levees, to direct
when necessary the doing of repairs requir
ed in an emergency, to prevent the injury
or destruction of levees, and to enact local
ordinances for their protection. All con
tracts made by the Board of Public WOrkf
to be under the supervision of the parish
board of the parish in which the work is Il
be DONE
4. The enactment of general Law
making it obligatory upon the male inhabi.
tants Of each parish in which levees are tt
be built or repaired to furnish at least five
days labor gratuitously upon the levees
said labor to be committed at g per day
when not personally rendered, the place
where and the time when the labor is to b
performed to be designated by the loca
boards of control, the riparian proprietor
to be under the obligation of annually re
pairing to the extent of an expense not ex
| ceeding q reasonable sum to be fixed PEI
acre of 'front.' Each male iRhabitant to b.
obliged, in an emergency, at the call OF tn
local board, to give assistance. These obi
cations to be enforced by proper penalties
civil and criminal.
In concluding these recommendations
your committee deem it we'll to cay that
while the State may be free to adopt pres
entity such measures as the wisdom OF tn
General Assembly may devise. some pro
vision should be made to adjust and llgui
date the alleged claims of the Levee Com
papy against the State. As already stated
these claims, as preferred by the Leve.
Company, amount to 81, zoo, SOB IS, whicl
includes their claim for work completed
and to be done during the present year.
As already shown the total amount o
moneys claimed to have been expended D.
the Levee Company amounts to abou
81 49,, 900, and the amount which the.
admit having received from the Stat
81, 1863. $50, and, therefore, if they were pait
the amount which they claim, it woul'
enable them to make as a profit the sum Q
between 81 500 900 and 81 200, 900 since 1871
with a capital which to all intents and pull
poses consisted largely Of the funds OF tn
State.
The company state that they at preeen
owe about $3.50, 900 floating debt, beside
100000 of the company's bonds, as to whic
latter, however. the State is under no obi
cation.