The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-20
THE NEW CANAL.

yplvea tho question Of the control Of the
New canal. The miHmanagement Of this
important waterway under the present
lessee has been Of such Migrant ct,arae-
tar as Ia call forth the denunelatian Of the
preas from time tn time, or The owners Of yes
sela and email crafts that have been com
PEELED to use H. and finally of 4 committee Of
the late constitutional Convention, which.
after making y careful examination Of the
canal. reported that the lessee had not com
piled with the terms Of the contract. ana had
| forfeited The lease.
| The committee found the mouth of tho
canal too narrow I'll the safe entrance Of
| vessels. and In such dilaptatad condition
that several vessels had been Ioat aud many
| Injured from that cause. the levees were In
bad condition, and n some places entirely
washed away tho only dreiReheat was In a
| diapidated condition and unit for service. the
| wharyes rotten, full of holes and actually
dangerous: the canal was rendered unsafe by
| floating timber, logs. stnmps, and the depth
u[ water was greatly Less than that required
by the lease, and insufficient for the demands
Of commerce.. This report. he II remembered
was MT made by persons inmlcaI 10 the
canal has been managed entirely by the
agent Mr.. konner. but by entirely dlsinter
asted persons. members " the Constitutional
Convention. whose sole purpose was to pro
tect the State while doing full justice TO the
lessee. The report was adopted, "A was a
resolution submitted BY the committee, re-
uuesting the Attorney General to Institute
judicial proceedings against the lessee for the
collection Of the rent due the State aud for
the possession Of the property and forfeiture
" tho lease: aud also MI ordinance providing
that the New canal and shell road shall not
I've leased nor elepated by the State Under
this ordinance the tax Ii reduced ta ten cents
per ton, a reduction which will have the most
beneficial effect upon the lake traffic, and tend
to build up the trade with the Florida par-
lshes. which ID hy no means inconsderable,
but which has been struggling for years
against the oppressive tariff levied by the
lessee and against the numerous obstacles To
safe and rapid navigation In the canal
All the lumber, wood bricks. coal, tar and
other products that come TO this city from
Lakes PontctartraIn, Manrepaa and Horgna
must use this highway. and when tho numer-
Gus steamers and sailing craft now engaged
III tho trade are released from the payment OF
the oneIols tax demanded and vigorously
collected Ivy the lessee, there will be great
impetus given tn numerous industries which
have III the past suffered from the high
charges and great difficulty Of reaching
market.
There never was. perhaps All instance Of
such gross disregard ~ the terms pr n CON
tract as this canal presents. IL would almost
appnar ~ II II was the deliberate purpose OF
the manager tn SEQ how little service he could
perform and how much money he could cajale
the State Into making tho Iessee n present Of
for doing comparatively nothing.
On twudifIerent occasions the lessee secured
from tho Legislature very Important modlfi-
cations Of tho lease upon tho pretense of
making great and much needed improvements
lii the canal increasing lts width extending
the wharves aud increasing the number and
ai5e of the basins, but while soms work was
done In the matter Of widening tho canal, 60
keep I'D appearances. tho most OF the pro-
jeeted improvements wera not completed, and
the State never received any adequate com
penaatlon for making the notifications re-
ferred to. Tho basins that were constructed
were mere shama and OF very little practical
utility while some Or them were used for log
pens.
We refer 10 the matter ut thls time because
II ls essentially necessary that the State
should. at the earliest possible moment, AZ.
sumo control of this canal and relieve our
lake trade of the onerous tax which will. of
courae. To levied upon II 40 long as the pres
ont management Ia permitted to remain In
IT Ia claimed that tho lessee owes tho State |
for back rent tho enormous sum Of 100000
but whatever tho sum may ho4-and u Ia UNI |
large II would DO M excellent
Idea for tho Legislature To appropriate tho
whole OF 1t to the completion Of tho very I'm
projected by Mr.. Kenner. but |
never completed. With the great impulse
which i low tariff Of charges and Intelligent
will give to tho trade which |
seeks this avenue Of approach to
our city, these improvements will he greatly |
needed. and II seems especially appropriate |
that any moneys recovered should be ap-
piled to them.
The action OF tho Attorney General In
bringing suit. as requested hy the convention |
was prompt and vigorously followed up. but
the decision Of tho Supreme Court. according
tho lessee the right 10 give bond. has left the
canal In tho old hands. and commerce will
continue to suffer until tho ease Ia tried on
liza merits and a final decree obtained. In |
order 70 hasten this much to be desired end.
we therefore take tho liberty of calling the
attention Of the Attorney General TO the mat
ter. and have no doubt he will push It TO q
speedy trial.
For the Information of those Interested we |
append the article ut the constitution relating
to tho canal and shell road:
Art. iao Tho New basin canal and shell road |
md their appurtenaneaa shall not be leased nor |
alianatai.
The General Assembly. ut itH first session |
after the ratification Of this constitution shall
provide by law for a superintendent 10 b. M. |
pointed by tho Governor upon the rneommen-
dH'ion Of the captains and owners of vessels |
plying In. and of merchants doing husiness on
anid canal 20 manHge the same: and shall enact
such other laws for The regulation mainte.
nance AID management af said canal n nd she'll I
road pfOriIed dues shall not reeai ten cents