The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-27
OFFICIAL.
LAWS OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY.
EXTRA SESSION, 1873.
AN ACT
No. g..

1877; to create q Board Of State Engi-
neers; to define their powers and duties
to levy q tax Of one mill tor levee and pub
lie Improvement purposes; to divide the
State into levee districts; TO provide for
the appointment Of Boards Of Levee Com
missioners therefor, and to prescribe
their duties and powers; to authorize the
imposition of u district levee tax, not to
exceed one mill on property and five mills
on products; to vest the control OF levecss
and completed public works throughout
the State in police iures; to impose Ger
tain duties on the Governor of the State,
and TO provide for closing Bonnet Care
crevaSse.
SECTION /. Be ii enacted by he Senate and
House Of Represen'atiOes q the state o. L 9
lana, In General Assembly concerned. That
an act entitled IAN act to create board OF
State Engineers" approved May tho 9th, one
thousand eight hundred and seventy seven
1871, be and the same Is hereby repealed.
Governor Of tho State OF Louisiana shall be
authorized to appoint three engineers, one OF
whom shall be known as chief engineer and
two assistant engineers, whose term o. Office
sf,nll be four years from the day OF their
appointment. The chief engineer shall
receive salary Of three hundred dollars per
month"; and the assistants two hundred and
fifty dollars each. 1t shall be- the duty of said
engineers to make careful survey of water
courses and public works and leyees of the
State, said survey to be completed as soon
after the subsistence of high water as is prac-
ticable, in order that the contracts for work
may be let out and co p, at the earliest Z.
Governor Of the State the improvements
necessary and the levees to be constructed
which are OF prime Importance to the State
OF large and are Beyond the means OF the
parochial authorities. They shall also, In
said report, furnish estimates and. specifca-
tons Of the work necessary to be done.
SEQ 8. Be 1t further enacted etc.. That the
Governor of the State, upon the receipt OF the
report Of the State Engineers, with estimates
and specifications, as provided by the preced-
ing section, shall advertise for proposals to
make such improvements and construct such
levees as are recon mended by said report,
and shall award the contract therefor to the
such bonds for the performance OF their con-
tracts as shall be required by the Governor;
f,yovided, that the total amount of levee work
contracted for under the provisions OF this act
matter provided And in the event this
amount shall not be sufficient to pay for the
work recommended to be done by said on
gineers, the Governor shall contract for such
slider Of the greatest Importance to the largest
area Of territory. The said engineers shall
report to the police juries of each parish in
which surveys Of levees are made, the extent
of repairs necessary to be made by said police
juries, with estimates and specifications, and
shall, In addition to their duties as State en-
rineers. make such surveys and perform such
services as may be required by parochial au-
thorities in the repairs and construction of
leyees and other public works.
SEQ 4. Be 1t further enacted, ETC.. That the
works executed under contract made as afore-
said, shall when completed be examined and
measured by the State engineer in charge of
said work, who shall, Ii such work has been
executed according to contract, issue to the
contractors his certificate showing the amount
OF work done according to contract and upon
presentation of such certificate, approved by
the Governor the Auditor of Public Accounts
out OF the general engineer fund, or out of the
Ievee fund OF the district in which the work
Tor which Ii Is issued may have been DONE and
the State Treasurer Is hereby required to re-
ceive all such warrants from State tax col
Iectors In settlement OF their accounts.
SEC. S. Be it further enacted, etc., That the
Board OF State Engineers, created under the
provisions OF this act, shall take charge Of
present State Engineer Department. Their
salaries shall be paid monthly, out of any of
the funds hereinafter provided, on their own
warrants, approved by the Governor, and |
their accounts of travelling expenses shall be |!
paid In the same manner, subject to the same
approval by the Governor
SEQ 8. Be II further enacted etc.. That, in |
order to provide funds for the works herein |
contemplated, the Auditor be directed to levy
annually after 1878, tax e. 3f one mill upon all
purposes, the same to constitute and be
known as the General Engineer Fund.-" and
to be collected In the same manner as liz pro-
yided for the collection of other taxes of the
State.
SEC Z. Be 1t further enacted, ETC., That the
State shall be divided for levee purposes in
five levee districts composed Of the alluvial
lands within the following limits, to wit: Dis
of parishes lying east Of the Mississippi and
south and west Of the hills from the city of
Baton Rouge down to the sea- exclusive of
the parish OF Orleans, vix: Partof East Baton
part 81 st. John, part, Of st. Charles, part 81
Jefferson, st. Bernard, and part Of Plaque
mines; District No. 2 to consistof all parishes
and parts OF parishes between the Mississippi,
Bayou Lafourche and the Gulf, viz: Part Of
part Of st. Charles. part of Jefferson, part of
Orleans, part Of Plaquemines, part of Assump-
ton and part of Lafourche; District No. 8 to
consist OF all parishes and parts Of parishes
south of Red river and between the Missis-
sippi and Lafourche, on the east, and the
township line dividing ranges and east,
down to Bayou des Glaizes, along Bayou des
Glaizes to the Bayou Rouge, along Bayou
Reage, to the Atehafalhaya river down the
st. Martin, along this line to the Teche, and
thence down the Teche on the west viz: part
Ct Ayoyelles; Point t.. c9,upee West Baton
l@uuuEy, pHTt vi ~ NiAEJlL, DdTU OF Iberia.
part Of st Marys, part of Assumption, part
Of Lafourche and Terrebonne; District
No. 4 to consist of all parishes be-
tween the Mississippi, on the east and
the Bayou Macon and Tensas, and
Black and Red rivers, on the west, viz:
East Carroll, Madison, Tensas and Concordia;
District No. 5, to consist Of all parishes and
parts Of parishes between the Bayous Macon
and Tensas on the east. and the Ouachita
river, Bayou Bushley, Catahoula Lake, Saline
Bayo,l on the west viz: West Carroll More
house, part of Ouachita, part of Caldwell,
partof Catahoula, Richland and Franklin.
SEQ 8. Be 1t further enacted, etc, That the
Governor shall appoint a Board Of Levee
Commissioners for each Of these districts, to
be composed Of one member from each parish
comprised wholly or in part within the dis
trict. The commissioners SO appointed shall
hold Office for the term of two years. and shall
expenses, while engaged upon the public duties |
of them under this act This COM |