The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-10-23

Gigantic Project Undertaken by
State Of Louisiana

placed on the market In relatively
small issues and at various times
and they are to be expected to at
tract wide interest because of the
particular manner in which the state
legislature has arranged to safe
guard the investor and to promote
rapid progress in settling up the now
uncultivated lands of the state, to
attain for the owner of land at one
stroke perfect drainage, practical ir-
rigation and effective safeguards
against weather vagaries, and to ac-
complish these ends at a minimum
cost.
To grasp the full significance of
such a plan one must understand,
first, the topography of the country
and the character OF the soil, the
economy of water transportation as
used in Louisville and the mildness
of climate that permits all the year
cultivation. Second, that whereas
the Federal government under con
gressional act. is prepared to invest
as much as 800 an acre in placing
water on the arid plains OF the west,
it is not authorized under congress
sional act to remove the excess rain
fall from the alluylal lands of the
Delta at a cost of S25 per acre.
These lands were built up from the
bottom OF the sea by the soil wash
of the continent, brought down in
suspension by the Mississippi river
and its tributaries and deposited in
thin layers during many thousands
of years These lands have been de
than was the Valley of the Nile be-
fore the Egyptians began cultivation
But the levees put stop to the de-
posits of soil before geological pro-
cesses had completed natural
drainage system therefor.
The state OF Louisiana, through
state district drainage boards, the
sale of the district public improve
ments bonds and skilful corps of
drainage engineers, proposes to do
for these highly productive lands far
more than Nature would have done
had her efforts been left unchecked
during another thousand years. The
new bonds will be issued by author
ity OF the state for the account Of the
drainage district asking for improve
ment funds The drainage district is
created by the governor, through the
| appointment of a district drainage
commission of taxpayers, after an
election at which a majority OF the
acreage has been polled in favor OF
II, and after the State Board of En-
gineers has approved the plan, both
as to It's practicability and as to its
economy. Then the bonds are sold
the disbursement OF the returns safe
guarded and the work begins.
Huge dredges are used to dig Q
wide nayigable canal around the
drainage unit. usually 5000 or 10000
acres In extent TO connect this cana
with the nearest navigable lake OF
bayou, to dig another wide cana
through the center OF the unit. tn,
ends OF which are closed, and t
throw all the earth taken from these
excavations into levee or embank
ment around the unit along the In
ner bank of the outer canal
drainage pump is installed, power
propelled ditch digging machine Il
put to work opening up lateral drain
age canals. and the whole is read,
for the farmer Thereafter the wat
er level In the soil is regulated b,
the pump which lowers or raises tn,
water level in the reservoir canal, I,
the end that the farmer may hav,
moisture when ii does not rain an,
ample drainage when IL does.
Until recently all the artificial
drainage in Louisiana, except tn,
drainage of New Orleans, has beef
done with private capital, and tn
very profitable yields of sugar cane
rice. corn and produce Of all kind
raised In a series of crops each yea
has given high returns on such In
vestments. The new plan is muc
simpler, and removes the burden b.
distributing the cost through severa
years In the shape Of an acreage Ia
on cultivated land. collected annual
by the state tax collector and al
piled to the liquidation OF the bono
ed Indebtedness OF the drainage di,
trict.
Article PSI of the Louisiana Stat
Constitution authorizes the issue {
these bonds and specifies the condi
ons under which they may be ISSUED
Another article of the constitutio
exempts such bonds from all munic
pal, parish and state taxation. A
ticle PSI provides that the maximum
lax In any one year must not excee
! $3.50 an acre. which leaves an amp
margin and also provides that sue
TAX shall be coordinate and on equi
J ootlng with state, municipal, scho,
> larochial. levee and all other take
no one OF which shall be collecte
unless all are collected; that a d
llnquent taxpayer becomes delinquer
for all taxes Jointly. In this way n
drainage bonds become part and pa
eel OF the states general mortgae
on all property In the district. excel
that the tax specifically levied Il
drainage purposes must be dlsburse
by the state treasurer for the liquid
% ton OF the bond principal and int
est An annual tax OF one or tw
or even OF three dollars and ma
az acre will not prove burdenson
on land that nets the cultlvator an
where from $50 to $500 an acre, n
, cordlng to the crop planted
In order to pave the way for n
y. sale OF these bonds when issued, n
- state OF Louisiana. In It's official ca
acity. will spend $4,000 on an exhi
II OF soil. climate. health and mark
facilities at the Chicago Land Sho,
November is TO December Q, an
other sums on similar exhibits
\ other cities Of the North East an
Wcst; in sending Louisiana agricu
tural trains over the country an
In maintaining a health exhibit traI