Outer Continental Shelf impacts, Morgan City, Louisiana

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Oct 11 1977

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OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF IMPACTS, MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA

University of Southwestern Louisiana

June 30, 1977

Research Team

E.F. Stallings, Project.Director

T.F. Reilly, Editor

R.B. Gramling, Jr.

D.P. Manuel

Property Of CSC Library

The preparation of this report was financed in part

through a grant from the U.S. Department of

Commerce under the provisions of the

Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA

COASTAL SERVICES CENTER
2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
CHARLESTON , SC 29405-2413

COASTAL ZONE
INFORMATION CENTER

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship

of the Louisiana State Planning Office in the interest

of information exchange. The State of Louisiana assumes

no liability for its contents or the use thereof.

PREFACE

This report is the result of a one year effort directed by the research

team. It involved approximately ten faculty members and ten students. The

authorship of each chapter is separate and thus the style may vary somewhat.

Round table discussions and numerous consultations were held among the

authors to insure continuity and compatibility. The labor survey of the

study area was subcontracted to the Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson area

Chamber of Commerce and was conducted under the direction of Mr. Luke Trahin,

Executive-Vice President.

The authors wish to acknowledge the excellent cooperation received

from the various individuals associated with the study area. Their kindness

made our task much easier.

Lafayette, Louisiana

June 30, 1977

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

Summary ................................................................ I

Pictures ............................................................... 4

Physical Setting ....................................................... 15

Economic Characteristics ............................................... 28

Social and Cultural Characteristics .................................... 106

Political Analysis ......................... ............................ 144

Municipal Services ..................................................... 160

Transportation .......................................................... 209

Conclusions ............................................................ 221

Appendix

I - Labor Survey .................................................. 231

II - Historical Geography .......................................... 292

Maps ........................................................ Inside Back Cover

SUMMARY

Over the period 1954-1972, OCS oil Production increased from 3.3 million
barrels to 389.2 million barrels. Comparable production of oil within three-
miles of Louisiana's coast increased from 12.6 million barrels in 1954 to
63.4 million in 1972. Gas produced in the Louisiana OCS area totalled
2,888 billion cubic feet in 1972, while production inside the three-mile
zone was 592 billion cubic feet.

Employment, Income, and Occupations.

Morgan Cit y and St. Mary Parish have benefited immensely from the
development of OCS petroleum and natural gas. Over the years 1940-1970,
total employment in St. Mary Parish has increased 89.5 per cent. In the
United States, total employment increased 74.9 per cent and in Louisiana,
the gain was 56.2 per cent. Within St. Mary Parish, more than 12.0 per
cent of total employed persons work in the mining sector, which is primarily
comprised of the oil and gas industry. It is a conclusion of this study
that the growth of OCS activity.as evidenced in the high regional share
effects of St. Mary Parish is directly and indirectly responsible for
approximately 20 - 35 per cent of the employment in St. Mary Parish and
Morgan City.

Parish income has increased twice as rapidly as did that of Louisiana
between 1947 and 1973. While much of this increase is due to national
growth, the regional share component in St. Mary Parish indicates that
its local and regional advantage lay in the proximity to OCS activity and
was responsible for much of this growth.

Generally, the change in occupations that has occurred in Morgan City
has been a result of the demands placed on the labor market by the various
industries in oil and gas production, exploration, drilling, field services,
and onshore support activities, As a result, many of the workers in operative,
craftsman, and managerial positions are highly paid. The median income,
therefore, tended to be higher in Morgan City than in St. Mary Parish or
Louisiana, and the distribution of income in the city was more equitable
than in these other two larger areas.

Social and Cultural

Increases in income and available jobs, as well as the demand for
specialized skills, have led directly to major population growth in Morgan
City and St. Mary Parish. Many of the available jobs are essentially blue
collar in nature, but pay well enough to entice migrants who e,@entually
become permanent residents.

One problem which may be related to the increased purchasing power of
blue collar workers is that a middle-class professional, such as school
teachers, may be lured away from essential jobs because they could move to
other areas and occupy a relatively higher position in the economic and
status hierarchy.

-2-

The obvious success of the parents of young people in the Morgan City
and St. Mary Parish area has resulted in a low out-migration by young.people
seeking employment, as they are presented with a realistic role model of
economic success. This can be achieved through vocational training at the
local level in a relatively short time at a low cost.

As these trends continue, assuming that economic activities of the
petroleum industry do not decline, continued growth in the physical size
and population mass is to be expected. Continued physical growth is one
of the potential sources of problems which is a by-product of growth in the
petroleum sector. There may be problems in terms of planning for expanded
police protection, transportation, municipal services, and providing for
recreational opportunities if the rapid growth continues. Problems which
could be particularly acute would be in highly specialized service areas
such as hospitals and other forms of health care. In addition, it seems
that St. Mary Parish could benefit from increased investment ineducational
and vocational services.

Another major problem demanding attention which was precipitated by
rapid population growth and increased purchasing power of the individual
worker is the acute shortage of single-family dwellings. This may result
in people living outside of Morgan City and even St. Mary Parish, in order
to have a home of their own. Thus, the tax base for Morgan City might
stabilize while the demand for municipal services is increasing.

The only apparent change in population composition that can be anticipated
is the.continued increase in the white versus black ratio. There appears
to be no shortage of people in the productive ages nor any major imbalance
in the number of elderly people.

MuniciRal Services.

OCS activities and the related population growth have placed great
strains upon the ability of the community to provide adequate levels of
services and facilities. The tax base has gaps, especially in that many
who avail themselves of the services and facilities live outside of the
study area. A considerable lag exists in meeting these needs. In spite
of such problems, community support for the oil and gas industry is very
strong,and it is felt that the benefits accruing to the community far
outweigh any difficulties.

Land Use.

Land use changes have occurred on a large scale. Primarily they have
involved a shift from agricultural uses tourban, residential, and industrial
uses. Also, some swampland has been converted for these same three uses.
OCS related industries have required land primarily for siting purposes.
A second major impetus for changes in land use patterns has come from the
rapid population growth and.the associated needs formore land.

-3-

Environmental Impact.

Environmental impacts, including.pollution, directly associated with
OCS activities have been small. They have generally resulted from dredging
activities and from the conversion of swampland to industrial sites.
Indirect impacts have occurred on a con'siderabie scale and are most frequently
those associated with rapid population growth and its attendant requirements.

While there are obviot S'ly:both positive and negative impacts of OCS
activities, in the opinion of the citizens. of Morgan City, the advantages
far outweigh the disadvantages. However, should.OCS activities decline
in-the area, major disruption of the social and economic life of the conumnity
would occur.

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Ferry boat crossing the Atchafalaya River between Brashear City and the present location of Berwick (1866).
Courtesy Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana.
-1
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The Atchafalaya River between Morgan City (upper right) and Berwick (lower left). Note the new four-lane
bridge nearing completion in center.

-6-

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Push boat and barges moving up river at Morgan City.

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Part of the remaining shrimp fleet at Morgan City docks.

-7-

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Bayp,u-,,[email protected].(foreground.).,..wi.th commercial- water .front-,, usage along.,.,
the Intracoastal Canal (center).

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Trailer park east of Morgan City. An attempt to ease crucial housing
shortages.

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A pipeline corridor passing through a residential area in Bayou Vista.
Note how little land is actually lost to the corridor.

-9-

Pipeline corridor running toward the coast, south of Bayou Vista.

Platform construction on Bayou Boeuf east of Morgan City.

...........

Shipyards with ongoing rig construction on Bayou Boeuf.

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Pipe yards on the Intracoastal Canal '(lower right). Note the
residential area (upper, right, center) bordering on Lake Palourde.
This neighborhood is built on recently filled wetlands.

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A production platform loaded on barges at Bayou Boeuf for transportation
to the Gulf. Note the collars (left center of platform) used to guide
the drilling of production wells.

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Abandoned drilling platform of the type used in early offshore
exploration.
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-12-

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Scrap yard on U.S. 90 and the Intracoastal Waterway east of Morgan
City. Not pretty, but ecologically sound.

Pipe yards on the Intracoastal Waterway past of Morgan City.
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-13-

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Tug boats docked at the conjunction of the Atchafalaya River and the
Intracoastal Waterway.

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A work boat (used for hauling pipe, cement, mud, etc., offshore) and
a crew boat (used for hauling employees and supplies) heading down
the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City.

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A pipe laying barge docked near Morgan City.

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Work boat (in dry dock), crew boat, and drilling barge docked at
Morgan City.

PHYSICAL SETTING

E.F. Stallings, Author

Charles Durio, Research Assistant

-16-

GENERAL INTRODUCTION"**MORGAN CITY

Morgan City lies in South Louisiana 92 miles west-southwest of New
Orleans, 69 miles southeast of Lafayette and 98 miles south of Baton Rouge
0ee map, next page). It is on the east side of the Atchafalaya River
approximately 18 miles from Atchafalaya Bay which opens into the Gulf of
Mexico. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway passes along the south edge of the
city and joins with the Morgan City alternate route to Port Allen/Baton
Rouge at the Atchafalaya River. Highway access is provided to Lafayette
and New Orleans by U.S. 90 and to Baton Rouge by La. 70, La. 69, and La. 1.
Air transportation is provided by a Helioport at Amelia operated by Petroleum
Helicopters Inc. and a general aviation airport at Patterson.

Morgan City forms part of an urban complex consisting additionally,
of the City of Berwick lying just across the Atchafalaya to the west, the
unincorporated area of Patterson further west along a bend of the Teche/Lower
Atchafalaya system, and the unincorporated area of Amelia to the east along
Bayou Boeuf (See land use maps inside back cover for specific location).

The economic base rests on agricultural activities to the west, trans-
portation, fishing and the oil and gas industry. Formerly fishing and
forestry accounted for relatively greater economic contributions. The swamps
have long since been cleared of cypress and that industry,is now defunct.
Port activities associated with fishing have become dispersed along the
coastal zone as more facilities have been made available and refrigeration
equipment installed on individual vessels.

low as ow

SHREVEPORT MONROE
LOUISIANA

ALEXANDRIA

LAKE CHARLES

LAFAYETTE

NEW
MORGAN ORLEANS
ITY

PHYSICAL SETTING

Climate, Morgan City.

The Morgan City area differs little climatically from other Gulf Coastal
regions from Houston to Apalachicola, Florida. The overall climate is humid
subtropical with marine influences predominating during the summer. In the
winter there are alternating periods of moist marine air and cool, dry
continental or Arctic air. Temperature variations are large, on a daily
basis, only when warm, moist tropical air is suddenly displaced by Canadian
or Arctic air as a front passes.- Otherwise the temperature variations tend
to be small and somewhat less than for stations farther north due to the
proximity of water bodies, swamps, and marshes.
The mean temperature ranfes from a low of 54.30E in January to a high
of 82.40E in July and August. The mean annual temperature is 69.30F.
Precipitation ranges from 3.67 inches in October to 8.36 inches in July
with a mean annual rate of 64.33 inches. Temperatures below 320F. occur
on only a few days during the winter and temperatures i .n excess of 1000F.
are very rare.

Severe weather is sometimes experienced. Thunderstorms can be expected
70-80 days a year and upon occasion are accompanied by small.tornadoes,
high wind, and hail.2 Most of these storms cause little, if any, damage on
the ground. Aircraft and small boats do not always fare so well. Winter
storms are common but generally not severe. Tropical cyclones or hurricanes
pose A greater threat. The two most severe hurricanes occurring so far in
this century for the Morgan City area were Betsy in 1965 with 122 mph winds
and an unnamed storm in late August of 1926 with winds estimated at 100 mph.3
Much of the danger is from tornadoes accompanying imbedded thunderstorms
and flooding, either from excessive rainfall, storm surges, or both. Since
1893 seven major hurricanes have been recorded in the Morgan City area with
approximately 20 lesser hurricanes.4

OCS activities are influenced by the weather in several ways. Major
disruptions of activities are caused by hurricanes And lesser tropical
storms. However, damage is usually light to platforms and facilities.
Advance warnings by the Weather Bureau are especially valuable in preparing
for a storm. Any drill rigs or crew boats actually caught in the storm are
subject to heavy damage or sinking either through wave action, hitting a
platform, or both. Occasionally a severe winter storm causes similar
problems. Fog and severe thunderstorms are likewise troublesome especially
to helicopters and other aircraft. In the Morgan City area more serious
problems have resulted from flooding caused by a combination of locally
heavy precipitation and high water on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers.

Soils/Agricultural Practices.

The soils of the Morgan City area are primarily of two associations,
those of the low Mississippi River Terraces and those of the bottom lands.
These soils consist of alluvium brought down by the Mississippi River system

_19-

during successive deltaic periods. Deposition was generally in shallow
bodies of water or along streams or channels where natural levees resulted.
These natural levees develop when overbank flow occurs with a resultant
decrease in velocity causing deposition adjacent to the channel. Coarser
particles are dropped nearest the channel with the finer particles being
found farther away. These natural levees, with an elevation of from three
to ten feet, are the highest land in the area with the exception of a salt
dome some 17 miles away where surface uplift is evident. The levees vary
in width from a few feet, generally near small or recent channels, to a
distance of several miles. The rest of the land is generally swampy with
numerous streams and bayous and lakes, both large and small.

Settlement is usually concentrated along these natural levees where
frequent flooding does not occur because of natural or human alterations
to stream flow. Drainage here is often a minor problem that can be controlled
by gravity flow in ditches although leveeing and pumping are sometimes
necessary. As discussed in another section of this report, the potential
for major flooding exists should certain critical levees give way during
times of high water. On the bottom lands flooding and the difficulties
of drainage are major impediments to agricultural or other uses of the
land.

Where the elevation is adequate for good drainage the soils tend to
be fertile with leaching somewhat retarded by the low permeability of the
soil. The major crop is sugar cane with substantial amounts of soybeans
and other crops grown. There is little or no agriculture immediately
adjacent to Morgan City. There are a few pastures in the vicinity of
Amelia but little else to the east. To the west of Berwick agricultural
activities are much more in evidence. The area of natural levees between
Berwick and Patterson is farmed rather extensively except where urban,
residential and commerical users have preempted the land. The swampland
soils tend to be good if drainage is accomplished, although tillage may
be more difficult than on the levee soils. The marsh soils are very
difficult to use, even if drained, due to the large organic content and
slurry-like nature. Oxidation and subsidence pose further difficulties.

Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson and Amelia were founded at sites on
natural levees associated with Bayous Teche, Boeuf, and the Lower Atchafalaya.
Morgan City, Berwick and Amelia have grown beyond the bounds of this high
land into diked and filled areas of bottom land. Problems associated with
diking, filling, and drainage have slowed the growth of the aforementioned
areas. Environmental concerns and associated permitting requirements are
impediments to further expansion, especially for Morgan City proper.

Higher land, generally used for farming, has been available between
Berwick and Patterson but development of subdivisions has been limited
primarily by the difficulties of daily commuting over the one (two-l.ane)
bridge into Mbrgan City. A new four-lane bridge was completed this year
(1977) and is now open to traffic. It is expected that much of this high
land will be converted to residential or commercial uses.

-20-

Industrial expansion toward Patterson has been limited for the same
reasons and additionally the small size of the Berwick Lock. Large vessels
and tows are not able to get into the Lower Atchafalaya/Teche system. The
dimensions of the Lock are 45' x 300' with a sill depth of 9.8' below mean
sea level.5 An initial hearing has been held by the Corps of Engineers where
strong sentiment was expressed for the enlargement of the lock. Some of
the participants at the hearing expressed the opinion that a larger lock
would be of especial value to the area in the event of a slowdown of oil
and gas operations, in that it would be easier to attract other types of
activities with improved navigation facilities.

The demand for land, as noted previously, has resulted in the use of
reclaimed bottom lands by the oil and gas industry as well as by other
commercial, urban, and residential users. In this reclaimed land subsidence
makes necessary carefully constructed and strong foundations and special
attention to gas and water lines to prevent and or detect breakage.

Vegetation.

The vegetation in the study area is strongly related to drainage. The
better drained natural levees have as predominant species the following:6
live oak, red oak, water oak, sweetgum, and hackberry. Volunteer grasses
are: bluestem, vasyegrass, dallisgrass, bermudagrass, johnsongrass, and
crabgrass. Much of this area has been cleared for urban, residential, or
agricultural uses so that the original natural vegetation is not much in
evidence.

Most of the remaining area is fresh-water swamp and bottom land where
the following species predominate:7 cypress, tupelo gum, swamp bay, swamp
maple, willow, sycamore, and cottonwood. The sound mature cypress was cut
during.the earlier part of this century and that remaining is either unsound
or second growth. The second growth cypress is still immature and to date
has not attracted any large-scale lumbering op erations. Settlement*in these
areas requires diking, filling, or both. Much of Morgan City and some of
the industries to the east have been built on this type of land.

Flooding.

The land in the Morgan City area is low-lying and alluvial in origin.
It was formed under conditions associated with delta building, primarily
of the Mississippi River system. Morgan City lies on the east bank of the
Atchafalaya River with Berwick on the west bank, with each having an elevation
of 3 feet to 10 feet above sea level. The Atchafalaya is a major distributary
of the Mississippi River through a connection at Old River near Simmesport,
Louisiana. It also receives water from the Red River and Black River systems.

During flood stages on the Mississippi River the Atchafalaya Basin is
designed, through a system of levees, control structures, and the like, to
accept approximately one-half of the water from the Mississippi. The water
travels down through the Atchafalaya Basin and passes into Atchafalaya Bay
through two openings in the Teche Ridge, the Atchafalaya Riverat Morgan'City

-21-

and the Wax Lake Cut just west of Patterson. The Wax Lake Cut was made to
reduce flood stages in the Morgan City area. High water in the study area
results from flood conditions on either the Mississippi or Red-Black systems
as well as from storm surges associated with hurricanes. These cities are
protected by a system of levees, however, water can.flow around the ends
of this system south of Morgan City and come up Bayou Chene into Bayou
Boeuf and eventually proceed into Lake Palourde, Normally this backflow
is not too much of a problem since the study area is protected by ring
levees for the most part. However, during the record setting flood of 1973,
backflow and locally heavy rainfall combined to produce a severe flood threat
to the Morgan City area.

The city proper was not seriously flooded in 1973, but if a break in
one of the critical levees had occurred, a mass evacuation would have been
necessary. The offshore oil industry was very seriously affected by the
flood since many of the port facilities were located between the levees
and the river or bayous. The flood waters were near the top of the levees
and many of the buildings and facilities were.inundated to a depth of
several feet.or more. Also, navigational problems resulted due to the
swift currents and associated erosion, siltation, and debris.

In general the-OCS activities have not contributed to the flooding
problem in terms of any action that would effect water levels. The building
of support facilities in flood-prone areas, such as on the batture, has
increased the potential cost of a flood. However, most of this cost is
borne by the companies owning the facilities.

OCS oriented interests have strongly supported a project to enlarge
the channels in Bayou Chene, Black, and Boeuf and Atchafalaya Bay. This
project would primarily benefit J. Ray McDermott Co. and Avondale Shipyards
by allowing them to fabricate and repair larger equipment than can presently
be moved through existing channels. Most of the impacts in the Morgan City
area would be of an economic nature, however, the enlargement of the channel
n the lower Atchafalaya River may well help reduce the heights of subsequent
flood crests in the study area. This project is presently in limbo having
i

appeared on President Carter's list.of water projects to be halted. It
remains to be seen whether or not the Congress will override the President
and allow the completion of the project. More detailed information on the
potential impacts may be obtained from the environmental impact statement
prepared by the U.S. Army Engineer District in New Orleans.

Storm surges associated with hurricanes pose a flood threat to the study
area. This threat appears not to be as serious as that of the Mississippi
Basin at least on the basis of frequency. It also seems unlikely that
as high a stage would be reached during a storm due to the short duration
and the distance inland from the Gulf. During times when a hurricane appears
imminent, the oil and gas industry moves equipment into the study area
from more exposed locations. Smaller boats and equipment are taken through
the Berwick Lock into the Teche for protection from high winds and water.

-22-

Fishing.

The oil and gas industry has had some impact on recreational activities
in the study area. Most of this impact has been associated with inshore and
onshore activities. In the OCS areas the various platforms serve as nagivation
aids for fishermen and tend to attract fish because of the marine growth
that soon develops on the submerged portions. Many believe that fishing
is enhanced by these rigs much in the way that an artificial reef might
enhance productivity. With a lessening of pollution due to stronger controls,
regulations, and more frequent inspections it appears that additional sport
fishing opportunities are provided by these rigs for the Morgan C .ity area
fishermen. It should be noted that definitive long range studies devoted
to the effects of rigs and platforms on marine productivity are not available.

As indicated in other parts of this study, Morgan City, Berwick, and
Patterson have been and continue to be significant ports for the commercial
fishing industry. The primary species landed in the study area is shrimp.
.There is evident both a relative and an actual decline in fish landings
in the study area (See employment figures). During the last forty years
the tonnage and value of the catch has tended to increase for the state
as a whole. The distribution of species landed has remained about the same
with menhaden leading in tonnage and shrimp in value. -1w

It appears that this decline in the importance of fisheries in the
study area is unrelated to the oil and gas industry. There has definitely
been competition for specific dock space, however, there is plenty of water-
front available and no shortage of docks overall. Shrimp boats still dock
and unload on the Morgan City and Berwick waterfronts. Most, however, go
into the Teche and dock at Patterson where there are large processing and
marketing facilities available. Many of the support facilities for the oil
and gas industry are likewise supportive of the fishing industry, especially
shipbuilding and servicing companies. For example, it is easier to have a
diesel engine replaced or repaired, get a new propeller, or get bearings
and shafting in the Morgan City area than in most other small port cities
due to the greater demand for this type of service.

The decline in fish landings in the study area appears to be part
of a trend for dispersal of fish landing points along the Gu lf Coast. In
earlier days most boats had no refrigeration and relied heavily.upon ports
having.an ice house(s). The study area had such facilities. Presently
most of the boats have refrigeration or large quantities of ice can be
obtained from easily available and relatively small, inexpensive machines
.as compared to the old fashioned "ice plants." Thus, the commercial fishing
industry has become more market oriented. Also there are more port facilities
with connecting roads available along the Gulf Coast than in the past.

In the initial days of offshore activities there were problems with
debris in the vicinity of wells, pipe stubs projecting from the bottom,
and uncovered pipelines. Shrimp trawls and other fishing gear were damaged
and lost in these areas and much antagonism and controversy resulted.
Today there are regulations and policies against the in ordinate.dumping

-23-

of debris. Well heads are cut off below the bottom when abandoned and pipe-
lines are buried in the shallower parts of the OCS where trawling generally
occurs. These policies and practices were made retroactive so that a cleanup
of the problem areas resulted. Consequently, trawlers regularly operate in
close proximity to offshore platforms and the earlier conflict has been
largely laid to rest.

Land.

As the OCS-related industries grew, the demand for land became larger in
the study area. This demand took the form of sites for fabricating yards
and support facilities as well as an increased use of land by people attracted
to the area. Much of the expansion from these uses occurred in the Morgan
City-Amelia area. Land adjacent to Bayou Boeuf was used for agricultural
purposes,and it was primarily this land that was taken. As growth continued
it became necessary to move into the swamps to accommodate the expansion.
The choice was made to reclaim swamp even though agricultural land was
available in the Bayou Vista-Patterson area. Some of this farmland may
not have been for sale or the price may have been too high, however, it is
believed,that the traffic congestion over the single two-lane bridge into
Morgan City was a significant negative factor to anyone considering commting
daily to Morgan City. Also, swampy areas on the waterfront were attractive
for marine facilities.

To show the changes occurring before and after the major development
associated with OCS activities, two land-use maps were constructed using
aerial photographs purchased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The
years 1947 and 1977 were chosen because the OCS-related development took
place after 1947 (See inside back cover for maps). These maps show the
changes through the use of three categories; farmland; indu strial, residential,
and urban; and marsh, swamp, and woodland. Three additional maps provide
information of the growth of residential land, the water system, and the
street system.

The demand for land by oil and gas related interests is not limited
to siting; land is needed for access to support or processing facilities
and for pipeline rights-of-way. Processing facilities associated with
well head sites and pipelines are relatively few, generally consisting of
compressor stations, separator systems, and in some cases storage facilities.
In the OCS many separator stations and storage facilities as well as some
compressors are placed on production or collector platforms. Therefore,
the primary demand for land comes from the need for pipeline rights-of-way.
In the past there had been a tendency to lay pipelines in the most direct
line from one point to another avoiding where possible heavily populated
areas where rights-of-way acquisition costs were high. With increasing land
costs, spreading density of pipelines, and growing environmental concern,
a resulting trend is to utilize corridors where the pipelines are grouped
together.

In the case of Louisiana OCS activities, the expense and difficulties
of laying lines offshore has resulted in collector systems in the fields

-24-

witIh a few relatively large lines coming ashore. The large lines, usually
8 to 16 inches for crude and 16 to 36 inches for gas, have generally been
connected to the already existing onshore system of major pipelines.

The c rude oil is generally piped and sometimes barged to processing
facilities such as the refineries at Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, New Orleans,
Norco, and elsewhere. None of the crude oil or product pipelines pass
through the immediate study area although one such line (Texas Pipeline
Co., 22" diameter) passes south of Morgan City.

There are two separate gas systems in Louisiana--the interstate system
and the intrastate system. All of the OCS and much of the inshore and
onshore gas goes initially into the interstate system. Several interstate
lines pass immediately to the south of the study area. Two interstate
lines cross U.S. 90 about one-half mile east of Bayou Ramos. Three inter-
state and two intrastate pipelines pass between Berwick and Patterson through
a corridor. One small compressor facility is evident adjacent to U.S. 90.
At the time of construction most of these pipelines were routed through
either swamps or agricultural land. Presently a housing subdivision is being
constructed on the Teche Ridge in the Bayou Vista area where the lines cross.
As shown.in one of the photographs, homes are being built in close proximity
to the lines.

The land over the lines must be kept clear of large bushes and trees
so that leaks can be detected and for purposes of quick access. Agricultural
,uses are generally not precluded and marshes and grassy areas can often be
returned to a natural state or turned into a series of linear lakes, that
if carefully planned and maintained can enhance the productivity of the marsh.
The actual amount of land required for the right-of-way varies. The State
of Louisiana has the following requirements for State lands:

PIPE DIAMETER (OUTSIDE) RIGHT-OF-WAY
Width for construction Permanent Width

2t'-10" 50' 25'
1111-2911 100, 501.
30"-401f+ 200' 60'

Where lines cross private lands the amount of right-of-way and the compensation
is subject.to negotiation between the landowner and company. If agreement
cannot be reached a court case may result. As shown in the accompanying
photograph, homes and other structures are often built very cl ose to the
pipelines. However, the State Fire Marshal takes into consideration the
proximity of pipelines in evaluating the proposed locations of schools and
other public buildings that involve the concentration of large numbers of
people. Approval was recently denied by the fire marshal (not in the study
area) for a proposed school site near an old high pressure gas line.

-25-

Soil shifts and changes are usually small and gradual enough not to
threaten breakage or damage to pipelines. , Streams or other waterway
crossings often pose problems in that swift currents, erosion, and navi-
gational activities may cause breakage or relocation problems. For example,
one major obstacle to the deepening and widening of the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway is the problem of intersecting pipelines which must be dug up and
modified. Controversy exists over who should bear this cost.

Environmental Impacts.

The determination and quantification of environmental impacts, including
pollution, in the Morgan City area caused directly by OCS activities is
difficult to ascertain in that most of these impacts are secondary and are
attendant to the mass of people present in the area that are.supported by the
OCS activities. The OCS boundary at its nearest point is approximately
31 miles from Morgan City. Any spills or other types of pollution near this
shoreward boundary would generally be carried westward by the prevailing
current and even if pus',..aed towards land by a strong south wind could not be
expected to reach the vicinity of Morgan CLty due to the southward flow of
water from the main channel of the Atchafalaya River. The U.S. Geological
Survey compiles data connected with accidents and spills in the OCS areas
and makes it available through its Conservation Divisio-n.

The proposed enlargement of Bayou's Boeuf, Black, and Chene is directly
related to the support of OCS activity. However, virtually all of the direct
environmental impacts associated with this project would occur outside of
the study area. For a detailed description of these impacts, the reader
is directed to the environmental impact statement prepared by the Corps
of Engineers.

Most of the oil and gas from the OCS travels by pipeline from the
fields to the onshore system. OCS gas goes into the interstate system and
is regulated by the Federal Government. This interstate system receives
gas from numerous inshore and onshore fields as well, so that once an
OCS line reaches a junction point inshore or onshore, the point of origin
of a specific flow of gas becomes in many cases difficult or impossible to
determine

in the case of crude the system is not quite as complex, however, similar
conditions make it difficult to determine the source of crudepassing through
onshore lines at any given time. Should a break occur in one of these lines
near Morgan City, there might or might not be OCS crude or gas in the line
at that particular time.

Initially most crude was barged in from the platforms. As the number
and extent of the fields became evident, pipeline systems were developed.
Presently, crude is barged when a pipeline is shut down for repair and
from small isolated fields where low production and distance make it
uneconomical to construct a line. Barging may become more prevalent in
the future due to greater than expected breakage and corrosion problems
in the existing undersea lines. The difficulties with constructing and

26-

maintaining pipelines in waters 500 or more feet in depth may result in
additional barging as production moves towards deeper water, especially if
Hie fields prove to be on the small side. The crude is generally hauled
by the shortest route to a refinery near the coast and very few of the
barges would thus pass through the study area.

The numerous boats, helicopters, and business firms operating out of
the study area generally are active onshore, inshore, and in the OCS. For
example, should a small spill of diesel oil occur during the fueling of a
supply vessel, it would be wrong to attribute this accident directly to
OCS activities if the vessel stopped on the way out or back at an inshore
field. Actually, very few accidents--even minor--have occurred, and the
study area has been relatively free of pollution directly associated with
the OCS sector of the oil and gas industry.

-27-

FOOTNOTES

1U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA) Climatography of the United States,
#81, 1973 and #20, 1975.
2 (Weather Bureau) Climatography of the
United States, #60-16, 1959.
3U.S. Army (Corps of Engineers), History of Hurricane Occurrences Along
Coastal Louisiana, 1972.

4jbid.
5U.S. Army (Corps of Engineers), Water Resources Development in Louisiana,
1975, Vicksburg, 1975.
6U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Soil Survey of St. Mary Parish, La.,"
Soil Survey Series, 1952, #3, (in cooperation with La. Agricultural Exp.
Station), p. 4.

7jbid.

-28-

THE ROLE OF OCS ACTIVITY IN THE ECONOMIC
GROWTH-OF MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA

D.P. Manuel

-29-

THE ROLE OF OCS ACTIVITY IN THE ECONOMIC
GROWTH OF MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA

Introduction.

The purpose of this portion of the Morgan City impact study is to trace
the economic development of Morgan City and, particularly, the role of Outer
Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the local economy. Prior to
1950, there were little data published solely for Morgan City. Most usable
data were collected on the geographical basis of the county, St. Mary Parish.
However, an examination of such county-wide data gives an approximate view
of the city's early development.

After the 1950 census year, comparable data for Morgan City were
collected and are compared to the succeeding census years as well as to the
data for St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, and the United States.

It is interesting to note that the only reliable economic datum for
St. Mary in the 1930 census is employment by industry. Expansions in data-
collection occur in the 1940 census, but only in minor areas of importance.
The 1920 census provided no meaningful economic data for the parish.

In general, this economic impact study is a descriptive study of Morgan
City, attempting to illustrate some of the classic underlying relationships
of economic development. To aid in the examination of Morgan City and St.
Mary Parish's growth and economic development, shift-share analysis is
employed. This technique allows the researcher to isolate the components
of employment growth by industry using decadal data.

The analysis becomes more comprehensive with the use of data from the
1950 census. Data collection procedures improved and, of course, offshore
development began. Excellent data on well completions and production allow
for a fairly complete analysis. Unfortunately, only in the 1967 and 1972
Census of Mineral Industries were offshore activities separated from total
Louisiana oil and gas activities. Hopefully, the Bureau of the Census
will continue this practice to aid researchers in future studies of OCS
development.

Structure of Employment - Pre OCS: 1930-1940

As characterized throughout most of the United States and Louisiana,
agriculture was exceedingly important As an employment source. While the
industrial development of the United States had taken hold in the urban
centers, it had yet to spill over into the rural areas. Most of the South,
as a unit, remained highly agrarian in nature until the late 1940's.

In 1930, 21.5 per cent of the United States' labor force was employed
in agriculture. The Louisiana and St. Mary Parish employment in agriculture
in the same year was 36.4 per cent.1 As did most of the South, Louisiana
shed its agrarian background very slowly due to its highly fertile soil
and relatively unskilled population.

-30-

St. Mary Parish, besides having sugar cane-oriented economic structure,
had an extensive forestry and fishing sector. The forests of the Atchafalaya
Basin yielded millions of board feet of cypress, oak, and gum, while its
proximity to open waters fostered an extensive fishing industry. More
than 4.0 per cent of St. Mary's employment was in forestry and fishing,
compared to 1.7 per cent for Louisiana and 0.5 per cent in the entire United
States. The location of Morgan City, as pointed out elsewhere, was a prime
factor in this fishing sector. Additionally, the discovery in later years
of offshore oil and gas made industrial location a relatively easy task.

Forestry activities led to a rather large lumber and wood products
industry relative to that in Louisiana and the United States. In 1930,
765 persons were employed in St. Mary Parish in saw and planing mills, wood-
working, and furniture-making. This represented 7.5 per cent of total
parish employment co ared to 3.9 per cent in Louisiana and 1.8 per cent
in the United Statesl
The wide use of cypress in Louisiana and elsewhere
in the 1920's and 1930's would help to account for this high Proportion of
wood-related employment in St. Mary Parish. While Morgan City was not a
vibrant part of the agriculture setting in St. Mary Parish, the proximity
to forests and water resulted in a forestry and fishing type of economy.

In 1930, only 44 persons in St. Mary Parish were reported as being
employed in the oil and gas industry. These 44 represented 0.4 per cent
of total employment, compared to 0.9 per cent of Louisiana employment. Salt
mining has, of course, been located in the parish for many years, yet only
0.5 per cent of St. Mary's employment was so allocated.

The construction industry, long a major part of the United States
economy and of vital importance to capital-building, was a late-comer to
Louisiana. In 1930., 5.2 per cent of United States employment was in the
construction sector; Louisiana had 3.3 per cent in construction employment
while.St. Mary Parish had only 2.6 per cent.3 It will be shown later how
this industry responded to the economic growth in Morgan City after 1950.

An agriculture orientation was still very prominent in the United
States in the 1930's. However, the rise of the manufacturing was beginning
in earnest in most areas of the country. Overall, 12.3 per cent of the
nation's employment was in manufacturing, compared to 5.8 per cent in
Louisiana and 7.4 per cent in St. Mary Parish.

Most of the St. Mary Parish employment in manufacturing was in the area
of food and kindred products--4.6 per cent. Sugar cane refining and seafood
preparation probably constituted a majority of such employment. Similar
employment in Louisiana and the United States was only 1.9 per cent of their
respective to.tals.4

The chemical industry, still a minor part of overall manufacturing,
employed 1.3 per cent of total United States employment, 1.6 per cent of
Louisiana's employed, and 0.1 per cent of St. Mary Parish laborers.5 The
growth of this industry in Louisiana was concentrated along the Mississippi
River, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and in the Lake Charles region.

-31-

While Morgan City and St. Mary Parish would later develop as a leading area
in the energy industry, petrochemicals were never to develop as they did
along the Mississippi River. Morgan City's inability to accommodate deep-
draught vessels was apparently a contributing factor to the underdevelopment
of this particular industry.

Textile manufacturing, of course, would not appear in the South until
the 1950's and has unfortunately never made a strong showing in Louisiana's
industrial structure. Distance from steel manufacturing centers has similarly
kept automobile assembly and manufacturing away from the southern part of
the nation. Approximately 6.0 per cent of total United States! employment
was in the iron and steel sector. For the purpose of the 1930 census,
fabrication products were included in this sector. It is suspected that such
fabrication facilities comprised most of the 1.3 per cent industry employment
6
in Louisiana and the 1.2 per cent in St. Mary Parish.

