The herald., 1921-09-22

HISTORY OF THE
FERRY FRANCHISE
FERRY FRANCHISE CARRIED TAX
TO ALGERINES FOR STREET
REPAIRS.
J. Il. Norman Tells Council.

The following address was made
before special session of the coun-
ell on Friday, Sept. 10th:
Some fifteen years ago the Canal
Street-Algiers Ferry System Fran
chise was sold at Public Auction and
bid in for $225.OOO. In addition
thereto. among other matters the
lessees were TO pay to their predeces-
sOrs the value of the sidewalk from
the Ferry landing to the L. & n
Station. and were also to maintain
Canal Street from the Ferry Landing
TO the L. & n. crossing. In other
words. the people of Algiers were not
only taxed to yield a revenue of
1925, 10000 to the City. but were
also taxed for the construction on
this side of the river, of a sidewalk
from the ferry landing to the L. &
n. Depot, as also to maintain Canal
Street from the landing to the L. &
n. crossing, besides immense profit
earned by the lessees.
We may be. and no doubt are.
somewhat ahead of the times in our
views. as to the rights of the citi-
zens of New Orleans to have free
access and egress to one side of the
river from the other; nevertheless we
are not ahead of the times in insist
ing upon and exacting the privilege
of being free of tax for overcoming
natural conditions beyond the actual
cost of overcoming the conditions.
The city of New Orleans is not legally
or morally entitled to exact a quarter
of million of dollars from our peo-
pie to cross the river, besides, a
princely million and half of dollars
of profits to the lessees are wrong
fully wrung from us.
Progress is an essential and neces.
sary part of modern civilization, and
our people are continually, conscious
ly or unconsciously, placing in opera
ton progressive ideas that become
part of our daily lives.
There was a time when il MAY
have seemed proper to exact and col
| lect toll to cross the New Basin
and Carondelet Canals, as it was the
custom to collect toll to travel OF
the shell road to the Cemeteries o.
West End This is no longer tn,
case, these crossings are all free Il
| our citizens. as is the right of fire,
travel to West End on the Shell
Road.
We are not here. however, to ash
you to grant us free transportation
across the river. the times are no
yet ripe for this, but we are here tC
register our solemn protest against
system of lease of our Ferry fran
chises that may yield a half million
of dollars or any part of it, to the
City, an immoral tax upon us. be
sides additional taxes to pay for the
sidewalk, to maintain Canal Street
to the L. & N. Crossing, and the un'
heard of tax of more than one and
one-half million dollars of profits tC
the lessees. resulting not only the
keeping away of industries from our
side of the River. but in the actual
driving away of the established in.
dustries from our midst
Is it right, is it fair. is it honest
that these onerous and burdensome
additional taxes should have beer
or should be levied upon us. only
fractional part of the Citizenship
of New Orleans.
Ny statement is based on figures
furnished me by a statistician some
time back and may be challenged b!
interested parties, however, as thu
Honorable Commissioner of Public
Utilities has checked the income o
the Ferry for given period, the fig
ures are before you, and any intelli
gent person, with some knowledge
of the subject, can fairly accuratel!
calculate the cost of operation ant
the difference between that and tn,