Lower coast gazette., 1909-07-31
The Lake Borgne Basin LeVee Board.

The good people OF the parish OF ST. Bernard,
or at least some of them residing near the upper
limits of the parish, have concluded to lnaugurate
q Progressive League, or Union, with a view OF
the general good of the parish and, 1t
is incidentally stated, with a view of preventing
dual office holding. In one of the discussions IN
the meeting some misrepresentation was evidenced
as to the status and powers of the Lake Borgne
Basin Levee Board. This Board, which has IN
control the fifty miles of the public levee reaching
from New Orleans to the lower line of Bohemia
plantation, was organized in 1892 by Act IA of the
General Assembly. The usual powers of taxation,
financing and the usual requirements as to the
protection of the public levees were referred to in
the law creating it, and the Board is allowed to
select its domicile by one of the clauses OF the
law and the domicile selected was New Orleans,
and to have for it's commissioners one member
from each of the two parishes, St. Bernard and
Plaouemines, and one to represent the railroad, or
railroads, within the district. There are no re-
s%trictions as to the selection of attorney, secretary,
inspectors, contractors or other employees OF the
Board. By a later law Of a general character, all
of the levee boards were required to publish their
annual statement in a newspaper published at
their domicile. Hence the annual statement OF
the Lake Borgne Board has been published in the
New Orleans papers and the proceeding of the
ordinary business meetings of the Board have
been published in the organs of the two parishes
represented in the Board,
Some of these facts were apparently not under
stood at the meeting in 81. Bernard and an inquiry
was made as to why the secretary should be ap
pointed from New Orleans. When the Board wa
organized Mr.. H. Bell Of New Orleans was elected
the secretary and was continued as such for sew
eral years, his appointment being strictly within
the limits of the law. 1t is unfortunate that an,
} misunderstanding should have occurred in this mat
j ter. If those interested had given any attention
T whatever to the law creating the Board the
) would have seen at a glance the legality of the pc
sition taken by the Board and while it is very wis
) for the Progressive Union of St. Bernard to al
tempt to better all of the interests of their paris
" they should have some delicacy in even Inherent
u ally attributing illegal action to a Board of Con
: missioners in which they are very much inte
ested, without a more serious investigation.
The Lake Borgne Basin Levee Board has
= record surprising that of any levee district in tt
state of Louisiana. During its career of sever
teen years it has never had a %crevasse, althoug
= it has had many close calls in that direction. tt
u blowing out of a rice fume in 1893 required son
forty-eight hours for its repair and other thu
y that, any or all emergency work that has arise
. has been controlled within the limits of the day
~ danger. Exposed as we are on the Lower Goa
~ " to the severe storms and to wave wash from O
- great ocean steamers, the maintenance of t
,e levee system has been a very serious problem.
o has been accomplished, however, without disast
and at a far less total cost to the property owne
of the two parishes than was ever had under t
old regime, when each proprietor was expected
~ look otter his own frontage.