Most of the United States' employment in manufacturing in 1930 was
concentrated in the iron and steel sector. Louisiana and St. Mary Parish,
on the other hand, had the greatest concentration in the "other" category
of independent hand trades, construction and maintenance of streets, and
other manufacturing. Slightly more than 5.0 per cent of Louisiana employment
and 4.4 per cent of employment in St. Mary Parish were so engaged. This
degree of employment concentration in both Louisiana and St. Mary Parish
is an excellent indication of the level of development of these areas.
They were certainly a long way from developing industrially at the same
pace as the United States. Such "hand trades" and light manufacturing
were, however, an absolute prerequisite for future development.7

Another prerequisite for the growth and development of an economy
is its transportation and communication sector. This broad definition
in the 1930 employment data by industry included garages, greasing stations,
steam and street railroads, postal service, telephone and telegraph, and
other transportations.8 A reasonable assumption would be that St. Mary
Parish's employment in this industry was composed primarily of workers on
railroads, boating and boat-related sectors, and motor vehicle repair
services. Almost 7.0 per cent of the parish's employment was so engaged.
,However, both Louisiana and the United States registered 8.2 per cent of
total employment in this industry. The lower employment ratio in St. Mary
Parish is indicative of its lower level of development when compared to the
employment in Louisiana and the United States.

Similar indications surface when examining the finance, insurance,
and real estate sector. The United States had 2.9 per cent of its total
employment in this sector by 1930; Louisiana, 1.8 per cent; and St. Mary
Parish, 1.2 per cent. Over the following 30 years, this sector, a tertiary
one in nature, would increase dramatically.9

The growth of the wholesale and retail trade sector in the United
States is familiar to most. In 1930, the United States' employment in this
industry was 12.5 per cent of its total, whereas Louisiana's employment
was 10.3 per cent and St..Mary Parish's employment was only 7.3 per cent.

-32-

TABLE 1

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT
1930

U.S. LA. St. Mary

Agriculture 21.5 36.4 36.4
Forestry & Fishing .5 1.7 4.4
Oil & Gas Wells .4 .9 .4
Other Mining 2.0 .2 .5
Construction 5.2 3.3 2.6
Chemicals &Allied 1.3 1.6 .1
Textiles Manufacturing 1.6 .3 .2
Food & Kindred Products 1.9 1.9 4.6
Auto Factories & Repair Shops 1.8 .7 .4
Iron & Steel 5.7 1.3 1.2
Lumber & Wood Products 1.8 3'.9 7.5
Printing & Publishing 1.6 1.0 .2
Other Manufacturing2 3 3.2 5.2 4.4
Transportation & Communication 8.2 8.2 6.8
Fire4 2.9 1.8 1.2
Wholesale & Retail 12.5 10 3 7.3
P.A. .2 1'6 .6
Services5 16.9 17.5 17.6

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.1 Includes saw & planing mills, other woodworking and furniture.
2
Includes independent hand trades, other manufacturing industries, construction
3 and maintenance of streets.
includes garages, greasing stations, postal service, steam and street
4 railroads, telephone & telegraph, other transportation.
5Finance, insurance, and real estate.
Includes recreation and amusement, other professionals, hotels, restaurants,
boarding houses, laundries, domestic and personal service.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1930.

Like finance, insurance, and real estate, this sector too would illustrate
large gains in employment as St. Mary Parish and Morgan City progressed.

Surprisingly, very little.difference was illustrated by the employment
in the service sector. Included in this industry category was recreation
and amusement, hotels, restaurants, boarding houses, laundries, personal
services, and professionals. As a per cent of total employment, St. Mary
Parish registered 17.6 per cent in this category in 1930- Louisiana had
17.5 per cent; and the United States had 16.9 per centJO Perhaps because
of lower levels of educational attainment, Louisiana and St. Mary Parish
had a disproportionately high percentage of workers in this industry as

-33-

late as 1960, due to the inclusion of household and personal service workers
in the category. For many years after 1930, this was one of the only sectors
open to female employment, particularly nonwhite females.

The structure of employment in the United States had changed dramatically
by 1940. Changes in Louisiana and St. Mary Parish were even more surprising,
particularly since onshore mining of oil and gas was stepped up during the
preceding decade.

In all three geographical areas, there was a decline in agriculture's
share of total employment. Total United States agriculture employment
declined to 18.5 per cent of total employment and that in Louisiana declined
to 25.1 per cent from 36.4 per cent in 1930.11 Agricultural employment
in St. Mary Parish did not decline as severely, f rom. 36.4 per cent in 1930
to 33.8 per cent in 1940. It is particularly interesting that most of this
agricultural employment of St. Mary Parish in 1940 was outside of Morgan
City. More than 30 per cent of the workers in St. Mary Parish listed their
occupation in 1940 as being "farmer, farm manager, farm foreman, or farm
laborer". However, only 0.4 per cent of Morgan City's workers were so
listed.

Forestry and fishe ries declined slightly in importance in Louisiana
and the United States. In Louisiana, 1.3 per cent of total employment
was in this industry and less than 0.5 per cent were so employed in the
entire United States. In St. Mary Parish, however, this industry gained
in employment to account for 5.3 per cent of the parish's total employment.12
Once again, the proximity to open waters led to a natural increase in this
industry. The overall slow growth of Louisiana would also help to account
for this increase in forestry and fishing. Natural resource supplies were
readily available and demand for these products was increasing annually.

The rise of oil and gas exploration in Louisiana and Texas in the 1930's
led to major developments in employment. Employment in the mining sector
in the United States declined to 2.0 per cent of total employment. Oil, and
gas well employment remained at 0.4 per cent of the total. In Louisiana,
however, oil and natural gas production employment increased to 2.7 per cent
of total employment, an increase of 78 per cent more.persons employed in
the industry over the 1930 level.

In St. Mary Parish, total employment in oil and natural gas production
rose to 418 in 1940, an 850 per cent increase. As a per cent of total
employment, these persons accounted for 4.2 per cent, a significant gain
from 0.4 per cent so employed in 1930.13 One must remember that the oil
and gas production of this decade was totally onshore and greater gains in
employment were yet to come during the 1950's.

The construction industry was also beginning to exert itself in
Louisiana by the latter half of the 1930's. In 1940, 5.4 per cent of
Louisiana's employment was in the construction sector, compared to 3.3 per
cent in 1930. St. Mary Parish had 6.5 per cent of its workers in this
industry, while the United States employed 4.6 per cent of its workers

-34-

TABLE 2

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY,
1940

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary

Agriculture 18.9 32.5 33.8
Forestry and Fisheries .2 1.0 5.3
Mining 2.0 1.9 4.2
Contract construction 4.7 4.6 6.5
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 2.5 2.7 9.4
Textile Mill mfg. 2.6 .4 0
Apparrel mfg. 1.8 .5 0
Luvber, wood products, furn. mfg. 2.1 3.9 4.4
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1.4 .6 .3
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1.0 .8 .1
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 2.4 .3 .2
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 1.3 .1 0
other transp. equip. mfg. .7 .3 .8
other and miscellaneous mfg. 8.0 3.5 .5
Railroads & railway express 2.5 1.9 1.2
Trucking and warehousing 1.1 1.0 .6
Other transportation 1.2 2.2 1.6
.Commnications .9 .6 .3
Utilities & sanitary services 1.2 .9 .3
Wholesale trade 2.7 2.4 .9
Food & dairy products stores 3.3 3.2 3.5
Eating & drinking places 2.6 2.4 2.5
Other retail trade 8.4 6.7 4.2
Finance, insurances & real estate 3.3 2.0 .8
Hotels & other personal services 3.8 3.4 2.4
Private households 5.3 9.0 7.&
Business and repair services 1.9 1.5 1.3
Entertainment, recreation services .9 .8 .6
Medical, other professional services 7.4 6.1 3.4
Public Administration 3.3 2.6 1.6
Armed services .7 .4 0
Industry not reported 1.5 1.0 1.6

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business Economics, Growth
Patterns in Employment by County, 1940-1950 and 1950-1960, v. 5,
Southeast, (Washington: USGPO, 1965).

-35-

in construction.14 Of course, it would not be until after World War II
that construction would become a vibrant part of Louisiana's economy.

Manufacturing industries have been late-comers to Louisiana. in 1940,
23.4 per cent of total employment in the United States was in manufacturing,
compared to 14.7 per cent in Louisiana and 15.8 per cent in St. Mary Parish.
Iron and steel mills, and machinery products comprised the largest portions
of the nation's employment in manufacturing. Food and kindred products
were 3.3 per cent of Louisiana's total employment. The difference between
St. Mary Parish and Louisiana was comprised of employment in food and
kindreds, and, sawmills and planing mills. More than 9.0 per cent of St.
Mary's total work force were employed in the former while 3.9 per cent
were working,in 1940, in the latter.15 As stated earlier, the comparative
advantage of St. Mary Parish in food production, primarily sugar cane and
fisheries, and forestry harvesting, lent itself to relatively high levels
of employment in these industries. Interestingly, even before the advent
of offshore petroleum and gas activities, employment in the lumber and wood
products, sawmills, etc., began to decline; e.g., 7.5 per cent in 1930 and
3.9 per cent in 1940. This development may be attributed to a somewhat
higher level of mechanization in the industry and the gradual depletion
of virgin cypress stands.

Apparently due to the Great Depression, the transportation and com-
munication industry suffered severe setbacks and had not rebounded by 1940.
Almost 7.0 per cent of total United States employment was in this sector in
1940, down from 8.2 per cent in 1930. Similarly, Louisiana's employment
in this industry declined to 7.8 per cent of the total workers.16 In St.
Mary, a proportional drop to 4.0 per cent employment in transportation
and communication was experienced. Existing knowledge provides no other
explanation of this occurrence. As will be demonstrated later, "other
transportation" in St. Mary Parish becomes an important contributor to
total employment as OCS development progresses.

As the economy began to accumulatewealth and adjust to its renewed
affluence after the Depression, wholesale and retail trade employment
increased. Almost 17 per cent of total United States employment in 1940
was in the wholesale and retail sector, a total of 1,5 million persons ,
A greater per cent of women were so employed than men, 18.2 per cent of
women compared to 16.2 per cent of men.17 In Louisiana, 19.1 per cent of
the labor force was in this sector. The disparity between men and women,
however, was greater. More than 28 per cent of women were in wholesale
and retail trade compared to 17 per cent of men. Only 11.1 per cent of
St., Mary's employment was so allocated, with only 2.8 per cent more women
than men working at the wholesale and retail level in 1940.

According to the 1940 census, the service sector's employment in St.
Mary Parish declined to 13.9 per cent of total employment. If anything
caused this, it would be the shift in employment toward more high-paying,
more highly-skilled jobs. Louisiana also experienced a decline in this
sector to 13.2 per cent of its total employment.18

-36-

TABLE 3

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY,
1940

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary

Agriculture 8,568,455 251,060 3,500
Forestry and Fisheries 110,425 7,550 547
Mining 928,167 14,950 437
Contract construction 2,110,376 35,422 673
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 1,122,231 20,979 967
Textile Mill mfg. 1,165,794 2,797 2
Apparrel mfg. 814,449 3,824 5
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 951,426 29,725 458
Printing and Publishing mfg. 642,386 4,759 27
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 446,452 6,345 14
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 1,086,961 2,2'67 21
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 581,214 594 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. 311,470 2,082 80
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 3,617,211 26,619 56
Railroads & railway express 1,150,166- 14,613 128
Trucking and warehousing 512,694 7,440 59
Other transportation 550,142 17,079 169
Communications 379,340 5,050 34
Utilities & sanitary services 551,477 6,821 35
Wholesale trade 1,223,542 18,811 93
Food & dairy products stores 1,488,608 24,345 366
Eating & drinking places 1,170,094 18,607 259
Other retail trade 3,799,767 51,989 444
Finance,, insurances & real estate 1,487,934 15,093 81
Hotels & other personal services 1,728,979 26,177 247
Private households 2,388,481 69,093 794
Business and repair services 881,029 11,298 134
65
Entertainment, recreation services 405,943 6,048
Medical, other professional services 3,378,134 46,792 362
Public administration 1,496,967 19,813 168
Armed services 305,501 3,200 0
Industry not reported 690,540 7,746 159
TOTAL 45,375,815 771,142 10,224

Source: Regional Employment by Industry, 1940-1970. U.S. Department of
Commerce, Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau
of Economic Analysis, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office,
1972.

-37-

Occupational Structure - 1940.

The occupational structure of the United States has, of course, changed
dramatically in the last 37 years. Along with the preceding description of
employment by industries, it will be helpful here to discuss the 1940 structure
of occupations in St. Mary Parish. Such a discussion should shed additional
light on the character of Morgan City prior to the onslaught of OCS oil and
gas discoveries.

A majority of persons employed in the United States in 1940 were operatives,
working with machines and vehicles. Slightly over 18 per cent of the men
were in this occupation and approximately two million women, or 18.4 per cent
of employed women, were similarly employed. Fourteen per cent of Louisiana
males in 1940 were operatives while 11.2 per cent of the women were in the
same occupation. Interestingly, 21.3 per cent of the men in Morgan City
were operatives compared to 13.3 per cent of the total males in St. Mary
Parish.19 A relatively high proportion (15.7) of employed females in Morgan
City were also operatives. This latter group numbered 82 out of 520 employed
females.

TABLE 4

PER CENT DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYED WORKERS
BY OCCUPATION, 1940

United LA. St. Mary Morgan
States Parish City

Professional Workers 6.4 7.0 3.5 5.2
Semiprofessional Workers 1.0 1.0 .6 1.6
Farmers and Farm Managers 11.4 16.9 3.7 .1
Proprietors, Managers, except farm 8.3 10.1 6.3 9.6
Clerical, Sales and Kindred Workers 16.6 18.3 6.2 9.4
Craftsmen, Foremen, & Kindred Workers 11.2 10.5 7.6 8.9
Operatives and Kindred Workers 18.3 13.4 12.3 20.1
Domestic Service Workers 4.7 1.0 7.2 7.9
Service Workers except domestic 7.7 6.5 4.7 8.4
Farm Laborers (wage workers) and farm foremen 4.3 3.9 26.8 .3
Farm Laborers, Unpaid family Workers 2.6 3.7 1.4 -
Laborers, except farm 6.8 7.1 18.4 25.3
Occupation not reported .8 .6 1.3 3.1

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1940.

By 1940, the farm population of the United States was declining at a
fairly quick pace. There were, however, a significant number of individuals
in Louisiana who were still considered farmers and farm laborers. Eleven

-38-

and one-half per cent of those employed in the United States were farmers
or farm managers. A majority of these were, of course, males. In Louisiana,
almost 17 per cent of the labor force was listed in this occupation and 20.3
per cent of all working males were farmers or farm managers. St. Mary
Parish listed 3.7 per cent of its working 3opulation as farmers while Morgan
City had only 0.1 per cent so categorized. 0

A similar occupation illustrating the agricultural background of pre-
World War II United States was farm laborers and foremen, Slightly more than
0.5 per cent of the United States' working males were farm laborers and
foremen, whereas 4.8 per cent of such males in Louisiana had the same
occupation. On the other hand, St. Mary Parish had a unduly high proportion
of males employed as farm laborers and foremen--29.2 per cent. Only 0.3
per cent of Morgan City males were likewise employed. The high proportion
of farm laborers in St. Mary Parish was likely due to the existence of large
sugar cane plantations, necessitating much hand-cutting of the crop and
hand-planting.

Morgan City and St. Mary Parish in 1940 had much higher concentrations
of laborers, other than farm, than did both Louisiana and the United States.
This was probably due to the sugar processing plants, sawmills, planing mills,
and fishing industries. Almost 600 persons in Morgan City were employed
as laborers, 25 per cent of its work force. In St. Mary Parish, the proportion
was 18.4 per cent or 1,885 persons.21 Although this may be a tentative
conclusion, the high prevalence of laborers not associated with farming may
lead one to infer that.the labor force.was basically unskilled.

Closely tied with those individuals in the occupations of operatives
would be those listed as craftsmen, foremen, and.kindred workers. On a
somewhat higher plane, these workers were more specialized in specific
tasks and are still considered more specialized today. More than 14 per
cent of all males working in the United States in 1940 were considered
craftsmen or foremen. These men numbered only 4.0 per cent fewer than
those in the "operatives" category. In Louisiana, 12.8 per cent were
craftsmen and foremen, indicating again a slightly lower skill level.
St. Mary Parish, however, had only 9.3 of its males in this occupation,
whereas, Morgan City registered 11.5 per cent as craftsmen and foremen.
This should not be surprising'since most craftsmen and foremen will congregate
in towns and cities, where the demand for their skills is highest.

Proprietors and managers, the occupations of the reknown American
entrepreneur, have always been a mainstay of communities in the United States.
Relative to other occupations, these numbered comparatively few, 8.3 per
cent of total American workers in 1940. In Louisiana, however, slightly
more than 10 percent of the workers were Proprietors and managers, con-
centrated mainly in the urban areas. There was a greater proportion of
females in Louisiana who performed these duties than in the entire United
States. The same occupations in St. Mary Parish registered only 6.3 per cent
of total workers. As expected, Morgan City ,S proprietors and managers were
a greater part of its work force., 9.6per cent.22 As stated earlier, this
is characteristic of the towns and cities within county lines.

-39-

Closely aligned with those individuals in proprietorship or managerial
positions are those employed as clerical and sales workers. Comparative
trends of these occupations in the United States, as well as the relevant
geographical subdivisions of this paper, follow very closely with employment
in retail and wholesale trade. They, after all, complement one another.
More than 16 per cent of total United States employment in 1940 was in the
occupations of clerical and sales workers. Almost 50 per cent of these
7.5 million workers were women. In Louisiana, 37.9 of employed females
were clerical and sales workers.

In St. Mary Parish, however, only 6.2 per cent of employment was in
sales and clerical work. Five per cent of the males held these occupations
and 12.2 per cent of the females were so listed.23 The concentration in
these occupations in Morgan City as of 1940 was greater than St. Mary Parish,
but not as great as in Louisiana or the nation. Seven and one-half per cent
of male occupations was in sales and clerical category and 16 per cent of
the females were similarly listed. Very dramatic changes occur over the
following two decades as Morgan City develops.

Much of the change that occurred was in the service sector. As the
nation progressed, employment took on new dimensions and the South was not
immune from the changes. Thirty per cent of employed females in 1940 were
in occupations connected with service sectors, either household or other
service. In Louisiana, 17 per cent were in service-connected occupations.
The smaller proportion in Louisiana may be attributed to the greater
proportion of Louisiana females in clerical occupations than the United
States' female totals.

St. Mary Parish and Morgan City had even higher ratios of women in
service occupations than did the United States. Forty-three per cent of
females in St. Mary Parish were in these service occupations, most of them
as domestic service workers, while 57 per cent of the Morgan City females
were in service-oriented occupations,

The Start of Offshore Activities: 1950.

Economic growth in the United States*experienced a dramatic upsurge
after World War II. Much of the increase in output and income was directly
caused by the pent-up demand for goods and services released after the war.
Many of the trends in employment continued after the war; however, new
patterns emerged that were to set the stage for more intensive growth in
the American economy.

The most obvious trend to continue was the continued decrease in
agricultural employment. In 1950, only 12.3 per cent of the country's
employed were in agriculture @4 a rather significant decline from the 1940
ratio of almost 19 per cent. Employment in Louisiana's agriculture sector
declined by 97,000 persons over the decade of the 1940's, to 154,558. As
a per cent of total employed, the ratio fell to.17.4 per cent from 32.5
per cent in 1940.25 St. Mary Parish experienced a similar decline in farm-
oriented employment. In 1940, 33.8 per cent of total employment was in

-40-

TABLE 5

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY, 1950

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary

Agriculture 7,066,199 154,558 2,086
Forestry and Fisheries 128,311 9,252 809
Mining 941,308 24,556 1,112
Contract construction 3,524,414 66,197 871
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 1,434,060 26,167 916
Textile Mill mfg. 1,254,236 2,029 5
Apparrel mfg. 1,079,252 5,013 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 1,207,477 30,999 373
Printing and Publishing mfg. 867,308 6,577 50
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 667,756 11,292 51
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 2,109,054 3,728 45
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 879,755 462 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. 488,116 4,284 157
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 4,798,691 43,452 91
Railroads & railway express 1,404,555 18,545 150
Trucking and warehousing 711,561 8,492 44
Other transportation 874,046 27,722 347
Communications 718,251 9,311 68
Utilities & sanitary services 794,874 13,495 78
Wholesale trade 2,003,991 32,212 171
Food & dairy products stores 1,760,834 30,617 471
Bating & drinking places 1,710,285 29,547 384
other retail trade 5,267,809 79,893 784
Finance, insurances & real estate 1,941,355 22,158 112
Hotels & other personal services 1,903,701 28,979 255
Private households 1,677,056 50,592 683
Business and repair services 1,333,548 19,145 141
Entertainment, recreation services 505.,430 8,405 98
Medical, other professional services 4,862,384 74,247 562
Public administration 2,533,752 33,682 238
Armed services 1,025,502 10,824 5
Industry not reported 842,520 13,253 108
TOTAL 57,474,871 886,432 11,155

Source: Regional Employment by Industry, 1940-1970. U.S. Department of Commerce
Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau of Economic
Analysis, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972.

-41-

agriculture. By 1950, 2,086 individuals were in agriculture, or 18.5 per
cent of total employment. Louisiana and St. Mary Parish followed the national
trends in agricultural employment, however, they did so at a lagged pace.
Given the climate and availability of fertile farmland, this lagged performance
is not surprising.

While both the United States and Louisiana increased the employment
in forestry and fisheries, they did so at such a marginal pace that employment
in this industry as a per cent of total employment remained at the 1940
ratios, St. Mary Parish, however, raised its concentration of employment in
forestry and fishing from 5.3 per cent in 1940 to 7.2 per cent in 1950.
More interesting perhaps is the fact that between 1940 and 1950, employment
in forestry and fisheries in St. Mary Parish increased 48 per cent, indicative
of the industry's growth during the decade.26 Much of this increase in
employment can be attributed to the increased population after World War II
and the resultant demand for food and housing.

Extensive growth of industry, private demand for automobiles, and new
product technologies led to a broad expansion of the mining industrial base
in post-World War II United States. Total employment increased only 1.4
per cent in the United States' mining sector. The fast growth of total
employment in the nation caused the ratio of those employed in mining to
decline from 2.0 per cent in 1940 to 1.6 per cent in 1950.27

Louisiana, as did Texas and Oklahoma, experienced a different effect
in the mining industries. In the state, mining-related employment as a per
cent of total employment rose to 2.7 per cent of total employment, to 24,556.
This gain represented an increase of 64.2 per cent. St. Mary.Parish shared
in the increase in mining employment. As a per cent of total parish employ-
ment, mining-related employment was 1.9 per cent in 1950, significantly
higher than the 4.2 per cent registered in 1940. The gain in the ratio
represented a 154 per cent increase in absolute numbers.28

Some of the mining employment in St. Mary Parish was associated with
salt and sulpher mining, but these represented only a small portion of the
total. Most of this mining employment was directly related to petroleum
and natural gas extraction. More than 81 per cent of total well completions
in Louisiana in 1950 were in the southern half of the state .29 The 19
offshore wells completed in 1950 were within sight of the inland waters,
so it seems safe to say that OCS development had little impact as of 1950.
over 50 per cent of the parish's mining employment was in Morgan City.
This may be indicative of the early stages of offshore oil's development
in 1950.

Prior to 1954, 54.8 million barrels of crude oil and condensate oils
were produced from the offshore regions of Louisiana. Of these 54.8 million
barrels, only 2.0 per cent originated in the presently known OCS regions.30
Natural gas and casinghead gas produced from the offshore areas totaled
91.7 billion cubic feet.of which 22 per cent was produced from OCS lands.31

-42-

TABLE 6

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT BY
INDUSTRY, 1950

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary

Agriculture 12.3 17.4 18.5
Forestry and Fisheries .2 1.0 7.2
Mining 1.6 2.7 9.9
Contract construction 6.1 7.5 7.7
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 2.5 3.0 8.1
Textile Mill mfg. 2.2 .2 0
Apparrel mfg. 1.9 6 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 2.1 3.5 3.3
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1.5 .7 .4
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1.2 1.3 .4
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 3.7 .4 .4
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 1.5 0 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. .8 ..5 1.4
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 8.3 4.9 .8
Railroads & railway express 2.4 2.1 1.3
Trucking and warehousing 1.2 1.0 .4
Other transportation 1.5 3.1 3.1
Communications 1.2 1.1 .6
Utilities & sanitary services 1.4 1.5 .7
Wholesale trade . 3.5 3.7 1.5
Food & dairy products stores 3.1 3.5 4.2
Eating & drinking places 3.0 3.3 3.4
other retail trade 9.2 9.0 6.9
Finance, insurances & real estate 3.4 2.5 1.0
Hotels & other personal services 3.3 3.3 2.3
Private households 2.9 5.7 6.0
Business and repair services 2.3 .2.2 1.3
Entertainment, recreation services .9 .9 .9
Medical, other professional services 8.5 8.4 5.0
Public administration 4.4 3.8 2.1
Armed services 1.8 1.2 0
Industry not reported 1.5 1.5 1,0

Source: Table 5.

-43-

Effective buying income in St. Mary Parish increased from $18.5 million
dollars in 1947 to $40 million in 1954, a 116 per cent increase.32 During the
same period, the increase in mining's payrolls is somewhat revealing. In
the first quarter of 1953, 592 persons were listed as being employed in the
mining sector. Total payrolls for that sector in March, 1953, were $738,000.33
An inland parish in which there was considerable mining activity was St. Landry
Parish. In the first quarter of 1953, 809 persons were employed in this
parish's mining sector, yet mining payrolls totaled only $684,000.34 One
explanation of the difference may be that St. Mary Parish had a greater
concentration of persons in non-fuel mining (salt, gravel, sulphur). However,
the initiation of offshore activities may be an equally plausible explanation.

A well known pattern in United States economic history is the increase
in construction activity after World War 11.35 In 1950, 6.1 per cent of
employed persons were engaged in construction. In Louisiana, 7.5 per cent
were in contract construction And St. Mary Parish had 7.7 per cent. Approxi-
mately 300 of the 871 persons employed in construction in St. Mary Parish
were in Morgan City. Since Morgan City was not thecounty seat of government,
its construction activity was somewhat lower than Franklin, a medium-sized
residential and trade area in 1950,

Development and growth in the United States had reached a point in 1950
where manufacturing employment was one-fourth of total employment. This
ratio to total employment increased only two percentage points, a seemingly
small change; however, total manufacturing workers increased to 14.5 million,
the largest of all industrial employment categories. Other than the miscel-
laneous category's 8.3 per cent of total employment, electrical and machinery
manufacturing comprised 3.7 per cent of total employment.36

In Louisiana, 0.5 per cent of total employment was in electrical and
machinery manufacturing in 1950. Total manufacturing accounted for 16.1
per cent of the state's employment, an increase from 13.1 per cent in 1940.
Lumber and wood products employed 31,000 individuals in 1950 in Louisiana,
3.5 per cent of total employment.37 This industry involved mostly pulp
mills, paper mills, veneer manufacturing, and sawmills. In St. Mary Parish,
3.3 per cent of its employment was in lumber and wood products. In 1940,
St. Mary had 4.4 per cent of the workers in this industry. This parish's
decline in workers represented 100 fewer individuals in the lumber industry.38

Growth of the fishing industry was illustrated quite well when examining
the food and kindred products sector. In 1940, 916 persons were employed
in the food industry or 9.4 per cent of total employment. By 1950, 916
workers were in St. Mary Parish's foods sector, a decline to 8.1 per cent
of total workers. The industry's growth was accompanied by more mechaniza-
tion, and beginning in 1950, one sees the seeds of the industry's loss of
workers. Higher paying positions in other sectors, namely mining, construction,
and manufacturing, drew workers out of fishing and food processing.39

By 1950, .employment in the nation's transportation and communication
industries had increased to 8.0 per cent of total employment. Over the
previous ten years, this employment ratio had risen a full percentage point.
The greatest increase was in communications, a rise of 80 per cent in the
total employed.

-44-

Louisiana also experienced a significant increase in transportation and
communication employment. As a per cent of total employment in 1950, 8.8
per cent of Louisiana workers were in these industries. In 1940, 6.6 per
cent had been so employed.40 The gains, by individual industry, however,
were not the same as those of the United States. The "other transportation"
part of the total accounted for 3.1 per cent of total employment, as it
did in St. Mary Parish in 1950. Only 1.6 per cent of St. Mary's total
employment was in this remaining category in 1940. In the 15 years which
follow 1950, barge and tugboat transportation were to gain significantly
in terms of overall employment. As offshore exploration became more intense,
there developed the need for increased water transportation. Another need
that develops later in terms of St. Mary Parish's ability to accommodate
oil and gas exploration was trucking and warehousing; yet in 1950, this
industry employed only 0.5 per cent of total St. Mary Parish workers.

Growth of the tertiary sectors in Louisiana by 1950 was approaching
that of the United States. The 32,212 persons employed in Louisiana's
wholesale trade sector were 3.7 per cent of the state's total employment.
In the United States, 3.5 per cent of total employment was in the same
sector. Only 1.5 per cent, 171 persons, in St. Mary Parish were in whole-
sale trade, considerably less than that in Louisiana and the nation.41
However, as the primary sectors developed more fully during the 1950's
and 1960's, wholesale and retail trade advanced similarly.

Retail trade did not increase its share of employment drastic ally in
the United States from 1940 to 1950. The national increase in the ratio
from 14.3 to 15.3 per cent was outshown by Louisiana's retail trade employ-
ment of 12.3 per cent of total employment in 1940 to 15.8 per cent in
1950. The largest part of total retail employment in Louisiana was retail
other than that associated with food products. In St * Mar Parish, 4.2
per cent of total employment was in food and dairy stores.@2

That segment of the tertiary industries composed of retail and whole-
sale trade had apparently grown faster in Morgan City than in the other
aggregate areas. Total retail and wholesale trade employment in St. Mary
Parish was 16 per cent of total employment, 18.8 per cent of total United
States employment, and 19.5 of Louisiana's total employment.43 Yet in Morgan
City, such employment represented 21.9 per cent of the town's employment
in 1950.44 In and of itself this last figure is not surprising; however,
Morgan City's having a greater concentration of retail and wholesale trade
employment than the United States is surprising.

Only small gains were realized in St. Mary Parish from 1940 to 1950
in the employment of persons in finance, insurance, and real estate; however,
major changes were underway in the remaining service sectors.

Private household employment had some substantial declines,in employment
which is not surprising since educational attainment levels were increasing
and higher paying job opportunities were emerging. In the United States,
,only 2.9 per cent of total employment was in private households compared
to 5.3 per cent in 1940. Louisiana had 5.7 per cent of total employment

-45-

in these households as of 1950 and St. Mary Parish had 6.0 per cent.
Louisiana was particularly successful in decreasing this total employment
share from 9.0 per cent in 1940.45

The professional fields began in 1950 to illustrate large gains in
employment. In the nation, the ten-year period in question realized a
44 per cent increase in professionals (attorneys, physicians, etc.), to
account for 8.5 per cent of total employment. Louisiana had 8.4 per cent
of employed persons in 1950 as professionals and St. Mary Parish had 5.0
per cent.46 Approximately 5.0 per cent of Morgan City's total employment
in 1950 was in this professional category.47

In order to arrive at a fairly accurate standard of the components
and causes of economic growth in St. Mary Parish, the technique of "shift-
share" analysis was employed. This type of analysis separates employment
growth into three components.48

The first component is one which provides a benchmark to compare the
employment growth of the regional economy. It measures regional employment
growth had it increased at the same rate as that of the national economy.
The relevant formula is:
National growth = Ei (US*IUS-1), where:

Ei regional employment in industry "i" in initial year,

us total national employment in terminal year, and,

US total national employment in initial year.

The second component, called the industrial mix component, adjusts for
the growth characteristics of each industry. It illustrates whether a
region's industries grew at a faster or slower pace than total national
employment. This measure is calculated by:
Industrial mix = Ei (USi*/USi_US * /US), where:

us total national employment in industry "i" in terminal year,
and,

Usi total national employment in industry "i" in initial year.

A region's industrial mix will be determined by changes in the various demand
for the region's products, and changes in consumers' tastes and preferences,
as well as changes in the various technological relationships.

The final component, and the one of most interest to this paper is the
regional share component. This measure indicates whether a region's industry
employment growth was faster or slower than that of the entire nation.

-46-

The regional share component is calculated by:
Regional share = Ei (Ei*/Ei-USi*/USi), where:

Ei regional employment in industry "0 in terminal year, and,

Ei regional employment in industry "ill in initial year.

The regional share component is affected by the particular advantages of the
region: access to markets and inputs, changts in input-output relationships,
and the numerous location decision factors /f.n. Hyciak7.

If one sums the industrial mix and regional share components, an indicator
.is given of the net relative growth of the regional economy when compared
to the first component. A negative net relative change will indicate that
the regional economy's employment growth was slower than that of the entire
country or state. A positive net relative figure indicates that regional
growth was faster than national growth, therefore, isolating to so extent,
causal factors of regional employment growth.49

The results of the shift-share analysis for Louisiana and St. Mary
Parish are shown in the following two tables. @bst of the results are
fairly self-explanatory. Naturally, the technique illustrates the strong
decline in agricultural employment. However, the regional share component
indicates a particular advantage of Louisiana and St. Mary Parish in forestry
and fisheries.

An examination of the mining sector in both the state and the parish
yields interesting results.. In Louisiana, the regional advantage would have
resulted in an increase of mini ng employment of more than 9,000 persons,
considerably more than the increase due to national growth of 3,951. In
St. Mary Parish, the difference was even greater. Local advantages and
locational factors caused an increase of 668 persons, 480 per cent more
than the increase in mining employment due to national growth. These shift-
share results indicate an obvious advantage in Louisiana and St. Mary
Parish in mining employment.

The state exhibited not as much advantage in the area of contract
construction. Its regional share of employment growth in construction was
less than the national growth; however, the industrial mix growth complemented
the regional share to result in a positive net relative change. In St.
Mary Parish, the regional share was negative, due probably to the predominantly
agricultural nature of the parish.

In the majority of the manufacturing categories of employment, Louisiana
and St. Mary Parish did not grow as quickly as the United States, as has been
pointed out earlier. Louisiana experienced net relative negative changes
in food and kindred products, lumber and wood products, and motor vehicles
and equipment. The last category development of a negative net relative change
is not surprising, since Louisiana has not pursued motor vehicle assembly and
manufacturing plants. The cause of the negative net relative changes in the

-47-

TABLE 7

COMPONENTS OF CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT,
LOUISIANA, 1940-50

Industry National Industrial Regional Net Relative
Growth Milx Share Change

Agriculture 66,313 -110,943 -52,492 -163,435
Forestry and Fisheries 1,982 -791 398 -393
Mining 3,951 -3,751 9,100 5,349
Contract construction 9,315 14,140 6,547 20,687
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 5,545 .249 -727 -478
Textile Mill mfg. 740 -527 -976 -1,503
Apparrel mfg. 1,011 244 -78 166
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 7,865 7 -6,818 -6,811
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1,259 406 112 518
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1,680 1,458 1,738 3,196
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 598 1,518 -676 842
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 133 123 -298 -175
Other transp. equip. mfg. 549 629 998 1,627
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 7,048 1,644 7,900 9,544
Railroads & railway express 3,860 -662 630 -32
Trucking and warehousing 1,965 896 -1,850 -954
Other transportation 4,509 5,486 488 5,974
Communications 1,334 2,671 186 2,857
Utilities & sanitary services 1,803 1,189 3,556 4,745
Wholesale trade 4,982 6,950 1,304 8,254
Food & dairy products stores 6,424 -2,730 2,333 -397
Eating & drinking places 4,909 4,493 1,288 5,781
Other retail trade 13,714 6,200 7,359 13,559
Finance, insurances & real estate 3,998 601 2,376 2,977
Hotels & other personal services 6,868 -4,245 -11 -4,256
Private households 18,141 -38,435 1,726 -36,709
Business and repair services 2,979 2,763 1,935 4,698
Entertainment, recreation services 1,593 -122 821 699
Medical, other professional services 12,371 8,060 6,508 14,568
Public administration 5,258 8,420 49 8,469
Armed services 853 6,689 82 6,771
Industry not reported 2,065 -361 3,802 3,441.
TOTAL 205,616 -87,731 -2,600 -90,331

Source: Growth Patterns in Employment by County, 1940-1950, and 1950-1960,
volume V, Southeast. U.S. Department of,Commerce, Office of Business
Economics, Washington: U.S. Government Printing office, 1965.

