The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-12-01
A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE.

The prosperity ola town and parish
is generally guessed at by strangers
from the condition of the public build
ings of it; if the public buildings are
in good condition, thorough repairs,
we'll painted and The fences around
them whitewashed, a stranger will at
once come to the conclusion that the
finances of the parish must be ia fine
condition; but if on the contrary,
every public building in town has
tumbling- down look about it, he will
say at once that the financial status
must bevery poor.
But, apart from the consideration
that well kept-up public buildings
may have in influencing stranger to
form a good opinion of the place, 1t is
matter of economy on the part of the
public officers to take proper care OF
what belongs to parish, for stitch
in time saves nine.
The purpose of this article is to call
the attention of our Police Jury to the
tumbling-down, appearance of our
court house, aud prevail on them to
have something done TO remedy it.
One of the first things that strikes
one as he approaches the court house,
is that unsightly corner under the
steps leading to the courtroom, which,
for years, has remained perfectly un-
protected by door or window. Surely
none of our Police Jurors would have
such an unsightly looking thing in his
house he would at once take steps to
have it look decent, especially if it
could be done at cost of a few dol
lars.
The condition of the steps leading
10 the front door of the court house Is
such that it is dangerous for one to
use them, except he be very careful.
1t is matter of establishment to us that
broken legs aud sprained ankles have
not been the result Of the dilapidated
condition of those steps, and thus
caused several damage suits to be in
stituted against the parish. The same
could be said of the condition OF the
4 steps going to the courtroom, the
bagging on them make it slippery
aud dangerous.
The door Oh the west side of the
court house remains yet in the same
condition in which it was months ago
with the two upper panels complete
ly gone, letting in wind and rain.
And what is worse, the condition OF
the roof is such that on the south side
of the building, it rains inside OF the
courtroom just as much as on the out.
side, causing, of course, the plasterlne
to crack and break, endangering the
very lives of persons VINO are attend
ing court.
Surely these things should be at
tended to at once Our Police Jurors
may have said before that they cared
little for looks, and that things were
good enough as long as they had M
5 money in the treasury, but now, it ha
1 come to this, that unless the repair
are done to the roof, etc., it will cos
. not $50 or 800 to have it done
but several hundred. or even severa
thousand to have it done later.
A spirit of carelessness about publ
buildings should never exist, and be
cause they belong to the public and +
no one in particular, there should be
standing committee on public build
ings in. the Police Jury to whom matter
of that kind should be reported to b
the sheriff, who could then be author
lied by them to have the necessary RI
, pairs done.
F" As an instance of carelessness, W
would mention that one of the steE
:. of the pair of stiles used to 60 owe
= the courthouse fence, has been mis-
!, ing for at least TWO years. and it woul
- not cost more than rs cents to have
replaced, when it may cost sever
hundred dollars to the parish, If an
= one sprained his ankle thereby.
This, we desire to mention, is III
written in antagonism to our ordinar
ly careful and watchful Police Jur!
with the limited means at their cor
- mand, we think they have manage
70 wonderfully well, but we think tha
u in the hurry of their meetings, the
~ haye not paid any attention to the
10 minor things and consequently v
&c had thought best to call them to the
~ attention, that they might, in hayir
- them attended to, save perhaps sever
~ hundred dollars to the parish.
u