Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-06-21


UNITED STATES UPPER TEHsAs DISTRICT:
Enlargement and raising to pres
ent recommended grade. szsI ' O,o ~ ~
Re Rem so wavve-wash ;r1emedying de-
Socts-sand- boils, siepage, &c.. 1oo'6OO.OO
total .s524, 400. 90
UNykED STATES LOWER TENsAs DISTRICT;
Enlargement and raising to present
recommended grade. 49, 90 ~
Repair; restoring wave-wash; rem
edying defects, sand-boils, STEP o -
age, &C. ...............-..-..-.. A1o'OOoOO
Total .s5os 500 90
IAN the above is exclusive o.. the work now
under contract.l
FUNDS TO MEET THESE DEMANDS
From
The United States Engineers, until
the pending bill passes Congress. n OF nlng S
The State Ito be allottedl y 1o,OOO.VO
The District (now on hand for levee
WORK. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. oO'OOo.OO
Total SIPS 5000
If the pending Rivers and Harbors bill
passes Congress and is signed by the
President there will be 81, 500, 900. 90 for
allotment by the Mississippi River Com
mission over a stretch of 1900 miles.
The foregoing statement would put the
levees in the District up to the Mississip-
pi River Commission provisional grade.
To put the levees three CD feet above
the present provisional grade with proper
section and crown would aggregate u
900, 900 cubic yards in the Upper U. S.
Tensas District, and 16,S70,0O0 cubic
yards in the Lower q. s. Tensas District.
This additional enlargement and raising
is greatly to be desired and absolutely
necessary if the levees of the District are
to be kept up to those it has to compare
with in strength; for they will be put to
this new recommended grade and sec
ton, (e. g., The Upper Yazoo levees' in
Mississippi were up to the Mississippi
River Commission Grade; the Pontchar-
train levees only lacked 2 per cent OF be-
ing up to it; both these levees held; this
should prove the effectiveness of levees
which have been finished as the En-
gineers recommended.
If property becomes more valuable and
the country is more thickly settled there
is great necessity for as near absolute
safety as human effort can make protec-
ton, and the future promises great de-
velopment for the whole of the Mississip-
pi Valley if the levees are made secure.
The property owners of the valley know
that after putting their hands to the levee
pillow there can be no turning back, and
there must be funds furnished to proceed.
How then shall they be raised?
After carefully considering and conferr-
ing with number of taxpayers it is be-
lieved the bond issue is the least burden
some and probably the only way to raise
funds following the great disaster from
which the District is suffering.
But the Board is not opinionated and
it is open to suggestions and if some bet
ter plan can be proposed the members of
the Levee Board, both as officials and tax
payers, will join hands with others and
make it a success.
A very large majority of the property
owners of the District would either have
to take advantage of the law allowing the
postponement of taxes for year, which
would deprive the Levee Board OF the
necessary funds to do the work or would
have to borrow money to pay their taxes
at very much higher rate of interest
than it is proposed for the bonds to car
ry-5 per cent.
There are but few individuals In the
District on whom the remittance of taxes
would work a hardship-the Assessors
and Tax Collectors, and it is not believed
that these gentlemen who have been hon.
ored by the people of their parishes are
so unpatriotic and selfish that they would
be unwilling to sacrifice their commits
sions for the benefit Of the suffering tax
payer.
Every citizen of the District is earnest
ly requested to lay aside all prejudice
and put a shoulder to the wheel for
building, repairing and enlarging the
levees by suggestions which will aid in
securing the funds necessary from the
United States, State and District, and
offering plans which will bring the best
results from the expenditure of these
funds.
The levees' are vital necessity and
common property which each stockhold-
er has right and interest in.
The Mississippi Valley is the most
fertile part of the United States and there
has been great attention attracted to it
by the disastrous floods. Some of the
strongest men in Congress outside of the
Valley are advocating the Government
taking over the levees;" this will not
be done Immediately; big affairs move
slowly; the United States is a wonderful
ly big proposition with many and varied
interests; the people of the Valley must,
at least, keep levees up to their present
condition and lend their influence to Gre
ate q sentiment in the whole country
which win influence the public TO indnee