-48-

TABLE 8

COMPONENTS OF CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT,
ST. MARY PARISH, 1940-50

Industry National Industrial RegionalNet Relative
Growth Mix Share Change

Agriculture 922 -1,542 -767 -2,309
Forestry and Fisheries 144 -57 176 119
Mining 115 -110 668 558
Contract construction 176 268 -243 .25
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 255 11 -313 -302
Textile Mill mfg. 1 0 3 3
Apparrel mfg. 1 0 -7 -7
Lumber, wood.products, furn. mfg. 121 0 -204 -2104
Printing and Publishing mfg. 7 2 13 15
chemicals & allied products mfg- 4 3 30 33
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 6 14 4 18
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg.. 0 0 0 0
Other transp. equip..mfg. 24 32 56
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 15 3 18 21
Railroads & railway express 34 -6 -6 -12
Trucking and warehousing 15 7 -38 -31
.Other transportation 44 54 80 144
Communications 9 18 8 26
Utilities & sanitary services 9 6 26 32
Wholesale trade 25 34 19 53
Food & dairy products stores 95 -41 52 11
Eating & drinking places 67 62 -3 59
Other retail trade 116 52 171 223
Finance, insurances & real estate 21 3 7 10
Hotels & other personal services 64 -40 -15 -55
Private households 207 -438 129 -567
Business and repair services 35 33 -60 -27
Entertainment, recreation services 17 -1 17 16
Medical, other professional services 94 61 46 107
Public administration 44 71 -45 26
Armed services 0 0 5 5
Industry not reported 42 -7 -86 -93
TOTAL 2,726 -1,516 -283 -1,799

,Source: Growth Patterns in Employment by County, 1940-50 and 1950-60, volume
V, Southeast. U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business
Economics, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965.

-49-

previously mentioned industries plus textile mill manufacturing was a strong
negative element of the regional share in each industry. One can only surmise
that inaccessibility to national markets and supplies of industrial materials
prevented these industries from improving their employment positions in
Louisiana. The manufacture of "other transportation equipment, however,
exhibited strong gains in Louisiana employment. The net relative change
of 1,627 persons employed outweighed the national growth component of 549.
Included in this manufacturing is, of course, ship and boat building and
repairing. Since fishing was still very important to the Louisiana economy,
it can be expected that boat building and repair would remain a viable
employment source. The development of offshore mineral exploration only
enhanced this industry.

In St. Mary Parish, the shift-shore analysis indicates that negative
net relative changes occurred in food and kindred products, apparrel
manufacturing, and lumber and wood products. The first two industrial
categories' employment changes are not surprising, since both exhibited
strong negative regional share components of the overall employment change.

By 1950, Louisiana was lagging behind the entire nation in the strength
of its economic development. A distinct regional disadvantage shows up in
the shift-share,analysis of trucking and warehousing. This negative component
is probably due to the locational problems associated with warehousing
in Louisiana relative to that in more centrally positioned states.. On the
other hand, other transportation grew much faster than in the nation as a
whole. The increase in employment in this industry was due not so much to
the regional advantages of Louisiana, but to the industrial mix of the region
when compared to the nation. The growth of industries along the Mississippi
River and the needed water transportation to service the demands of these
industries accounted for an employment change of 5,486 in this industry due
to industrial mix.

In St. Mary Parish, trucking and warehousing, and railroads and railway
express, experienced negative net relative changes. It should be understood,
however, that there were only very small changes in these industries in
St. Mary Parish due to national growth. The remaining of the transportation
industry, however, experienced a significant gain in employment during the
1940-1950 decade. An examination of the table indicates that most of the
growth in the industry was due to regional advantages and industrial mix.
It will be shown later that this industry experienced great increases in
employment in the next two decades, an obvious development caused by the
advent of offshore and OCS petroleum and natural gas exploration.

Wholesale and retail trade in Louisiana, on the whole, grew faster
than the same industry in the United States over the period of the 1940's.
The wholesale trade sector experienced most of its employment growth due
to industrial mix, rather than regional share. The exact same occurrence
took place in St. Mary Parish. In the retail segment of trade, the employ-
ment growth in St. Mary Parish and Louisiana was approximately the same
as that in the United States. In clothing stores and retail other than
food-selling, St. Mary Parish experienced a greater local growth due to
regional influences than did the state of Louisiana.

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Employment in Louisiana's service sector did not exhibit surprising
changes from 1940-1950. Personal and household service employment did not
grow in the same direction as in the United States. Both of these sectors
had net relative changes that were negative, indicating that much of the
population, presumably women, were still employed in relatively low-paying
occupations. Further analysis of the occupational structure of the state
confirms this finding. Business and repair services, however, illustrated
a particularly large growth in employment in Louisiana. Such increases
would follow since transportation development was occurring quite rapidly,
as were areas of mining, contract construction, and the chemicals industry.
Finally, professional services exhibited extremely large gains in employment,
,due to all three components of employment growth.

TABLE 9

PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME OF
FAMILIES AND UNRELATED INDIVIDUALS, 1949

income Class United States Louisiana St. Mary Morgan City

Less than $500 13.3 14.4 13.3 14.0
$500 - $ 999 9.0 16.6 17.5 8.4
$1000 - $1499 8.2 12.6 12.0 7.8
$1500 - $1999 7.8 10.2 10.9 10.0
$2000 - $2499 9.5 9.4 10.3 12.4
$2560 - $2999 8.7 6.9 6.8 10.7
$3000 - $3499 9.7 6.6 6.8 8.2
$3500 - $3999 7.1 5.0 4.3 5.1
$4000 - $4499 5.9 4.1 5.0 6.9
$4500 - $4999 4.1 3.0 3.0 4.9
$5000 - $5999 6.3 4.2 4.1 6.2
$6000 - $6999 3.5 2.4 1.8 2.1
$7000 - $9999 4.0 2.6 3.0 3.8
$10000 and over 2.6 2.0 L.2 1.4
Median Income $2619 $1810 $1831 $2438

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1950.

St. Mary Parish also experienced a slower growth rate in personal and
household service employment. That is, the parish had a negative net
relative change, indicating that much of its employment continued in relatively
unskilled types of occupations. Counter to the development in the state,
the regional advantage of St. Mary Parish resulted in a negative component
in the business repair services.

In summary, the overall net relative change in both Louisiana and St.
Mary Parish was negative. The strong gains in employment due to state

51-

advantages in mining, contract construction, chemicals, miscellaneous
manufacturing, wholesale trade, professional services, and retail trade,
were overshadowed by the slower gains in agriculture, lumber and wood products,
trucking and warehousing, and personal and household employment. Basically,
the same structure of employment in St. Mary Parish in 1950 caused the
parish to exhibit a negative net relative change, resulting in an overall
slower growth of employment than in the nation.

A brief examination of t'ne distribution of income for comparative
purposes is helpful here to provide a clearer picture of St. Mary Parish
and Morgan City's position relative to that of the state and the nation.
In 1950, median income of families and unrelated individuals in the United
States was $2,619. Louisiana did not compare favorably to the country,
as could be expected. In the same year, the state's median income was
$1,810, while that in St. Mary Parish was $1,831, slightly more than in
Louisiana. Surprisingly, median income in Morgan City was $2,438, consid-
erably more than for the parish and the state.50

In the United States, 38.3 per cent of the families and unrelated
individuals had an income below $2,000. In Louisiana, the per cent whose
income was below $2,000 in 1950 was 53.8, while St. Mary Parish included
53.7 per cent of its wage-earners in this category. Morgan City, however
had only 40.2 per cent with an income below this suggested poverty leveD1
While this may be an unreasonably high "poverty level income," it nevertheless
points to the fact that incomes in Morgan City were considerably higher than
in the rest of St. Mary Parish. Much of this difference can be attributed
to the high concentration of farmers and farm laborers in the remaining
parts of the parish. Those employed in relatively high-paying jobs would
probably be employed either in Morgan City or Franklin, the two cities in
the parish.

At income levels above $2,000, Morgan City equalled or bettered the
distribution of income in the United States. Louisiana's distribution of
income was also biased by the high proportion of agricultural workers in
the state.

Much information about the existing distribution of income in 1950
can be gained by examining the distribution of employed persons by occupation
and sex. In the United States, 8.9 per cent of all workers in 1950 were
employed as professional or technical workers. Of the males, nationally,
7.4 per cent were professionals and 12.6 per cent of the females were
similarly employed. In Louisiana, 13.1 per cent of the employed females
were professional and technical workers, while 6.4 per cent of the male
employment was in professional areas.52

St. Mary Parish employment among professional and technical occupations
was 6.1 per cent of the parish's total employment. Only 4.8 per cent of
the males were in these occupations and 10.7 per cent of the female employ-
ment was in technical and professional occupations. Morgan City more
closely approximated the United States' distributions in professional
occupations with 7.5 per cent of total employment, 6.2 per cent of the males

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in these occupations, and 12 per cent of the city's females working as
professionals and technical persons.53 Since many of the United States'
highest paid individuals are employed as professionals, it should not be
surprising that Morgan City had a more preferable distribution of incom
than both Louisiana and St. Mary Parish in 1950. One cannot know definitely
how many of these professionals in Morgan City were employed in the oil
and gas industry. Some undoubtedly were in these related industries, but
were a minor part of the overall employment structure.

The fact that Louisiana was still predominantly agriculturally oriented
in 1950 surfaces when one examines the proportion of persons in farm-related
occupations. Almost 8.0 per cent of the nation's employed persons were
farmers or farm managers and most of these were males, as expected. However,
10.5 per cent of Louisiana's employed individuals were farmers or farm
managers. In St. Mary Parish, the ratio of this occupation.to total employ-
ment was only 2.5 per cent and in Morgan City, only 0.1 per cent.54

Slightly more than 2.0 per cent of United States employed persons in
1950 were employed as farm laborers. In Louisiana, 4.4 per cent were in the
same occupation while in St. Mary Parish, sugar cane farming necessitated
many laborers, as it had in 1940, and 14 per cent of the employed persons
were laborers on farms. Interestingly, 11.2 per cent of the women were
employed in similar occupations in St.. Mary Parish. Of course, in Morgan
City, onl 1.6 per cent of employed individuals were employed as farm
laborers.K5

The emergence of a managerial class of occupations in Louisiana natu-
rally accompanied the development of the state that was beginning during
the years 1940-1950. Ten per cent of the state's males were employed as
managers in 1950, just 0.9 per cent less than the ratio of the nation.
In St. Mary Parish, the ratio of males employed as managers in 1950 was
10.2 per cent, but in Morgan City, the ratio was 15.2 per cent.56 The
influx of managers into Morgan City would seem appropriate as more and more
petroleum-related companies began to locate in the area. In 1950, only
.nineteen offshore oil and gaswells had been completed. But 44 percent of
the wells completed in Louisiana in that year were in the southern half of
the state. For all practical purposes, there were only a handfull of cities
capable of being strategically located for onshore development: New Orleans,
Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Houma, Morgan City, Jennings, and
Eunice. The location of these cities provided the firms with the locational
adva.ntage of being relatively close to the fields under development as well
as having the facilities necessary to support petroleum and gas development.

The growth 'of clerical and kindred occupations is generally simultaneous
with the growth of industry since there is need for secretarial help. In the
United States, 12.5 per cent of the employed persons were in these types of
occupations in 1950. Most of these were women, 4.3 million compared to only
2.6 million men. In Louisiana, 22.4 per cent of the females working were in
clerical jobs. St. Mary parish, however, had only 5.1 per cent of its total
employment in clerical-related occupations while Morgan City had 6.3 of its

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total employment in these occupations. Only 15 per cent of Morgan City's women
were in similar types of employment, due mainly to the educational level and
the skills achieved.57

The growth of the retail and wholesale trade sectors outlined previously
must be accompanied by employment as sales workers. Seven per cent of national
employment was in sales positions, but in Louisiana, 6.6 per cent of its labor
force was employed as sales workers. Smaller ratios of national men and women
were in sales jobs than in Louisiana. Ten per cent of St. Mary Parish's females
were sales workers, but more than 13 per cent of Mbrgan City's females were
likewise employed.

The employment of craftsmen and foremen in the United States in 1950 was
the second largest occupational category after operatives. Nineteen per cent
of all males were employed as craftsmen and foremen, compared to only 15.6
per cent in Louisiana. St. Mary parish registered 14 per cent of its males as
craftsmen and foremen while Morgan City had 16.4 per cent in this occupation.58

Operatives were the largest employment category in Morgan City, comprising
818 workers in 1950. Twenty-eight per cent of the City's males were employed
operating machinery or vehicles and 15.5 per cent of the females were in the
same occupation. The nation had 20.1 per cent of its workforce in this opera-
tive occupation, with 20.3 per cent of the males and 19.6 per cent of the
females performing similar tasks. The large textile mill areas of the Northeast
employed mostly women as did the fledgling electronics industry.59

In Louisiana, 17.6 per cent of the male workers were operatives and only
9.1 per cent of the females held similar positions. In St. Mary Parish, 21.6
per cent of the males were operatives and 10.2 per cent of the females were in
this category.60 It would not be until the early 1970's that Louisiana would
make an attempt to attract light manufacturing industries into the state. With
the entrance of these firms into the state's economy, more women became opera-
tives of light machines and assembly equipment.

Private household work, the only work available to many women in Louisiana,
particularly non-whites, was a prim cause of the poor distribution of income in
Louisiana and St. Mary Parish. Twenty-two per cent of the working females in
St. Mary Parish were employed in private households. Consider that fact along
with the high proportion of parish males working as farm laborers, many on a
seasonal basis, and one arrives at a reasonable explanation of the poor distri-
bution of income in St. Mary Parish. In Louisiana, 19 per cent of the working
females were in private households compared to only 8.7 per cent on a national
basis.

By 1950, the trend was beginning toward more and more service employment
in the United States. Four and one-third million of the total employment in
the country in 1950 was in service-oriented sectors. These 4.3 million persons
represented 7.7 per cent of total employment.. Most of these were women, 12.4
per cent of female employees. In Louisiana, 8.2 per cent of the total employ-
ment was among service workers and more than half of these state service
workers were females. Only 7.0 per cent of St. Mary's total employment was

-54-

service connected, yet 15 per cent of the females were in service sectors.
Cities, of course, saw larger gains in service employment than rural areas.
Morgan City was no different; 9.6 per cent of the total workers had service
occupations, as did 5.5 per cent of the males and 20 per cent of the women.

By 1960, St. Mary Parish and Morgan City were becoming a major industrial
area of Louisiana. It is the contention of this writer that most of the
development was due to the locational advantages for petroleum and natural
gas exploration and extraction. In 1949, disposable income in Louisiana
had risen to $2.5 billion; the following decade saw income increase to
$4.6 billion. St. Mary Parish, of course., shared in this increase and
surpassed it. In St. Mary Parish's growth during the decade of the 50's,
disposable income increased 140 per cent, from $21.975 million in 1949 to
$52.846 million in 1959.61 The gain registered by the state of Louisiana
was 78.4 per cent over the same period.

As could be expected, the gains in disposable income did not originate
from the agriculture sector of the state. Louisiana agricultural employment
fell to 7.3 per cent of total state employment in 1960, compared to 17.4
per cent in 1950 * Of course, this development was similar to that in the
entire nation where the ratio of agricultural employment to total employment
declined from 12 per cent in 1950 to 6.7 per cent in 1960. Probably due
to the predominance of sugar cane farming in St. Mary Parish, agricultural
employment as a per cent of total parish employment was 8.8 per cent.
However, the decadal decline was rather significant from 18.5 per cent in
1950.62

Forestry and fishing employment remained a relatively viable source of
employment in Morgan City by 1960. The data, unfortunately, were not
separately reported for the city, but one can surmise that most of the
employment in Morgan City in this industry was in fishing. As a per cent of
total city employment, this industry registered 3.0 per cent compared to the
2.3 per cent in St. Mary Parish, 0.5 per cent in Louisiana, and 0.1 per cent
in the entire United States. The 130 persons employed in forestry or fishery
activities in Morgan City were more than one-third of those similarly employed
in all.of St. Mary Parish.63

The decade of the 1960's was a very important one for the mining sector
in Louisiana. Approximately 669,000 persons were employed in this industry
nationally, accounting for 1.0 per cent of the total number employed. In
Louisiana, 3.6 per cent of the employed persons in 1960 were in the mining
sector, 36,335 in total. Of these 36,000 persons in mining in Louisiana,
over 20,000 were in the oil and gas field service sector. Covered payrolls
were more than $28 million dollars in 1960 in only this sector of mining.64

In St. Mary Parish, 1,855 persons were employed in the mining industry,
or 12.7 per cent of total employment in the parish. This percentage share
of mining increased significantly from the 1950 level of 9.9 per cent. Of
the 1,855 persons in mining, 40 per cent were in oil and gas field services
with an annual payroll in 1960 of $1.06 million dollars. This gain in mining
payrolls was 450 per cent over the 1953 mining payrolls.65

TABLE 10

PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT
BY OCCUPATION, 1950

Occupation Louisiana St. MarV Morgan City United States
T M F T M F T M F T M F

Professional, Technical 8.2 6.4 13.1 6.1 4.8 10.7 7.5 6.2 12.0 8.9 7.4 12.6
Farmers, Farm Managers 10.5 13.7 1.3 .2.5 3.2 .3 .1 .1 -- 7.8 10.4 .7
Managers, not farm 8.7 10.0 4.8 9.1 10.2 5.1 13.2 15.2 6.0 9.1 10.9 4.4
Clerical & Kindred Workers 10.0 5.6 22.4 5.1 2.9 12.4 6.3 3.9 14.-8 12.5 6.5 27.8
Sales Workers 6.6 5.7 9.1 5.1 3 .7 10.0 6.3 4.3 13.2 7.1 6.5 8.6
Craftsmen, Foremen 11.8 15.6 .8 11.0 14.0 5.6 13.0 16.4 .9 14.1 18.9 1.5
Operatives 15.4 17.6 9.1 19.1 21.6 10.2 25.4 28.2 15.5 20.1 20.3 19.6
Private Household Workers 5.1 .2 19.0 5.1 1.6 22.1 3.5 .4 16.0 2.5 .2 8.7
Service Workers 8.3 5.8 15.0 7.0 4.8 14.8 9.6 5.5 19.6 7.7 5.9 12.4
Farm Laborers 4.4 5.0 2.6 14.0 15.1 11.2 1.6 .2 -- 2.6 3.4 .9 U11
Ul
Laborers, not farm 9.9 13.0 .8 14.7 18.8 .6 15.1 19.3 .1 6.2 8.3 .8

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1949.

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As mentioned earlier, in 1950, there were only 19 offshore wells
completed from Louisiana. The minor role of offshore activities is evident
when one considers that in 1950, total wells completed in Louisiana were
2,398; therefore, the offshore wells were 0.5 per cent. By 1960, total
wells completed in Louisiana had risen to 3,712, but offshore wells were
now 15 per cent of the total. In that'year, a total of 553 offshore wells
had been completed.66

Not all of these wells were of course producing wells. Some wells
completed in previous years had been abandoned, or newly completed wells
were found to be dry holes. In 1954, 3.3 million-barrels of oil were
produced from outer continental shelf regions off the Louisiana coast.
By 1960, this production had increased to 49.3 million barrels of crude
oil. Meanwhile, crude production in state offshore areas increased only
208 per cent from 1954 to 1960. Similar trends were of course developing
in the production of natural gas. In 1954, 56.1 billion cubic feet of natural
gas were produced in the OCS regions of Louisiana bordered by the Gulf of
Mexico; however, production in 1960 of.natural gas was 273.6 billion cubic
feet, an increase of almost 400 per cent.67

The above figures should give one an obvious picture of the source of
Louisiana and St. Mary Parish's increases. in mining employment. Furthermore,
later analysis of income in the parish compared with those in Louisiana and
the United States will provide additional information on the results of this
increased exploration and development of offshore oil and gas in Louisiana.

The growing affluence of the private sector of the United States as
wellas the growth of the economy in general was characterized by an increase
in construction activity. The recessions of the 1950's did, of course,
provide setbacks in construction activity, but overall, construction increased
dramatically in the decade. Total national employment in construction
increased to slightly over 4 million persons in 1960, or 6.1 per cent total
employment. In Louisiana, as much of the South, contract construction has
been a major part of the economic growth experience. More than 81,000
Louisianians were employed in construction in 1960, 8.2 per cent of total
employment. In St. Mary Parish, 7.3 per cent of total employment was in
contract construction, accounting for 1,062 persons.68 Morgan City's share
of the contract construction industry was greater than the other geographical
divisions described. More than 8.0 per cent of its 'employment was in
construction. Interestingly, two of themajor construction yards for the oil
industry are located just outside of Morgan City, in a neighboring parish.
Therefore, many of the benefits economically did accrue to Morgan City from
these construction sites for large offshore rigs and platforms, but the
employment data collected from establishments would not surface for Morgan
City or St. Mary Parish.. These construction yards are within easy commuting
distance of Morgan City as well as Thibodaux and Houma.

The manufacturing sector of food and kindred products continued to
diminish in employment as St. Mary Parish developed in the 1950's. By 1960,
only 4.1 per cent of total parish employment was in the production of food
and similar products. Most of this production would have been in the nature

-57

of frozen seafood, etc. In 1950, St. Mary Parish employed 8.1 per cent
of its employees in this industry. As the parish developed industrially,
more and more persons fled this type of employment for the more high
paying construction and oil field jobs. Only 2.0 per cent of Morgan City's
employment was in this food and kindred products sector of manufacturing.69

The loss of virgin forest areas by 1960 led to drastic declines in
employment of persons in the lumber and wood products sectors. As late as
1950, 3.3 per cent of St. Mary Parish employment was in lumber and wood
products; however, by 1960, this share of total employment had declined
to 0.4 per cent. This small percentage accounted for only 62 employed
persons in 1960.70 Louisiana's loss of employment in this industry was
not as drastic, but the decline was still evident. Total employment fell
to 22,345 persons in the wood products industry, 2.2 per cent of total
employment. The nation's ratio to total employment in the industry was
only 1.7 per cent.71 For comparative purposes, the lumber and wood products
industry had been larger in Louisiana and St. Mary Parish when compared
to the entire nation, therefore the decreases in state and parish employment
loom more severe.

Printing and publishing in the United States.has gained steadily in
employment both in numbers and its share of total employment. In 1960,
1.8 per cent total employment in the nation was in printing and publishing.
The increase in the availability of printed matter had pervaded all segments
of the national economy. Louisiana employed only 0.8 per cent in printing
and publishing in the same year. However, St. Mary Parish has increased
its share from 0.4 per cent in 1950 of total employment to 0.7 per cent in
1960-104 persons. In Mor an City, only 0.8 per cent were employed in
these types of industries.92

The chemicals industry, which has flourished in Louisiana, was also
making strong gains in St. Mary Parish during the decade of the 1950's.
By 1960, more than 18,000 persons in Louisiana were employed in chemicals--
1.8 per cent of total employment. In the entire country, 1.4 per cent
were similarly employed. However, in St. Mary Parish, 2.8 per cent of total
employment was in chemicals and allied products, amounting to 410 persons.73
This ratio in St. Mary Parish was indeed significant when one considers
that in 1950, only 0.4 per cent of total parish employment was in the
chemicals industry. Most of this employment in 1960 was outside of Morgan
City which-noted only nine persons in the city so employed. The development
of-a relatively large chemicals sector in the parish was probably an outgrowth
of the petroleum availabLlity, again a locational factor of importance.

As noted earlier, the manufacture of electrical and other machinery
equipment in Louisiana and most of its parishes has lagged seriously behind
the rest of the nation. However, a related industrial sector, the manufacture
of other transporta, tion equipment, that is, other than motor vehicle equip-
ment, has exhibited some rather strong gains in the state. In 1960, 1.5
per cent of total employment in the nation was in the manufacture of trans-
portation other than motor vehicles. In Louisiana, the ratio to total
employment was only 0.7 per cent, 6,965 persons out of a total of 1,026,911.

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TABLE 11

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY,
1960

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary Morgan
City

Agriculture 4,425,673 73,295 1,286 5
Forestry and Fisheries 99,201 5,515 336 130
Mining 669,862@ 36,335 1,855 571
Contract construction 4,025,758 81,033 1,062 366
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 1,899,578 30,888 599 90
Textile Mill mfg. 982,373 740 8 0
Apparrel mfg. 1,212,350 5,859 0 0
Lumber, wood products,'furn. mfg. 1,099,998 22,345 62 0
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1,195,766 7,904 104 34
Chemicals.& allied products mfg. 899,415 18,296 410 9
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 3,178,042 6,590 127 4
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 873,743 654 4 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. 1,015,013 6,965 269 99
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 5,849,400 57,020 412 139
Railroads & railway express 973,684 12,646 79 .17
Trucking and warehousing 944,630 12,141 ill 41
Other transportation 925,461 31,993 1,056 488
Communications 850,738 12,039 126 45
Utilities & sanitary services 930,487 18,780 219 57
Wholesale trade 2,289,157 37,430 496 198
Food & dairy products stores 1,797,034 31,023 459 170
Eating & drinking places 1,855,663 31,016 443 214
Other retail trade 6,364,461 101,110 1,149 418
Finance, insurances & real estate 2,790,468 36,131 196 73
Hotels & other personal services 2,077,891 33,694 331 151
Private households 2,039,072 67,272 1,053 271
Business and repair services 1,684,557 23,693 375 176
Entertainment, recreation services . 536,923 7,135 73 24
Medical, other professional services 7,874,512 120,390 1,237 389
Public administration 31278,334 43,607 345 85
Armed services 1 733,405 19,099 8 --
Industry not reported 2,608,085 34,273 355 84
TOTAL .66,372,649 1,026,911 14,646 4,398

Source: Regional Employment by Industry, 1940-1970. U.S. Department of
Commerce. Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau
of Economic Analysis, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office,
1972, and U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1960 Census of Population,
Social and Economic Characteristics, Louisiana. Washington: U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1961.

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However, in St. Mary Parish, 269 persons were employed in such manufacturing.
These 269 persons accounted for a ratio of 1.8 per cent of total employment,
up from 1.4 per cent in 1950.74 In Morgan City, 2.2 per cent were employed
in this sector.75 Virtually all of the other transportation manufacturing
in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City was in the area of boat building and
repairing for use in the petroleum industry and fishing. As the fishing
sector gradually lost influence and fishermen took other jobs, barge and
tugboat building operations increased in importance.

It comes as no surprise that employment in railroads and railway
express declined in the United States as competition from trucking increased.
By 1960, only 1.5 per cent of national employment was in the former sector,
compared to 2.5 per cent in 1940. The decline was similar in Louisiana and
St. Mary Parish. It. is interesting, however, that by 1960, the share of
employment as a per cent of total employment in the trucking and warehousing
industry leveled off. In the United States, 1.4 per cent of total employment
was in trucking; in Louisiana., 1.2 per cent. St. Mary Parish registered
0.8 per cent of its total employment in trucking in warehousing, but this
1960 ratio did not remain level during the following ten years. Morgan
City had a slightly higher ratio of trucking employment to its total
employment, 0.9 per cent.76

An industry which illustrated interesting developments in St. Mary
Parish and Morgan City during the 1950's was that called "other transporta-
tion" * Employment nationally in this industry was 925,461 or 1.4 per cent
of total employment in 1960. In the state, 3.2 per cent of total employment
was in transportation other than trucking. St. Mary Parish, however, employed
1056 persons in this sector, 7.2 per cent of its total employment and Morgan
City had a large 11.1 per cent of its total employment in this sector. In
1950, St. Mary Parish registered 3.1 per cent of total employment in other
transportation.77 Such an industry gives a good indication of the type of
supportive industries that were necessary for the development of the petro-
leum industry in the southern part of Louisiana. An additional insight into
this sector's importance can be gained by examining the sector's payroll.
In 1959, water transportation payroll in Louisiana was 2.0 per cent of total
payrolls; however, in St. Mary Parish, this payroll was 8.0 per cent of the
parishis total.78

Increases in population during the latter part of the 1940's and through-
out the 1950's necessitated large increases in employment nationally in
utilities, communication, and sanitary services. In Louisiana, more than
30,000 persons were in this part of the services while in St. Mary Parish,
approximately 300 persons were so employed. In Louisiana, this employment
represented about 3.1 per cent of total employment, compared to 2.7 per cent
in the entire United States and 2.4 per cent in St. Mary Parish.79 Morgan
City's employment ratio to the total was about the same as that for St.
Mary Parish.

T'fle wholesale trade sector expanded very rapidly in St. Mary Parish
during the 1950's. In 1950, 1.5 per cent of its employment was in whole-
sale trade, but by 1960, this ratio had increased to 3.4 per cent. Louisiana

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TABLE 12

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT
BY INDUSTRY, 1960

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary Morgan City

Agriculture 6.7 7.3 8.3 .1
Forestry and Fisheries .1 .5 2.3 3.0
Mining 1.0 3.6 12.7 12.9
Contract construction 6.1 8.2 7.3 8.3
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 2.9 3.1 4.1 2.0
Textile Mill mfg. 1.5 .1 0 0
Apparrel mfg. 1.8 .6 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 1.7 2.2 .4 0
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1.8 .8 .7 .8
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1.4 1.8 2.8 .2
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 4.8 .7
M,otor vehicles & equip. mfg. 1.3 .1 0 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. 1.5 .7 1.8 2.2
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 8.8 5.7 2.8 .4.2
Railroads & railway express 1.5 1.3 .5 .4
Trucking and warehousing 1.4 1.2 .8 .9
Other transportation 1.4 3.2 7.2 11.1
Comnmnications 1.3 1.2 A 1.0
Utilities & sanitary services 1.4 1.9 1.5 1.3
Wholesale trade 3.4 3.7 3.4 4.5
Food & dairy products stores 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.9
Eating & drinking places 2.8 3.1 3.0 4.9
Other retail trade 9.6 10.2 7.8 9.5
Finance, insurances & real estate 4.2 3.6 1.3 1.7
Hotels & other personal services 3.1 3.5 2.3 3.4
Private households 3.1 6.9 7.2 6.2
Business and repair services 2.5 2.4 2.6 4.0
Entertainment, recreation services .8 .7 .5 .5
'Medical, other professional services 11.9 12.1 8.4 8.8
Public administration 4.9 4.3 2.4 1.9
Armed services 2.6 1.9 .1
Industry not reported 3.1 3.3 2.4 1.9
TOTAL 100.0 100.@ 100.0 100.0

Source: Table 11.

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had slightly more than St. Mary Parish, with 3.7 per cent, and Morgan City
registered 4.5 per cent of its total employment in wholesale trade.80

The growth of the retail trade in Morgan City followed that of whole-
sale trade. Wholesalers will normally accompany the primary industries
because it is this link in economic activity most of them serve. As the
city's population increased in response to industryts location, retail
establishments began to locate in Morgan City and employment in this sector
increased. Nationally, 15.1 per cent of total employment was in the retail
trade area. Most of this [email protected] per cent (9.6 per cent) was in retail trade
not connected with food and dairy stores. In Louisiana, 16.4 per cent of
total employment was in retail trade. St. Mary Parish registered 13.9
per cent of its employment connected with retail trade, however, Morgan City
more closely matched the national levels with 18.2 per cent of city employment
in retail' trade.81

Of the remaining service areas of employment nationally, medical and
other professional employment increased the greatest, with a ratio to total
employment increasing from 7.4 per cent in 1950 to 11.9 per cent in 1960.
Louisiana followed the nation fairly closely in those employment ratios.82
It is interesting to note a rather strange development with regard to house-
hold employment. On both the national and state levels, this type of employ-
ment gained in its share of total employment.

Once again, it is helpful to examine the results of the shift-share
analysis for the state to determine in which industries Louisiana exhibited
particularly strong, self-sustained growth. The strongest overall gain in
employment from local or regional advantages was in the medical and other
professional categories. It will be noticed that much of the gain in employ-
ment originated with the industrial mix component. This may indicate that
the medical and other professionals were simply catching up to the rest of
the nation as Louisiana became relatively more affluent.

Relatively large net relative changes were exhibited in the fields of
private households, finance, insurance, and real estate, other retail trade,
and miscellaneous manufacturing. In all of these sectors, other than miscel-
laneous, regional advantages played important roles in influencing the gain
in employment. In contract construction, the influences on the growth of
employment were somewhat dualistic., being both dependent upon national growth
and regional influences.

Of any of the industries, mining illustrated the single largest gain in
employment due to regional share, 19,322. These results should not be sur-
prising since mining increased in importance so drastically during the 19501s.
The previously quoted data on completed wells and offshore petroleum develop-
ment are enough to lend support to the regional advantages of increased
employment.

The largest net relative changes in St. Mary Parish were in the following
industries: mining, chemicals and allied products, other transportation,
wholesale trade, and medical and other professionals. Employment in other

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TABLE 13

COMPONENTS OF EMPLOYMENT CHANGE,
LOUISIANA, 1950-1960

Industry National Industrial Regional Net Relative
Growth Mix Share Change

Agriculture 23,465 -81,770 -19,974 -101,744
Forestry and Fisheries 1,397 -3,696 -1,206 -4,902
Mining 3,738 -10,944 19,322 8,378
Contract construction 10,053 -3,316 9,356 6,040
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 4,005 3,468 -2,454 1,014
Textile Mill mfg. 311 -775 -807 -1,582
Apparrel mfg. 769 -324 445 121
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 4,730 -7,886 -8,208 -16,094
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1,006 1,167 -768 399
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1,730 1,749 3,640 5,389
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 570 1,145 1,194 2,339
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 71 -85 211 126
Other transp. equip. mfg. 656 3,679 -1,606 2,073
other and miscellaneous mfg. 6,660 1,405 5,932 7,337
Railroads & railway express 2,834 -8,726 234 8,492
Trucking and warehousing 1,298 1,193 1,257 2,450
Other transportation 4,241 -3,488 3,846 358
Communications 1,423 -1 1,423 1,422
Utilities & sanitary services 2,061 -139 3,549 3,410
Wholesale trade 4,941 -1,769 5,51 -2 3,743
Food & dairy products stores 4,663 -5,261 1,500 -3,761
Eating & drinking places 4,505 -2,634 44 -2,590,
other retail trade 12,184 1,507 8,713 10,220
Finance, insurances & real estate 3,401 5,451 5,310 10,761
Hotels & other personal services 4,392 -3,176 4,104 928
Private households 7,658 712 9,435 10,147
Business and repair services 2,918 1,352 572 1,924
Entertainment, recreation services 1,280 -1,143 -1,267 -2,410
Medical, other professional services 11,353 31,144 4,548 35,692
Public administration 5,178 3,981 1,002 4,983
Armed services 1,676 5,796 803 6,599
Industry not reported 2,052 25,721 -6,753 18,968
TOTAL 137,229 -45,352 140,481 95,129

Source: Growth Patterns in Employment by County, 1940-1950 and 1950-1960,
volume V, Southeast. U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of
Business Economics, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office,
1965.

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transportation led the group with a net relative change of 598 persons,
due to both the industrial mix component and the regional share component.
The same is true for the professional sector, including medical personnel.
The gain in employment of persons in other transportation was mostly to the
regional share component, indicating local or regional advantages for this
industry. Greatest interest of course is in the mining sector's contribution.
The regional share contributed 1,077 persons to the gain in employment while
growth due to national advantages was only 171 persons. Industrial mix,
unfortunately, exhibited a negative influence on the employment, causing
a smaller than desirable net relative change.83

Distribution of occupations had undergone some fairly major changes
in the decade of the 1950's. By 1960, 4.0 per cent of United States' males
were professionals, but almost 8.0 per cent of the nation's females were in
similar occupations. In the state of Louisiana, the percentage difference
between males and females in professional and technical occupations was
even greater than on the national level in 1960. Three per cent of Louisiana's
males were in professional positions, while 8.0 per cent of the females were
likewise employed. In St. Mary Parish, only 1.9 per cent of the working
males were categorized as professionals while 9.1 per cent of the parish's
females were in similar occupations. The differential was not nearly as
great in Morgan City where 3 3 per cent of the males and 4.6 per cent of the
females were professionals.84

Apparently, Morgan City had a fairly high proportion of its working
females in clerical positions when compared to both the state and the parish.
However, sales worker ratios were quite close in 1960 regardless of which
geographical divi sion is examined.

The city had a high ratio of male craftsmen when compared to all other
areas. More than one-fourth of working males in Morgan City were employed
as craftsmen, yet only 10.2 per cent were so employed nationally and 9.1
per cent in the entire state.85

Operatives of equipment, particularly transportation equipment, provided
23.4 per cent of male employment in the United States. In Louisiana, 24.6
per cent of the males were also employed as operatives. However, in St.
Mary Parish, more than 30 per cent were operatives, yet only 15.9 per cent
operated equipment in Morgan City.

