The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-08-20
NEW BILL PASSED.
State Legislature, in Special Session. Re
vises Proposed Amendment to Com
stitution Levyins Tax to Aid
Panama Exposition Project.

i
/ stitution Levyins Tax to Aid
Panama Exposition Project.
The Louisiana general assembly con-
vened in extraordinary session at Baton
Rouge last Monday, responsive to the call
issued by Gov. Sanders, and among other
matters of business transacted in the
course of a brief term extending from
Monday to yesterday adopted the revised
amendment to the constitution to be sub
mitted to the voters of the state for their
approval, authorizing the levy of tax in
aid of the Panama exposition project
When, in order to call the bluff made
by San Francisco it became necessary to
raise the guarantee fund to seven and
one half millions, it was proposed that the
extra session should amend the joint reso-
luton submitted by the recent session of
the legislature in such way as to limit
The amount to be paid by the country to
one million dollars and to require New
Orleans to raise the six and one-haIf mil
lions, extending the time of the tax until
the necessary amount should be realized
The duty of preparing the amendment
was imposed upon the law committee of
the Exposition Company, and that COM
mittee submitted the amendment which
was adopted this week by the general as
sembHy.
The law committee was of the opinion
that it was inadvisable to attempt to
amend Joint resolution already enacted,
and pending its ratification. Moreover,
such a course would be confusing to the
voters and would probably result in the
defeat of both amendments; wherefore,
the safe way to proceed would be by the
submission of an amendment supplement-
ary to the original amendment and con-
veying in this supplementary amendment
the required authority to the city of New
Orleans. No chance is made in the tax
in so far as the country parishes are con-
cerned, the TAX remaining at three ee-eighths
of one mill, or, calculated on the basis of
assessed values, being as follows:
$1,000 assessment. ---..-----------.---75 cents
$500 --~--3s----------- ST "
5lC00 -4z----.S7 ''
5000 : -.-------- 225 "
500 . -s. Is =.
The tax is to remain just as it was
fixed by the original ainendrnen four
million dollars have been realized, when
it is to cease in. the country parishes, and
then the provisions of the supplementary
amendment will become effective. These
provisions require a special tax to be I'M
posed upon the city of New Orleans to.
provide the additional two and half
millions needed to complete the full
amount of six and one-half millions. The
executive committees proposition that the
tax in the country parishes should cease
when one million dollars had been real
lied from that source, cou Id not be carried
into effect according to the report of the
law committee, which strongly advised
against attempting amendment; hence,
the tax of three-eighths of mill will re-
main in force until the four million dol
lars shall be collected from the city and
country, on the basis of three-eighths of a
mill in the country and six-eighths of a
mill in the city
Up to the time that four million dollars
shall be realized the city will be paying a
rate twice as high as the country, but
after four millions shall be collected the
tax on country property shall cease al
together, and the remaining two and one
half millions will be raised by tax on
city property not to exceed one and
half mills To the man who owns $1,000
worth of taxable property, is it not worth
while paying 374 cents year for few
years rather than see this monumental
builder-up of the section in which it is
held 60 to San Francisco?
Clark Lebernuth Lands Big Fish.