The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1919-07-12
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Chief is not responsible for
views expressed BY correspondents.
Select the Right Location.

Select the Right Location.
Donaldsonville, La, July 3, 1919.
Editor Chief:
All persons interested in the growth
and prosperity of Donaldsonyille
IWill welcome the news that prospects
are bright for a government building
lin Donaldsonville in the near future.
Nothing shall be left undone to press,
upon the proper authorities, the need
! of such building in Donaldsonville.
Second only in importance to the
building itself is the location Of its
site. The building, in order to best
serve the needs Of the people, should
be situated so as to be convenient to
/, the majority of the citizens of the
town. The matter of the location
of the site should be considered first,
the cost of the site being Of secon-
gdary Importance.
In the light of the above, let US
consider how inadvisable the selec-
tion Of the old market place would
be for government building. In the
first place, this location is undesira-
lble because it is not centrally located.
| It is at the extreme north end Of
tDonaldsonville, and Donaldsonville
can not grow further in that direc-
ton. It's location might be conven-
iient to some of the merchants of the.
town, but would certainly be incon-
venient to the other merchants and
to the citizens in general. In the sec
ond place, the proposed site is undes-
irable because of its low elevation
and it's close proximity to the levee
of the Mississippi river. It has been
brought down to us that less than
one hundred years ago the very place
/ in question, the old market place,
was but a coulee, made when the
| river rcceeded from it's banks. That
coulee could again form at this
point is well withinth range of possi-
bility, especially when we consider
the cave, now in Smoke Bend, which
lis gradually working its way down
the right bank of the levee.
An article in the Chief stated that
the market place would be an ex-
cel1ent site, mainly because the site
belonged to the Town Of Donaldson
| vile, and therefore. could be donated
to the government. This article was
followed by a petition requesting the.
town commissioners to donate the
place to the government. Granting
1.-THE old market place to be the ideal
location for government building,
which it positively is not, is it fair
to ask the Town of Donaldsonville
whose funds are indeed low, to
donate some Of its property to our
Igovernment, which can well afford to
purchase the plot most e d ssssirable for
| its purposes? .sz
The citizens of Donaldsonville
should be given consideration, and
| the government building placed in a
lconvenient place for them, even
though it might be slightly more ex-
lpensive for the government.
| Yours truly, CITIZEN
Asccnsion-St. James Model Road.
Hope Villa, La, July 8, 1919. 8
Elitor Chief:
About two and a half years ago,
| Just previous to joining the army, |
was present at good roads meeting
Iheld at Geismar. It was there that
heard SOME Of the specifications read
pertaining to what would be done to
make our future model road a fit link
| in the Jefferson Highway route.
These specifications, as all usually
are, were very definite, mentioning
bridges, canals and bitches that
would have to be dug. It sounded
very fine, and / thought that some
day we would have q road Of which
we might well be proud.
I came home from France a few
weeks ago, expecting to see as per-
| feet a road as I have seen any where
in the United States, Canada or
France. / was doomed to disappoint~
ment. One of the first things | dis
covered was that we had no proper
road bed to begin with. Another,
that there was little or no drainage,
and that in number of cases the
bitches are actually as high as the
center Of the road and great deal
Of the loose gravel is in them. The
road leading to the new bridge across
Bayou Manchac was in such a condi-
ltion that automobiles had not been
able to pass over it for some time,