The petroleum and natural gas industries provided jobs to many individuals
who perhaps had relatively low levels of educational attainment. In addition,
because of the risk of the work and other disamenities, these workers have
traditionally been better paid than others in similar occupations. In 1960,
median earnings in the United States for professional occupations were
$6,640. In Louisiana, however, the same occupation group had median
earnings of $6,053--10 per cent below the national median. Professionals
in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City averaged approximately $5,680 in 1960,
-more than $1,000 below the national level.86

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TABLE 14

COMPONENTS OF EMPLOYMENT GROWTH,
ST. MARY PARISH, 1950-1960

Industry National Industrial Regional Net Relative
Growth Mix Share Change

Agriculture 320 -1,116 13 -1,103
Forestry and Fisheries 124 -329 -262 -591
Mining 171 -500 1,077 577
Contract construction 133 -44 ill 67
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 141 122 -573 -451
Textile Mill mfg. 1 -2 4 2 1
Apparrel mfg. 0 0 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 57 -96, -271 -367
Printing and Publishing mfg. 8 9 37 46
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 8 8 342 350
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 7 14 61 75
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 0 0 4 4
Other transp. equip. mfg. 24 -135 -182
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 14 3 304 307
Railroads & railway express 23 -71 -21 -92
Trucking and warehousing 7 6 55 61
other transportation 53 -44 704 660
Communications 10 0 50 50
Utilities & sanitary services 12 -1 133 132
Wholesale trade 26 -6 306 300
Food & dairy products stores 72 -81 3 -78
Eating & drinking places 59 -34 40 6
other retail trade 120 15 242 257
Finance, insurances, & real estate 17 27 42 69
Hotels & other personal services 39 -28 69 41
Private households 104 10 266 256
Business and repair services 22 10 203 @13
Entertainment, recreation services 15 -13 -26 39
Medical, other professional services 86 235 363 598
Public administration 37 28 44 72
Armed services 1 3 0 3
Industry not reported 17 210 -21 231
TOTAL 1,728 1,530 @,295 T,765

Source: Growth Patterns in Employment by County, 1940-1950 and 1950-1960,
volume V, Southeast. U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Business
Economics, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965.

M MM M mom so M

TABLE 15

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYED PERSONS,
BY OCCUPATION, 1960
(per cent)

United States Louisiana St. Mary Morgan City
Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female

Professional & Technical 11.2 3.9 7.8 10.3 2.8 7.8 7.7 1.6 9.1 8.5 3.3 4.6
Farmers & Farm Managers 3.8 4.4 .4 3.3 5.2 .4 1.4 1.0
Managers, except farm 8.4 2.3 1.2 9.1 1.6 1.2 11.9 .8 1.3 16.0 1.2
Clerical and Kindred Workers 14.4 5.0 2.2 11.9 2.4 2.2 5.2 1.4 1.4 8.8 4.0
@Sales Workers 7.2 1.5 1.2 6.5 1.0 1.2 4.2 .4 1.5 5.5 1.2
Craftsmen, Foremen 13.5 10.2 .3 12.4 9.1 .3 13.3 9.9 .2 14.6 25.3
Operatives 19.4 23.4 7.8 16.4 24.6 7.8 22.6 30.1 9.2 21.2 15.9 16.7
Private Household Workers 2.7 .7 48.3 6.1 .6 48.3 6.6 .3 56.4 5.4 52.7
Service Workers 8.4 13.7 23.1 9.4 11.4 23.1 7.3 5.7 14.6 9.2 16.1 17.1
Farm Laborers 2.2 7.1 1.9 2.8 9.5 1.9 4.8 21.4 4.1 .1
Laborers, except farm 4.8 19.4 .7 7.5 27.0 .7 10.5 24.2 7.6 35.4

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1960.

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Nevertheless, median income for families and unrelated individuals in
Morgan City in 1960 was $5,305 and that for the nation was $5,660. The
difference is not as severe, and the reason is obvious. Much of the
concentration in occupations in Morgan City was in craftsmen-type of
occupations and operatives. Median earnings in these two occupations in
Morgan City were $4,978 and $4,370 respectively. With a high concentration
of labor in relatively unskilled, manual labor-oriented work, median income
.was quite high by national standards since these occupations were high
paying in the petroleum industry.87

The presence of relatively high paying positions in Morgan City, be
they of a blue-collar nature, was evidenced in the distribution of income
relative to that in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, and the United States.
Morgan City had fewer persons and families with an income of less than
$1,000 than in the other three geographical areas. The city's distribution
of families with incomes of $1,000 to $5,000 was slightly worse than the
same distribution in the entire United States; however, Morgan City had, in
proportion to its total income earners, fewer persons than the state or
the parish. Examining the city's distribution of earners with incomes
between $5,000 and $10,000, the distribution in Morgan City was better or
comparable to that in St. Mary Parish or in Louisiana. On the upper end
of the income scale, the United States did outstrip Morgan City and the
country had a more favorable distribution of upper income groups.88

TABLE 16

DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME,
1960
(per cent)

All Families St. Mary Morgan City Louisiana U.S.

Under $1,000 7.0 4.9 9.2 5.6
$1,000 - $1,999 12.3 8.0 13.8 7.5
$2,000 - $2,999 12.3 11.5 12.6 8.3
$3,000 - $3,999 11.1 11.1 11.5 9.5
$4,000 - $4,999 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9
$5,000 - $5,999 10.7 12.3 10.1 12.3
$6,000 - $6,999 12.0 14.7 8.2 10.7
$17,000 - $7,999 7.3 9.0 6.4 8.6
$8,000 - $8,999 4.3 4.2 4.5 6.6
$9,000 - $9,999 2.9 2.9 3.2 4.8
$10,000 - $14,000 6.5 6.3 6.7 10.5
$15,000 - $24,999 1.9 2.3 2.1 3.3
$25,000 - over .9 1.7 1.0 1.3

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1960.

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The Decade of the 1960's: Unprecedented Growth.

The decade of the 1960's was characterized throughout the United States
as one of extensive economic growth and a general broadening of the economic
base of the country. Total employed persons increased to 79,307,880, a
sizable gain over the 1960 employment of slightly over 66 million. Total
employment in Louisiana rose to 1,204,305 persons in 1970 while St. Mary
Parish's employment increased to 19,365. Approximately 25 per cent of
St. Mary Parish's employment was in Morgan City in 1970.89 Effective
buying income in Louisiana increased from $4.5 billion in 1959 to $9.2
billion in 1969, a 104 per cent increase. In St. Mary Parish, the increase
was one of 210 per cent, from $52.8 million in 1959 to $164.6 million in
1969.90

Agricultural employment, of course, continued to decline in importance
in the United States over the decade of the 1960's. The per cent oftotal
employment in agriculture in 1970 was 3.5 per cent, compared to 6.7 per cent
in 1960. Louisiana's agriculture sector employed 3.7 per cent of the state's
total employed persons. This ratio was a decline from 7.3 per cent in
agriculture in 1960. In 1960, 8.8 per cent of total employment in St.
Mary Parish was in agriculture, but by 1970, this ratio of total employment
had declined to 4.3 per cent, or 835 workers.91

Forestry and fisheries continued to lose workers in Louisiana and
St. Mary Parish during the 1960's. In the entire United States, this sector
did not employ more than 0.2 per cent of total employed persons since 1940.
However, by 1970, only 1.5 per cent of St. Mary Parish's total employment
was in forestry and fisheries. In the state, the ratio was slightly less
than 0.5 per cent. Census data for 1970, included forestry and fisheries
employment with agriculture employment for Morgan City. Nevertheless, only
1.8 per cent of the city's total employment was in these two sectors.92
It can be reasonably assumed that most of this 1.8 per cent of total employ-
ment was in forestry and fisheries, preferably the latter.

In 1970, less than 1.0 per cent of total United States employment was
in the mining sector. In Louisiana, however, 3.9 per cent of the total
employment was in the same sector; of the 46,660 persons in mining in
Louisiana, 55 per cent were in the sector known as Oil and Gas Field Services
(SIC #1380). In St. Mary Parish, however, 12.1 per cent of total employment
was in mining and 88 per cent of these 2,352 workers were in oil and gas
field services.93

In 1969, mining payrolls of @111.6 million comprised approximately
9.2 per cent of total state payrolls. These mining-associated payrolls
had increased 80.5 per cent over these ten years. Oil and gas extraction
payrolls increased to $88.8 million in 1969, a rise of 39.4 per cent above
the 1959 figure.94

St. Mary mining payrolls in 1959 totaled $777,000 dollars or 11.3
per cent of total parish payrolls. By 1969, this ratio had risen to $8.003
million, and 30.4 per cent of total parish payrolls.95 St. Mary Parish's

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$7.173 million payroll in oil and gas extraction for 1969 was 27.2 per cent
of total parish payrolls compared to 7.0 per cent in the entire state.
Indeed, over the ten years in question, mining payrolls in St. Mary Parish
increased almost 1000 per cent.96

These increases in payrolls and employment in St. Mary Parish's oil
and gas sector are not surprising when one examines the trends in OCS well
activity and production. In 1959, 466 offshore wells were completed in
Louisiana offshore waters. Forty-five per cent or 208 of these wells were
in OCS regions.97 In 1969, a total of 1,152 wells was completed and the
proportion of OCS wells had declined to 31 per cent. However, OCS oil
(crude and condensate) increased 741.7 per cent over the same ten years
to 299 ,9 million barrels. Meanwhile, oil production within the three-mile
limit rose to 65.8 million barrels in 1969, a 77.3 per cent increase over
the 37.1 million barrels of 1959.98

Natural gas and casinghead gas produced in OCS waters in 1959 totaled
207.4 billion cubic feet and inside the three-mile limit, 121.8 billion
cubic feet.99 In the ten years following 1959, OCS gas. production increased
784.2 per cent to 1,834.3 billion cubic feet. The increase within three-
miles of the Chapman Line was 428.9 per dent to 644.7 billion cubic feet.100

Morgan City's share of total employment in mining was 11.6 per cent
in 1970, somewhat less than in 1960. As will be illustrated later, most
of the growth in the city's mining sector seems to have occurred prior to
1970. Because of geographical limitations, firms locating in St. Mary
Parish had to locate outside of the city limits of Morgan City. Evidence
of this can be seen when one examines first-hand the extensive development
east and west of Morgan City along U.S. Highway 90. Morgan City essentially
provided the starting point for industries associated with offshore oil
and gas. Once physical limitations of the city were reached, broadening
of the industrial base occurred along the outskirts of the city following
major transportation routes. Interestingly, the Department of Commerce's
latest data for St. Mary Pari@@hindicates that the percentage of total
employment in mining has increased to 15 per cent in 1973.

Employment in contract construction in the United States declined
slightly as a per cent of total employment in 1970. In 1960, 6.1 per cent
of total employment was in contract construction, but by 1970, this figure
had declined to 5.8 per cent. Total persons employed in this sector,
however, increased from 4,025,758 in 1960 to 4,587,115 in 1970.101 The
decline-in the proportion of total employment in construction is probably
due to the changing structure of employment; i.e., more persons employed
in services and retail and wholesale trade.

Louisiana's employment in contract construction in 1970 wa .s over 96,000
or.8.1 per cent total employment. This ratio was down slightly from the
high of 8.2 per cent in 1960. In St. Mary Parish, 7.7 per cent of total
employment was in contract construction and in Morgan City, 5.7 per cent
of total employed persons were in construction.102 It should not be surprising
that such a small percentage of Morgan City's employment, relative to that

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in St. Mary Parish and in Louisiana, was in contract construction. The
geographical limitations of the city would apparently be the biggest factor
against further increases in contract construction employment.

In the manufacturing sector, one of the more interesting developments
in St. Mary Parish is the gradual decline of persons employed in food and
kindred products. In 1940, 9.4 per cent of total employed persons in St.
Mary Parish were in kindred food production. This ratio dropped to 8.1
per cent in 1950, 4.1 per cent in 1960, and in 1970, only 2.0 per cent
were in food production. In Morgan City, only 0.6 per cent of its employ-
ment was in food production. Louisiana's ratio of total employment in
this sector increased to 3.1 per cent in 1960, but declined to 2.0 per cent
in 1970.103 Similar declines in the national ratio of food production
employment to total employment occurred in the United States, but the
national decline was not as dramatic as that in St. Mary Parish. Once
again, the change in employment structure due to the changing nature of
the parish and especially of Morgan City forced changes in employment to
accommodate the oil and gas industries. These latter industries were more
high-paying in the areas of manual labor; therefore, the market for labor
reallocated as more oil and gas were produced and searched for.

Similar shifts in employment occurred in the lumber and wood products
sector. In 1940, 458 persons were employed in St. Mary Parish in this
industry. Their numbers gradually declined to 48 in 1970, or 0.2 per cent.
The United States employed only 1.3 per cent of its total employed persons
in lumber and wood products while Louisiana employed 1.5 per cent. The
Louisiana ratio had declined steadily from a high of 3.9 per cent in this
sector in 1940.104

St. Mary Parish did illustrate strong growth in the chemicals and
allied products industries when compared to the nation and the state.
Almost 3.0 per cent of its total employment was in chemicals in 1970,
compared to only 0.4 per cent in 1950. In Morgan City, however only
0.3 per cent of its total employment was in chemicals in 1970.165 This is
not surprising since chemicals manufacturing requires large land spaces,
not available within the city's boundaries. The ratio of employment to
total employment in Louisiana in 1970 was 2.2 per cent. This ratio for
the state illustrated steady gains over the years studied. The 2.2 per cent
ratio represented over 26,000 persons engaged in chemicals production in
Louisiana, whereas in the entire United States, only 1.3 per cent of the
total workers were in this sector.106

As indicated earlier, machinery manufacturing and motor vehicle manu-
facturing and assembly are virtually non-existent in Louisiana and St. Mary
Parish. By 1970, this sector of employment had changed little. In the
state, only 1.2 per cent of employees were in these types of manufacturing.
In the United States, however, 6.6 per cent of total employment was in
machinery and motor vehicle manufacturing in 1970.

Manufacturing of "other transportation" equipment is another matter.
Only 1.5 per cent of total national employment was in this category.

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TABLE 17

EKPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY,
1970

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary Morgan
City

Agriculture 2,814,467 43,977 835 101**
Forestry and Fisheries 101,963 4,919 290
Mining 631,918 46,660 2,352 666
Contract construction 4,587,115 96,951 1,491 324
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 1,484,766 23,883 391 35
Textile Mill mfg. 1,020,111 827 6 6
Appa.rrel mfg. 1,306,732 8,538 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 1,035,021 18,237 48 5
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1,408,413 9,477 123 52
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1,050,032 26,721 568 20
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 4,124,589 13,423 184 0
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 1,071,602 764 0 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. 1,190,579 18,033 580 228
Other and'miscellaneous mfg. 6,328,077 65,374 755 185
Railroads & railway express 671,759 8,816 48 4
Trucking and warehousing 1,146,878 14,734 309 122
Other transportation 1,183,131 35,137 1,266 516
Communications 1,140,153 16,233 171 53
Utilities & sanitary services 1,055,099 21,074 375 150
Wholesale trade 3,144,799 56,039 860 377
Food & dairy products stores 2,090,914 36,339 688, 175
Eating & drinking places 2,550,333 36,206 748 245
Other retail trade 7,821,854 120,142 1,689 592
Finance, insurances & real estate 3,848,101 51,362 620 217
Hotels & other personal services 2,318,637 37,265 389 172
Private households 1,332,811 47,904 794 182
Business and repair services 2,412,030 35,049 783 322
Entertainment, recreation services 651,759 8,480 169 35
Medical, other professional services 13,577,320 210,490 2,246 684
Public administration 4,207,929 53,614 560 201
Armed services 1,999,088 37,637 27 --
Industry not reported 4,760,484 84,252 1,471 --
TOTAL 79,307,880 1,204,305 19,365 5,732
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Forestry and Fisheries includ ed with agriculture

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and Bureau of
Economic Analysis.

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Louisiana's ratio to total state employment was 1.5 per cent, not over-
whelming when considering the large degree of water transportation in the
state. In St. Mary Parish, however, 3.0 per cent of the parish employment
was in the manufacturing of transportation other than motor vehicles and
in Morgan City, the ratio in 1970 was 4.0 per cent. Both Louisiana and
St. Mary Parish experienced steady gains in this sector's employment.107

Trucking and warehousing are extremely important to the growth of the
oil industry, regardless of its location. In St. Mary Parish, employment
in this industry increased as a percentage of total parish employment from
0.6 per cent in 1940 to 1.6 per cent in 1970. The increase in absolute
numbers was more startling, an increase from 59 persons in 1940 to 309
persons in 1970. Morgan City employed 2.1 per cent of its total employees
in trucking and warehousing.108 This is especially significant since
Morgan City was used as a stock point for transportation purposes. From
Morgan City, supplies were shipped to offshore oil and gas rigs because
of the city's access to deep water. As OCS development proceeded, increased
demands for trucking and warehousing in Morgan City led to more firms
entering the area to compete for the offshore supply market. Of course,
employment increased as the firms located in the environs.

In the United States, the industry categorized as "other transportation"
has never been a strong contender for high levels of employment relative
to the other industries in the nation. Less than 2.0 per cent of the total
employment in the country has been involved in barge, towing, lighterage,
and similar transportation.

In Louisiana, transportation other than commercial trucking and private
motor vehicles has been a viable source of employment. The ratio of this
sectorts employment to total state employment has increased from 2.2 per cent
in 1940 to 3.5 per cent in 1960. In 1970, the ratio declined slightly to
2.9 per cent. In St. Mary Parish, only 1.6 per cent of total parish employ-
ment was in this sector in 1940. By 1960, the ratio to total employment
had risen to 7.2 per cent of the parish or 1,084 persons.109 In 1970,
1,266 persons were in other transportation, but the ratio to total employ-
ment declined to 6.5 per cent. This decline may be indicative of the shift
in the parish to more services during the 1960's.

More than 9.0 per cent of the total employment in Morgan City in 1970
was in barge transportation, lighterage, towing, supplying vessels and rigs,
and similar activities. With the gradual decline of the fishing fleet, the
development of offshore oil and gas, particularly of OCS oil and gas since
farther distances must be traveled, is the only viable explanation of this
high ratio of employment in "other" transportation.

Communications employment in St. Mary Parish steadily increased up to
the present, when this sector's employment registered slightly less than
1.0 per cent of total parish employment. Morgan City had approximately
the same share of employment in this industry as did the parish. On a
statewide and nationwide basis, a higher ratio of persons were employed in
communications.110

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TABLE 18

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY,
1970 (per cent)

Industry U.S. LA. St. Mary Morgan
City

Agriculture 3.5 3.7 4.3 1.8
Forestry and Fisheries .1 .4 1.5
Mining .8 3.9 12.1 11.6
Contract construction 5.8 8.1 7.7 5.7
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 1.9 2.0 2.0 .6
Textile Mill mfg. 1.3 .1 0 .1
Apparrel mfg. 1.6 .7 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 1.3 1.5 .2 .1
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1.8 .8 .6 .9
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 1.3 2.2 2.9 .3
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 5.2 1.1 1.01 0
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 1.4 .1 0 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. 1.5 1.5 3.0 4.0
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 8.0 5.4 3.9 3.2
Railroads & railway express .8 .7 .2 1
Trucking and warehousing 1.4 1.2 1.6 2.1
Other transportation 1.5 2.9 6.5 9.0
Communications 1.4 1.3 .9 .9
utilities & sanitary services 1.3 1.7 1.9 2.6
Wholesale trade 4.0 4.7 4.4 6.6
Food & dairy products stores 2.6 3.0 3.5 3.1
Eating &.drinking places 3.2 3.0 3.9 4.3
Other retail trade 9.9 10.0 8.7 10.3
Finance, insurances & real estate 4.9 4.3 3.2 3.8
Hotels & other personal services 2.9 3.1 2.o 3.0
Private households 1.7 4.o 4.1 3.2
Business and repair services 3.0 2.9 4.o 5.6
Entertainment, recreation services .8 .7 .9 .6
Medical, other professional services 17.1 17.5 11.6 11.9
Public administration 5.3 4.5 2.9 3.5
Armed services 2.5 .3.1 .1 --
Industry not reported 6.0 7.0 7.6 -
TOTAL 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: Table 17.

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As population and urban families increased in the United States,
greater needs developed for utilities and sanitary services. Most of the
employment in this industry was concentrated in urban areas, and following
this trend, Morgan City had a higher ratio of persons in employed in utilities
and sanitary services to total employment than did St. Mary Parish, Louisiana,
or the United States.111

Employment in wholesale trade increased by almost one million persons
in the United States during the decade of the 1960's. This increase represented
a 37 per cent increase above the 1960 employment in this industry, As a
per cent of total employment, wholesale trade accounted for 4.0 per cent
of the nation's employment in 1970. The national gain in wholesale trade
employment from 1960 to 1970 represented an increase of 37.4 per cent;
however, Louisiana's increase in the same category of industry was 45.7
per cent to 56,039 employees in 1970. These 56,039 workers in Louisiana's
wholesale sector represented 4.7 per cent of total employment in the state.112

St. Mary Parish employment in wholesale trade establishments was 4.4
per cent of parish employment, an increase of one full percentage point in
the ratio to total employment from 1960. In terms of the increase in total
employees since 1960, there was an increase in wholesale trade employment
of 71.7 per cent, a truly large gain.113 This gain in St. Mary Parish was
expected since the location of oil and gas field service firms in Morgan
City and the environs required wholesale establishments to supply the goods
needed for the provision of industry services. In 1970, Morgan City regis-
tered 6.6 per cent of its total employment in wholesale trade establishments,
an indication of where the St. Mary Parish wholesale trade employment was
concentrated.

With the increase in population in St. Mary Parish, primarily incoming
workers, the growth of retail trade is an obvious development. In 1970,
16.1 per cent of total workers in St. Mary Parish were in some type of retail
trade. Total employment in St. Mary Parish retail trade from 1960 through
1970 was 151.1 per cent. Similar growth in the United States was 76.7 per cent
over the same period and in Louisiana, retail trade employment increased only
40 per cent from 1960 to 1970. Morgan City had a slightly higher ratio of
retail trade employment to the city's total employment than did St. Mary
Parish, 17.7 per cent.114 It is difficult to determine exactly how much
the location of the oil industry contributed to this growth of retail trade
in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City, due to the fact that this sector's
employment would have grown due to population growth, higher levels of
affluence, and a general "trickling down" effect. Nevertheless, the shift-
share analysis lends some tentative conclusions.

The growth in employment in finance, insurance, and real estate, provides
some of the more startling evidence of the affluence of the 1960's in St.
Mary Parish. The United States employed approximately 4.9 per cent of its
total work force in this sector, or 3.8 million persons. In Louisiana, the
ratio of employment in finance, insurance, and real estate, total employment
was 4.3 per cent, only 0.6 per cent less than the national ratio. The ratio
to total employment in St. Mary Parish was even less than the previous two,

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3.2 per cent; however, the percentage increase in total workers in this sector
in St. Mary Parish increased 205 per cent. The increase from 1960 to 1970
in the United States was 38 per cent and in Louisiana was 38 per cent also.115

Of the service categories of employment in the United States in 1970,
medical and other professionals experienced the highest ratio of sector
employment to total employment, 17.1 per cent. In Louisiana, 17.5 per cent
of total employment was in the same industry. Approximately 12 per cent
of St. Mary Parish and of Morgan City employment was in professional services.
However, a higher ratio of employment in business and repair services was
registered iti St. Mary Parish and Morgan City than in the United States or
than in Louisiana. Almost 6.0 per cent of Morgan City's employment was in
business and repair services compared to only 3.0 per cent in the United
States and 2.9 per cent in Louisiana for 1970. Overall, service employment
in St. 143ry Parish did not grow as quickly as in the country, 37.6 per cent
compared to 42.7 per cent. However, business and repair service employment
in St. Mary Parish increased 104.4 per cent during the 1960's while the
nation's employment in the same category increased 43.2 per cent from 1960
to 1970.116 In general, there had to have been a demand for business and
repair services for employment to increase so dramatically in St. Mary
Parish. The growth of certain occupations confirms that there was a need
for the specialized services of repairmen in the areas of electrical work,
mechanics who specialized in diesel engines, hydraulic mechanisms, and
independent welders. . I
An examination of the shift-share analysis which follows reveals patterns
in employment in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City during the decade of the
1960's which are relatively similar to those of the period 1950-1960. However,
there are some very obvious differences in the components of employment growth
in the.two decades. Louisiana's overall growth in employment indicates that
the state's employment growth was faster than that of the United States.
The net relative change is the best measure of this overall growth due to
strictly regional influences and how the state adapted to industrial needs.
The individual components of this employment growth illustrate varied develop-
ments. Within the state, employment growth in mining of 11,663 persons
was due to the regional share; however, the net relative change was only
2,332 because of the industrial mix component. While there are some obvious
differential advantages to mining employment in Louisiana, the changes in
technology and consumer preferences apparently adversely affected the growth
of this sector's employment.

The same factors affecting the state's relative change in mining
employment likely adversely affected employment growth in St. Mary Parish
and Morgan City. While the St. Mary Parish retained a strong regional
share component of employment growth in mining, the net relative change
was only 109 persons, due mainly to the negative industrial-mix component.
Similar occurrences in Morgan City over the period 1960-1970 caused the
net relative change in mining to be negative. Part of the cause of this
negative net relative change in Morgan City may have been the discovery of
offshore oil and gas fields in other parts of the country, namely Texas.
Since the Gulf of Mexico region immediately south of Morgan City was the

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TABLE 19

COMPONENTS OF EMPLOYMENT CHANGE, LOUISIANA,
1960-70

Industry National Industrial Regional Net Relative
Growth Mix Share Clian-e

Agriculture 14,688 -42,128 -3,954 -46,082
Forestry and Fisheries 1,120 -960 -990 -1,950
Mining 7,229 -9,331 11,663 2,332
Contract construction 16,501 -4,695 474 -4,221
Food and Kindred Products, mfg. 6,204 -13,156 -1,001 -14,157
Textile Mill mfg. 151 -320 22 298
Apparrel mfg. 1,195 -961 1,924 963
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 4,443 -2,668 -3,216 -5,884
Printing and Publishing mfg. 1,592 -139 -143 -282
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 3,637 -512 4,935 4,423
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 1,334 705 4,537 5,242
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 132 21 65 86
Other transp. equip. mfg. 1,417 -159 9,503 9,344
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 11,425 -6,628 1,948 -4,680
Railroads & railway express 2,554 -6,617 -224 -6,841
Trucking and warehousing 2,454 242 -555 -313
Other transportation 6,501 2,786 -7,510 -4,724
Communications 2,429 1,811 -16,405 -14,594
Utilities & sanitary services 3,782 -1,183 -928 -2,111
Wholesale trade 7,494 6,878 3,216 10,094
Food & dairy products stores 6,266 -1,008 -1,073 -2,081
Eating & drinking places 6,282 5,785 -8,100 -2,315
Other retail trade 20,447 3,577 -8,804 -5,227
Finance, insurances & real estate 7,232 6,833 185 7,018
Hotels & other personal services 6,983 -2,832 -2,716 -5,548
Private households 13,813 -3,836 1,574 -2,262
Business and repair services 4,797 5,833 -195 5,638
Entertainment, recreation services 1,468 143 -665 -522
Medical, other professional services 24,177 65,667 -3,416 62,251
Public administration 8,654 3,938 -3,387 551
Armed services 3,722 -795 15,610 14,815
Industry not reported 6,679 12,039 21,694 33,733
TOTAL 206,802 18,330 14,168 32,498

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TABLE 20

COMPONENTS OF EMPLOYMENT CHANGE, ST. MARY PARISH,
1960-1970

Industry National Industrial Regional Net Relative
Growth Mix Share Change

Agriculture 255 -721 2 -719
Forestry and Fisheries 67 -57 -61 -118
Mining 365 -472 581 109
Contract construction 212 -60 249 188,
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 118 -252 -85 337
Textile Mill mfg. 2 -1 -2 3
Apparrel mfg. 0 0 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 12 -16 -11 27
Printing and Publishing mfg. 21 -2 -2 4
Chemicals & allied products mfg., 81 -11 81 70
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 25 13 16 29
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 1 0 -5 5
Other transp. equip. mfg. 53 -6 259 253
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 81 -47 302 255
Railroads & railway express 16 -41 -8 49
Trucking and warehousing 22 2 170 172
Other transportation 211 91 -119 28
Communications 25 19 -3 16
Utilities & sanitary services 44 -14 120 106
Wholesale trade 98 90 172 262
Food & dairy products stores 92 85 136 221
Eating & drinking places 89 82 -414 332
Other retail trade 231 41 229 270
Finance, insurances & real estate 39 38 339 377
Hotels & other personal services 67 -27 5 22
Private households 213 -592 79 513
Business and repair services 75 91 235 326
Entertainment, recreation services 14 1 79 80
Medical, other professional services 251 110858 25 1,883
Public administration 68 31 .112 143
Armed services 1 0 17 17
Industry not reported 69 224 823 1,047
TOTAL 2,918 320 3,321 3,641

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TABLE 21

COMPONENTS OF EMPLOYMENT CHANGE, MORGAN CITY,
1960-1970

Industry National Industrial Regional Net Relative
Growth mix Share Change

Agriculture 1 -3
Forestry and Fisheries 25 -22
Mining ill -143 127 -16
Contract and construction 71 -20 -93 -113
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 17 -37 -35 -72
Textile Mill mfg. 0 0 0 0
Apparrel mfg. 0 0 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 0 0 0 0
Printing and Publishing mfg. 7 -1 12 11
Chemicals & allied products mfg. 2 0 9 9
Electrical & other machinery mfg. 1 0 5 5
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 0 0 0 0
Other tansp. equip. mfg. 19 -2 112 110
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 27 -16 35 19
Railroads & railway express 3 -8 -8 -16
Trucking and warehousing 8 1 72 73
Other transportation 95 41 -107 -66
Communications 10 7 -7 0
Utilities & sanitary services 11 -3 85 82
Wholesale trade 40 35 105 140
Food & dairy products stores 33 -5 -23 -28
Eating & drinking places 42 38 -49 -11
Other retail trade 81 14 78 92
Finance, insurances & real estate 14 13 116 129
Hotels & other personal services 29 -12 -156 168
Private households 53 -146 5 -141
Business and repair services 34 42 70 112
Entertainment, recreation services 5 0 6 6
Medical, other professional services 76 206 13 219
Public administration 16 8 92 100
Armed services -- -- -- --
Industry not reported 16 53 -153 100

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first area in the country to be developed by the oil and gas industry, any
discoveries of marginally more productive fields and areas may result in
a negative industrial-mix component, even though a relatively strong regional
share is still evident.

In the manufacture of other transportation equipment, Louisiana exhibited
strong regional advantages in employment growth. St. Mary Parish shared in
this employment growth to the extent that the parish's regional share was
259 persons compared to 53 persons due to national growth. The regional
share of Morgan City's employment growth in other transportation manufacturing
was 112 persons, many times more than the growth of this employment would
have been had it relied only on national growth in this industry.

One sector which illustrated relatively strong growth in employment
in St. Mary Parish was miscellaneous manufacturing. The net relative change
of 255 persons was much larger than the growth due to national effects of
81 persons. However, the growth from 1960 through 1970 was less than that
due to regional effects in [email protected] of the 1950's.

The transportation sector excluding railroads, trucking, and warehousing
in St. Mary Parish and in Louisiana experienced negative net relative changes
during the 1960-1970 period. In Morgan City, as well, there was a negative
change in the employment growth component due to regional share. This
development, while admittedly surprising, may be due to the physical limita-
tions of St. Mary Parish and the relocation of transportation facilities in
other parishes along Louisiana's coast; i.e., Houma, New Orleans, Golden
Meadow, Grand Isle, Intracoastal City, and Lake Charles.

St. Mary Parish's increasing population during the decade of the.1960's
resulted in an apparently equal increase in employment in the field of
sanitation and utilities. Similarly, there were large gains in the employ-
ment growth of the retail trade sectors during the 1960's.

As indicated earlier, employment in finance, insurance, and real estate
skyrocketed during the 1960's in St. Mary Parish and in Morgan City. The
gains in this employment during the 1960-1970 period due to regional share
were more than eight times larger than in the 1950-1960 period. Similarly,
the employment gains in the professional fields were very extensive in St.
Mary Parish, Morgan City, and Louisiana during the 1960's. However, these
gains, as exhibited in the relevant tables, were mostly due to the industrial-
mix component.

The most obvious change that occurred during the 1960's in the area
of occupation changes in the United States was the increase in professional
and technical personnel. In 1970, 14.3 per cent of all working males were
listed as professionals. This compares to only 4.0 per cent in 1960 employed
as professionals. The gains in femalesl roles as professionals was not as
great as that of males. In St. Mary Parish, the increase in professionals
was from 1.6 per cent of males employed in 1960 to 10.1 per cent of the same
group in 1970. Morgan City experienced similar increases but in 1960, it
had 3.3 per cent of its males working as professional s.113 Therefore, the
gains were not as great as in St. Mary Parish.

M Mon= M

TABLE 22

DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYED PERSONS,
BY OCCUPATION, 1970
(per cent)

United States Louisiana St. Mary Morgan City
Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female

Professional, Technical 14.8 14.3 15.7 14.8 13.9 17.4 11.9 10.1 16.2 12.3 11.2 14.8
Managers, except farm 8.3 11.2 3.6 .7.7 9.0 4.2 11.3 14.1 4.3 15.6 20.0 5.2
Sales Workers 7.1 6.9 7.4 7.0 6.8 7.6 5.0 4.1 7.4 6.8 6.0 8.8
Clerical 18.0 7.6 34.9 19.8 15.6 31.6 12.7 4.8 31.9 14.8 6.5 34.4
Craftsmen, Foremen 13.9 21.2 1.8 11.1 14.5 1.4 16.4 22.2 1.9 14.2 19.2 2.2
Operatives, except Transport 13.7 13.6 13.9 9.7 10.9 6.3 14.1 18.3 3.6 11.6 15.2 3.2
Transport Operatives 3.9 5.9 .5 3.7 4.7 .6 4.5 6.0 .7 5.0 7.1
Laborers, except farm 4.5 6.6 1.0 4.8 6.1 1.1 7.0 9.1 1.9 6.1 8.3 .8
Farmers & Farm Managers 1.9 2.8 .2 1.1 1.3 .2 .7 1.0 .1
Farm Laborers 1.2 1.7 .5 1.5 1.8 .4, 3.1 4.3 .2
Service Workers 11.3 8.1 16.6 13.5 11.6 18.8 9.6 5.7 19.1 10.4 6.3 20.3
Private Household Workers 1.5 .1 3.9 5.6 3.8 10.5 3.8 .2 12.8 3.2 .1 10.5

Source: Bureau of the Census, 1970.

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Most of the gains in the employment of sales workers were among females.
Of the four geographical divisions discussed and compared in this paper,
Morgan City employed the highest per cent of females in this group, 8.8
per cent in 1970. In 1960, only 1.2 per cent of the females in Morgan City
were sales workers.118 The growth of clerical occupations for females was
approximately equal in all four geographical areas. Each had over 30 per
cent of its respective females working in clerical positions.

A very interesting development surfaces in the examination of occupations
in St. Mary Parish and MorgantCity. In 1960, 9.9 per cent of St. Mary
Parish males were craftsmen or foremen and 25.3 per cent of the males in
Morgan City held similar positions. By 1970, St. Mary Parish's ratio of
all males employed as craftsmen or foremen increased to 22.2 per cent and
that in Morgan City declined to 19.2 per cent. In an equally interesting
note, the median salary of this occupation in the parish was $8,101 while
in Morgan City, the median salary for craftsmen and foremen in 1970 was
9
$7,707.11 It has been previously stated that Morgan City traditionally
paid higher wages than did the St. Mary Parish for roughly equal occupations
due to the location of the oil and gas industry. Perhaps by 1970, the location
of these industry members had gradually spread into the Morgan City environs
due to land availability and easier access to major thoroughfares. With
the relocation.of firms, jobs followed.

