The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-26
THE NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT, TUESDAY, MARCH 2e, 1878

j l0l0s
lation? In every parish, where extravaganza
and spoliation had existed, now economy and
order reign. Not only has this provision been
made for the present, but the mode and man
Not content with the creation OF good local
governments, any possible abuse OF power by
these local governments has been jealousy
guarded for the future-tirst, by. limiting the
rate OF taxation; second by Limiting abso
third, by forbidding the creation Of debt, the
issue of evidence of debt in any manner, and
by the repeal of the law known as the iudg-
ment tax law. In their administration, by
prohibiting tax collectors and other State
officers from filling parochial Offices, by
compelling the parish judges to keep their
Offices at the parish seat, by allowing, police
juries to regulate the sale Of Intoxicating
liquors on Sunday, to arrange for the levy OF
manner as to secure the lowest rate OF expense
possible; by regulating fees to coroners, OF
justices of the peace, as well as witnesses and
sheriffs, at least. so per cent below former
ulate the price to be paid for keeping prison
ers. Nor is this all. By the printing, by the
school, by the election and registration laws
greater efficiency has been secured and large
shes In addition to the savings already re-
ferred to by me as obtained for the State by
these laws. I hold in my hand an estimate of
the economy effected by all these various
measures which, although made in the alb
sence of other data, has been submitted to
many gentlemen intimately acquainted with
the workings OF the parish government who
declare it to be an under rather than an over
estimate. What does it show2
Regulating costs and fees in criml-
nal cases before justices OF the
peace and parish and district
courts-saving per parish, ave-
rage per annum, 81 parishes, at
$1,000 Sill, 900 90
Regulating fees for keeping prison
ers-estimated average per an
mum at $500 per parish ....... $4,000 90
for the whole ................. 10000 90
and election laws. .,'.,....... 100000 90
Coroners in country parishes-s2Oo
per parish per annum. ........ 11,4oo 90
Estimated saving to parishes on
collection Of revenue. .... 900. $4,000 90
Estimated saving in judicial print
ing and other advertisements. 10000 90
Estimated saving by convicts work
ing on public works, etc, and
appeals in criminal cases being
facilitated ................. $4,000 90
Total savings to parishes. :. ...... .S579,600 90
| have endeavored to estimate, but many
things cannot be estimated, and If am cor
rectfy informed, the benefits resulting from
the work of this General Assembly to the
parishes are incalculable, have brought order
out of chaos, and have, by relief to the local
governments, furnished promise OF relief to
the whole State; for, sir, under our, system
local governments. The parish gov
ernments, however, have not alone
received attention. What has been done
for New Orleans? Her mode Of
filling vacancies determined so as to vest the
authority to that end in the municipal gov
eminent, the regulation OF assessing and col
lecting her revenue, In so far as not reached
the clerks of the Superior and First District
Courts, regulating and reducing. the number
OF the recorders courts, regulating the drain
age tax, regulating the operation OF tax judg-
ments fixing the compensate lion OF the Grim
inal sheriff, repeating the park tax, abolishing
the smallpox hospital, and remitting to her
the control of her own police. These and the
State laws already referred to, regulating
education, printing, assessing and COLLECTING,
have brought her blessings Of relief difficult
accurately to state, but which upon an esti-
mate may be mentioned as follows:
Saving in assessors salaries, per -.
Saving in costs Of collection of rev
nues, in clerks and sheriffs' fees, 70 nm m
Saving in criminal sheriff, average
over 1875 and 1876, per annum, 49,
Saving ii in Salaries Of clerks Of su ''''' ~
perior Criminal and First Dis
trict Courts, per annum ...... 16,3l5 30
Saving in police establishment over
average from 1873 to 1876 inclus-
i've per annum, (of1iciaD -. 272,368 As
Saving in recorders courts, per an
mum, (officiaD. ..........!....... 10000 90
Saving in printing, per annum 5000 0O
1916, (officiaD ...........'...'... 255,e3o ss
Saving to citizens on judicial print
ING and legal advertisements of
| ali kinds, estimated per annum 10000 90
| Saving estimated to result, per an
num- from law as to working
| convicts, and to establish work
house, per annum ............ 10000 90
Total savings to city of New Or
leans, per annum ............. o72T ,3l4 "
The drainage tax, included in the drainage
districts of the city of New Orleans, which
were excluded by the act Of 1877, amounts, by
official figures, to $3.50 %, and that, re-
lieved by the operation OF the law which linn
its drainage assessments to the property,
amounts probably to $150,00o or 100000.
This estimate does not include the benefits
which may result from the repeal OF the
smallpox hospital law, or from the reorganl-
cation of the Waterworks, or from the reor-
| ganization of the Board Of Health, in which
last, alone, by official figures, $4,000 annually
is economical. The interests OF commerce
have not been forgotten. The board Of har-
Dor masters has been reorganized and their
| fees of Office regulated at such sum as was
declared just by merchants most interested
and the port wardens. have also been reorgan-
lied and regulated
OF course, Mr. President, in this summary
I have not included much legislation which
has been had, affecting the well-being Of New
Orleans and the parishes, and which partoos
of purely restricted and local nature. In
my examination OF the legislation at large, l
f< on.