St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1919-10-04


months before this you issued four
million ($4,000,000) dollars in bonds
for warehouse purposes also, making
total issue Of eighteen million
($18,0O0, 00O) dollars by your board
in about two years.
The canal Is far from completion.
The canal locks, which will cost
many millions of dollars, are not
yet visible Bonds to the extent OF
additional millions Of dollars will
have to be issued. About ten mil
lion ($1O,OOO,O00) dollars Of the
existing canal bond issues have al
ready been spent, and the outlook,
therefore, is that some five million
($5O00,C00) dollars or more must
be f1oated to complete the project.
AS your first statement of the cost
of the canal was three and a half
million ($3,500,000) dollars, your
Judgment was at fault at least twelve
million ($12,O00,000) dollars.
Work Slow, Need More Economy and
Speed.
Your board has been extravagant,
wasteful and lethargic. You were
originally of the opinion that the ca
nal would be completed by this time
or sooner, but there is no doubt that,
under your administration, and be-
cause of the slow and weak way in
which the work has been pushed, 1t
could hot be completed until after
both the state and city elections next
year, thus carrying your Behrman-
lied department through, and be-
yond, these events.
1t is necessary that there shall be
more economy Of both money and
time, and speeding to completion
Of the enterprises under the Jurls-
dichon CT your board.
The total bond issue Of the Dock
Board ic twenty-five million, seven
hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
plus non-interest bearing obligations
to the amount of five hundred and
eighty thousand, one hundred and
four dollars and eighty-seven cents.
NV information from the Office Of
the Secretary of the Board is to the
effect that only the comparatively
insignificant amount of one hundred
and twnety-three thousand dollars of
the said total Indebtedness has been
retired.
Consulted Me Only When Too Late
20 Shift Responsibility"
You stated, in your letter, that
you had consulted me with reference
to the important steps taken by you
during your administration of the
Dock Board affairs. In answer to
this | wish to say that you did come
to me-, as shown above, on very
few occasions, but only after mat
tiers were so shaped by you, and con-
ditions were so formed, that your
conference with me amounted to an
adroit attempt ony our part to Shift
the responsibility of your mistakes
and the necessary consequences OF
your actions to my shoulders.
The most eminent bond lawyers
of the United States declare that the
bonds which your board has issued
are obligations of the State of Lou
isiana. Therefore, if this be true,
and the canal project is not sue
cess, the people of the entire State
must pay these obligations, principal
and interest.
importance, and l must look after
the interests of the whole common
wealth.
Friendship Caused Postponement;
New Bond Issues Force Him.
| will admit that | have been
somewhat tardy in asking for the
resignation of the members of your
board, out on account of my personal
friendship for you in particular,
put off action in this respect as long
as l could, hoping all the time that
you could do something to better
conditions But, when it came to
my knowledge that you were con-
templatng the issuance of several
million dollars more of bonds for
river front improvements, and they
are nee eSsary on account Of the bad
condition of many of the docks and
wharves, I then knew that it would
be objectionable in me if | did not
act, and act at once, by calling for
you designations.
In addition to this, the assertion is
made by the Dock Boards special
attorney that the board a few days
ago had authorized an illegal con-
tract which was to be entered into
with the Railroad Administration
whereby millions of dollars worth of
the most valuable property on the
river front, at the foot Of Canal
street, would be turned over to the
Railroad Administration to be enjoy
ed "by the Government River Ser
vice and its appointed successors
Not Consulted ON These-No More
Ewing Behrman.
l do not know whether your at
torney's contention is correct and /
am not antagonistic to a fair and
liberal treatment of the Government
River Service, but | do believe that
the people of the city of New Orleans
and of the rest of the state are en-
phaticaily DESTROYS that the state,
through the Dock Board, shall re-
tain undisturbed and sacredly, with
out any legal doubts threatening it,
the ownership and control of the
river front which, with the river it
self, makes the harbor at New Or
leans one of the greatest natural
ports in he world.
You bad not consulted me on eth |
er of the great projects last above |
mentioned, notwithstanding your de- |
clarations in your letter of resigna- |
ton that you had come to see me
about all important steps which you |
had taken