The herald., 1922-06-22
FERRY COMMITTEE
SENDS RESOLUTION
TO CITY COUNCIL
Condemn Proposed New Franchise

Dear Sir-I have been directed by
of a Committee of
members appointed at a
mass meeting of the residents of AL
gierS to look after their interests in
ferry matters and which sub-com-
mittee, for one year or more, has
been in conference with the Honor
able Commission Council. endeavOring
to obtain relief at your hands from
existing ferry conditions, TO deliver
to the Honorable Commission Council,
the following resolutions, unan-
imOusly adopted at a meeting of the
Committee held in Algiers, this, the
18th day of June. 1922:
Be it resolved that this Committee
is unalterably opposed to the sale of
any franchise for the operation OF
ferries between New Orleans and
Algiers and will ever object to and
oppose the sale of such a franchise.
Reserving all of our rights in the
future, as we have in the past, to
bring about the defeat of the sale OF
any ferry franchise operating be-
tween New Orleans and Algiers, both
as residents of the Fifth District of
this City and as members of the Com
mittee of Twenty-one, We desire here
with TO register our unalterable OBJ
| lection and opposition to the pro-
posed advertised ordinance, authoriz-
/ ing and directing the Commissioner
of Public Utilities of the City of New
Orleans to advertise for sale at pub
lie auction to the highest bidder
for an amount not less than $780,
10000, a franchise covering the Canal
Street and Third District ferries,
which ordinance in our opinion, is a
most vicious piece of Municipal leg
islation, containing practically all of
the Objectionable features of the
adopted by the City of New Orleans
in 1906, concerning which ordinance
members of this Committee and the
people of the Fifth District have,
time and again, justly complained.
but apparently to no avail.
At the last conference the Com
mittee of Seven had with your Hon.
orable Council, the latter part of May,
your Honors finally instructed the
Commissioner of Public Utilities to
prepare an ordinance, authorizing the
sale of a franchise for the Canal
Street and Third District ferries for
period of fifteen years and invited
this Committee to join the Honorable
Utility Commissioner in the prepare.
ton of the franchise, with the dis
, tinct understanding that the assist
ance we would give the Honorable
Commissioner, would in no way com
NIT us to your policy, and reserving
to us the right to go to the Legis.
, lature for such relief as we might
deem advisable in the premises.
With this distinct understanding,
, unequivocally expressed and accepted
by this Committee. we conferred with
the Honorable Commissioner of Pub.
lie Utilities and made a number OF
suggestions and alterations in the
. proposed ordinance before us. I'm
agine, therefore, our establishment
: and disappointment when we read
the proposed ordinance as published
in the official journal of the City, to
= realize that only a few Of the sug
, gestions that we considered absolutely
, essential to a proper ordinance was
D incorporated in the proposed published
e ordinance.
1st We suggested that there b'
l. incorporated in the ordinance, made
f part thereof and attached thereto, de
tailed plans and specifications Of thu
= ferry houses, boats, pontOons, bridges
d ETC., as we felt, not only that thu
e people of the Fifth District are en-
r titled to know exactly what they ar
J. to receive and expect from the sue
cessful bidder, but that prospective
t bidders are entitled to such data. TO
otherwise they could not intelligentl
a determine what their obligation
q would be under the franchise. How
ever, no plans or specifications of tn
, ferry houses, boats, pontoons, bridges
O ETC., have been attached to and mad
part of the proposed ordinance, tn
door being thus left wide open TO
= worthless boats, pontoons, bridges
/, favoritism and far worse conse
|. quences. While this may be the re
suit and effect of this vicious ord
nance, we are confident you neve
intended it should be so.-Your al
tention being called to the fact, tn
remedy should follow.
End We suggested penalties TO
violations of ordinance obligations
only to find that the published ORD
nance contains no penalties or fine
y for violations, by lessee, or ordinanc
provisions, except the vague inopel
alive obligations Of bond.
= Bird. The proposed ordinance cor
= tain no forfeiture clause, in the even
= of violations of the ordinance, whethe
- in providing proper boats, pontoon:
L bridges or otherwise.-Why Not?
4th. We suggested, in order tina
in future years 1t might be possibl
to intelligently determine what tn