The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1914-05-02
CANAL ROUTES.

/ number OF citlZeES ana property
! holders gathered in the Council
chamber of the City Hall TO dis
cuss the ACCESSIBILITY Of re opening
4 the question of route for the pro
posed canal fiOm the Bayou Ieche
TO Grand Lake The discussions
were had before the Canal Com
mrltee, of which Mr.. f. F Mil
lard is chairman, and with an am
pie quorum present.
Mr.. H. n. Pharr addressed the
committee, setting forth reasons
why the committee should advO-
cate the route laying through the
Petit Bayou basin preferably to
any other route. 1t would bring
the Teche end much nearer to the
city of New Iberia. The whole
basin of the Petit Bayou would be
drained, and as the lands in this
basin are very valuable and almost
wlthin the shadows Of this city
least side) the city itself has a
deep interest IN effectlng that
drainage. There are some 5000
acres in that basin capable of
bearing the tax necessary in as
sisting in the undertaking. He
thought the 5000 acre district
could assume the raising of about
$685. 900 of the cost of construc-
ton of the proposed canal, leaving
a deficit of $4,000 to be assumed
by this city. The fifteen and
twenty. five thousand dollars here
mentioned, making $40, 900, is the
excess cost of cutting the canal
through the basin Of Petit Bayou.
The $4,000 could be raised by an
aggregate tax of about So per
acre. The interest oil any bond
issue, predicated upon the district
tax, would have to be provided
for.
Mr.. A. a. Theriot followed, ar.
guiDg that the paramount advan.
tage to the city of New Iberia in
the cutting of the contemplated
canal would be the consequent im-
prOvement in water conditions in
the Teche in front of this CRY
Therefore, the nearer to this city
the Teche end of the canal wac
brought the greater that advan
tage would be. He also argued
that the thorough drainage of the
Petit Bayou basin would make
the lands of the district capable
OF producing crop value of. $40
per acre. or All annual return of
100000, TO be added to the com
merce of this city annually. The
longer canal would preserve to
this city the commerce it would
bear, and there would be less like.
Iihood Of any of it being DETECTED
to any competing center or other
shipping point.
Mr.. V. 2. GuilfOux followed. fa.
vOring the idea of the longer can
al. He thought that the trade Of
the lakes had already established
its channels and that we could
not reasonably expect to deflec.
any Of 1t in consequence.
DIR. j. A. Good win was the next |
to express his views and he
thought that such an undertaking
should be cOmmercialized tor all
and every advantage possible to
the city of New Iberia. 1t should |
be kept in MUD that such a work |
was not for the present only, but
would serve generations to come.
The extra $4,000 that the longer
canal would cost IS too trivial a |
matter to bubble over, when we
the great possibility of
bringing 5000 acres of fertile land |
into immediate cultivation and !
that the products from that soil |
must find their way to market
through this city, thereby adding
to the volume Of the commerce of |
this place some 100000 year. |
The closer to New Iberia the canal
would come the more ceI tain /
would be New Iberia's interest in
any moss, honey, hardwood. OF
fish industry that would follow in
With the canal in
existence there would be an excel.
lent opening here for a handle fac.
tory and boat yards. Therefore
he favored the longer canal.
The chairman then polled the
vote of the committee with the
following result: FavoriDg the
longer canal, through the basin of
Petit Bayou, }. r. Taylor, M. w.
Fisher, 4 L. Estorge, Frank DE.
eur, Lazard King. P. A. Landry,
L. w. Ashley, and Alpine Fonte.
lieu. Opposed, none.
The committee then adjourned
and the advocates repaired to an.
other room in the building to def
nitely shape plans for action.