. Occupations involving operating of equipment fell slightly in Morgan
City as a per cent of total male"s employed. However,- in St. Mary Parish,
the decline in males employed in this category was from 30.1 per cent in

TABLE 23

MEDIAN EARNINGS FOR MALES
BY OCCUPATIDN, 1970

U.S. IA. St. Mary Morgan City

Professionals, Managers $10,965 $9 511 $8,899 $9,627
Craftsmen, Foremen 8,158 7:294 8,101 7,707
Operatives, including transportation 6,779 5,786 6,755 6,533
Laborers, except farm 4,647 3,714 3,947 4,387
Farmers & farm managers 4,835 3,907 6,727 --
Farm laborers 2,597 2,170 2,007

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1970.

1960 to 18.3 per cent in 1970. Some of this decline in operative occupations
may have been due to the increased mechanization of sugar cane farming.
Nevertheless, such displacement of labor is beneficial in the sense that
it spurs a higher level of human capital development and in the long-run,
greater potential for future economic growth.

One occupation which experienced a phenomenal gain in members over the
period of 1960-1970 was in the managerial class. In 1960, only 0.8 per cent
of St. Mary Parish males were managers not connected with farming operations.
In Morgan City, no males were listed, which is probably a statistical
discrepancy (less than 1.0 per cent may not have surfaced in the data
collection procedures.) Nevertheless, 14.1 per cent of St. Mary Parish males
were managers in 1970 and 20 er cent of Morgan City working males were in
the same type of occupation.1@0 Unfortunately, the median earnings of this
occupation class in 1970 was listed with that of the professionals.

The per cent of those families earning less than @1,000 in 1970 decreased
rather dramatically from those in the same group in 1960. Generally, the
changes occurring in income distribution in the United States were also
occurring in Louisiana and its parishes. However, Louisiana remained one
of the poorest states. In 1970, 26 per cent of the families earning an
income had an annual income of less than $6,000. Using the same income,
class in Louisiana, the per cent of those with an income less than $6,000
was 39.5 per cent. In St. Mary Parish, 35 per cent of the families had an
income of less than $6,000, while Morgan City's percentage was 32.1 per cent.
Therefore, the poverty situation in Morgan City was somewhat better than
in St. Mary Parish and Louisiana; however, it was significantly worse
than the nation as a whole.121

Almost 27 per cent of United States families' income was between
$6,000 and $10,000 annually in 1970. In Louisiana, the per cent was 26.9
per cent, very close to that in the nation. St. Mary Parish registered
28.6 per cent of its families in this income range and Morgan City's
percentage was 28.8 per cent.122 These four percentage distributions
are indicative of where the median income was in 1970 for each region.
Over 46 per cent of United States families had an income in 1970 of more
than $10,000., In Louisiana, the per cent was 33.6; in St. Mary Parish,
36.5 per cent; and in Morgan City, 39 per cent.123 Once again, as in the
1960 census reports, Morgan City had a relatively more favorable distribution
of income than either St. Mary Parish or Louisiana. From the standpoint
of occupational structure, Morgan City may not have had the most desirable
format (blue-collar versus white-collar). However, these blue-collar jobs
were, on the whole, better paying than comparable white-collar positions
elsewhere. Thus, the distribution of income in Morgan City appeared more
desirable.than in other regions of the state.

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TABLE 24

DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME
1970

U.S. LA. St. Mary Morgan City

Less than $1,000 2.5 4.8 2.9 3.2
$1,000 - $1,999 3.4 6.9 5.9 4.9
$2,000 - $2,999 4.4 7.2 6.8 6.1
$3,000 - $3,999 4.9 7.o 6.1 5.4
$4,000 - $4,999 5.1 6.7 5.7 5.1
$5,000 - $5,999 5.7 6.9 7.6 7.4
$6,000 - $6,999 6.1 6.9 7.0 7.7
$7,000 - $7,999 6.7 6.9 6.9 6.0
$8,000 - $8,999 7.1 7.0 7.8 8.3
$9,000 - $9,999 6.8 6.1 6.9 6.8
$10,000 - $11,999 12.9 10.6 13.9 12.5
$12,000 - $14,999 13.7 10.2 10.9 12.2
$15,000 - $24,999 16.0 9.9 9.5 11.4
$25,000 - $49,999 3.9 2.3 1.8 2.6
$50,000 - over .8 .6 .4 .3
Median Income $9,590 $7,530 $8,146 $8,496

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970.

SUMMARY

From 1940 to 1970, total employment in St. Mary Parish increased by
more than 9,000 workers. These 9,000 additional workers represented an
increase of 89.4 per cent. Over the same period, Louisiana's total employ-
ment increased 56.2 per cent and that of the United States was 74.8 per cent.
Morgan City's total employment growth from 1960 to 1970 was 30.3 per cent
compared to 19.5 per cent in the nation, 17.3 per cent in Louisiana, and
32.2 per cent in St. Mary Parish.

By far the largest national increase in sector employment was in
services, 221.1 per cent between 1940 and 1970. In Louisiana, this sector's
employment increased 113 per cent and the gain in St. Mary Parish was 173.4
per cent. In Morgan City, service sector employment increased 38 per cent
over the years 1960-1970, while in St. Mary Parish, the gain over the same
period was 37.6 per cent. Louisiana's ten-year increase in service employ-
ment was slightly less, 29 per cent, while that of the nation was 43 per cent.

Nationally, the next sector to exhibit the largest increases in employ-
ment was that of finance, insurance, and real estate (FIRE). The gain in
the United States was 158.6 per cent over the relevant thirty"year period.

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In Louisiana, the 240 per cent increase in the FIRE sector was the largest
of the sectoral employment increases from 1940 to 1970. A 665 per cent
increase in St. Mary Parish was likewise the largest increase in St. Mary
Parish sectoral employment gains. Much of the employment increase in the
FIRE sector of St. Mary Parish occurred during the 1960's.

Following finance, insurance, and real estate, the sector employing
persons in construction next illustrated the largest gains over the years
1940 to 1970. Nationally, employment in contract construction increased
117.4 per cent; however, in Louisiana, the employment gain in the same
sector was over 173 per cent, and in St. Mary Parish, employed persons in
contract construction rose only 121.5 per cent. The Bureau of the Census
reported a slight decline in contract construction employment in Morgan
City--366 persons in 1960 and 324 in 1970. A number of factors may account
for the small proportion of Morgan City employment in contract construction
as well as the relatively slow growth of this sector.

Other than Franklin and Morgan City, St. Mary Parish is mostly farm-
land and marsh. Despite its increase in population, St. Mary did not lose
farmland over the years 1934 through 1970. The affinity of sugar cane
to St. Mary Parish makes the crop a very valuable source of income in the
area.

Secondly, much of the parish is hemmed in by wetlands, marsh, and
swamp. Its direct uses for local housing are extremely limited. This
is particularly true of Morgan City which is surrounded by water and marsh
for all practical purposes. Therefore, not only is contract construction
difficult, but land is limited.

Lastly, contract construction in St. Mary Parish may have grown more
slowly due to competition from metal fabrication and oil field work. Skilled
carpenters and bricklayers would probably not leave contract construction
to enter fabrication or the oil and gas industry. However, unskilled
helpers would change industry of employment for higher paying positions,
even though their level of skill had not changed.

Employment in wholesale and retail trade in the United States increased
103.2 per cent from 1940 to 1970, In Louisiana, the increase in employment
was 118.7 per cent and 243 per cent in St. Mary Parish. In Morgan City
alone, employment in wholesale and retail trade increased by more than 300
per cent over the years 1960-1970. Comparable gains in the United States
were on the order of 27 per cent; 20 per cent in Louisiana, and 52 per cent
in St. Mary Parish.

Manufacturing in the United States has, of course, been a prominent
source of employment during the years covered in this study. The stage of
development in the country was such that the gains in employment realized
from 1940 through 1970 were 86.4 per cent, certainly not the highest of the
sectors examined. Louisiana has traditionally not had a high degree of
manufacturing employment and St. Mary Parish increased its employment in
this sector over the years 1940-1970 by only 63 per cent. The manufacturing

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sector had the smallest gain in sector employment over the relevant 30
years.

on the other hand, employment in transportation, communication, and
public utilities in St. Mary Parish increased 412 per cent from 1940 to
1970. The growth of employment in communication and public utilities
is consistent with increased economic activity and population growth.
However, much of the overall sector's increase in employment originated
with transportation. Most of this transportation employment was in water
transportation, a necessity for offshore mineral exploration and production.

Nationally, the mining sector's employment from 1940 to 1970 lost
employees by 32 per cent. In Louisiana, mining employment as a per cent
of total employment increased from 1.9 per cent in 1940 to 3.9 per cent
in 1970. The increase in absolute numbers was 212 per cent, an increase
of 31,710 employees from 1940 to 1970. In St. Mary Parish, the ratio of
mining employment to total employment increased from 4.3 per cent in 1940
to 12.1 per cent in 1970. This sector's employment increased 438.2 per cent
over the relevant 30 years.

Since 1950, mining employment in St. Mary Parish rose Ill per cent.
Between 1940 and 1950, this employment increased 154 per cent. In 1940,
only 437 persons were employed in St. Mary Parish's mining sector; by
1970, this figure had increased to 2,352, a 438 per cent increase. In
Louisiana, mining employment increased 212 per cent over the relevant 30
years, but in the United States, there was a decline of 31.9 per cent.

Between 1960 and 1974, employees in the oil and gas field services
industry increased by 50.7 per cent in Louisiana and 230 per cent in
St. Mary Parish. Similarly, employment in local water transportation in
Louisiana increased 110 per cent and in St. Mary Parish, the increase
was 87 per cent.

In 1960, 553 offshore wells were completed; but in'1972, 721 were
completed. The peak year, 1968,, saw 1,474 wells completed. The OCS well
completions have declined as a percentage of total Louisiana offshore wells.
However, a more complete influence of OCS activities on Morgan City and
St. Mary Parish emerges-when one examines the production trends.

In 1954, 21 per cent of total Louisiana offshore oil production
originated in the OCS region. By 1960, OCS oil production was 56 per cent
of total offshore production. In 1972, 86 per cent of Louisiana's offshore
production originated beyond the three-mile limit.

The production of OCS natural gas and casinghead gas was not as sharply
upward as that of oil. In 1954, 69 per cent of total Louisiana offshore
gas produced came from the OCS areas; in 1960, the OCS share declined to
67 per cent; however, in 1972, OCS gas produced off the Louisiana coast
was 83-per cent of total Louisiana offshore gas production.

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While it is impossible to determine with any degree of accuracy the
exact employment and income impact exerted on Morgan.City and St. Mary
Parish by OCS oil and gas activities, it is obvious that an extensive
portion of the present employment in Morgan City would not exist were OCS
activities not present in the Gulf of Mexico.

The importance of mining in the Morgan City and St. Mary Parish
economies is illustrated in the shift-share analysis examined earlier.
In the decade of the 1940's, agriculture exhibited the strongest contri-
bution to employment due to national growth. Food and kindred products
manufacturing also illustrated a relatively strong national growth effect.
Employment growth due to industrial mix was strongest in contract construc-
tion, yet it accounted for an increase of only 268 employees. The regional
share component was largest in mining representing a positive change of
668 persons in St. Mary Parish from 1940 to 1950. Forestry and fisheries
accounted for a change in the regional share component of 176 persons
while the retail trade sector had a change of employment due to regional
advantages of 171.

In the 1950-1960 decade, most of the employment change in St. Mary
Parish due to national growth was in the agriculture sector. However,
substantial changes occurred in forestry and fisheries (124), mining (171),
contract construction (133), and food and kindred products (141). The
largest contribution of the regional share components was mining, a change
of 1,077 workers. Chemicals manufacturing and miscellaneous manufacturing
(including steel fabrication),accounted for regional share changes of more
than 300 persons. Other transportation had the second largest regional
change in the 1950-1960 period, 704 employees.

Changes in employment growth due to national growth in the 1960-1970
decade in St. Mary Parish were concentrated in mining (365), contract
construction (212), other transportation (211), other retail trade (231),
and professional services (251). St. Mary Parish's regional share employ-
ment change in mining was 581, half of what it was in the 1950-1960 decade.
Apparently, the employment changes due to the regional advantages became
more diverse, spreading into manufacturing, trade, finance, insurance, and
real estate, and business services. This occurrence is not surprising
since mining and metal fabrication provided the economic base for Morgan
City's and St. Mary Parish's growth. Subsequent development occurred in
secondary and tertiary industries, providing for a somewhat more balanced
industrial development in the region.

From the onset of offshore oil and gas development, the structure of
occupations changed in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City. Only 6.1 per cent
of employment persons in St. Mary Parish in 1950 were in professional
occupations. By 1970, 12 per cent were professionals. In Morgan City,
the per cent of professionals increased from 7.5 per cent in 1950 to 12.3
per cent in 1970.

In 1950, 13.2 per cent of Morgan City's employed persons were managers
compared to only 9.1 per cent in St. Mary Parish. By 1970, these per cents

-86-

had changed to 15.6 per cent in Morgan City and 11.3 per cent in St. Mary
Parish, Interestingly, this managerial occupation declined as a per cent
of the total in the United States from 1950 to 1970.

There was a larger gain among craftsmen in the parish than in Morgan
City. In 1950, 11.0 per cent of St. Mary's employed persons were craftsmen
compared to 13.0 per cent in Morgan City. By 1970, 16.1 per cent of St.
Mary Parish's employees were craftsmen while only 14.8 per cent were so
classified in Morgan City. A related industry is that of operatives of
machinery and transportation equipment. In 1950, 19.1 per cent of St.
Mary Parish employed persons were operatives, compared to 18.6 per cent
in 1970. Meanwhile, operatives were 25.4 per cent of employed persons
in Morgan City in 1950, but this category declined to 16.6 per cent in
1970. It is suspected that much of these changes in occupations in
St. Mary Parish and Morgan City resulted from the changes in employment
due to national growth. However, as the area advanced industrially, mostly
due to the regional advantages outlined above, wages and salaries changed.
The resulting changes in the demand and supply relationships for labor and
varioualevels of skill competency, the labor force in St. Mary Parish and
Morgan City adapted to meet these changes.

A recent survey of 66 oil and gas-related firms yielded some interesting
information on occupations in the Morgan City area. The 66 firms employed
8,536 persons with a total annual payroll in 1976 of $94.5 million. Thirty-
six per cent of the employees were in fabricated steel products, 18 per cent
were in offshore transportation, 11 per cent in contract drilling, and 9.5
per cent were in production operations. The remaining employees were in
survey work, drilling mud, pipelines, machinery and equipment, towing
services, industrial supplies, and electronics.

The greatest concentration of nonwhite employees was in fabricated
steel products. Overall, 16.0 per cent of the 8,536 employees included
were nonwhite. Twenty-eight per cent of the welders in fabricated steel
were nonwhite and 36.7 per cent of the fitters were also nonwhite. Salaries
@'for all welders and fitters ranged from $7,000 to $15,000 annually. Of
all the non-office personnel in fabricated steel in Morgan City, only
supervisors earned more than welders and fitters.

The three industries which seemed to have the highest upper limits
on salaries were production, contract drilling, and offshore transportation.
The information received on educational training of employees was by and
large incomplete. Information on training and skill for only 3,151 workers
was returned. Of these, 19.4 per cent had on-the-job training and 17.5
per cent had vocational-technical school training. Most of these positions
are skilled jobs requiring a formally learned skill or an acquired skill.
Of course, these do not include those positions filled by college graduates
who have skills learnedin that environment.

Of th e 8,536 employees in the 66 firms, residences were reported for
5,453 or 64 per cent. More than 44 per cent of these 5,453 employees lived
in St. Mary Parish; 11.9 per cent were residing in Assumption Parish; 13.2

-87-

per cent in Lafourche Parish; and 13.4 per cent in Terrebonne Parish. More
than 10.0 per cent of the 5,453 Morgan City workers resided outside of
Louisiana. Overall, 83 per cent of the workers surveyed in Morgan City
resided in St. Mary, Assumption, Terrebonne, or Lafourche parish.

The attraction of higher-paying jobs in the Morgan City area is evident
by a close examination of the distribution of income. Slightly more than
14 per cent of Morgan City's workers in 1970 earned less than $3,000 per
year. This percentage compares favorably with 15.6 per cent of St. Mary
Parish's workers in the same income bracket and 19 per cent of total
Louisiana workers. Similarly, Morgan City had fewer workers earning between
$3,000 and $8,000 than either St. Mary Parish or Louisiana, but 3.0 per cent
more than the national percentage in the same income category. In the
upper income brackets, Morgan City had a higher percentage than St. Mary
or Louisiana, but somewhat less than did the nation.

. In conclusion, the data presented in this analysis point to a city
highly dependent upon offshore petroleum and gas activities. The extremely
high concentration of directly and indirectly related firms in Morgan City
is an obvious result of OCS activities. Most of t4e income and employment
growth in this city would have not been possible without OCS activities.
,It would be naive to assume that negative externalities did not accompany
Morgan City's economic growth. The resulting increase in population exerted
pressures on available housing, public facilities, schools, and existing
traffic arteries. At this writing, traffic congestion has been eased with
the opening of a new bridge across the Atchafalaya River.

Strong dependence on OCS and offshore energy activities may appear to
lead Morgan City to a somewhat precarious position in the 1980's. Should
OCS activities cease, extremely critical economic losses would occur* Given
the need for domestic petroleum, the relatively inelastic demand for petroleum
and natural gas, the many alternative uses for crude oil, and the dependence
on petroleum for transportation, it is unlikely that the Morgan City economy
will suffer in the near-to-medium, term.

-88-

FOOTNOTES

lBureau of the Census, 1930.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid. Manufacturing in Morgan City and St. Mary Parish during later
development would be concentrated in metal fabrication and boiler-works.
51bid.
6 See footnote number 4.
7 Cripps and Tarling, 1973.
8 See Table 1.
.9Cripps and Tarling, page 8.
10 Bureau of the Census, 1930.
11 Bureau of the Census, 1940.
121bid.

USee Table 2
14Department of Commerce and Bureau of the Census, 1940.
151bid.

16,bid.
17 Ibid.
18See Tables 1 and 2.
19See Table 4.
20 Bureau of the Census, 1940.
21 Ibid.
221bid.
231bid.

-89-

24An excellent account of the development of the South can be found in
W.R. Schriver, 1971.
25 Bureau of the Census, 1950, and Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
26 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
27
28 lb id.
See Table 6.
29 International Oil Scouts Association, 1950.
30 U.S. Department of the Interior, 1975.
31
Ibid.
32 Sales Management.
33 County Business Patterns, 1954.
34 Ibid.

35
36 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1973.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
371bid.
38 Ibid.
39 Laurent and Hite, 1972.
40 Schriver, 1971.
41 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.

42jbid.
431bid.
44 Bureau of the Census, 1950.
45Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
46 Ibid.
47 Bureau of the Census, 1950.
48 Ashby, 1964; Dunn, 1960; Houston, 1967; Hyclak, 1975.

-90-
49 Hyclak, 1975.
50 Bureau of the Census, 1950.
51 Ibid.
52 Ibid.
53rbid.
541bid.
551bid.
56 Ibid.

57See Table 10 for details.

58Bureau of the Census, 1950.

59jbid.

60,bid.

6lSales Management.

62Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
631bid., Bureau of the Census, 1960.
64County Business Patterns.

651bid.

66Louisiana Department of Conservation and International Oil Scouts
Association.

67Louisiana Department of Conservation.

68Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.

69Bureau of the Census, 1960.

70ibid.

71,bid.

721bid.

73County Business Patterns.

-91-

74 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
75Bureau of the Census, 1960.
76 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
77 Ibid., and Bureau of the Census, 1960.
78County Business Patterns.
79 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
801bid.
8lIbid.

821bid.

83 See Tables 13 And 14.
84See Table 15.
85Bureau of the Census, 1960.
861bid.
871bid.
88See Table 16.
89Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972, and Bureau of the Census, 1970.
90sales Management.
91Bureau of the Census, 1970.
921bid.
93Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972, and County Business Patterns.
94County Business Patterns.
951bid.
96 Ib id
97Louisiana Department of Conservation and U.S. Department of the Interior.
981bid.
991bid.

-92-

100Ibid.
101 Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
1021Ibid. and Table 17.

103Ibid.

104Bureau of the Census, 1970.

105See Table 17.

1061bid.

107Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.
108Bureau.of the Census, 1970.

1091bid.

11OSee Table 18.

lllIbid.

112Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1972.

113bid.

114bid.

1151bid.

116Ibid.

117Bureau of the Census, 1970.

118Ibid.

119Ibid.

120See Table 22.

l2lBureau of the Census, 1970.

1221bid.

123Ibid.

-93-
A P P E N D I X

-94-

LOUISIANA OCS WELL ACTIV1TY

Year New Wells Completed Oil Gas Dry, Failure,
Abandoned

1954 5 5 3 2
1955 145 89 58 31 44
1956 220 120 98 22 80
1957 313 176 133 43 99
1958 303 225 174 51 125
1959 276 208 162 46 71
1960 398 423 331 92 103
1961 444 461 337 124 102
1962 444 535 409 126 126
1963 536 516 421 95 208
1964 653 594 504 87 221
1965 765 420 537 87 273
1966 .800 400 524 118 444
1967 828 339 444 96 335
1968 893 406 520 162 304
1969 764 358 448 118 362
1970 788 528 607 260 324
1971 780 375 357 236 522
1972 827 328 302 174 422
1973 764 409 299 279 472
1974 652 302 221 151 414

Source: Outer Continental Shelf Statistics, U.S. Department of Interior,
Geological Survey, Conservation Division, Washington: June, 1975.

EMPLOYMENT IN SELECTED INDUSTRIES:
LOUISIANA AND ST. MARY PARISH,
1960-1974

Year SIC #1310-* SIC #1380* SIC #4450* SIC #5080*
LA. St. Mary LA. St. Mary LA. St. Mary LA. St. Mary

1960 18,840 1,408 20,231 713 4,916 752 11,107 85
1961 18,441 1,455 20,581 771 4,952 782 10,779 89
1962 18,680 1,396 20,609 682 5,513 832 11,273 153
1963 18,582 1,175 20,720 1,016 6,208 1,069 11,785 207
1964 18,705 1,050 23,254 1,114 6,885 1,236 12,374 296
1965 18,892 1,035 25,837 1,575 8,190 1,432 13,508 416
1966 19,191 991 26,873 2,414 8,871 1,470 14,460 549
1967 19,321 884 25,974 2,775 8,811 1,558 15,656 617
1968 19,540 914 25,775 2,887 9,169 1,822 15,932 395
1969 19,433 959 27,086 2,470 9,447 1,596 16,308 423
467
1970 19,342 891 25,716 2,070 9,560 1,686 17,216 10
Ul
1971 19,487 1,027 24,906 2,077 9,400 1,657 17,219 546
1972 20,741 886 26,729 2,582 10,171 1,706 18,371 589
1973 20,689 752 27,778 2,339 10,071 1,456 20,266 649
1974 20,869 714 30,484 2,349 10,338 1,403 21,914 776
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Mbnthly averages of each year.

Source: Louisiana Department of Employment Security.

Classification system is as follows: SIC #1310, Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas;
SIC #1380, Oil and Gas Field Services;
SIC #4450, Local Water Transportation;
SIC #5080, Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies.

SELECTED STATISTICS ON OCS AND LOUISIANA
WELL COMPLETIONS AND OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION:
1954-1972

Year Total Offshore OCS Wells Oil Production* Gas Productionr*
Wells Completed Completed OCS Within 3 Miles OCS Within 3 Miles

1954 44 5 3.344 12.582 56.114 25.211
1955 -360 89 6.690 19.041 81.256 40.023
1956 464 120 11.044 29.862 83.281 53.245
1957 575 176 15.850 36.985 81.840 78.632
1958 400 225 24.673 32.708 128.681 105.286
1959 466 208 35.668 37.125 207.446 121.834
1960 553 423 49.348 38.774 273.619 134.769
1961 541 461 63.982 39.215 316.351 142.130
1962 535 90.028 36.773 453.038 135.323
1963 717 516 104.360 44.729 565.236 141.309
1964 783 594 123.333 50.376 618.944 164.530
1965 867 420 145.583 53.810 644.631 226.493
1966 1,007 400 187.171 55.909 962.083 303.816
1967 733 339 218.705 65.328 1,092.447 562.776
1968 1,474 406 263.937 65.985 1,419.530 637.761
1969 1,152 358 299.866 65.825 1,834.271 644.474
1970 1,194 528 334.637 63.741 2,268.084 532.020
1971 827 375 386.595 57.7167 2,637.284 581.916
1972 721 328 389.222 63.362 2,888.716 592.116

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'!Includes both crude oil and condensate oil. In millions of barrels.
-Includes both natural gas and casinghead gas. In billion cubic feet.

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Conservation Division, Outer Continental Shelf
Statistics, 1953"1974. Washington; U.S. Department of the Interior, June, 1975.

-97-

LOUISIANA OFFSHORE OIL PRODUCTION:
1954-1972

400

375

350 OCS crude & Condensate
Prod.' (beyond 3 miles)

325 Louisiana Offshore Crude &
Condensate Prod. (within 3 miles)

300

275

250

14 225
14
Cd
go

44
0 200

0
V4
-4 175
-4

150

125

100

54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72

Years

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior and Louisiana Department
of Conservation.

-98-

LOUISIANA OFFSHORE GAS PRODUCTION:
1954-1972

3200

3000

2800 OCS Gas Prod. (beyond 3 miles)

2600 Louisiana Offshore Gas Prod.
(within 3 miles)

2400

2200

2000

cu
W 1800

1600

0
.r4
r4
r4 1400

1200

1000

800 -

600 -

400 -

200

54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72

Years
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior and Louisiana Department
of Conservation.

-99-

OFFSHORE WELL COMPLETIONS,
LOUISIANA,, 1954-1973

Rest of Offshore Well Completions

OCS Well Completions

1200

1100

1000

900

800

700

600 -

500 -

400

300 -

200 -

100 -

54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72

Years

Source: International Oil Scouts Association.

-100-

LOUISIANA OCS OIL PRODUCTION AND
ST. MARY PARISH EFFECTIVE BUYING INCOME:
1953-1973

Income

OCS Production

240 - 480

220 - - 440

0
U
200 - - 400

14
180 360 44 -o
0 a)
0

4-4 0 0
0 160 320 $4 14
$4

%4 Pq 0)
440 rd
W -,4 44 0
r-4 280 0 14
140 0

$4 0
120 240

100 - - 200

80 - - 160

60 - - 120

4o - - 80

20 - - 4o

0 0
56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72

Years
Source: Louisiana Department of Conservation; Sales Management.

-lol-

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-106-

THE IMPACT OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF

PETROLEUM ACTIVITY ON SOCIAL AND CULTURAL

CHARACTERISTICS OF MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA

Bob Gramling, Jr.

Ed Joubert

-107-

THE IMPACT OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF PETROLEUM ACTIVITY
ON SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA

Introduction

This section of the report is concerned with the effects of offshore
oil drilling on the social and cultural characteristics of Morgan City and
St. Mary Parish. Much of the data collected was only available at ten-year
intervals, from sources such as the U.S. Bureau of the Census. In many
cases the smallest unit for which data was available was St. Mary Parish.
Where Parish data was utilized, attempts were made to draw conclusions
that would be applicable to Morgan City. This portion of the report will
contain five major subdivisions:

1. Demographic Characteristics

2. Educational Trends

3. Occupational Shifts

4. Health Services

5. Impact Assessment

Demographic Characteristics

Total Population Change

The 1940 Census revealed that Morgan City had 6969 inhabitants (See
Table S-1). A steady growth trend continued through 1970, at which time
there were 16,586 people in Morgan City. During the same time period, St.
Mary Parish increased from 31,458 to 60,752 residents. Two other neighboring
urban areas in St. Mary Parish, Patterson, and Berwick experienced at least
a three-fold increase. Patterson went from 1800 inhabitants in 1940 to
4409 in 1970. Berwick's population increased from 1906 in 1940 to 4168 in
1970. The growth in the Morgan City area resulted in the creation of an
entirely new residential community, Bayou Vista, during the 1960's,
which contained 5121 residents by 1970. For detailed figures concerning
growth on an annual basis,consult Table S-1 and Graphs S-1 and S-2.

Population growth can be associated with petroleum development by examining
growth patterns prior to the onset of offshore drilling activities (1947).
From 1900 to 1940, St. Mary Parish experienced fluctuations in population.
The 1900 population was 34,147, while the 1940 population was 31,458, which
was actually a slight decrease over the forty-year period. But from 1940
to the present, a steady growth pattern has emerged, culminating with a
population of 60,752 residents in 1970.

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POPULATION GROWTH, MORGAN CITY, ST. MARY PARISH

GRAPH S-1

St. Mary Parish

Morgan City

c: 40

:3
0

1867 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Years
Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

PER CENT INCREASE, POPULATION, U.S., LOUISIANA, AND MORGAN CITY
GRAPH S-2

@i@ ... . . . . . . ........ 20

10
1XI

.. .........
X.:-X@

011
x
us LA MC us LA MC us LA MC us LA MC us LA MC
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

-110-

TABLE S-1

GENERAL POPULATION TRENDS
NUNBER OF INHABITANTS

Parish Morgan Patterson Berwick Bayou
City Vista

1970 60,752 16,586 4,409 4,168 5,121
1960 48,883 13,520 2,923 3,880
1950 35,848 9,759 1,938 2,619
1940 31,458 6,969 1,800 1,906
1930 29,397 5,985 2,206 1,679
1920 30,754 5,429 2,538 1,691
1910 39,368 5,447 2,998 2,183
1900 34,145 2,332 NA
1890 22,416 2,291 1,414
1880 19,891 2,015 500
1870 13,860
1860 16,816
1850 13,697
1840 8,950
.1830 6,442

Source: Louisiana Almanac. 1973-1974. Milburn Calhoun Publisher. Pelican
Publishing Co. Gretna, La.

Rural to Urban Changes

As St. Mary Parish has grown in size, this growth has mainly occurred
in urban areas, including Morgan City. From 1940 to 1970, there was relative
stability in the size of the rural population. In 1940, rural residents
numbered 20,215 people, while the corresponding figure for 1970 was 21,107,
whichis an increase of less than five per cent (See Table S-2).

The rural farm population decreased drastically from 9336 in.1940
to 792 in 1970, while the rural nonfarm population increased from 10,789
to 20,315 during the same time period. Much of the increase in rural
nonfarm population has occurred in unincorporated places and is largely
housed in single family dwelling units. One area where there has been
considerable rural nonfarm growth from 1940 to the present is what is
now known as Bayou Vista. Prior to its development in the 1960's,
residents in this area would have shown up as rural nonfarm residents.

During this 30-year pe riod, the urban population has steadily
increased from 11,243 in 1940 to 39,609 in 1970, which represents an increase
of 250 per cent. The actual pe rcentage of people living in urban areas
in 1940 was 35.7 per cent. By 1970 65.2 of St. Mary's inhabitants lived
in urban areas.

TABLE S-2

RURAL AND URBAN POPULATION
ST. MARY PARISH 1940-1970

1940 1950 1960 1970

Total Population 31,458 35,848 48,883 60,752

Rural Farm 9,336 6,231 1,242 792

Rural Nonfarm 10,879 11,095 18,575 20,315

Total Rural 20,215 17,236 19,817 21,107

Urban 11,243 18,522 29,016 39,609

Percent Rural 64.3 48.3 40.6 34.8

Percent Urban 35.7 51.7 59.4 65.2

Sou rce: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish. Public Affairs Research
Council, 1973.

Age and Sex Characteristics

Upon examination of the Census reports for the period 1940-1970, it
became evident that the sex ratio is relatively stable for both St. Mary
Parish and Morgan City. It has not undergone any major shifts in the last
40 years and there is no reason to believe that there will be major changes
in this characteristic. Although the offshore workers are predominantly male,
many of them do not reside in St. Mary Parish and may commute from various
other parishes and even other states (See Tables S-3 - S-5).

With the exception of slight increases in the population aged 5-20 years,
there have been no other noteworthy shifts in the age composition for St.
Mary Parish and Morgan City in the recent past. Furthermore, the age
distribution of St. Mary Parish is not significantly different from the
state or the rest of the nation. There does not appear to be any kind of
imbalance that could result in future problems such as a high dependency
ratio, i.e., a disproportionate amount of people in the very old and very
young categories.

Racial Composition

When one speaks of racial composition for St. Mary Parish and Morgan
City, it mainly concerns the black, white ratio, since there is no major

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TABLE S-3

AGE AND SEX FOR
ST. MARY PARISH
1940-1970

Age and Sex 1940 1950 1960 1970

Male 15,911 17,904 24,262 29,996
Under 5 years 1,773 2,407 3,762 3,678
5-9 1,576 2,169 3,144 3,999
10-14 1,706 1,860 2,644 3,718
15-19 1,703 1,363 2,024 2,909
20-24 1,470 1,303 1,538 2,058
25-29 1,370 1,301 1,546 2,236
30-34 1,123 1,130 1,656 1,946
35-39 1,076 1,216 1,490 1,578
40-44 845 1,063 1,313 1,686
45-49 748 1,024 1,291 1,419
50-54 641 725 1,016 1,229
55-59 588 605 874 1,112
60-64 467 508 600 859
65 and over 825 1,230 1,364 1,569
18 and over NA 10,616 13,374 16,674

Female 15,547 17,944 24,571 30,756
Under 5 years 1,671 2,434 3,726 3,545
5-9 1,561 1,987 3,074 3,928
10-14 1,712 1,711 2,601 3,750
15-19 1,605 1,451 2,044 2>887
20-24 1,477 1,399 1,692 2,573
25-29 1,366 1,277 1,670 2,145
30-34 1,129 1,249 1,600 11,833
35-39 982 1,216 1,455 1,677
40-44 807 1,051 1,353 1)617
.45-49 771 912 1,202 11410
50-54 624 745 995 1,296
55-59 565 625 825 15061
60-64 399 531 603 883
65 and over 879 1,356 1,731 2,151
18 and over NA 10,931 13,858 17,663

Source: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish. Public Affairs Research
Council, 1973.

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TABLE S-4

AGE AND SEX FOR
MORGAN CITY
1940-1970

Age and Sex 1940 1950 1960 1970

Male 3,438 4,879 6,753 8,172
Under 5 years 366 632 1,040 1,018
5-9 339 590 826 968
10-14 356 456 684 938
15-19 356 368 572 803
20-24 311 405 447 594
25-29 302 428 512 642
30-34 288 347 489 529
35-39 257 356 453 443
40-44 188 301 352 490
45-49 177 291 367 427
50-54 134 204 283 366
55-59 115 142 250 303
60-64 93 116 174 223
.65 and over 166 243 304 428
18 and over NA NA 3,835 4,725

Female 3,531 4,880 6,787 8,414
Under 5 years 351 681 977 924
5-9 324 511 790 1,007
10-14 357 433 696 950
15-19 367 380 575 777
20-24 357 426 546 781
25-29 319 400 486 586
30-34 299 375 506 530
35-39 232 326 406 456
40-44 201 298 371 485
45-49 177 262 327 413
50-54 136 214 296 368
55-59 147 167 243 287
60-64 80 110 187 270
65 and over 174 297 381 580
18 and over NA NA 3,958 5,028

Source: Statistical Erofile@of St. Mary Parish. Public Affairs Research
Council, 1973.

-l14-

TABLE S-5

AGE AND SEX PERCENTAGE
DISTRIBUTION, ST. MARY PARISH
@1950, 1960, 1970

Age and Sex 1950 1960 1970

Male 0 - 5 13.4 15.5 12.2
5 - 10 12* @l 12.9 13.3
10 15 10.3 10.8 12.3
15 20 7.6 8.3 9.7
20 25 7.3 6.3 6.9
25 - 30 7.3 6.4 7.4
30 - 35 6.3 6.8 6.5
35 - 40 6.8 6.1 5.3
40 - 45 5.9 5.4 5.6
45 - 50 5.7 5.3 4.7
50 - 55 4.o 4.2 4.1
55 - 60 3.4 3.6 3.7
60 - 65 2.8 2.5 2.9
Over 65 16.9 5.6 5.2

Female
0 - 5 13.6 15.3 11.5
5 - 10 11.1 12.5 12.8
10 - 15 9.5 10.5 12.2
15 - 20 8.1 8.3 9.4
20 - 25 7.8 6.9 8.4
25 - 30 7.1. 6.8 7.0
30 - 35 7.0 6.5 5.6
35 - 40 6.8 5.9 5.5
40 - 45 5.9 5.5 5.3
45 - 50 5.1 4.9 4.6
50 - 55 4.2 4.0 4.2
55 - 60 3.5 3.4 3.3
60 - 65 3.0 2.5 2.9
Over 65 7.6 7.0 7.0

Source: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish.

