The Donaldsonville chief., 1914-04-18
ALL WANT THE LOCKS,

aSS DHtSiSHSG va SsiaItoH e1aE Bayou
lafourehe Should be Reopened
to Navigation-PeopIe Have Good
Cause FOR Complaint.
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
The sooner the question of the
DonaldsonVille dam and locks is def
initely and permanently settled the
better for all concerned. This ques-
tion has been dragging along for
some time, causing differences and
/ even bitterness, when there should
be none, as all are agreed as to
what should be done; and it has
given rise to scares every now and
then, as at present, over the threat
OF removing the dam and letting the
waters of the Mississippi flow down
the Lafourehe as of old 1t is incon-
ceIVable that this should be done un-
DER present conditions, as it would
entail great and inexcusable de-
structlon of property and much suf-
/ ferlng; but the report has, none the
less, created such. apprehension that
the leyee boards are proposing to
send delegates to Washington to Sc
cure a stay of proceedings.
The federal government and the
army engineers have good cause, as
we know, to complain of the failure
| OF the state to act in this matter.
Bayou Lafourche was closed by the
| state in 1902 with the distinct IN
derstanding and promise that it would
| be reopened to navigation again in
1910 by the construction Of locks at
DonaldsonVllle, placing the Lafourche
| in the same condition as Bayou Pla-
quemine. That promise has not
been kept; the time limit has long
since passed, and the people living
| along the bayou in Lafourche. AS
sumption and Ascension parishes have
good cause for complaint at icing
bottled up as they are. On the
other hand, the failure to build the
locks is well understood, and is the
result not of any opposition to the inn
proyement, but due to lack of. funds.
The Atchafalaya board, in particular,
has had SO much trouble and ex-
pense fighting high water of recent
years, SO many creVasses to close,
so many levees to look after, improve
and raise, that it has not been able
to build the promised locks. The
Lafourche people counted confident
ly on. this long-deIayed improvement
being begun this year, but again the
lack of funds has interfered The
pressure for a big leVee on the At
chafalaya, to protect from overflow
parishes along that stream, has been
SO strong that the board felt it could
not afford to do its share of lock
construction. Since then a distinct
sectional division on this question
has arfsen-the parishes that will
be protected by the AtchaIalaya Ie-
wees supporting the policy Of the
Atchafa1aya board in postponing CON
struction, and the people along the
Lafourehe demanding their rights in
the opening of that bayou.
It will be seen there is no differ
ence of opinion as to what should
ultimately be done. All want the
locks and the bayou reopened; it is
only a matter of time when this i'm
provement can be made The La
fourche people complain they have
had to wait four years longer than
was promised, and that they are
again disappointed this year. The
others return that the navigation of
the bayou is not as pressing as the
leVee work to be done. Protection
against creVasses is absolutely nee
essary to prevent heavy loss, where
as the opening of the bayou can be
postponed without the people living
along its banks being any worse off
than they have been for several years
past
The federal government is in
position to force action in this mat
ter. 1t permitted the closing of
the bayou, but for a limited time
only, and it can order its reopening
whenever it feels so inclined The
levee board is completely at it's
mercy, and seeing this applied for
a hearing before the senate commit
tee on commerce, to present it's ap-
plication for an extension of time.
We feel confident the suggestion
from engineers and navigation In
terests that the bayou be opened
will not be granted at once If it en-
tails danger or loss of property from
overflow. The affair can be better
arranged in another way. 1t can be
settled most satisfactorily and
promptly if the federal government
will itself build the locks at Donald
sonyllle, as it has done at Plaquemine.
If this cannot be secured the govern
ment, acting on the advice of the
United States engineers, will proba-
bly, fix a. date when the dam must
be removed: and this ruling, even if
not satisfactory to all, will assure the
early settlement of what has been
q troublesome and veIatious prob
lem for several years.
A meeting of the board of COM
m1ssioners of the New River Drain
age District was held Monday after
noon at Gonzales, the domiciIe of the
organization. Among other business
transacted, an appropriation of $4,000
was made to complete the survey for
the drainage project contemplated in
the district, which includes the dredg-
ing and cleaning of Bayous Black,
Smith and Godine, and the same
kind of work in New River from its
source back Of Waterloo plantation
TO its junction with Blind river,
E>dlstance Of about twenty -one miles.
a bond issue of s175,oo0 has been
voted to defray the cost of the un-
dertaklng, which will mean the re-
clamation of approximately $1,000
acres of cultivab1e land Proposals
for doing the work will be invited
| as gnnn