Lower coast gazette., 1914-09-12

two-thirds (2-3) of all the members elect
ed to each House, concurring, That para
graphs 9 and 3 of Article Two Hundred
and Eishty-One (2S1) of the Constitu-
ton of the State of Louisiana be amend
ed so as to read as follows.
ARTICLE 2S1.
Paragraph 2. Police Juries in any
parish or parishes may in accordance
with law create drainage districts, which
in addition to the powers hereinabove
granted, shall have further power and
authority to establish and maintain drain
age systems and the governing authorities
of such districts, when authorized by a
majority in number and amount of the
property taxpayers of said district quail
fed to vote under the Constitution and
laws of the State Of Louisiana who vote
IN an election held for that purpose, may,
for the purpose Of establishing and main
tanning gravity drainage in such districts.
impose and collect for a period not ex-
ceeding forty (4O) years forced contri-
buttons or acreage taxes not exceeding
fifty cents go cents) per acre per year
on each and every acre of land, which
is susceptible of gravity drainage, in the
subdivision where such an election is
held. The governing authority of such
subdivisions, when authorized as set forth
may incur debt and issue negotiable bonds
to represent same, secured by the forced
contribution or acreage taxes above de-
scribed provided that the total amount of
debts thus incurred or bonds issued shall
not exceed in principal and interest the
aggregate amount to be raised by said
annual contributions or acreage taxes
during the period for which same are
imposed and that no such bonds shall be
issued for any other purpose than that
for which the said contributions or acre
age taxes, are voted, to run for a longer
period than forty (4O) years, bear a
greater rate of interest than five per
centum per annum, payable annually or
semi-annually, or to be sold for less than
ninety per centum 600 per century of
par. And the Board of Commissioners
of Drainage District without submission
to the taxpayers are authorized to levy
additional taxes under the terms and
conditions Of this article and within the
limits fixed thereby for the purpose of
perfecting and completing any system of
drainage eighty per cent of which shall
have been accomplished at the time of
said additional levy of taxes, and to fund
the avails of said additional levy of taxes
into bonds under the terms and condi-
tons set forth in the present article.
Paragraph 3. When the character of
any land is such that it must be leyeed
and pumped in order to be drained and
reclaimed the Board of Drainage Com
m%issioners of the district in which the
land is situated, shall upon the petition
of land owners, whether individuals or
corporations, resident or nonresident.
owning not less than a majority of acres
in the area to be affected, ascertain the
cost per acre of draining and retaining
said land, incur debt against each and
every acre of land thus situated for an
amount sufficient to drain and reclaim
it, and to issue for such debt negotiable
bonds for the total aggregate amount of
the total cost of such drainage, which
bonds shall run not longer than forty
(4O) years from their date and bear in
terest at a rate not exceeding five per
centum per annum, payable annually or
s%emi-annually, and shall be sold for not
less than ninety per centum 900 per cen
tum) of par; and said Board of Drain
age Commissioners shall each year as
long as any bonds are outstanding levy
annually upon each and every acre of
land, whether public or private, situated
in said drainage or subdrainage district,
forced contributions or acreage taxes in
an amount per acre sufficient to maintain
the drainage of the said district or sub.
drainage district, to pay the interest an.
nually or semi-annually and the prin.
cipal falling due each year, or such
amount as may be required for any
! sinking fund for the payment Of said
bonds at maturity, provided that such
forced contributions or acreage taxes fol
all purposes shall never exceed Three
Dollars and Fifty Cents ($3.5O) pei
acre per annum.
All bonds heretofore issued under and
by virtue of this Article 2S1 of the Con.
~stitution by the governing authority OF
any subdivision, which have heretofore
not been declared invalid by a judgmen'
of a court Of last resort in the State OF
Louisiana and more than sixty (6O) days
have elapsed since the pronunciation O
the proceedings evidencing the issuing O.
said bonds, are hereby recognized an
declared to be valid and existing bond:
and obligations of the district or sub
division issuing the same, and no cour
shall have jurisdiction to entertain any
contest wherein their validity or consti
! %tutionality is questioned.
Section 2. Be it further resolved, etc.
That this proposed amendment shall b,
submitted to the qualified voters of thi:
State for adoption or rejection at tn,
Congressional election to be held in No
vember, 1914, and, if adopted, the sam,
shall take effect Immediately thereafter
Section 3. Be it further resolved, etc.
That on the official ballots to be ISSUED
at said election there shall be placed tn
words "For the Proposed Amendment t,
Paragraphs Two (2) and Three 81 O
Article Two Hundred and Eighty-one o
the Constitution of Louisiana, and tn,
words Against the proposed %amendmen
to paragraphs two (2) and three 60 o
Article Two HNndre dand Eighty-on'
(2S1) of the Constitution of Louisiana,
and each elector shall indicate, as pro
vided in the general election laws of tn
State, which if the propositions, "For'
or Against" he votes.
THOMAS C. BARRETT.
Lieutenant Governor and President of tn,
Senate.
L. e. THOMAS,
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Approved: July 8, 1914.
L. q. HALL,
Governor of the State of Louisiana
A true copy:
ALVIN e. HEBERT,
Secretary of State.
ACT. NO 1913.
House Bill No. 1S1 BY Mr.. Caulfeld
JOINT RESOLUTION.
Proposing an amendment to Article 80:
of the Constitution of the State O.
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