-115-

concentration of other racial groups such as orientals, etc. On a parish-
wide basis, the percentage of black inhabitants of St. Mary Parish has
decreased from 45.3 per cent in 1940 down to,28.6 per cent in 1970 (See
Table S-6 and Graph S-3). For Morgan City, the black to white ratio has
always been lower. In 1940, blacks comprised 22.7 per cent of the total
population of Morgan City. The comparable figures for 1950, 1960, and 1970
show a stable black concentration of about 16 per cent.

It is quite obvious that the white population of the parish is growing
at a faster rate than the black population. Migration has played a greater
role in the growth of the white population as opposed to the black population
(See Segal et.al., 1976). Net migration for whites from 1950-1960 was
+16.4, and from 1960-1970, +3.8. For Nonwhites (blacks) during the same
period the corresponding figures were -9.6, and -4.1. Apparently, these
trends can be tied to the petroleum industry. There seems to have been
a large migration of whites from other areas outside the parish, who have
found employment within the Parish, in oil-related pursuits. An unsuccessful
attempt was made to document the differential employment of whites in the
petroleum industry as opposed to blacks, but figures were not available by
race. It would be safe to conclude that if these trends continue, St. Mary
Parish, and Morgan City, will become increasingly white.

TABLE S-6

RACIAL COMPOSITION FOR ST. MARY PARISH AND MORGAN CITY

1940 1950 1960 1970

St. Mary Parish
Total 31,458 35,848 48,883 60,752
White 17,152(54.6%) 22,102(61.7%) 33,755(69.1%) 43,387(71.4%)
Nonwhite 12,306(45.3%) 13,746(38.3% 15,078(30.9%) 17,356(28.6%)

Morgan City
Total 6,969 9,759 13,540 16,586
White 4,383(77.3%) 8,155(83.6%) 11,379(84-/.) 13,933(84%)
Nonwhite 1,586(22.7%) 1,604(16.4%) 2,161(16%) 2,653(16%)

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Sixteenth Census of the United States, Volume
II, Characteristics of the Population, 1940.
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Seventeenth Census of the United States,
Volume II, Characteristics of the Population, 1950.
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Eighteenth Census of the United States,
Volume II, Characteristics of the Population, 1960.
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Nineteenth Census of the United States,
Volume II, Characteristics of the Population, 1970.

-il6-

RACIAL COMPOSITION, MORGAN CITY, ST. KkRY PARISH
GRAPH S-3

4o
ST. MARY PARISH

30 -

20 -

0
30 - White
MORGAN CITY

25 - Black

20 -

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Years
Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

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Projections

There have been several projections regarding the growth potential
of both Morgan City and St. Mary Parish. The College of Business Administration
of L.S.U. at New Orleans predicted that the population of Morgan City would
increase to 55,000 in 1983, 61,600 in 1988 and 72,000 by 1993. By the year
2000 Morgan City would certainly be an SMSA of at least 80,000 people should
these projections hold. Such projections are dependent upon constant trends
in certain areas, such as continued increases in offshore oil and gas
exploration and production with concomitant chemical and petrochemical
activity. Increased facilities in water transportation, particularly
the deepening of the Atchafalaya channel into the gulf and the widening
and deepening of the intracoastal canal are also necessary. As these trends
occur, shipbuilding and rig fabrication, as well as repair facilities
should materialize. Finally, if these population projections are to become
a reality, there must be a major increase in residential accommodations.

While Morgan City is experiencing this growth, the remainder of the
parish should follow a similar growth pattern. Jones and Rice (1973) predict
that by 1980 St. Mary Parish will have 73,953 inhabitants, increasing to
92,407 in 1990, and 113,049 in the year 2000. A third estimate would place
the population of St. Mary Parish at 73,269 in 1980, 89,032 in 1990, and
97,277 in 1995 (See Planning Services, Inc., 1974). This is in line with
the Jones and Rice projection. If the combined predic tions occur, this
would mean that in the year 2000 about 70 per cent of all St. Mary residents
would live in Morgan City. The predictions would seem to imply drastic
changes in the form of more urbanization, particularly for the city of
Morgan City. But these trends are not likely to occur at the aforementioned
level because it would necessitate the rest of the parish losing population
to Morgan City.

Furthermore, offshore oil and gas production is apparently moving
westward. In addition there are problems with the maintenance of adequate
ship channels to Morgan City from the Gulf of Mexico. Available land for
housing is scarce and largely dependent upon reclamation of wetlands.
Finally, the precarious location of Morgan City at the base of the Atchafalaya
Spillway coupled with the increased back pressure and concomitant increase
in water levels as the Atchafalaya Bay silts in, makes it questionable that
wetland reclamation will be a feasible alternative.

The use of a straight line projection, cohort survival method (as in
the case of Jones and Rice, 1973), or modified cohort survival (used by
Planning Services, Inc.) results in population projections of large increases
in both St. Mary Parish and Morgan City. While these estimates may vary,
all of them show Morgan City over 50,000 people and St. Mary Parish close
to or over 100,000 by the turn of the century.

Segal et. al. (1976) show s three alternative projections,for St. Mary
Parish, The first projection uses the cohort survival technique and assumes
migration rates identical with the recent past. This results in a projected

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population for St. Mary Parish of 94,523 by the year 2000. This figure
is in line with Jones and Rice (1973) and Planning Services, Inc. (1974).

A second projection is similar to the first, but it uses a zero migration
rate which results in a lower projection of 88,446 people by the year 2000.
The third projection in which the authors feel, "they can subjectively
approximate future migration rates which will prove to be closer to the
,truth than the strictly mechanical rates" (Segal et. al., 1976)' results
in projections of constantly declining population from the pres;nt to the
year 2000. The projection for the year 2000 is 54,799, considerably lower
than the 1970 census figure of 60,752 for St. Mary Parish.

What Segal et. al. (1976) have apparently done is to use the census.
estimates (Current Population reports, p-26, N75-18) for Louisiana parishes
for July 1974-1975 which shows an estimated population for St. Mary Parish
of 60,600 in 1975. This is A .03 per cent decrease from 1970. Segal et. al.
assumed, first, that this estimate or the 1973-74 estimate was accurate,
and second, that the decline in population size would continue or actually
accelerate. There is a potential source of error in the census estimate
since it is an average of the three types of estimates, two of which rely
heavily on school enrollment as an indicator of migration. Many migrants
who work in the petroleum industry may have smaller7families than'the
indigenous population, and consequently may tend to lower estimated migration
,rates. In addition, even if the population did decline from 1970 to 1975,
the assumption that it will continue at the same or an increased rate over
the next 25 years may well be faulty.

In conclusion, the authors of this report feel, using the same subjective
techniques as Segal et. al. (1976), that most of the population projections
for St. Mary Parish and Morgan City are too high given the problems of lack
of land for housing and the transportation problems associated with the
Atchafalaya River. It should be noted that hard data is only available
by using techniques which assume continuing past trends such as simple
extrapolation or cohort survival. However, a continued decline in population--
,if one in fact has occurred--is also felt to be unrealistic. It is not
unreasonable to assume that the population of St. Mary Parish could surpass
75,000 and the population of Morgan City could exceed 25,000 by the turn
of the century. This is.especially true if some of the housing problems
in Morgan City and St. Mary Parish are even partially alleviated.

Education

Academic Education

The state of Louisiana operates school districts on a parish-wide
basis. As such, most of the empirical indicators of educational trends
are not available for Morgan City on a separate basis. From 1940 to 1970,
the median number of years of education completed by citizens of St. Mary
Parish, 25 years of age and older, more than doubled. This figure rose
from 4.7 to 9.9 years during the 30-year period in question (See Table S-7).

_119-

Although these changes could represent progress in education, it is note-
worthy that in 1970, the state figure for median educational attainment
was 10.8 years, while the national level was 12.1 years. Available data
on Morgan City indicate that its citizens are slightly better educated than
thexest of the residents of St. Mary Parish (See Table S-8). The major
differences would appear at the secondary education level, i.e., the
citizenry of Morgan City contains a slightly higher percentage of high
school and college graduates.

Gains in educational attainment for St. Mary Parish and Morgan City
have apparently followed a statewide trend over the last few decades and do
not seem to be particularly associated with growth in the petroleum industry.
A possible explanation for this is that many jobs in petroleum-related
activities do not require particularly high educational levels, but rather
specialized skills and/or on the job training.

What has changed with the growth of the oil industry is school attendance
in St. Mary Parish, mainly because of the increased population. Thus, it
might be said that increased activity in the oil-related sector has indirectly
created new educational needs for St. Mary Parish. This has placed a greater
burden on the parish to come up with adequate resources and physical facilities.
Membership in public and private schools has increased steadily from 5819
(1940) to 7999 (1950) to 12,720 (1960), and 18,339 (1970) (See Table S-9).
From 1940 to 1970, an average of about 13 per cent of the students attended
private and parochial schools in the parish, leaving the remaining 87 per cent
to be supported by the parish.

Public school membership in St. Mary Parish has increased at a faster
rate than the state averages (See Table S-10). The decade 1950-1960 saw
an increase of 68.4 per cent in membership in St. Mary Parish, while the
comparable increase for the state of Louisiana was only 17 per cent. From
1960 to 1970, public school membership increased by 45.5 per cent while
the increase in the state figure was 26.1 per cent.

The effects of a larger population attending school and the inflated
costs of education can easily be appreciated by examining the figures in
Table S-11, which shows changes in current operating expenses and cost per
pupil for both St. Mary Parish and the State of Louisiana. The per cent
increase in operating expenses has been significantly higher for St. Mary
Parish than the Louisiana average in each of the periods covered. But the
cost per pupil has.not been that different from the state figure. Thus,
it appears that while the budgets for operating expenses have gone up
considerably, the actual amount of money spent of each student has not
increased that drastically or, to put it another way, the quantity of
inputs (in dollars) has had to increase to process more products (students)
with no clear indication of increased concern for quality.

With the increase in both operating expenses and membership, there has
been a corresponding increase in the value of school property in St. Mary
Parish (See Table S-12). During the decades 1940-1950, and 1950-1960,
the value of school property increased at a far greater rate in the parish

TABLE S-7

EDUCATIONAL TRENDS FOR ST. MARY PARISH

School Attendance 1940 1950 1960 1970
No. % No. % No. % No. %

Persons 5-6.yrs. old 1,197 1,600 2,655 3,232
No. attending school 374 31.2 610 38.1 1,340 50.5 1,774 54.9
Persons 7-13 yrs. old 4,659 5,340 7,913 10,803
No. attending school 4,253 90.9 5,125 96.0 7,608 96.1 9,960 92.2
Persons 14-15 yrs. old 1,309 1,295 1,785 2,716
No. attending school 1,031 78.8 1,105 85.3 1,665 93.3 2,493 91.8
Persons 16-17 yrs. old 1,343 1,095 1,760 2,441
No. attending school 611 45.5 640 58.4 1,406 79.9 1,740 71.3
.Persons 18-19 yrs. old 1,953 1,075 1,418 1,999
No. attending school 220 11.3 205 19.1 607 42.8 614 30.7
Persons 20-24 yrs. old 2,329 2,640 3,230 4,631
No. attending school 42 1.8 130 4.9 361 11.2 179 3.9
------------------------------------------------- o --------------------------------- I------------------------

Years of School 1940 1950 1960 1970
Completed, 25 Yrs. No. % No. % No. % No. %
Old and Over

Total 15,204 100.0 18,080 100.0 22,496 100.0 27,644 100 .0
No schooling 3,W0 24.9 3,530 19.5 2,432 10.8 1,686 6.1
Grade school:
1-4 yrs. 4,199 27.6 4,565 25.2 4,390 19.5 3,183 11.5
5-8 yrs. 3,956 26.0 4,965 27.5 6,369 28.3 7,449 27.0
High school:
1-3 yrs. 1,364 9.0 1,795 9.9 3,304 14.7 5,014 18.1
4 yrs. 1,067 7.0 1,770 9.8 3,906 17.4 6,853 24.8
College:
1-3 yrs. 443 3.5 660 3.7 1,101 4.9 1,859 6.7
4 or more yrs. 165 2.0 510 2.8 994 4.4 1,600 5.8
Not reported 27 .01 285 1.6 --- --- --- ---

------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mmmm"NOWIM MMMON"s min M

TABLE S-7 (continued)

Educational Attainment, Parish Louisiana United States
25 Yrs. Old and Over 1960 1970 1960 1970 1960 1970

% with no schooling 10.8 6.1 .6.6 3.9 2.3 1.6
Rank* 47 47 491,-* 50
% with less than 5 yrs. school 30.3 17.6 21.3 13.1 8.4 5.5
Rank* 38 39j--* 50 50
% with at least 4 yrs. high school 26.7 37.3 32.3 42.3 41.1 52.3
Rank* 21 21 41** 41
% with 4 yrs. or more college 4.4 5.8 6.7 9.1 7'-.7 10.7
Rank* 26*- 26-k* 33** 35**
Median yrs. of school completed 7.8 9.9 8.8 10.8 10.6 12.1
Rank* 34** 2 3 *,k 4 6 41**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Parish is ranked among the 64 parishes; Louisiana is ranked among the 50 states.
**-Iied with another parish or with another state.

Source: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish. Public Affairs Research Council, 1973.

TABLE S-8

EDUCATIONAL TRENDS FOR MORGAN CITY

Years of School
Completed, 25 Yrs. 1940 - 1950 1960 1970
Old and Over No. 7. No. % No. % No. %

Total 3,485 100.0 4,930 100.0 6,329 100.0 7,864 100.0
No schooling 658 18.8 820 16.6 653 10.3 537 6.8
Grade school:
1-4 yrs. 765 21.9 975 19.8 958 15.1 861 10.9
5-8 yrs. 1,168 33.5 1,515 30.7 1,900 30.0 2,036 25.9
High school:
1-3 yrs. 333 9.6 575 11.7 887 14.0 1,163 14.8
4 yrs. 301 8.7 590 12.0 1,252 19.8 2,052 26.1
College:
1-3 yrs. 137 3.9 205 4.2 377 6.0 602 7.7
4 or more yrs. 116 3.6 145 2.9 302 4.8 613 7.8
Not reported 7 .0 105 2.1 --- --- --- ---

Source: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish. Public Affairs Research Council, 1973.

mom

-123-

TABLE S-9

.SCHOOL REGISTRATION IN ST. MARY PARISH

Public School Private School Total
Registration Registration

1940 5,819

1950 6,633 1,366 7,999

1960 11,175 1,545 12,720

1970 16,259 2,080 18,339

-------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
*Figures not available for private schools.

TABLE S-10

PER CENT INCREASE@ IN PUBLIC SCHOOL REGISTRATION

St. Mary Parish State of Louisiana

1940-1950 13.9 20.9

1950-1960 68.4 17.0

1960-1970 45.5 26.1

Sources: State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, 1940,
1950, 1960 and 1970.

TABLE S-11

EXPENSES FOR CURRENT OPERATION AND COST PER PUPIL

St. Mary Parish State of Louisiana
Current Per Cent Cost Per Per Cent Current Per Cent Cost Per Per Cent
Operation Increase Pupil Increase Operation Increase Pupil Increase

1940 $ 192,354 $ 53.59* $ 21,661,699 $ 61.21*

1950 $ 923,989 380 $144.52 170 $ 85,758,961 304 $177.01 189

1960 $2,926,534 217 $288.90 100 $207,738,350 143 $332.70 88

1970 $7,008,681 139 $464.66 61 $474,213,625 128 $578.35 74
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Reflects white schools only.

Source: State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, 1940, 1950, 1960, and 1970.

-125-

than in the state as a whole. From 1950-1960, the value of parish school
property increased by 520 per cent. This could not be due to mere inflation
or appreciation of land values alone.

TABLE S-12

VALUE OF SCHOOL PROPERTY

St. Mary Parish State of Louisiana
Value Per Cent Value Per Cent
Increase Increase

1940 517,644 72,614,586

1950 1,233,356 138 139,860,697 93

1960 7,652,095 520 530,264,264 281

1970 12,260,644 60 948,439,784 79

Source: State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, 194 0,
1950, 1960, and 1970.

But where is the money coming from to finance the a bove mentioned
educational needs? All parishes have two sources of income which can be
readily noted, revenue receipts and non-revenue receipts. While St. Mary
Parish's school registration and operating expenses have increased at a
faster rate than the state as a whole, revenue and non-revenue receipts
for the parish have.roughly paralleled the state rates, particularly from
1950 to 1970 (See Table S-13). From 1940 to 1950, total receipts for St.
Mary Parish increased by 660 per cent while the comparable state increase
was 227 per cent. But when the greatest pressure from increased membership
was felt, 1950 to 1960, receipts did not increase at such a high rate. it
is particularly noteworthy that revenue receipts almost tripled from 1960
to 1970 while non-revenue receipts stayed virtually the same.

One of the apparent reasons for the sharp increases in revenue receipts
was relief from any sales tax. Beginning with the 1965-1966 school session
until the present, St. Mary Parish has designate&part of its sales tax
for the support of education (See Table S-14). This is indicative of a
statewide trend which occurred during the sixties when most parishes began
to collect revenue from sales tax for educational purposes. Apparently
local property assessments plus outside sources of income, such as federal
funds, were not enough to keep the school system functioning properly. In
the ten-year period covered in Table S-14, it should be pointed out that
the sales tax receipts for education have been increasing sharply. In
1966, the collections from this source totaled $77,555.23, while in 1975,

TABLE S-13

RECEIPTS FOR EDUCATION

St. Mary Parish State of Lo i i
uisiana
Revenue Non- Total Per Cent Revenue Non- Total Per Cent
Revenue Increase Revenue Increase

1940 227,719 37,710 266,430 26,713,849 9,074,499 35,788,348

1950 1,027,121. 832,212 2,023,860 660 101,844,655 30,753,893 132,598,548 227

1960 3,491,972 1,021,282 4,513,255 123 244,163,122 63,777,986 307,936,108 133

1970 8,469,503 1,213,858 9,683,361 114 556,680,986 71,715,685 628,396,672 105

Source: State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, 1940, 1950, 1960, and 1970.

TABLE S-14

SALES TAX APPLIED TO EDUCATION

-St. Mary Parish State of Louisiana

1975* 854,013.47 117,565,894.27
1974 722,064.01 101,566,764.57
1973 598 685.26 88,422,871.27
1972 594:385.07 78,860,858.90
1971 587 575.85 70,170,805.55
1970 614:578.47 63,345,388.66
1969 529,729.74 53,032,724.70
1968 NA 43,822,085.03
1967 435,523.72 34,821,600.68
1966 77,555.23
*1975 denotes collections for the 1974-1975 school session, 1974.is for the 1973-1974 session, etc.
Source: State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, 1966-1975 inclusive.

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this total was $854,013.47. It would be expected that these monies would
continue to increase as long as there is growth in population, which in turn
would be dependent upon continued growth in the economic sector, particularly
the petroleum industry.

Vocational Education

Young people desiring vocational training in the Morgan City-St. Mary
Parish area have in the past had to commute to other parishes to obtain the
training. The first local facilities for vocational training began when the
Gulf Area Vocational-Technical School in Abbeville (Vermilion Parish) opened
a branch in Morgan City, From 1151-1165, the vocational facilities 'Were
housed at various locations in Morgan City. Then in 1965, came a permanent
vocational facility for the city. It was created by the Louisiana legislature
and named Young Memorial Vocational-Technical School. The state of Louisiana
recognized the need for a permanent, diverse training center in the.St. Mary
area.

A summary of the offerings at Young Memorial follows:

Health Occupations
Practical Nursing (Post Secondary)
Nurse Aide Training (Adult)

Office Occupations
Typist-Clerk (Post Secondary)
Clerical Receptionist (Post Secondary)
Secretarial (Post Secondary)
Accounting and Business Machines (Post Secondary)

Trade and Industrial
Welding (Secondary, Post Secondary, Adult)
Diesel Mechanics (Secondary, Post Secondary, Adult)
Machine Shop (Secondary, Post Secondary)
Drafting (Post Secondary, Adult)
Electronics (Secondary, Post Secondary, Adult)
Basic Electrical (Secondary, Post Secondary)
Nautical Science (Secondary, Adult)

The curricula at Young Memorial is directly linked to the petroleum
industry. This can be seen in the courses offered as well as in the material
covered in particular courses. Welding, diesel mechanics, machine shop,
drafting, electronics and nautical sciences are all crucial occupations
to the oil industry. Several courses which have been modified to increase
their applicability are welding and electronics.

The increased demand for welders in the Morgan City area means that
many students leave school prior to completion of their program. Consequently,
the welding program was recently redesigned as a modular curriculum with
certification at each stage of advancement. Thus, the student can advance

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to the desired level and then seek employment. Likewise, the electronics
course is tailored almost entirely to radio communications and radar with no
provisions for radio and television repair.

Because of high employment potential, graduation figures would not
accurately reflect the reciprocal relationship between the development of
vocational education and the oil industry. Current construction underway
at Young Memorial will increase the training capabilities of the institution
by about one-third. Most of this increase will be in petroleum-related
areas, particularly welding (See Young Memorial, 1975). Table S-15 details
the financial history of Young Memorial since its inception in 1965.

Future Educational Trends

Obviously future educational needs for Morgan City and St. Mary Parish
are dependent upon demographic trends. Should the increase in oil exploration
and production continue at present levels, there should be steady increases
in population growth. It is reasonable to assume that the occupational
structure will not be drastically altered. Thus, vocational training may
become even more relevant. While a rise in public school membership can
be anticipated, as well as corresponding increases in the median educational
attainment, higher education in the form of college training should not
undergo massive increases in the next few decades. Young people desiring
to remain in St. Mary Parish may be aspiring toward more blue collar oriented
occupations because of the obvious visibility of financial success from
their older counterparts.

Medical Facilities

There are presently two hospitals located in the Morgan City area.
Lakewood Hospital is located within the city limits of Morgan City, while
Fairview Hospital is located in nearby Berwick. Lakewood Hospital is parish
owned and was constructed in 1955 with a 46-bed capacity. It was exp anded
in 1961 to 88 beds, and in 1977 has 99 beds (See Kiene & Associates, 1974).
Fairview is a smaller hospital with only 50 beds and no emergency facilities.
Lakewood feels the impact of the oil industry because of its emergency
facilities. Fairview mainly accommodates the overflow of regular patients
from Lakewood so that the influence of the oil industry and related population
growth is mainly indirect.

Although Lakewood has grown in recent years, its facilities can be
described as grossly inadequate. Patients must be processed through the
institution at a faster rate than might be desirable. The average stay
in Lakewood is 4.6 days while the national average is 7.5 days (Footnote:
James W. Hice, administrator). Studies indicate that Lakewood is presently
serving an inpatient load equal to a 150-bed hospital and an outpatient
load equal to a 200-bedhospital (See Kiene and Assoc.).

TABLE S-15

FINANCIAL FIGURES FOR YOUNG MEMORIAL VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOL

State Federal Work Other Total Value of Value of Total
Funds Funds Study Property* Equipment

1965 100,419 58,738 347 159,505 416,361 514,614
1966 135,000 17,479 6,480 161,459 416,361 125,952 592,313
1967 192,574 75,939 8,010 2,978 279,501 416,361 182,636 598,997
1968 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
1969 209,797 56,989 NA 652 267,438 416,361 236,129 652,490
1970 196,717 61,242 1,000 918 259,877 416,361 319,451 735,812
1971 230,014 110,019 1,500 1,269 342,802 416,361 367,219 783,580
1972 296,777 103,920 2,000 11,340 414,037 416,361 367,219 783,580
1973 279,068 129,848 NA 14,153 423,069 416,361 421,409 837,770
1974 372,793 116,010 NA 3,160 491,963 416,361 476,611 892,972
1975 395,375 151,230 4,000 2,200 552,805 416,361 468,708 885,069
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Apparently there has been no revaluation of property since the school opened in 1965.

Source: State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, 1965-1975 inclusive.

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The impact of the oil industry can particulary be seen if one examines
emergency room care. In 1964, 46 per cent of emergency room cases were from
oil-related industries. By 1974, this percentage rose to 62 per cent (Kiene
and Assoc.). In 1964, patients from oil and oil-related industries comprised
43 per cent of the hospital population. The corresponding figure for 1974
was 56 per cent. For details see Table S-16.

TABLE S-16

EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT AND HOSPITALIZATION OF
PATIENTS FROM OIL AND OIL-RELATED INDUSTRIES

Year Emergency Room Trt. Hospitalization
No. of Per Cent of No. of Per Cent of
Cases Total Cases Total

1964 6,412 46 3,203 43
1965 6,246 45 2,779 45
1966 5,593 47 2,950 45
1967 5,495 47 2,705 46
1968 6,218 49 2,771 45
1969 6,293 53 2,768 45
1970 9,714 53 2,768 47
1971 12,244 58 3,076 50
1972 11,467 58 3,626 52
1973 11,685 59 3,177 53
1974 12,287 62 3,498 56

Source: Paul Kiene & Assoc., Survey of Need for Lakewood Hospital, Morgan
City, Louisiana, 1974.

Occupational Characteristics

Occupational Shifts

Prior to the onset of OCS activity, St. Mary Parish was primarily rural.
It should be recalled (From Table S-1) that the total population of St. Mary
Parish in 1940 was 31,458, of which 64.3 per cent resided in rural areas
(See Table S-2). This rural to urban shift is strongly linked with changes
in the occupational structure. From 1940 to the present, there has been a
drastic drop in the number of people employed in areas related to agriculture,
forestry and fisheries (See Table S-17 and Graph S-4). St. Mary Parish
has seen the portion of the labor force engaged in agriculture decline from
33.8 per cent in 1940 to 4.3 per cent in 1970. It should be noted that this
is coherent with a state and national trend (See Table S-18). Louisiana
employment figures show a.drop from 32.5 per cent in 1940 to 3.7 per cent
in 1970 foragricultural employment.

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DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY
GRAPH S-4

50 Transportation

Mining

Manufacturing

40 Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

Construction

$4
00 30

N
20

1940 1950 1960 1970

Years
Source: Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

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.TABLE S-17

ST. MARY PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT

Industry 1940 1950 1960 1970

Agriculture 33.8 18.5 8.8 4.3
Forestry and Fisheries 5.3 7.2 2.3 1.5
Mining 4.2 9.9 12.7 12.1
Contract construction 6.5 7.7 7.3 7.7
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 9.4 8.1 4.1 2.0
Textile Mill mfg. 0 0 0 0
Apparel mfg. 0 0 0 0
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 4.4 3.3 .4 .2
Printing and Publishing mfg. .3 .4 .7 .6
Chemicals & allied products mfg. .1 .4 2.8 2.9
Electrical & other machinery mfg. .2 .4 .9 1.0
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. 0 0 0 0
Other transp. equip. mfg. .8 1.4 1.8 3.0
Other and miscellaneous mfg. .5 .8 2.8 3.9
Railroads & railway express 1.2 1.3 .5 .2
Trucking and warehousing .6 .4 .8 1.6
Other transportation 1.6 3.1 7.2 6.5
Communications .3 .6 .9 .9
Utilities and sanitary services .3 .7 1.5 1.9
Wholesale trade .9 1.5 3.4 4.4
Food & dairy products stores 3.5 4.2 3.1 3.5
Eating & drinking places 2.5 3.4 3.0 3.9
Other retail trade 4.2 6.9 7.8 8.7
Finance, insurances & real estate .8 1.0 1.3 3.2
Hotels & other personal services 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.0
Private households 7.6 6.0 7.2 4.1
Business and repair services 1.3 1.3 2.6 4.0
Entertainment, recreation services .6 .9 .5 .9
Medical, other professional services 3.4 5.0 8.4 11.6
Public administration 1.6 2.1 2.4 2.9
Armed services 0 0 .1 .1
Industry not reported 1.6 1.0 2.4 7.6
TOTAL 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, Regional
Employment by Industry, 1940-1970.

The trend in forestry and fisheries has been somewhat different for
St. Mary Parish than for the rest of the state. Employment in these areas
peaked around 1950 in the parish at 7.2 per cent and had declined to 1.5
per cent by 1970. The state, on the other hand, has had a relatively stable
trend of employment in these areas of about 1 per cent or below. In St. Mary
Parish, these declines can be attributed to the virtual extinction of formerly

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heavy cypress forests due to heavy timber activity, and the reduction of
shrimping activity in the Morgan City and Berwick areas. This latter trend
is partly due to the petroleum industry's ability to compete more favorably
economically for waterfront space and consequently the increased domination
of available waterfront facilities by oil-related interests.

TABLE S-18

LOUISIANA PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT

Industry 1940 1950 1960 1970

Agriculture 32.5 17.4 7.3 3.7
Forestry and Fisheries 1.0 1.0 .5 .4
Mining 1.9 2.7 3.6 3.9
Contract construction 4.6 7.5 8.2 8.1
Food and Kindred Products mfg. 2.7 3.0 3.1 2.o
Textile Mill mfg, .4 .2 .1 .1
Apparel mfg. .5 .6 .6 .7
Lumber, wood products, furn. mfg. 3.9 3.5 .2.2 1.5
Printing and Publishing mfg. .6 .7 .8 .8
Chemicals & allied products mfg. .8 1.3 1.8 2.2
Electrical & other machinery mfg. .3 .4 .7 1.1
Motor vehicles & equip. mfg. .1 0 .1 .1
Other transp. equip. mfg. .3 .5 .7 1.5
Other and miscellaneous mfg. 3.5 4.9 5.7 5.4
Railroads & railway express 1.9 2.1 1.3 .7
Trucking and warehousing 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.2
Other transportation 2.2 3.1 3.2 2.9
Communications .6 1.1 1.2 1.3
Utilities and sanitary services .9 1.5 1.9 1.7
Wholesale trade 2.4 3.7 3.7 4.7
Food & dairy products stores 3.2 3.5 3.1 3.0
Eating & drinking places 2.4 3.3 3.1 3.0
Other retail trade 6.7 9.0 10.2 10.0
Finance, insurances & real estate 2.0 2.5 3.6 4.3
Hotels & other Personal services 3.4 3.3 3.5 3.1
Private households 9.0 5.7 6.9 4.o
Business and repair services 1.5 2.2 2.4 2.9
Entertainment, recreation services .8 .9 .7 .7
Medical, other professional services 6.1 8.4 12.1 17.5
Public administration 2.6 3.8 4.3 4.5
Armed services .4 1.2 1.9 3.1
Industry not reported 1.0 1.5 3.3 7.0
TOTAL 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, Regional
Employment by Industry, 1940-1970.

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While a comparable breakdown for Morgan City is not available, we can
examine the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries in a combined
fashion (See Table S-19). The concentration of employment in these areas
has never been as great for Morgan City as the rest of the parish. This is
to be expected since agriculture and forestry are primarily rural pursuits.
Nonetheless, Morgan City has shown a corresponding decline in these areas.
For example, in 1950 Morgan City had 8.8 per cent of its labor force engaged
in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, while in 1970,' only 1.7 per cent
were similarly engaged.

TABLE S-19

PER CENT EMPLOYED BY MAJOR OCCUPATIONAL
GROUP FOR MORGAN CITY

1950 1960 1970
Cent NO. Per Cent
No. Per Cent No. Pe@7

Total Employed 3,187 100.0 4,398 100.0 5,732 100.0
Agriculture, Forestry
& Fishery 283 8.8 135 3.0 101 1.7
Mining 504 15.8 571 12.9 666 11.6
Construction 292 9.1 366 8.3 292 9.1
Manufacturing 499 15.6 425 9.7 594 10.3
Transportation 309 9.6 488 11.0 516 9.0
Wholesale & Retail 700 21.0 1,800 22.7 1,112 19.3
Finance, Insurance &
Real Estate 31 .97 73 1.6 217 3.7
Business & Repair 45 1.4 128 4.0 322 5.6
Personal Service 225 7.0 422 9.5 353 6.1
Entertainment 43 1.3 24 .05 35 .06
Hospital & Health NA NA 83 1.8 243 4.2
Schools, Prof. Welfare,,
Religion 161 5.0 306 6.9 441 7.6
Public Administration 67 2.1 85 2.0 201 3.5

Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, Seventeenth Census of the United States,
Volume II, Characteristics of the Population, 1950.
U.S. Department of Con-merce, Eighteenth Census of the United States,
Volume II, Characteristics of the Population, 1960.
U.S. Department of Coamerce, Nineteenth Census of the United States,
Volume II, Characteristics of the Population, 1970.

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Of primary interest to this study would be the people employed under
the occupational category of mining. With the exception of a very small
number of persons engaged in salt mining, this category is entirely compris ed
of people working in petroleum-related pursuits. For St. Mary Parish, tlic
largest increases in mining occurred from 1940 to 1960. In 1940, 4.2 per cent
of the labor force was engaged in mining (See Table S-17). This was primarily
due to onshore petroleum activity which had been active in St. Mary Parish
for several decades. With the beginning of offshore activities in 1947,
the employment in the mining category increased drastically. By 1950, mining
accounted for 9.9 per cent of employment in the labor force. While much
of this activity was not really occurring offshore, the increase in exploration
and production was occurring in the swamps and coastal marshes of St. Mary
Parish. In fact, the techniques developed for these environments were direct
precursors of present-day offshore drilling techniques. By 1960, offshore
activity accounted for a significant portion of the mining category, which
had risen to 12.7 per cent of the labor force. Mining remained stable from
1960 to 1970 and actually underwent a slight decrease to 12.1 per cent.
The leveling off of this trend might be attributed to: (1) the physical
dispersion of the petroleum industry along the coast of Louisiana and
Texas; (2) the increase in secondary and tertiary industries supporting
the petroleum industry, but not appearing in the mining category as Morgan
City became a major center for support facilities for the petroleum industry;
and (3) an increase in production-related activities as opposed to exploration
activities.

Available data for Morgan City indicate a decline in the percentage
of citizens engaged in the mining industry, as this above-mentioned trend
in increased support facilities materialized. In 1950, 15.8 per cent of
Morgan City's labor force was engaged in mining, as opposed to 12.9 per cent
in 1960, and 11.6 per cent in 1970 (See Table S-19).

Support industries for the petroleum activities would be represented
in other industrial categories such as manufacturing and transportation.
Manufacturing rose drastically from 1940 to 1950 (See Graph S-4) and has
remained at a relatively stable level up to the present time .

If we break down the manufacturing category for St. Mary Parish (See
Table S-17) several trends become obvious. There were dramatic increases
in such areas as primary and fabricated metal, transportation equipment,
chemical, and machinery manufacturing. It is obvious that these trends
were related to growth in the petroleum industry, since the corresponding
growth in these areas had exceeded the growth pattern of the rest of the
state (See Table S-18).

Indicative of the decline in agriculture and fisheries has been a
corresponding decline in the manufacture of food and kindred products (See
Table S-17). In 1940, 9.4 per cent of the labor force in St. Mary Parish
was engaged in such pursuits and this figure has steadily declined down to
2.2 per cent in 1970.

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Changes in the area of transportation are also notable. The percentage
of parish workers employed in transportation areas rose from 3.9 per cent
in 1940 to 4.8 per cent in 1950. By 1960, this percentage had risen to
8.5 per cent, only to decline to 7.8 per cent in 1970. The growth in trans-
portation from 1940-1960 correlates well with other indicators such as
growth in population size, school attendance, and employment in mining and
manufacturing.

Morgan City has also experienced changes in the concentration of its
workers employed in the transportation category. From 1950 to 1960, this
percentage rose from 9.6 per cent to 11.0 per cent (See Table S-19). Much
of the transportation-related activity is tied to water transportation in
the forms of crew boats, pusher boats, work boats, etc.

Employment in construction in St. Mary Parish has shown remarkable
stability from 1940 to the present (See Graph S-4). Many of the activities
in the oil industry such as steel fabrication, water transportation, etc.,
have no real impact on figures for construction since little is actually
constructed. Housing construction is usually one of the activities which
strongly affects figures on construction. Much of the increased demand
for housing in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City has been met by mobile
homes not constructed in the area.- This is due not only to lack of available
land to build single family residences, but also the pressing need for
immediate, functional housing, due to large in-migrations,

Another industry in St. Mary Parish which has experienced considerable
growth is that of business and repair services. Growth in these areas
has exceeded the state average. Morgan City has shared in this trend as
illustrated by the fact that only 1.4 per cent of the labor force in 1950
was employed in business and repair services and that by 1970 5.6 per cent
of the people were employed in these areas.

