The Donaldsonville chief., 1914-03-14
HOW THEY STAND ON LOCKS.
What Individual Members Of Levee
Boards Think Of Suggestion That
Tender of 100000 TO Federal
Government be Renewed.
Government be Renewed.

| pies TGS0lReU Dy oStietdiy H. A.
Vickers of the Bayou Lafourche Lock
Association from individual mem
bers Of the Atchafalaya and La
fourche leyee boards to whom he re-
ferred the suggestion Of Hon." John
Marks, Of Napoleonville, that the
boards renew their former tender
of 100000 to the federal government
provided the latter should agree to
take over the construction Of the
locks:
Port Allen, La, Jan. 20, 1914.
Mr.. r. S. Vickers, Secretary, Dom
aldsonville, La.
Dear Sir:-Yours Of the 26th, with
Enclosure Of copy Of letter from
Hon. John Marks, has been received.
l agree fully with Mr.. Marks in
every thing he says. The only
difference between US is that I
know the financial condition Of
the board a great deal better
than he does, and I know it is not
possible at this time for the
board to renew the tender Of $780,
1000 o the government to build the
locks. Yours respectfully,
V. NJ. LEFEBVRE.
Bowie, La, Jan. 80, 1914.
Mr. R. S. Vickers, Secretary, Don
aldsonville, La,
Dear Sir:-Replying to your letter
Of the 26th inst, I beg to advise
that this matter is one which must
be handled by the two boards com
prising the joint organization of the
Lafourche and Atchafalaya leVee
boards, and when the plans are sub
mitted / presume the matter will
come up for discussion at the in
diyidual board meetings so that
when the joint organization meets
next, the members of the two boards
will be in a position to decide on
whether Or not the previous prop
Osition made to the government
should be renewed,
l would suggest that Mr.. -Lemann,
a member from your parish, should
bring up the question for discussion
at the next meeting of the Lafourche
board. Yours truly,
J. F. WIGGINTON.
Albemarle, La, Jan. 81, 1914.
Mr. R. S. Vickers, Secretary, Don
aldsonville, La.
Dear Sir:-Let it be understood
in the beginning that I am an
swering your letter of the 26th,
as an individual having no author
ity to speak for the levee board.
I have no doubt that could the
joint leyee boards make the same
proposition now, that is, each sub
scribe s150,00O and the U. S. govern
ment do the rest t~would be a
very satisfactory solution Of the
problem, but even if the government
were willing to accept the above
proposition I know the levee boards
are not in a position to make it,
Yours truly, R. G. MARTIN, JR.
Gretna, La, Feb 9, 1914.
Bayou Lafourche Lock Association,
Donaldsonville, La.
Gentlemen:-Replying to yours Of
the 7th inst, referring to lock con-
| struction. Will say / favor the con-
struction of locEs under certain con-
ditions. Being the fact
that the boards are under two obli-
| cations which are to be considered
one an obligation to the people OF
the entire section to protect the
| land from overflow; the other a con-
structural obligation to the govern
ment to replace dikes with locks-I
feel that the obligation of the
boards to the people of the respect
i've districts is vastly more import
ant. The construction Of locks
ought not to be undertaken unless
the boards are financially able to
complete the work without Varia-
ton Of their funds for repair and
construction of levees. Further
delving into this matter, / ques-
ton the right whether it is lawful
for the boards to use revenues ap-
propriated for levee work to defray
lock construction. The people of
the immediate district don't mind
this division of funds, because it
opens facilities that would benefit
them commercially and otherwise, YET
the people of other districts may
raise voice Of protest when a
levee break occurs and the neces-
sary funds for replacement thereof
have been disposed for other pur-
poses than leyee work.
Under the prevailing conditions
feel the government should build the
locks without the aid of the boards.
I approve to the extent Of the COM
mittee obtaining plans and specifica~
tons for the proposed locks.
Yours respectfully,
C. VIERING.
New Orleans, La, Feb. 8, 1914.
Mr.. r. S. Vickers, Secretary, Don
aldsonVille, La.
My dear Sir:-Your favor of Jan.
26th, with inclosure, was received in
Houma yesterday, where I went af-
ter long absence, and in reply
beg. to say that my judgment is op-
posed to doing anything at this time
toward building the Lafourche locks
that involves spending any amount
of money. The extraordinary amount
Of work done in our district in con-
sequence of the high water in 1912
and 1913 has absolutely exhausted
our resources and forced US into
debt, and We have no bonds or col
lateral to be used for the purpose of
building locks. We must first pro-
tect the country from overflow, and
without money or credit We would
be helpless to do SO, and to at
tempt the locks now would put US in
that condition. You must forget al
SO that our revenues in the future
will be less. / hope the time is not
far off when We can discharge the