The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-02-20
Hx4KND THE TOWN LIMITS.


ExTEND TIE TOWE LIMITS
There seems to BIZ i growing sen,i
ment asnong the people Of Honma in
favaa Of an extension Of che tnwn
limits. We know Of not 4 singh,
sensible argnment That can be raised
! tor opposition 10 n movement Of his
h9fhd, while innumsrahie arguments
can be produced 10 IT'S favor. Accord
ing to the last census Houma has u
population Of oaly 1900. These
figures make Honma seem to the out ,
side world u ridicuIeusly small
Our town ought to have a population
@t at least 1000 aud will have when
eal tlIckly populated suburbs are in
~corporated.
To rxtemd the town limits the law
requires that a petition he presented
TO the common council asking that an
election he held 4 determine the will
Of tlse people on the question of ex
tending the limits. This petition must
be- accompanied bg plat ma,fv frnm
~ survey by the parish Surveyor. The
town cennrii must then pass an nldi
nance urlering nm election which
ordinance must be published ten daN
in one or more newspapers of thu
town. The election mnst then he
-4s
held, and the result Of the election
70, shows THAT 4 majority Of the voters If
Z ,9he town aga in favor at annexation,
VI anntl,eF election must I've held tn de
al telmiDe the views Of the voters of tlie
out lying districts on the question:.
: The progressive citizens of Houma
are hampeEed "a great drHi by msut1-
cient reveaues With which to make
desired improvements, aad tihs
absence ct funds is undoubtedly due
10 Tie fact that Houma is not u half
as large as it should be.
At present the revenues Of the town
will not justify any undertaking
requiring IN annual outlay OF several
THOUSAND dollars. 1t wall be utterly
impossible foI ns to properly pave our
streets and to erect a water works
plant until sDMe way is found to in
clease our revenues and an early
extension OF the town iimitsis the only
method that presents itself.
THE COURIER has been under the
imptession, until recently, that the
town council, would, with the present
resources OF the town and an addi-
tional revenue from say a five mil tax
levied for that purpose, be able to
erect a water works plant. We have
therefore, watched closely the reports
Of the committee appointed by the
council of New Iberia to visit tht
differeat towns of the State that have
secured water works ttor the purpose
OF inding out the cost of erecting
plant aud the benefits that have ac-
crned to the people OF these towns il
the matter Of protection fl ON fires ant
reduction in insurance.
While the Investigations Of thit
committee show that there has beei
ana uestionably q good reduction il
insurance and protection to property
ID v that have erected wateI
work plants, the cost Of erecting ans
maintaining a f~rst-class water work.
plant il such we think as to make til,
project anything but u feasible one 10
the town council Of Honma to consider
until something is done to material.
increase the towns n
The Weekly IbsriGn, published il
New iberia gives in its last issue a.
intelligent editorial discussion OF th,
i action Of tie city council II
submitting = CwO-and-a,half mill ia
Is The voters Of New Iberia for tn
purpose OF putting up = water work
aid electric light plant, which throw
some additional light ON the cost q
maintaining the proposed plant. ]
says:
s.ThOse who read the proceedings {
The city council in the last issue I
this paper we're perhaps surprised Tia
fle WaterwOrks Committee requisite
4 W. aud one-half mills tax on I'll
dollar instead of five mills as was fir
drought necessary, and for which SOU
two hundred property holders pet
toned Id june 0r July Of last year.
This was due to the very seaIchin
investigations Oh the subject by Il
committee and those directly into
eated ID the mattel. One of thecounc
Nh. Jol.n Emmer, claimed that Il
watefworks could be erected aCsth0i
taxation by tie savings from the pre-.
emit budget. That this budget con
be reduced DO "a economical admin