In terms of actual occupations, the people of St. Mary Parish and
Morgan City, as shown in Tables S-20 and S-21 have shifted their pursuits.

Per Capita Income

The median income level for Morgan City residents has consistently
been higher than the level of the rest of the parish (See Table S-22). in.
turn, the income level of St. Mary Parish exceeded the state median from
1950 through 1970. But on a nationwide basis, the national median income
level has been higher than all of the 'other three figures in question,
as would be expected. Obviously, the citizens of Morgan City and St. Mary
Parish are sharing in the prosperity which can largely be associated with
the petroleum industry. For further details consult the economic section
of this report.

TABLE S-20

MORGAN CITY
MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP

1950 1960 1970
Male Female Male Female Male Fema-le

Total 2,489 698 3,228 1,170 4, 030 1,702
Prof., tech. & kindred 154 84 199 173 453 252
Farmers & farm mgrs. 2 0 0 0 0 0
Mgrs., officials & props. 379 42 647 55 805 88
Clerical & kindred 97 103 149 237 262 585
Sales workers 108 92 117 125 242 149
Craftsmen, foremen & kindred 408 6 639 4 774 38
Operatives & kindred 702 108 848 83 612 54
Private household 1 112 0 237 4 178
Service workers except
private household
136 137 184 221 253 345
Farm laborers 5 0 5 0 0 0
Laborers 481 1 330 4 335 13
Not reported & other 16 13 110 31 290 0

Source: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish, Public Affairs Research Council, 1973.

TABLE S-21

St. MARY PARISH
MAJOR OCCUPATION GROUP
Male 1950 Female Male 1960 Female Male 1970 FemaY-e

Total 8,660 2,490 10,916 3,722 13,580 5,550
Prof., tech. & kindred 412 267 575 C;I;ZL 1,369 900
Farmers & farm.mgrs. 273 8 197 4 132 4
Mgrs., officials & props. 883 127 1,583 166 1,913 241
Clerical & kindred 253 3019 445 714 657 1,772
Sales workers 318 248 321 298 557 409
Craftsmen, foremen & kindred 1,206 14 1,941 13 1,197 108
Operatives & kindred 1,866 253 3,111 205 2,490 198
Private household 14 550 14 949 21 711
Service workers except W
private household 412 367 502 569 779 1,060 co
Farm laborers 1,338 289 638 62 580 9
Laborers 1,619 15 1,209 4 1,242 101
Other 66 43 380 184 2,643 37

Source: Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish, Public Affairs Research Council, 1973.

TABLE S-22

MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL FOR ST. MARY PARISH, MORGAN CITY,
LOUISIANA, AND THE UNITED STATES

1950 1960 1970

Morgan City $2,438 $5,305 $8,496
St. Mary Parish $1,831 $4,686 $8,146
Louisiana $1,810 $4,272 $7,530
United States $3,319 $5,660 $9,950

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Seventeenth Census of the United States,
Social & Economic Characteristics of the Population, 1950.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Eighteenth Census of the United States,
Social & Economic Characteristics of the Population, 1960.,
U.S. Department of Commerce, Nineteenth Census of the United States,
Social & Economic Characteristics of the Population, 1970.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

The social and cultural impact of offshore drilling on Morgan City and
St. Mary Parish can be summarized into four major areas: (1) increase in
income both in St. Mary Parish and Morgan City; (2) major shifts in the
occupational structure; (3) growth in population size for the city and
parish, and in the physical.size of urban areas; and (4) increase in the
complexity of the division of labor for the area,

The most obvious positive effect of offshore activity has been the
increased income of people in the area (Recall Table S-22). Increase in
income levels can be positively associated with the purchase of not only
essentials for living, but also luxury and recreation-associated items.
As the income potential of people becomes greater, they begin to acquire
items which would conspicuously display their success. The growth and
diversification of retail industries catering to these needs has been
evident and should continue into the future. Not only has income
increased, but there has been relative stability over a long period of
time, such that the people have come to take the higher standard of living
for granted, which should lead to greater stability of retail growth and
diversification.

Mach of the increased income has occurred as a result of occupational
shifts which has resulted in more specialized, as well as higher paying
jobs. As the petroleum industry has come to dominate the Morgan City area
more and more, it has been able to favorably compete for labor, leaving the
citizenry with a wider variety of occupational choices. Many of these
choices necessitate changes in life style. This is especially true since
many of the offshore occupations require "seven-on" and "seven-off" shifts,
or some other combination of extended presence on the job. Such working

-14o-

conditions drastically alter recreation patterns, family interaction, community
involvement, etc.

In addition, many areas of blue collar work have further expanded,
particularly with the service industries, leading to a large stable working
class. Unlike working classes in other parts of the country, these people
are relatively more economically secure, and thus are Iin a position to
develop a life style, and purchasing habits usually associated with
traditional middle and upper middle class values. One problem which may
be related to the increased purchasing power of blue.collar workers is
that a middle class professional such as school teachers may be lured
away from essential jobs because they could move to other areas and occupy
a relatively higher position in the economic and status hierarchy.

The obvious success of the parents of young people in the Morgan City
and St. Mary Parish area has resulted in a low out-migration by young people
seeking employment, as they are presented with a realistic role model of
economic success'. This.can be achieved through vocational training at the
local level in a relatively short time at a low cost.

As these trends continue, assuming that economic activities of the
petroleum industry do not decline, continued growth in the physical size,
and population mass is to be expected. Continued physical growth is one
of the potential sources of problems which is a by-product of growth in the
petroleum sector. There may be problems in terms of planning for expanded
police protection, transportation, municipal services, and providing for
recreational opportunities if the rapid growth continues. Problems which
could be particularly acute would be in highly specialized service areas
such as hospitals and other forms of health care. In addition, it seems
that St. Mary Parish could benefit from increased investment in educational
and vocational service.

Another major problem demanding attention which was precipitated by
rapid population growth and increased purchasing power of the individual
worker is the acute shortage of single-family dwellings. This may result
in people living outside of Morgan City and even St. Mary Parish, in order
to have a hone of their own. Thus, the tax base for Morgan City might
stabilize while the demand for municipal services is increasing.

The only apparent population change that can be anticipated is the
continued increase in the white versus black ratio. There appears to be
no shortage of people in the productive ages nor any major imbalance in
the number of elderly people.

One of the concomitants of the above-mentioned economic trends has to
do with increases in the complexity of the division of labor. This results
in a trend toward what has been called organic solidarity,as opposed to mechanical
solidarity (See Durkheim, 1947) or a rational versus a traditional orientation
of community members (See Weber, 1947). Traditional or mechanical solidarity
is characterized by: close, face to face affective ties, which is generally
associated with extended kinship networks, and a stable tightly knit community.

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As there is movement toward the rational, or organic solidarity, the community
becomes more segmented and diverse. Diversification in the occupational
sector leads to different orientations concerning interaction with one's
peers and the community at large. This shift is characteristic of all
developing urban areas but should hold particular.relevance for Morgan
City, which has been transformed in roughly 40 years from what might be
called a "sleepy little fishing village" to a major industrial center.

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BIBLIOGRAPff

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, Re ional Emplovment
by Industry 1940-1970.

Christou, Georgios C. Migration in Louisiana, 1960-1970, Division of Business
and Economic Rasearch, LSUNO, Research study no. 17, 1973.

Christou, Georgios C. and Harris S. Segal. Population Projections to 1980
and 1990, Louisiana and Its Parishes, D.-IMision of Business and Economic
Research, College of Business Administration, LSUNO, Research study no.
18, 1973.

Jones, Lamar B. and G. Randolph Rice. An Economic Base Study of Coastal
Louisiana, Center for Wetland Resources, Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge.

Kiene, Paul, and Associates. Survey of Need for Lakewood Hospital, Morgan
City, Louisiana, 1974.

Louisiana Almanac. Milburn Calhoun Publisher, Pelican Publishing Company,
Gretna, Louisiana, 1974.

Plan ning Services, Inc. Comprehensive Plan for St. K3ry Parish Planning Area
Number 1, March, 1974.

Public Affairs Research Council. Statistical Profile of St. Mary Parish, 1973.

Segal, Harris et. al. Projections to the year 2000 of Louisiana Population
and Households, Division of Business and Economic Research, LSUNO, New
Orleans, Louisiana, Research study no. 21, 1976.

State Department of Education of Louisiana, Annual Report, Inclusive from
.1940-1976.

U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports
Series P-26, No. 75-18.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Twelfth Census of the United States, Volume I,
Population, 1900.

D.S. Department of Commerce, Thirteenth Census of the United States, Volume I,
Population, 1910.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Fourteenth Census of the United States, Volume III,
Population, 1920. . I
U.S. Department of Commerce, Fifteenth Census of the United States, Volume III,
Population, 1930.

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U.S. Department of Commerce, Sixteenth Census of the United States, Volume II,
Characteristics of the Population, 1940.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Seventeenth Census of the United States, Volume
II, Characteristics of the Population, 1950.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Eighteenth Census of the United States, Volume
II, Characteristics of the Population, 1960.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Nineteenth Census of the United States, Volume
II, Characteristics of the Population, 1970.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Tenth Census of the United States, Volume I,
Population, 1880.

U.S. DepartmenL of the Interior, Eleventh Census of the United States,
Volume 1, Population, 1890.

Young Memorial Vocational-Technical School, Self-Study, Morgan City, Louisiana,
1975.

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GOVERNMENTAL AND POLITICAL ANALYSIS

Donn Kurtz, Author

Tom Ferrell, Author

Jay Leuckel, Research Assistant

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GOVERNMENTAL AND POLITICAL ANALYSIS

Introduction

This portion of the research attempts to assess the governmental and
political impact of the development of the offshore oil industry on the
Morgan City area and St. Mary Parish. The analysis is divided into three
parts. First, the relevant governmental structures are described with special
emphasis on any changes that have occurred since the end of the Second
World War. The second part of the report focuses on four issues or decisions
made during the time period covered with the purpose of identifying any
industry involvement. The final section draws conclusions from the preceding
discussion.

Governmental Structures

Morgan City. The municipality of Morgan City was first incor porated as
the town of Brashear by legislative Act #102 in 1860. In 1871 the Brashear
charter was replaced by a new document (Act 99 of the 1871 legislature)
which provided for four year terms for the mayor and council rather than
the original one year terms. A few years later, through legislative Act #7
of 1876, the name of the city was changed to Morgan City but the charter
of 1871 remained in effect.

The Charter under which Morgan City now operates has been amended four
times through legislative acts since 1871. Those amendments are as follows:

1) Act 427, 1948 - created a city court replacing the old Mayor's Court

2) Act 88, 1950 - provision for date of city elections

3) Act 429, 1956 - added sections 3a through 3r to the Charter giving
the city the power to construct and pave streets and to levy and
collect local special assessments

4) Act 224, 1958 - set fee schedule and salary of city court judges

The Charter establishes essentially a weak mayor system in that most
powers are shared between the mayor and the council. Most notably many
appointments such as department heads are made through mayoral nomination
and council approval. These officials may be removed only for cause. Only
the City Clerk-Marshall (who is also the tax collector), the Treasurer, and
the Assessor serve at the pleasure of the mayor.

The Mayor does have a veto over council actions but that veto may be
overridden by a two-fifths vote of the council. An additional power of the
Mayor is that of authorizing the Treasurer to pay out monies to departments
and commissions.

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In addition to the three officials mentioned above, Morgan City has an
Engineer, City Attorney, Secretary, Fire Chief, Police Chief, City Purchasing
Agent, City Judge and Clerk of Court among its major officers. Moreover, there
are seven commissions with specific functions assigned to them.1 These bodies
are composed of from five to twenty-one members with council members often
holding ex officio membership. Other members are usually appointed by the
Mayor and the Council.

The City Council is composed of five members elected for four-year terms
concurrent with that of the Mayor. It has the powers and duties normally
associated with municipal governing bodies.

Berwick. The first structure of government in Berwick was provided for
by the Lawrason Act of 1898. Classified first as a village, then as a town
(1907), Berwick functioned under the provisions of this act until 1966 * From
1907 to 1966 the municipality had a popularly elected mayor, five aldermen,
and a marshall (also the tax collector). The mayor presided at meetings
of the board of aldermen, cast tie-breaking votes, and held the veto power.
Officials served concurrent two-year terms.

In 1966, Berwick adopted a Home Rule Charter which created a strong
mayor-council form of government. Both the mayor and the five council
members are elected at-large for four-year terms.

The mayor has the authority to appoint and remove all town employees
and to appoint, with council approval, members of boards and commissions.
He presides over council meetings but has no vote. The mayor may veto any
council action and has a line item veto on appropriation measures.

In addition to the Mayor, the executive branch consists of the following
departments: Fire, Police, and Planning. The charter also states that a
Legal Department, Community Service Department, Finance Department, and
Public Works Department may be created by the Mayor and Council. Finally,
an administrative officer may be created by the Mayor and Council.

The five member city council is the governing authority of Berwick
for legislative purposes. It elects a mayor pro tem who presides in the.
absence of the mayor.

Planning Agencies. Today there are four planning agencies relevant
to this study. They are the Morgan City Planning Commission, the Berwick
Planning Commission, and the Regional Planning Commissions, Number I and
Number 2.

1) Morgan City Planning Commission - Today there are three planning
commissions relevant to this study of which the Morgan City Planning Commission
is one.

Created by City Ordinance in February 1967, the commission has the
powers of such bodies as conferred by Louisiana law (R.S. 33:4721. through

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R.S. 33:4729). with an authorized membership of five to seven persons, the
commission had seven members in 1972 appointed by the Mayor with the advice
and consent of the City Council. The original appointees serve for staggered
terms, but the normal term is five years. The members elect a chairman for
a one-year term. The commission itself is required to meet at least once
a month.

In addition to its planning functions, this body also serves as the
municipal zoning commission. When functioning in that capacity, it must hold
separate meetings and keep distinct minutes.

2) Bp-rwick Planning Commission - The head of the Berwick Planning
Department is the Planning Commission (as authorized in R.S. 33:102). The
commission is composed of five members appointed by the Mayor with council
approval.

3) Regional Planning Commission Number I - This agency was created
in August 1973 under the provisions of Louisiana law contained in R.S. 33:131
through 142 (this description is taken from the Morgan City Code of Ordinances
section 2-90 through 2-95). Nine members comprise the commission, six are
appointed by the Police Jury and one each, by Morgan City, Berwick and
Patterson. Original appointees serve for staggered terms of one to nine
years, with subsequent members holding office for five years.

Similar to its Morgan City counterpart, the commission must meet at
least once a month, and elects a chairman and other officers. It may appoint
employees and contract for work. Funds for the commission come from allocations
provided by the participating governments. The jurisdiction of the commission
covers all of St. Mary Parish east of the Wax Lake Outlet (includes Wards 5,
6, 8,.and 9).2

In May 1974, the commission issued a report entitled "Analysis of
Existing and Proposed Land Use, St. Mary Parish Planning Area Number 1,
Comprehensive Plan."

4) Regional Planning Commission Number 2 - This commission was established
under the same statutory authority as tiie Regional Commission Number 1. It
is composed of nine members appointed by the governing authorities in the
commission's geographical area of jurisdiction. This body has planning
authority for Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 10.3

Multi-Functional Districts.

1) Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District. The Morgan City Harbor
and Terminal District was established by Legislative Act 530 of 1952. The
district, which covers a 140 square mile area in East St. Mary Parish
(excluding Patterson), came into existence as a result of the increased
demands being made on the Morgan City port.4 That increased usage was
itself the result of both the growing shrimping and offshore oil activity
after World War 11.5 One of the early projects of the new district was
to deepen the ship channel from 10 to 14 feet.

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A nine-member Board of Commissioners is the governing authority of
the district. All members are appointed by the governor, but five positions
are filled from a list submitted to him by local governing bodies and civic
groups.6 The governor has unrestricted appointive power over the other four
members who originally served terms of from six to nine years. After the
original terms expired, vacancies were filled in the same manner for a nine-
year term.

A President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer (may be filled by
one person) are elected from among the members of the Commission. The Commission
is required to meet at least once a month and to submit annual reports to the
governing authorities of Morgan City and Berwick.

The district enjoys the full range of powers delegated to special
districts by state law. These powers include regulating the traffic and
commerce within the district; construction, ownership, and maintenance of
.facilities; designing, building, and leasing of industrial sites; maintaining
and expanding waterways; regulating fees of privately owned facilities;
acquiring land; levying ad valorem taxes; and issuing bonds.

2) West St. Mary Port Harbor and Terminal District. This political
entity was created by Act 604 of the 1974 legislature and has jurisdiction
over all of St. Mary Parish except Ward 5 and those areas under the juris-
diction of the Morgan City Port Authority.

A nine-member Board of Commissioners serves as the governing body of
the district. These members are appointed by the cities of Franklin and
Baldwin and by the St. Mary Police Jury,7 unlike the Morgan City authority
whose members are appointed by the governor and only nominated by local
governing bodies and groups.

The Board elects a President, Vice President, Secretary, and a Treasurer
(the latter two offices may be combined). The Board must meet at least once
every month. Act 604 permits the Board to set its own internal rules of
procedure and to hire a wide variety of employees.

Like its Morgan City counterpart, the West St. Mary Port Authority
enjoys the full range of powers delegated by state law. Included in these
powers are the right to acquire land; construct facilities; set use fees;
borrow money; levy an ad valorem tax on property within the district subject
to such taxes; and issue revenue bonds.

Policy Afialysis

Perhaps one of the most striking characteristics of government and
politics in Morgan City is the degree of stability in the institutional
positions of political power. Morgan City, as is documented in other sections
of this report, has experienced considerable population growth, as well as
economic and social changes of no little magnitude, since the offshore
petroleum industry became a vital element in the area's economy. However,

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in spite of these changes, there has been remarkable continuity among
government office holders. It would be difficult to point to another
municipality of comparable size in Louisiana that has had only three mayors
since 1911. The incumbent mayor, Dr. C.R. Brownell, was first elected
in 1950. While an in-depth historical analysis of institutional leadership
in St. Mary Parish is beyond the scope of this study, it is clear that a
relatively small number of men are elected and re-elected to public offices
with considerable regularity. The names of C.R. Brownell, Ralph E. Guidry,
M. David Kahn, Joseph Cefalu, Frank Domino, and a few others have appeared
quite frequently among the victors in election returns in recent decades.

The relatively slow rate of turnover among elected governmental officials
is, of course, only one indicator of the rate of change in the area's political
system. The possibility remains that changes of a significant nature may
have occurred in the processes through which governmental policy decisions
are made. One cannot conclude at this point that the area's political
system had remained substantially unchanged since the early years of offshore
petroleum production.

In order to obtain a more detailed portrait of the decision-making
process, it is necessary to examine the exercise of political power within
more specific situational contexts. It is, as a matter of fact, desirable
to focus on particular political issues; determine how these issues are
resolved; and identify the individuals and groups that play roles in the
resolution of them. The political impact of a single interest, such as
the petroleum industry, cannot be identified without this contextual information.

The research team selected four issues for close.examination. It is
not contended that these four issues were necessarily the most important or
controversial that faced the citizens of St. Mary Parish in the post-war
period. Rhther, these particular issues were selected because they appear
to the researchers to be of sufficient significance to activate important
political actors in the community; they permit an analysis of decision-
making in three different decades (the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's); and
because they are issues that would appear to have an impact on the questions
of who shall possess political power and how it shall be exercised.8

The issues chosen for a detailed examination are the creation of the
Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District; the creation of the West St. Mary
Parish Port, Harbor, and Terminal District; the adoption of a home rule
charter in Berwick; and the establishment of the Louisiana Municipal Power
Commission (LAMPCO). These issues were selected by examining the political
and governmental news articles pertinent to Morgan City and St. Mary Parish
in two newspapers and two periodicals. The newspapers are the Morgan City
Daily Review and the St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune. The journals
are the official organs of municipal and parish governments in Louisiana:
The Louisiana Municipal Review and Parish Government (formerly, the Louisiana
Police Jury Review). The front pages of the Morgan City and Franklin news-
papers were examined for the periods of 1935 to 1977 and 1974 to 1977,
respectively. All issues of the Louisiana Municipal Review from 1950 to

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1977 and the parish journal from 1941 to 1974 were also scrutinized. In
addition to facilitating the selection of the issues to be analyzed, these
sources provided a detailed political history of the area unavailable else-
where.

The reconstruction and analysis of the decision-making process in the
four issue areas was accomplished primarily through the use of material from
the two newspapers and through interviews with individuals holding local
governmental offices in St. Mary Parish. In order to facilitate the collection
of information, those individuals who consented to be interviewed were
promised anonymity by the researchers. Therefore., the information and
opinions which these public officials provided have not been attributed
to them personally in the following pages.

Attempts to determine the loci and patterns of poli tical. influence in
municipalities are commonly referred to as "community power studies." The
following description and analysis of four political issues has made use
of the methodological frameworks and assumptions of the reputational and
pluralist approaches to the study of community power.9

A. 'Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District. The port authority
was authorized by an act of the Louisiana legislature in July of 1952. But
the initiative in the creation of the district clearly came from locally
elected officials. In fact, the Morgan City Review referred to the proposal
as the result of a "sudden decision on the part of public bodies in the
immediate area."10 The legislature was simply responding to local demands.

Mayor Brownell of Morgan City and Mayor Driskell of Berwick urged the
creation of the district at several meetings of locally elected officials
and at mass public gatherings. Additional public support for the proposal
came from City Attorney Leonard Wise of Morgan City; the President of the
St. Mary Police Jury, D.C. Walsh; police jurymen J.D. Hamilton, Joseph
Cefalu, and Robert Marcel; Berwick aldermen Adam Robicheaux and Russel
DePrima; and Morgan City councilmen, Harry Hover, P.H. Henry, Dr. B.A. Mula,
Dave Kann, and Wyatt Rosen.11 The bill, which was drafted by attorneys
Leonard Wise and J.Y. Gilmore, clearly had the public support of the vast
majority of elected governmental officials in East St. Mary Parish.

The decision on the part of elected officials in the parish to push
for the creation of the district appears to have been at least partially a
reflection of the eagerness of the same officials to secure a deep-water
channel to serve the locality. During discussions between local public
officials and representatives of the United States Corps of Engineers in
May of 1952, governmental leaders apparently were told by Corps representa-
tives that progress on the channel would proceed more rapidly if the area
had a port authority.12 This interpretation is further strengthen Ied by a
statement by Mayor Brownell before a public meeting called to rally support
for the project: "For twenty years we have thought in terms of proper water-
ways and have tried everything possible, ...now we are told that a port
authority may lead to our goal. Let's back this bill and put it into
force."13

Local opposition to the authority centered around its power to "expropriate"
land and to levy a tax of 2.5 mills or less without the approval of the
electorate. Opposition, however, remained disorganized and without apparent
leadership until the bill creating the authority was introduced in the state
legislature by Representative Aycock and Senator Burleigh.

Although the proposed legislation carried the endorsement of the Berwick
and Morgan City municipal governments and the St. Mary Parish Police Jury,
it ran into minor difficulties in the state legislature. Representative
P.E. Grizzaffi of Morgan City objected to numerous provisions of the bill.
Grizzaffi later withdrew his objections when the bill was amended to allow
the governor to appoint the members of the authority's governing commission
from lists submitted by governmental and civic organizations. The original
legislation had authorized local governmental bodies to make the appointments
directly. After this change, the bill was overwhelmingly approved by both
houses of the legislature.

While the initial support for the port authority clearly came from
public officials, there were also indications of participation by the business
community. Mayor Driskell of Berwick, a supporter of the project, was soon
to become president-elect of the Morgan City-Berwick Chamber of Commerce.
Police juryman Cefalu had previously served as president of the same
organization. Another member of the parish governing body and supporter
of the authority, J.P. Hamilton, was to become a vice-president. This overlap
of political leadership with leadership in the business community has been
a consistent feature of Morgan City politics in recent decades.

B. Berwick Home Rule Charter. Prior to 1966 Berwick, like many of the
smaller municipalities in Louisiana, operated under the weak mayor-council
form of government prescribed by the Lawrason Act enacted. by the Louisiana
legislature in 1898. The old Berwick charter was adopted under the provisions
of the Lawrason Act in 1907. The deficiencies of the weak mayor-council
form of municipal government have been well documented and there is no need
to examine them here.

In January of 1963, through the efforts of Mayor Ralph Guidry of Berwick
and the members of the Berwick town board, a committee was named to draft
a charter making use of the home rule authority granted to Louisiana munici-
palities through a 1952 constitutional amendment. The five member committee
consisted of Dr. C.G. Whitley, Chairman, who represented the town board;
Mayor Guidry, who was chosen as a representative of veterans; Alfred Lippman,
an attorney who represented professionals; Charles F. Bowman, chosen to
represent business; and Warren Drew, selected to represent labor.

As was the case with respect to the creation of the port authority,
the impetus in this issue area appeared to originate with governmental
officials, in particular the mayor; with representatives of private interests
emerging in supporting roles later in the decision process. Although both
of the issues were originally formulated and presented to the public by
governmental officials, this is not to say that private interests were of
no importance. In both cases representativesof private interests were

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active in the creation of popular support for the proposals. With the
information at hand it is not possible to say with any confidence with
respect to the charter issue whether the representatives of private interests
were recruited by political leaders or if their participation was primarily
self-generated.

The charter committee's report to the town council was accepted by a
unanimous vote in June of 1965. When the charter was'brought before the
voters for their approval in January of 1966 almost 60 per cent of those
participating in the election supported it.14 One of the few political
leaders to oppose the charter was Town Marshall Casper Cherry. Cherry's
opposition was understandable since his position was abolished when the
new charter went into effect. . I
C. West St. Mary Parish Port, Harbor and Terminal District. Both the
supporters and opponents of the West St. Mary Parish Port, Harbor and Terminal
District were in general agreement that the principal instigator of this
.project was the mayor of the city of Franklin, Dr. J.M. Fernandez. Other
prominent supporters included Franklin businessman Owen Mire and state
legislators Carl Bauer and V.J. Bella.

The legislation creating the new governmental unit was introduced
in the state legislature in the summer of 1974, It was supported in a quiet,
low key manner in order to minimize possible opposition. However, opposition
did eventually develop. The town aldermen of Patterson voted to send letters
.to Bauer and Bella requesting that their community be removed from the
jurisdiction of the district. Opposition in Patterson was centered around
the authority of the district to levy *an ad valorem tax of up to 2.5 mills
and the suspicion that the district was being created primarily for the
benefit of political and business interests in Franklin.

While Patterson was removed from the jurisdiction of the district,
another small St. Mary community, Baldwin, remained a part of it. Nevertheless,
some Baldwin area political leaders were distrustful of the motives of the
project's supporters. Like their counterparts in Patterson, they saw the
project as one to be partially supported by their taxes, but to be primarily
for the benefit of Franklin. One leader, for example, referred to the
project as "by and for the city of Franklin."

While they contended that the port authority would benefit all of
West St. Mary Parish, the supporters of the district did, to a certain
extent, confirm the motivations attributed to them by their opponents.
They argued that the Franklin area should attempt to slow the movement
of petroleum related commerce and industry into the Morgan City, Lafayette,
and New Iberia areas by increasing the attractions of Franklin. A feeling
of rivalry with Morgan City and the belief that Franklin was not getting
."its share" of economic growth were either implicit or explicit in the
arguments of those supporting the district. For example, one proponent,
argued that Morgan City had benefited considerably from its port authority,
and since it did not appear to be politically or legally feasible for
Franklin to join the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District, the creation

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of the West St. Mary district was the logical step if that city wished to
keep up with Morgan City in the pursuit of "progress."

Opposition to the district, with the exception of the political leaders
of Patterson, was diffuse and unorganized. Some of them were not aware of
the implications or even the existence of the legislative proposals creating
the district until it was already enacted.

Supporters characterized the opponents as enemies of economic progress
who were "too concerned with costs," They were portrayed as "old money"
interests who feared that their social status or economic positions would
suffer by the infusion of "new money" through economic growth.

The West St. Mary Port, Harbor and Terminal District appears to be an
issue on which the political leadership of Franklin in cooperation with the
more "progressive" business interests successfully pursued their goals
over moderate opposition from supporters of the economic status quo in
Franklin and some political leaders in the small towns of the parish.

While business interests were an element in the support for the district,
clearly governmental officials, especially Mayor Fernandez, were the most
influential supporters. Several of the people interviewed spoke of the
dormancy of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce in comparison with the one in
Morgan City and the difficulty of "prodding" the Franklin chapter into
action. Interestingly, Franklin's governmental officials seem more imbued
with the pursuit of economic growth or "progress" than the business community
as a whole.

D. Louisiana Municipal Power Commission. Perhaps the most controversial
issue in St. Mary Parish in the last decade has been the continuing debate
over the creation of the Louisiana Municipal Power Commission (LAMPCO),
a consortium of Louisiana cities (Morgan City, Franklin, Opelousas, and
Natchitoches) that have joined together to create a gas synthesis power
plant to provide electrical power to all member municipalities. Thibodaux
was also originally included in LAMPCO, but in June of 1976 its city council
voted against the city's participation. By April of 1977 the governing
bodies of the other four municipalities had approved the project and the
State Bond Commission had approved the sale of revenue bonds for the
construction of a power plant north of Franklin. LAMPCO expects to begin
supplying its member cities with power by 1980 or 1981.

The cities remaining in LANPCO hope that the synthesis.gas method of
generating electricity will prove to be less expensive than conventional
gas-burning plants because of the lower costs of the high sulphur content
fuels. to be consumed (tar, asphalt, lignite, and coal) and because of
economies of scale presumably created by the large size of the power plant.
The gas which is produced through the combustion of the fuels will be used
to fire conventional boilers to produce steam to turn turbines generating
electricity.

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Those respondents interviewed during this study were in agreement
that among the principal proponents of LAMPCO were Mayor Brownell of Mbrgan
City and Harold Beard, a consulting engineer of Baton Rouge. Beard's
engineering firm does work for a number of Louisiana cities, and Beard
personally was credited by one respondent with convincing the participating
cities of the project's value.

Although the city councils of all four remaining cities eventually
approved the project, one of the mayors, Dr. Fernandez of Franklin, became
an opponent and LAMPCO was approved by the Franklin council only over
Fernandez's vote. The debate over LAMPCO was decidedly more heated in
Franklin than elsewhere. In addition to Mayor Fernandez, other critics of
LAMPCO were General William Bigler, U.S. Army (Ret.),who served as the
chairman of a citizens' committee on LAMPCO, and Councilman C.C. Burleigh.
Opposition to the project centered around the bonded indebtedness to be
incurred; the technical feasibility of the new generating process; the
failure of the proposal to be placed directly before the electorate; and
the relative cost of LAMPCO electricity in comparison with power the city
might purchase from Central Louisiana Electric Company (CLECO) or some
other private company.

The political divisions on the LAMPCO issue surfaced again in March of
1977 when the State Bond Commission met to consider LANPCO's request for
permission to issue revenue bonds. Mayor Fernandez spoke in opposition,
arguing that the city did not have sufficient time to study the project
and that the Franklin council erred in not calling a public referendum.
He was joined in his opposition by St. Mary Parish attorneys James McClellan
and Nick LaRocca, Jr. Among the additional points raised was the contention
that the sales contracts with LAMPCO would obligate the municipalities to
@purchase a prescribed amount of electrical power and redeem a portion of
the bonds even if the plant does not operate as promised.

Mrs. Nervella Taylor, president of the Opelousas Chamber of Commerce
voiced support for LAMPCO and stated that there was little opposition to
the project in her city. She was joined by Mayor Brownell and Harold Beard,
who also supported the approval of the bond sale. Dr. Charles Marion of
Texaco Development criticized suggestions by opponents that LAMPCO was
technically unfeasible. It was, he said, only "marrying existing technology."15

Several members of the State Bond Commission pointed out that it was
not the responsibility of the commission to resolve the political disagreements
between the supporters and opponents of the project or to judge its techno-
logical practicality. After satisfying itself that the state's legal
requirements had been met, the commission voted unanimously to permit
LANPCO to sell up to 90 million dollars in revenue bonds.

Although elected governmental officials were among the "prime movers"
in this issue area, as in the other three, the LAMPCO issue does have at
least one distinguishing feature. On this issue there was direct and public
participation by a petroleum industry company, Texaco.

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Texaco Development, a subsidiary of Texaco, Inc., has developed and
marketed the technology of the gasification process world-wide. It holds
the patent on the Texaco Gas Combined Cycle. Texaco Development has also
entered into an agreement with Beard Engineering to cooperate in the provision
of technological and engineering assistance with respect to integration of
the gas synthesis unit and plant design.16 Earlier, Texaco, Inc. had
guaranteed in a letter to the LAMPCO board that it could provide one
hundred per cent of the fuel needs of the plant (1.6 million barrels of
asphalt and tar) for five years. Texaco, Inc. and its subsidiary thus
appear to have clear interests in the success of LAMPCO and they have been
active in its promotion.

Conclusion

Morgan City and St. Mary Parish stand as evidence that economic and social
changes do not necessarily produce political changes of the same magnitude. As
was suggested earlier, one of the distinguishing characteristics of the area's
political systems are their remarkable stability. Not only have there been
relatively few structural changes (particularly true of Morgan City), but a
fairly small group of men have held public offices in the area throughout
the post-war period.

The data collected and analyzed in this study do not lend support to the
hypothesis that communities with policy orientations directed toward economic
growth are likely to be dominated politically by business elites.17 While the
structure of Morgan City government has undergone minor changes during the
post-war period, there is no evidence to suggest that the oil industry had
any impact on those changes. Much the same can be said of the charter change
in Berwick.

In the first three of the issue areas examined, elected governmental
officials assumed the leadership in the formulation of policy questions and
they attempted to rally support for their positions among other sectors of
the community. Representatives of private interests, including business,
played a supportive and not highly visible role. In the fourth issue area,
LAIQC0, there was evidence of participation by nongovernmental groups and
individuals from the earliest stages.

While private interests were initiators of policy in only one of the
four policy areas examined, it is also evident that concern for the needs
of one set of interests, the petroleum industry, have a considerable influence
on the policy decisions of elected officials. While they are not the "tools"
of "puppets" of an economic elite, they are, nonetheless, in the vast majority
of cases committed to doing whatever they believe to be necessary to promote
economic growth. A case can even be made that the elected officials in
St. Mary Parish manifest a more consistent and enthusiastic commitment to
the kind of "progress" measured by economic expansion than do some business
leaders--particularly the "old money" interests centered around Franklin.
St. Mary Parish does not present a situation in which the petroleum industry

-156-

or any other private interest has "forced its attentions" on politicians.
Rather political leaders have willingly and with forethought developed their
policies to accommodate business expansion.

It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the St. Mary political
system is permeated by the desire for economic growth. In Morgan City there
seems to be virtually no dissent from this perspective and in Franklin the
same sentiment is gaining strength as that community seeks to gain some of
the "benefits" it has seen Morgan City acquire.

This desire to accommodate the petroleum industry and to promote economic
growth are seen clearly in the creation of the two port authorities and the
LAMPCO issues. The port authorities were promoted at least partially as
means of attracting and retaining industry; and LANPCO was supported by.some
as a 11progressive" project that would guarantee that Franklin's development
is not slowed by power shortages or high electrical rates. One area political
leader commented that the supporters of LANPCO were those who were not afraid
to "take risks", including substantial governmental borrowing, to insure the
community's progress.

It seems likely that most direct attempts by representatives of the
petroleum industry to influence governmental policies are directed at the
state and national governments. It is primarily these governments which
are responsible for regulatory decisions that affect the vital interests
of the industry. It is not surprising, therefore, that this study has found
little evidence of extensive industry activity designed to influence local
government actions.

In addition to the direct involvement of one company in the LANPCO
issue discussed above, we did find two general areas of less direct industry
impact. First, it has become apparent to the research team that the economic
growth of Morgan City and the eastern part of St. Mary Parish has resulted
in something of a bifurcation of the parish. We detected a fairly @trong
attitude to the effect that there is an "East" Saint Mary Parish and a
"West" St. Mary Parish; the former centered around Morgan City and the latter,
around Franklin. There is a feeling among at least some elements in the
western portion of the parish that that area has lagged behind the Morgan
City area in terms of economic development. The creation of the West St.
Mary Port Authority some twenty years after the formation of a similar
institution in Morgan City is evidence of that attitude and of the desire
of the western section of the parish to "catch up".

