The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-12
MUNICIPAL MATTERS.
Carelessness of Owners of vehicles-The
sugar Shed Question.


sugar Shea Question.
Owners Of vehicles are constantly applying al
the Treasury Department, in the City Hall, fol
duplicates Of license plates to replace those thai
| they have lost through their own carelessness
and expect to get them free Of charge.
The losses Of the license plates are due to the
loose manner in which they are hung, by piece
OF string sometimes, to the body OF tho vehicles,
and to theft, when the carts or wagons are left
on the street over night, contrary to city ordi.
nances, by the way.
A plate nailed to vehicle with ordinary care
will not come off during the year, unless torn off
when the thief is invited to do so by the wsgon
being left on the street. Hence, the city claims
that the license-pay must take out another Ii
cense. The city has, besides, no duplicate
plates.
THE SUGAR SHED QUESTION.
On Tuesday evening the committee on the
bugar shed question held conference With The
owners OF the sheds.
From present appearances the misunderstsnd-
ing between the latter and the sugar merchants
and brok RS will shortly be satisfactorily adjusted
As far as we could learn the sugar shed owners
give no other apology for their illegal charges
than that the city authorities by permitting
sugar to remain on the levee instead OF being
sent to the sheds, deprive them OF o large
amount ef revenue, and that they were loosing
money by charging only twenty-five cents per
hogsbead (the legal rate) for sheltering such
sugar as was sent to their sheds, because twenty
per cent Of the sugar which arrives at this port is
not sent to them.
From this argument it would seem that the
company claim the right to
EXACT TOLL
Of twenty five cents. at least, each hogshead OF
sugar landed on our leyee, which would make
the law ubiquitous.
They seem to forget that the law which created
the Sugar Shed Company divesied the sugar
trade OF large portion of the levee, known as
the sugar platform, which was formerly amply
vast enough to serve as market and landing
place for sugar and molasses; that the law be-
came tolerable from the fact that the charges
fixed for sheltering sugar and molasses by the
City Council we're deemed fair, and not n excess
OF the expense usually incurred for tarpaulins
and watchmen, necessary to secure the staple
from the weather and thieves.
1t ia thought by Administrator McCaffrey, the
chairman OF the Council committee. who is work-
ing zealously in this matter that the city will be
entitled to receive q
GooDLY SUM
OF money as it's pro rata Of the sugar charges
when the company shall have furnished the city
with their annual statements OF the business
done by them. But concerning these statements
it is urged by persons interested, that the books
OF the company should be examined by
DIsINTEREsrED EXPERT,
who shall make a report himself of the affairs OF
the company. This method, 1t is believed, would
prove more satisfactory to both sides OF the
question.
whatever be the result it is the opinion of Mr..
McCaffeey that the existing ordinances
SHALL BE AMENDED
80 az to protect all parties interested according
10 some plan 10 be agreed upon among them
The sugar men will. however, maintain their
ground and insist upon the point that the
charges sha not exceed what they used to pa
for the security of their merchandise prevf us to
the erection OF the sugar sheds. The trouble in
this matter seems to arise somewhat from q vio-
lation Of the spirit and letter OF the law, which
itself was 7ioiatiTe CT
ANTI-MoNoPoLY
principle, and the prime pie that when the levee
is not ne eded for the convepien discharging Of
vessels, the ordinance requiring all freight to be
need not be enforced. The sugar sheds. accord
ing to the law OF Warmo'hs Legislature, were to
take the place OF the sugar landing, and all sugar
and molasses arriving here were to be
IMMEDIATELY SHELTERED
under these sh d., the company to receive there
for the fee mentioned above tn allow the mer-
cbandse to remain there for forty EIGHT hours.
The company, finding that they could not csm-
pei consignees to shelter their sugar under the
sugar sheds, conceived the idea OF establishing
A RULE OF THEIR OWN,
viz: All sugar placed under the sheds should be
chare ed twenty five cents per hogshead for stor-
age and ten cents for labor for the first five days.
and thereatte ter each hogshead to pay forty cents
q month for storage.
In claiming that the city is dere'ict in allowing
the levee to be used az 8 storing place for sugar
they manifest that they have been
DERELIoT THEMSELVES,
by converting the sugar sheds into storehorses,