The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-10-19
LaFoIJRCHE BOARDS D0NIC|LE

Right of Organization to Hold Meet
ings in New Orleans Again De-
bated-Final Action Deferred
Board to Acquire Levee-BuiIding
Machine Of It's Own.
The much-discussed question of the
domicile Of the Lafourche Basin,
Levee Board was again brought up
for discussion at the regular quar-
ter1y meeting of that organization
held here Oct. 10, and although the
members conceded that Donaldson
vile is. the domicile fixed by law and
t.. the quarterly meetings of the
board should be held here, a major
ity of them declined to vote for
motion authorizing the president to
arrange for renting an office in DON
aldsonville and transferring the rec
ords and archives of the board from
the present office in New Orleans to
this city. Instead, a motion offered
by Mr. Viering was adopted, defer
ring action on the matter until
meeting at which there is full at
tendance of commissioners.
e. G. SWartz of St. James, chair
man of the board, was unable to be
present on account of sickness, and
Vice Chairman j. F. Wigginton Of
Lafourehe presided in his stead. The
meeting was held in the courthouse,
and the commissioners present We're:
R. e. Martin Of Assumption, r. q.
Lemann of Ascension, George Lorio OF
st. Charles, A. Champagne Of St
John, Charles Viering of Jefferson,
R. E. Perez of Plaquemines, and Z.
V. Thaggard of Gretna, representing
the railroads.
The minutes of the last meeting
of the board held in Donaldsonville,
Aug. rs, were read and approved.
Secretary w j. McCune read the
report submitted by him to the
State Supervisor of Public Accounts
under date Of septa 80, 1912, accord
ing to law, showing: Cash balance
on hand July /. 1912, $90,785.40; re-
ceipts during quarter, $364S.24: dis
bursements, s63,875.87; balance on
hand Oct. /, $22,500O9. The report
was approved and ratified, as was
also the report of the finance COM
mittee.
Commissioner Martin reported on
behalf Of the executive committee
that at a meeting of the joint COM
mittees representing the Lafourche
Basin and Atchafalaya Leyee Boards,
held in New Orleans recently, it was
decided to dispense with the ssr-
vices Of two Of the employees of the
joint organization. Messrs. Mollere
and Francioni, stationed respectively
at DonaldsonVille and in Assumption
parish, were. the men let out. Mr.
Hidalgo, stationed at the lower end
of Bayou Lafourche, was retained to
keep out the water lilies which
might enter the bayou from the va
rious canals in that section, and ne.
will be provided with an assistant ii
necessary.
The matter of. the domicile Of
the board was taken up, and let.
ter from the board IS legal adviser,
District Attorney Gilbert Of Napoleon
vile, was read. Mr.. Gilbert trans
nitted to the board the opinion hand
ed down by Attorney General Pleas
ant, in response to a request from
Mr. Gilbert, wherein it is held thu
IS tiIu f i,si f+es1e
of the board, and meetings Of the
body can not legally he held at any
other place.
Comm ssioner Lemann then offered
his motion authorizing the president
to rent an office in Dona1dsanville
and providing for the transfer OF
records and archives OF the board
TO this city. Commissioner PSrez
argued against hoIding. al the NEE
ings Of the board here, and main
tanned that quarterly meetings at
the domicile were sufficient, when
the action taken at all meetings in
the interim could be ratified. He
appealed to the board te act on
its own judgment, declaring that the,
commissioners were elected to build
levees, and that lawyers know Moth
ing about levee building, He said,
.sFor Gods sake lets keep away from
the lawyers,
A discussion ensued, which was
participated IN byeeyery member Of
the board Commissioners Martin,
Lemann and Thaggard argued in IA
fOI VI s. SOtlICI I1iusos Will LIZ Gli4iso
by the boards legal adviser and the
attorney general, and the other mem
bers of the board, while expressing
| themselves willing to obey the law,
| thought the board had the right to
transact some of its business in New
Orleans. Finally, an amendment to
Mr.. Lemann's motion, deferring the
| matter until a future meeting of the
board, was adopted by a vote of 5
! to 3, Commissioners Martin, Lemann
and Thaggard voting against the
amendment.
a resolution was adopted approx
ing and ratifying. all the acts and do
ings of the board and any Of it's
committees since the organization
meeting held at Donaldsonville Aug.
26 last.
The president was authorized to
borrow 100000 from the Bank OF
Ascension to carry on the business
of the board.
a bid for the construction Of the
i Concession leyee in Plaquemines par