In addition, the fact that there are now two planning agencies in the
parish, one for the East and one for the West, further substantiates the
finding that the two areas of the parish feel that they have somewhat
different interests and concerns. On a much less significant level, but
illustrative nonetheless, iri.August 1976 there was debate within the police
jury over a proposal for parish aid to the Morgan City library. Eastern
St. Mary Parish interests argued that the municipal library in Morgan City
in fact functions as the main library for that end of the parish, suggesting
that the parish library in Franklin was not convenient.18 Representatives

-157-

from West St. Mary Parish opposed that aid which the police jury eventually
provided.

These events suggest that one impact of offshore development may have
been the division of the parish into two somewhat competitive areas. This
situation probably exists because of the greater economic growth in the Morgan
City area as compared to the Franklin region.

A second influence of the oil industry was to create the conditions
which led to the establishment of the two multi-functional port authorities
mentioned above. Finally, and most general, the growth of this industry
has resulted in a political atmosphere in which economic expansion or "progress"
is a prime consideration in governmental policy decisions.

-158-

FOOTNOTES

Library Commission, Recreation Department Commission, Municipal
Auditorium Commission, Tourist Commission and Beautification Commission.
The two planning commissions will be described below.

2
The two Regional Commissions appear to have reglaced the St. Mary
Parish Planning Board. The only reference to this board found during the
course of the research was a report entitled St. Mary Parish Resources and
Facilities Published in 1949.
3The researchers were unable to obtain any substantial information
concerning this body. Attempts to contact members of the commission in
person and mailed inquiries had not been responded to at the time of writing.
4The creation of a Dock Board at Morgan City was one recommendation
made by the St. Mary Parish Planning Board in its 1949 report (see note 2).
5Port of Morgan City: Port and Industrial Development Progr , an
economic survey prepared by Gulf Federated Consultants, Inc., 1958?.
6The following groups submit a list of three names each from which
the governor originally appointed five Commissioners for terms of 1-5 years.

a. Berwick City Council
b. Morgan City Council
C. St. Mary Parish Police Jury
d. Berwick Lions Club
e. Morgan City Rotary Club
f. Berwick Junior Chamber of Commerce
g. Kiwanis Club
h. Morgan City-Berwick Chamber of Commerce
7More specifically, the appointing process is as follows:

Mayor and Council of Franklin
2 members for 3 year terms
I member for 4 year term
Mayor and Aldermen of Baldwin
1 member for 2 years
St. Mary Parish Police Jury
2 members from Wards 1, 2, 7, and 10 for terms of
5 years and 6 years
2 members from Wards 3 and 4for terms of 4 years and
5 years
I member at large for a 7 year term

Successors to these original members will serve 7 year terms, in contrast to
the 9 year terms for board members of the Morgan City Port Authority.

_159-

8several issues which met these criteria were eliminated from consideration
because it was judged that they were principally state or national policy
questions.
9For an explanation of the two approaches see Willis D. HavAey and
Frederick M. Wirt, eds., The Search for Community Power, 2nd ed. (Englewood
Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1974) and Terry N. Clark, ed.,
Community Structure and Decision-Making: Comparative Analyses (San Francisco:
Chandler Publishing Company, 1968). Two well known examples of the two
approaches are Floyd Hunter, Community Power Structure: A Study of Decision
Makers (Garden City, New York: Anchor Books, 1963) and Robert A. Dahl,
Who Governs? (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1961).
10Morgan CitV Daily Review, 20 June 1952, p. 1.
11 Morgan City Daily Review, 30 May 1952, p. 1.
12 Morgan City Daily Review, 20 June 1953, p. 1.
13 Morgan City Daily Review, 30 May 1952, p. 1.
14 The charter was approved by avote of 389 to 256.
15 Morgan City DailV Review, 23 March 1977, pp. 1, 12.
16 Ibid., and St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune, 19 October 1976, pp. 1, 6.
17 For an examination of the economic growth policy orientations of munici-
palities see Oliver P. Williams, "A Typology for Comparative Local Government,"
Midwest Journal of Political Science 5 (May 1961): 150-164.

18
Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, 26 August 1976, p. 12-A.

-160-

MUNICIPAL SERVICES

David Johnson, Author

.Charles Durio, Research Assistant

-161-

WATER SUPPLY

Significant improvements in the water distribution and treatment
systems have recently been completed in all jurisdictions serving the
Morgan City region. Morgan City has built a new treatment plant and
completed a new raw water intake line. St. Mary Water District Number
Two and Berwick jointly constructed a treatment plant in 1961. The
Patterson treatment plant was constructed in 1946, but renovated in 1964.
All three systems have expanded distribution lines and storage facilities.

Morgan City.

The Morgan City water system is owned and operated by the city* The
city water distribution system serves all customers within the city limits
and provides water to two water districts. The first is St. Mary Parish
Water District Number One which includes the Wyandotte subdivision. The
remainder of Tiger Island eastward from Water District Number One is included
in St. Mary Parish Water District Number Three. This district also buys
water wholesale from Morgan City. The area of Amelia has been served since
1956, this including the supplying of barges with water. Stephenville, in
St. Martin Parish owns its own distribution system, but customers are billed
directly by Morgan City. Morgan City also supplied the needs of Berwick
until 1960.

Many bonds have been issued for the purpose of improving the water
system of Morgan City. The first evidence of a bond of this type was in
1912. A bond was incurred for $80,000 for both water and sewerage improve-
ments. The next approval took place in 1941, costing $70,000 for both
utilities. Table 1 lists the major bond issues passed which concern the
water system. Growth of the city has required significant expansion of
lines and investment in treatment plants. In 1949, a $210,000 improvement
began. In 1953, Morgan City built a new water treatment plant for $179,152.
From 1967 through 1971 the city, under an utilities revenue bond, made a
water systems expansion totaling nearly $2,500,000. This included funds
for a new treatment plant, a new intake system on Lake Palourde, and a
large water main expansion program.

All water is taken from surface water sources. The Atchafalaya River
is the city's main source of water. Lake Palourde is an alternate source,
the intake there constructed in 1971. This source is important, as at
certain times of the year, during an extremely low flow in the Atchafalaya
River, salt water intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico is a problem. The
raw water intakes and capacities are as follows:

Atchafalaya River:
Old Intake - one 12" line, one 14" line
three 1800 gallon per minute pumps
New Intake - one 20" line
one 2500 gallon per minute pump
one 3200 gallon per minute pump

-162-

TABLE I

BOND ISSUES, WATER SYSTEM, MORGAN CITY

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1912 80,000 Water and sewer improvements
1941 70,000 Water and sewer improvements
1949 210,000 Water extensions and improvements
1954 650,000 Water and electric improvements
1956 450,000 Water and electric improvements
1960 60,000 Water and gas main extensions
1961 2,100,000 Water and electric improvements
1962 1,100,000 Water and electric improvements
1967 4,125
1968 2,000',0000001 Approximately $2,100,000 for
1969 2,500,000 water improvements
1972,1973,1974 7,600,000 Water, electric, and gas - most
all earmarked for electric system

Lake Palourde:
New Intake one 24" line
one 3000 gallon per minute pump
one 5000 gallon per minute pump

Morgan City was served by a one million gallon per day water treatment
plant until 1953 when a new-three million gallon per day plant was constructed.
A second expansion in 1961 saw another three million gallon per day capability
added. The latest addition is an eight million gallon per day plant built
in 1971. These plants provide a total capacity of fourteen million gallons
per day.. The current estimated summer demand is less than half the total
capacity. The system operates using the newest plant, with the older plants
kept operational in case of an emergency.

The city has more than 2,000,000 gallons of storage capacity. The Oak
Street elevated tank was added with expansion in 1949, and the Maple Street
tank.became a storage tank when the sedimentation basin was discontinued
with the construction of a new treatment plant in 1961. Ground level
storage at the plant site was also expanded. There is a total of 1,050,000
@gallons of elevated storage and another 1,050,000 gallons of ground storage.
In addition to these storage facilities, St. Mary Parish Water District
Number Three has two elevated storage tanks. A small elevated water tank
is also present in Stephenville. Table 2 lists the storage facilities
currently in use.

The water distribution system in Morgan City consists primarily of
water mains of six inches or more in diameter. A few small areas in the

-163-

TABLE 2

WATER SYSTEM STORAGE FACILITIES, MORGAN CITY

Location Capacity Type
(in gallons)

Treatment plant site 500,000 Ground level
Treatment plant site 550,000 Underground storage
Maple Street 750,000 Elevated tank
Oak Street 200,000 Elevated tank
City Hall 100,000 Elevated tank
Bayou Ramos, St. Mary #3 250,000 Elevated tank
Amelia, St. Mary #3 200,000 Elevated tank
Stephenville 50,000 Elevated tank

older portions of the city are served by four inch mains. A network of mains
eight inches and larger forms a system of loops encircling segments of the
city. Map IA outlines the system as it existed in the late 1940's and contrasts
that extent with expansions of the system occurring up to 1970 and with the
more recent construction phase of the early 1970's. It is,apparent how the
lesser developed area outside the city limits has been supplied with large
water mains in the most recent expansion.

Expansions of plant and equipment are listed by year in Table 3. The
large amount spent during the 1969-1970 expansion overshadows all previous
dollar amounts. There have been water main extensions every year as the
system continues to expand.

TABLE 3

ADDITIONS TO WATERWORKS, MORGAN CITY

Year Water Main Water Plant and
extension Meters other
(in dollars) (in dollars) (in dollars)

Present in 1950 43,425 25,475 31,436
1951 4,423 4,466 17,402
1952 9,183 6,792 91,563
1953 11,384 3,244 30,381
1954 29,074 9,150 803
1955 37,916 8,388
1956 30,381 10,543
1957 21,515 4,250

-164-

(TABLE 3, continued)

1958 8,354 2,989
1959 8,977 4,431
1960 7,088 3,231
1961 54,786 7,122
1962 5,654 5,126
1963 1,949 5,944
1964 18,161 13,197
1965 6,928 8,474
24,898 20,415 3,387
1967 4 013 6,16.1 548
1968 2$,015 11,203 5,095
1969 11,167 9,347 791-' 511
1970 1,604 4,454 1,648,645
1971 11,202 6,289 10,049

1972 34,298
1973 22,972
1974 36,388
1975 26,485
1976 15,175

The annual operating expenses and revenues have risen as the system has
grown and as the number of customers has increased. Both operating expenses
and operating revenues have increased by nearly a factor of ten over the
last twenty-five years. Table 4 illustrates how these values have grown
in size. The waterworks has shown increasing profits over the years. These
profits are, of course, exclusive of the costs for capital improvements.

TABLE 4

OPERATING EXPENSES AND REVENUES, WATERWORKS, MORGAN CITY

Year Operating Revenues Operating Expenses
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1951 49,932 29,656
1954 68,091 58,243
1957 94,982 80,279
1960 111,470 84,491
1963 105,624
1966 150,097 136,965
1969 211,590 182,844
1972 330,797 229,660
1974 413,282 233,542
1976 435,979 292,691

-165-

The number of customers of the water system in Morgan City has increased
substantially in the last fifteen years. Water system audits indicate that
the number of customers has increased by approximately sixty per cent during
that time interval. Available information is summarized in Table 5.

TABLE 5

CUSTOMERS, WATERWORKS, MORGAN CITY

Year Customers

1960 2,970
1963 3,235
1966 3,691
1969 4,150
1972 4,511
1974 4,576
1975 4,740

The volume of water used in Morgan City has increased dramatically
during the twenty year period from the early 1950's to the early 1970's.
Usage has declined in the last four years. Table 6 details the number of
gallons sold per year by the Morgan City municipal waterworks.

TABLE 6

WATER SOLD, WATERWORKS, MORGAN CITY

Year Volume of Water Sold
(in thousands of gallons)

1951 275,310
1954 526,600
1957 587,300
1960 663,890
1963 733,465
1965 855,283
1968 1,220,257
1970 1,267,860
1972 1,606,006
1974 1,292,163
1976 1,167,364

-166-

Patterson.

The Patterson water system serves the town of Patterson. Until 1960,
the system also provided water to the Bayou Vista area (Waterworks District
Number Two). A small section of southeast Patterson was served by the
waterworks until the lines were purchased by Patterson in 1974. The original
water treatment plant was built in 1946 and renovated in 1964. The capacity
was 350,000 gallons per day. Water treatment facilities were expanded
in 1976 to accommodate 1,500,000 gallons per day. Water is obtained from
the Bayou Teche. Water is pumped via one 350 gallon per minute pump and
one 500 gallon per minute pump. There are two ground storage wells at the
treatment plant with capacities of 275,000 gallons and 75,000 gallons. The
system also has one elevated storage tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons
which was constructed in 1964. The distribution system in Patterson is
considered inadequate. Many of the water mains are 1, 2, and 4 inch pipes,
too small to provide satisfactory fire protection.

Table 7 compares revenues and expenses for the combined Sewerage and
Water Department. The large increase in revenue in 1975 is due to the
addition of the area in southeast Patterson. The lines were purchased
from Waterworks DistrictNumber Two at a cost of $75,000.

TABLE 7

OPERATING REVENUES AND EXPENSES,
WATER & SEWERAGE, PATTERSON

Year Revenues Expenditures
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1959 32,658 31,198
1961 33,125 28,785
1964 37,305 38,778
1967 45,230 52,434
1974 80,137 55,169
1975 120,620 56,616

Growth in the Patterson water system can be seen through bonds which
have been issued. Table 8 provides a summary of those bonds and delineates
their primary purpose. Table 9 lists additions and improvements to the
water system. Several major expansions can be noted.

Berwick.

Prior to 1960 Berwick had its water supplied by Morgan City. When
the original water distribution system was installed in Berwick., the town

-167-

TABLE 8

BOND ISSUES, WATER SYSTEM, PATTERSON

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1956 225,000 Sewer, water, and gas (very little
for water)
1964 350,000 Water and gas (major water line
extensions and storage tank)
1973 771,000 Water, sewer, and gas (primarily for
water treatment plant)

TABLE 9

ADDITIONS TO WATER SYSTEM, PATTERSON

Year Treatment Plant Water Lines Other
(in dollars)

1943 30,000
1948 69,671
1955 17,264
1956 4,608
1961 3,856
1962 28,918
1963 2,633 4,208
1965 116,577 94,735
1967 47,161
1968 134,539
1970 108,1902 348
1971 503 1,044
1973 3,263
1975 10,497 75,000

made arrangements with Morgan City to purchase water. An eight inch trans-
mission main was attached to the Long-Allen highway bridge across Berwick
Bay. As both Morgan City and Berwick grew in population, it finally became
apparent to the Morgan City officials that their own needs for water would
make it necessary to terminate their agreement to supply Berwick with water.
Finally in 1960 Berwick was requested to make other arrangements to meet
their water needs.

-168-

At about this same time, it was becoming apparent to the town of
Patterson that they could no longer supply the Bayou Vista area (Waterworks
District Number Two) with water. Berwick and Waterworks District Number
Two agreed in 1960 to construct a water treatment plant to serve both
Bayou Vista and Berwick. Agreements were executed stipulating that the
town of Berwick would bear two-thirds of the construction cost, and in
return, be entitled to two-thirds of the output of treated water from the
plant. Bayou Vista thus received the remaining one-third. This arrangement
was altered recently to provide for an equal sharing in the costs and output.
This was necessitated by the more rapid growth of Bayou Vista.

The water treatment plant c onstructed in 1961 is capable of producing
2,000,000 gallons of treated water daily. The plant is currently being
renovated to increase the available capacity. In case of emergency needs
the line between Morgan City and Berwick is still intact, and the Bayou
Vista system is still connected to the Patterson system.

The raw source for the treatment plant is Bayou Teche, the intake
located approximately one-half mile north of the plant. Two pumps at
this intake transport water to the treatment plant. These raw water
pumps transport water through a single twelve inch line.

After 1956, the revenues and expenses for the waterworks and gas
utility are combined. These combined totals are-found in Table 10. It
@is apparent that operating revenues have continually exceeded operating
expenses.

Major expansions and extensions are noted for the Berwick water system
in Table 11. In recent years it has not always been possible to separate
expenditures for gas and water improvements.

Bayou Vista.

Waterworks District Number Two was created in 1953. The water supplie&
to this area of Bayou Vista came from Patterson. As the Bayou Vista area
became more densely settled, the demand for water increased and in 1960
the decision was made to unite with Berwick for purposes of constructing
a water treatment plant. The growth in the Bayou Vista area can be seen
as the number of customers dramatically increased. Table 12 notes how
the number of gallons sold and the value of those sales has increased
for Waterworks District Number Two. The slight decline in gallons sold
from 1973 to 1975 reflects the sale of a portion of the district located
in Patterson to that town's water system during 1974.

Bayou Vista has two elevated storage tanks with capacities o f 200,000
gallons and 500,000 gallons. The 2,000,000 gallon per day treatment facility
is shared with Berwick.

-169-

TABLE 10

OPERATING REVENUES AND EXPENSES
WATERWORKS AND GAS, BERWICK

Year Revenue Expenditures
(in dollars) (in dollars)

Water Gas Water Gas

1950 10,451 23,000 5,947 7,873
1953 13,234 40,451 9,001 17,314
1956 18,862 52,285 16,306 35,325
1959 123,101 93,794
1962 143,324 89,523
1965 155,386 82,358
1968 173,026 105,108
1970 180,414 140,430
1974 219,327 152,862
1975 234,171 165,947

TABLE 11

ADDITIONS TO WATER SYSTEM, BERWICK

Year Water Lines Treatment Plant Other
(in dollars) (in dollars) (in dollars)

1937 9,470
1947 40,000
1953 2,187
1954 726
1955 952
1956 1,143
1957' 12,266 447
1958 7,032
1959 677 5,171
1960 11,695
1961 36,932 319,341 8 )447
1962 6,876** 948 7,959
1963 2,282** 2,025 3,414
1964 1,619**
1965 42,495** 3,730
1966 21,737-*
1967 1,536*-
1969 2,585

-170-

(TABLE 11, c ontinued)

1970 10, 955**
1972 23,041*- 2,528

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Combined total for Water and Gas Lines

TABLE 12

WATER SOLD, WATERWORKS DISTRICT NUMBER TWO

Year Gallons Value
(in dollars)

1955 8,171,576 8,132
1958 24,244,200. 23,062
1961 40,735,300 38,547
1964 71,572,700 67,670
1967 119,336,600 89,407
1970 154,647,500 106,388
1973 175,742,300 159,147
.1974 175,710,700 157,425
1975 163,842,500 159,055

GAS, UT T-L ITY

Morgan City, Berwick, and Patterson each have a municipal gas department.
The distribution system is owned and maintained by the municipalities. The
natural gas is supplied by Texaco. The systems have been expanded over the
last twenty-five years, but at less expense than the other municipal utilities.

Morgan City.

Morgan City has passed a series of bond issues for the purpose of
expanding and improving its gas distribution system. Table 1 lists the
bond issues passed and their respective amounts. The largest expansions
were seen in 1949 and during the late 1960's. The expansion of the gas
system in 1970 saw a new transmission line built. An eight-inch trans-
mission line extending from the Texaco point of delivery to the City's
steam power plant was constructed. This line thus crosses both the
Atchafalaya River and Bayou Boeuf. The previously existing four-inch
main, running through Berwick and suspended on the Atchafalaya River

-171-

TABLE I

BOND ISSUES, GAS SYSTEM, MORGAN CITY

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1949 460,000 Gas system improvements
1960 60,000 Gas and water improvements
1967 4)125
1968 2,000,'0000001 Approximately $500,000 for
1169 2,500,000 the gas system
1972,1973,1974 7,600,000 Most funds earmarked for
electric system improvements

highway bridge was operating at pressures generally considered above normal.
Intermediate pressure mains were also constructed as well as new regulator
stations. The entire expansion totaled over $500,000. Additions to the
gas system are outlined in Table 2. The significant expansion in 1970 is
evident.

Operating revenues and expenses of the gas utility have grown substan-
tially over the last twenty-five years. Costs have risen the most dramatically
in the last two years as the price of natural gas has increased substantially.
From 1970 to 1974 the actual volume of natural gas purchased decreased. In
1970 purchases totaled 2,249,420,000 cubic feet of gas. The comparable
gure for 1974 was 2,242,392,800 cubic feet. Thus, the volume remained
nearly constant, while the cost of natural gas purchases increased from
fi

$487,031 in 1970 to $1,171,806 in 1974. Table 3 presents the operating
revenues and expenses from 1950 through 1975. The amount of the expenditures
which are direct natural gas purchases are noted. In recent years the
operating revenues have only narrowly exceeded the operating expenses.

The number of customers in the Morgan City gas system has increased
over seventy-five per cent from 1960 to 1976. That increase has been at
a much slower rate during the 1970's. Morgan City also sold gas to Berwick
at cost until 1963. Table 4 lists the number of customers in Morgan City
from 1960 to 1976.

Patterson.

Patterson owns its gas distribution system. It purchases natural
gas from Louisiana Intrastate Gas Company, a division of CLECO. This
system serves both Patterson and Bayou Vista. Built during the early
1950's, Patterson's natural gas system was significantly expanded in
1965.

-172-

TABLE 2

ADDITIONS TO GAS SYSTEM, MORGAN CITY

Year Extensions Meters Regulators Other
(in dollars)

Present in 1951 495,679 4)039 1,438

1952 19,055 9,162 1,567
1953 10,365 4,471 1,746 3,403:
19-54 43,851 6,280 2,945 3,451
1955 21,943 8,997 1,862 259
1956 11,205 7,037 2,500
1957 20 ' 106 10,928 863 1,053
1958 24,770 3,545 1,344 775
@1959 1,831 5,980 1,308 6,122

1960 9,238 1,048

1961 44,081 7,098 2,024 3,754
1962 20,024 4,198 641 18,807
1963 44,937 5,880 1,197 8,000

1964 55,919 5,625

1965 56,669 8,304 1,502 548
1966 46,367 8,964 2,579 4,313
1967 39,987 5,540 2,124 515
1968 19,177 8,910 650 2,420
1969 37,672 31375 739 9,004

i970 224,657 13,368
1971 15,10.4 3,012

1972 20,790
1973 11,268
1974 30,704
1975 21,232
1976 34,044

-173-

TABLE 3

OPERATING REVENUES AND EXPENSES, GAS, MORGAN CITY

Year Operating Revenues Operating Expenses Natural Gas
(in dollars) Purchases

1950 44,630 27,849 15,091
1952 156,565 86,421 53,554
1954 209,619 129,312 68,812
1956 252,484 127,808 71,926
1958 322,984 161,873 89,437
1960 372,937 138,402 77,880
1962 387,219 160,115 75,610
1964 496,999 321,805 237,953
1966 563,497 410,715 297,094
1968 650,708 419,547 300,479
1970 877,086 689,337 487,031
1972 868,309 795,309 543,420
1974 1,530,451 1,495,053 1,171,806
1975 2,372,348 2,260,870 2,008,360

TABLE 4

CUSTOMERS, GAS UTILITY, MORGAN CITY

Year Customers

1960 3,059
1962 3,402
1964 3,671
1966 4,132
1968 4,538
1970 4,733
1972 5,189
1974 5,250
1976 5,413

-174-

Bond issues concerning the gas system have been incorporated into
several issues which provided funds for utility operations. Table 5 notes
the bond issues and their amounts.

TABLE 5

BOND ISSUES, GAS, PATTERSON

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1956 250,000 Water, gas, and sewer (mostly for
sewer)
1964 350,000 Water and gas (both major water improve-
ments and gas line extensions)
1973 771,000 Water, gas, and sewer (primarily
water treatment plant)

Operating revenues and expenditures of the Patterson gas utility have
risen continually. Increases are documented in Table 6.

TABLE 6

OPERATING EXPENSES, AND REVENUES, GAS, PATTERSON

Year Revenues Expenditures
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1959 76,310 44,847
1962 99,794 67,367
1965 143,158 85,816
1967 157,570 95,840
1974 212,845 117,273
1975 241,466 175,045

The number of customers served by the Patterson gas utility has increased
in recent years. Table 7 notes the number of customers in both Patterson
and Bayou Vista served by this utility.

The Patterson gas system was constructed during the early 1950's.
Expansions and improvements have taken place since that time, with the
largest extension of gas lines occurring in 1965. Table 8 notes the
I
sequence and extent of each improvement made to the system.

-175-

TABLE 7

CUSTOMERS, GAS, PATTERSON

Year Customers

1962 1,517
1964 1,866
1966 250021
1975 2,602

TABLE 8

ADDITIONS TO THE GAS SYSTEM, PATTERSON

Year Gas System Improvements Equipment
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1950-1954 140,382
1955 14,079
1962 16,262
1963 24,457 859
1965 167,366
1966 5,745
1967 17,400
1969 16,947
1970 16,421 5,300
1971 4,308 6,579
1972 2,771
1973 3,568
1974 6,718

Berwick.

Berwick owns its own gas distribution system. It purchases gas from
Texaco. It was purchased through Morgan City until 1963. The number of
customers has nearly doubled since 1950. Table 9 shows that the number
of customers has decreased slightly in recent years.

The operating expenses of the gas utility are combined with the
waterworks and data on expenses and revenues are listed under the discussion
on water supply. The major part of the gas system was installed in 1948
at a cost of $210,468. Expansions have occurred since that time, particularly
in 1955. Recent expansion costs are again listed with the section on water
supply.

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TABLE 9

CUSTOMERS, GAS, BERWICK

Year Customers

1950 513
1952 608
1954 700
1956 790
1958 895
1960 968
1962 1,003
1964 1,023
1966 1)044
1975 1,008

ELECTRIC UTILITY

Morgan City has its own power plants and supplies its needs through
a municipal power system. This system has been expanded many times over
the last twenty-five years as the needs of the citizens and industries
of Morgan City have expanded. Berwick, Bayou Vista and Patterson have
their power supplied by the Central'Louisiana Electric Company (CLECO).

Morgan City.

Morgan City has passed a series of bond issues for the purpose of
expanding its power generating capabilities. Table I lists bond issues
passed and their amounts. A series of three bond issues in 1967, 1968,
and 1969 were passed to provide money for the entire utility system. Thus,
these bonds of $8,625,000 were to help finance improvements in the electric,
water and gas systems. Approximately one-half of this total was used by
the electric utility. Another series of three bond issues dated 1972,
1973, and 1974 was likewise for the benefit of all three municipal
utilities. Most of the $7,600,000 was earmarked for the electric department.

The oldest generating unit still used was installed in 1938. This,
and other diesel generating units were installed to increase the capacity
of the system. Additional units were put into service in 194.2, 1947, 1952,
1954, 1956, and 1958. These had a total installed kilowatt capacity of
10,100. This capability was more than doubled with the installation of two
steam powered units in 1963. With the power plant expansion in 1970 this
capacity was again nearly doubled, bringing the total capability to over
40,000 kilowatts. The new expansion in 1973 has again drastically improved
the power generating ability of the Morgan City electric utility.

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TABLE I

ELECTRIC BONDS, MORGAN CITY

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1954 650,000 Electric and water
1951 450,000 Power plant expansion
1961 2YI00,000 Electric and water
1962 l)lOO'OOO Electric and water
1967 4,125,000
1968 2,000,000 Approximately $4,900,000
1969 2.1500,000J for electric
1972 2,900,000
1973 3y5OO,OOO Approximately $7,400,000
1974 1,200,000 for electric

Additions to the Morgan City electric system have been numerous. New
power generating units have been added periodically. Significant amounts
have also been spent each year for transmission lines, electric meters,
and transformers. Table 2 details the expansions which have occurred to
the electric utility since 1950. The cost of this expansion exceeds
$18,000,000 over this twenty-five year period.

The operating expenses of the electric system have increased dramatically.
From only $181,056 in 1951, costs have soared to $3,712,065 in 1976. The
cost of production has, of course, risen as inflation has its effect, but the
increase is also due to a large increase in production. As operating
expenses have risen, so too have operating revenues. The electric utility
has consistently shown a good profit. Table 3 shows the operating revenues
and expenses of the electric utility. One component of the operating
expenses is detailed. The amount of power purchased from other sources is
noted. After the power plant expansion in 1970 this amount has been quite
insignificant. The amount of power purchased increased prior to the two
additions in generating capability in 1964 and 1970.

The number of customers of the Morgan City electric system has grown
consistently until 1974. Table 4 notes that the number of customers has
increased by nearly 2,000 in the last fifteen years. Table 5 shows how
electric consumption has changed. The number of kilowatt hours produced
has increased more than ten-fold over the last twenty-five years. It has
only been since 1972, and the push for conservation, that the output has
declined slightly.

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TABLE 2

ADDITIONS TO ELECTRIC UTILITY, MORGAN CITY

Year Plant Transmission lines, Electric
Expansion meters, & Transformers
(in dollars) (in dollars)

Present in 1950 553,946 195,241
1951 17,943 28,037
1952 169,929 47,366
1953 9,068 28,615
1954 539,328 102,675
1955 7,328 64,381
1956 442,812 55,925
1957 8,910 51,911
1958 239,861 33,547
1959 5,733 53,119
1960 76,516
1961 22,932 33,731
1962 1,141 44,721
1963 1,013 53,431
1964 3,066,984 73,133
1965 37,425 146,816
1966 147,137
1967 7,836 163,675
1968 176,013
1969 80,632
1970 3,931,722 134,898
1971 6,764 112,952
1972 249,991 159,571
1973 5,353,370 175,279
1974 1,726,134 224,717
1975 371,720 146,272
1976 10,786 155,670

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TABLE 3

OPERATING REVENUE & EXPENSES, ELECTRIC, MORGAN CITY

Year Operating Operating Power
Revenue Expenses Purchased
(in dollars) (in dollars) (in dollars)

1951 331,692 181)056
1954 472,734 224,385
1957 751,946 383,789
1960 923,931 471,757 32,462
1962 1,061,150 597,645 152,142
1964 1,218,600 750,.345 5,796
1966 1,580,752 934,570 51,943
1968 1,902,029 1,161,915 87,553
1970 2,297.$780 1,456,521 9,762
1972 2,849,026 1,522,887 4,372
1974 3,434,963 2,148,671 1,673
1976 5,031,872 3,712,065 6,073

TABLE 4

CUSTOMERS, ELECTRIC UTILITY, MORGAN CITY

Year Number of Customers

1960 4,635
1962 4,998
1964 5,158
1966 5,665
1968 5,923
1970 6,375
1972 6,567
1974 6,728
1976 6%374

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TABLE 5

POWER SOLD, ELECTRIC UTILITY, MORGAN CITY

Year Electric Power Sold
(millions of kilowatt hours)

1951 11,211.9
1954 15,728.7
1957 23,490
1960 34,729
1963 50,173
1965 67,875
1968 95,140
1970 103,407
1972 150,674
1974 148,977
1976 .145,113.8

Berwick and Patterson.

Electric power is supplied to Berwick, Patterson, and the Bayou Vista
area by Central Louisiana Electric Company (CLECO). Neither of the manici-
palities of Berwick or Patterson own the distribution system and, thus, need
not directly provide monies for construction and maintenance of the system.
These costs do, of course, eventually find their way into the price charged
the consumer.

SEWERAGE

The treatment of sewage has been done on only a very limited scale within
the Morgan City area. Patterson treats its sewage, but the entire area
is still in the process of constructing adequate sewage treatment facilities.
Patterson, Berwick, and the St. Mary Sewerage District Number Two (Bayou
Vista area) are jointly constructing a treatment facility, while Morgan
City has also embarked the desig n of a large treatment plant. Presently,
Berwick, Bayou Vista, and Morgan City all dump untreated sewage into the
neighboring waterways.

Morgan City.

Untreated sewage is currently being discharged into Bayou Boeuf.
Federal water pollution standards require the treatment of municipal sewage
and, thus, Morgan City has begun the process of designing and constructing
a treatment plant. At a cost in excess of $9,000,000 the project represents
one of the larger monetary undertakings of the city. The basic financing
of this system is derived from a 0.75 per cent St. Mary Parish sales tax.

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The purpose of this special tax from the parish is to disburse such amounts
for construction, acquisition, extension, improvement, operation, and
maintenance of solid waste collection and disposal facilities, sewer and
sewerage disposal works and other facilities for pollution control and
abatement and to pay debt service requirements on bonds issued for such
purpose. The fund had a total of $108,887 in 1974 and after engineering
expenses of $50,580 in 1975 still had a balance of $309,725 at the end of
1975.

Past expenditures for improvements in sewerage collection have been
limited in extent. The dollar investment is significantly lower than the
other municipal utilities. Bond issues for the purpose of sewerage improve-
ments are listed in Table 1. Two early bonds contained expenditures for
both the water and sewer system. Large scale sewerage expansions resulted
from the bonds passed in 1949 and 1960.

TABLE 1

SEWERAGE BOND ISSUES, MORGAN CITY

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1912 80,000 Sewer and water improvements
1941 70,000 Sewer and water improvements
1949 323,000 Sewer system improvements
1955 25,000 Sewer lift station
1960 400,000 Sewer system improvements

Operating expenses of the Sewerage Department can be estimated in
several years. The combining of sewerage and streets into a single department
makes detailing difficult for several years. Operating expenses (estimates
where necessary) are shown for the Morgan City Sewerage Department in Table 2.
Expenses have gradually risen over the past decades.

A newly created Sewerage District Number One now serves Morgan City
and what was formerly the St. Mary Sewer District Number One, serving the
Wyandotte and Walsh subdivisions. The Sewerage District Number One includes
all of the area within the city limits of Morgan City, as well as all of
the developed and undeveloped areas of Ward 6 lying between Lake Palourde
on the north, Bayou Ramos on the east, and Bayou Boeuf on the south. This
encompasses approximately 4,500 acres.

The major portion of the Morgan City sewerage collection system is made
up of eight-inch lines. Local sewer service connections are connected to
gravity flow lines. Due to the flat topography of the land, however, lift
or pumping stations are needed periodically. There are twenty-two sewage

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TABLE 2

OPERATING EXPENSES, SEWERAGE DEPARTMENT, MORGAN CITY

Year Operating Expenses
(in dollars)

1953 26,000
1955 16,000
1957 12,000
1959 34,000
1961 43,000
1973 60,977
1974 87,000
1975 93,500

lift or pumping stations in the collection system. All of the sewage is
eventually discharged into Bayou Boeuf near the end of Third Street. At
present there are approximately 55 miles of sewer mains.

Berwick.

The sewerage system in Berwick does not presently include any treatment
facilities. Two pumping stations adjacent to the Atchafalaya River are used
to pump sewage over the levee and into the river. The system contains
gravity flow lines and uses pumping stations where necessary. The Country
Club Estates subdivision utilizes a sewage lagoon within its separate system.
Berwick has currently entered into an agreement with Patterson and the
St. Mary Parish Sewerage District Number Two for the construction of a joint
facility to handle solid and liquid waste. This treatment facility is
funded primarily through the 0.75 per cent St. Mary Parish sales tax.
Each of the three jurisdictions contributed $39,066 toward engineering
services in 1975.

Three bond issues have been passed for the purpose of improving the
sewerage collection system. The amounts are listed in Table 3. The operating
expenses of the Sewerage Department in Berwick have continually risen over
the last two decades. Revenues have also slowly risen. Table 4 details
these revenues and operating expenses for Berwick.

BaVou Vista.

The.sewerage system in the Bayou Vista area has no treatment plant.
Sewage is pumped into the Atchafalaya River. The system was constructed
in 1960. This area., St. Mary Sewerage District Number Two, is currently
joining with Berwick and Patterson to construct a sewage treatment plant.

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TABLE 3

BOND ISSUES, SEWERAGE) BERWICK

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1948 90,000 Sewer improvements for Sewerage
District No. I (Berwick)
1956 85,000 Sewer improvements
1965 37,000 Sewer improvements

TABLE 4

OPERATING EXPENSES, REVENUES, SEWERAGE, BERWICK

Year Operating Expenses Operating Revenues
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1950 738 1,648
1953 494 1,840
1959 3,127 718
1962 4,796 5,961
1965 5,824 19,265
1968 8,724 21,148
1972 12,258 23,469
1974 18,423 23,629
1975 21,724 24,258

Patterson.

The Patterson sewerage system has a treatment and disposal plant. The
original sewerage system dates back to the middle 1950's. The treatment
plant, part of the original 1954 system, was designed as a trickling filter
plant. The capacity was 400,000 gallons per day. After two decades of use,
however, the practical capacity is 350,000 gallons per day. In 1970 the plant
was renovated by repairing the trickling filter arms, replacing pumps, and
installing sludge collectors in the final settling basin. Treated sewage
is discharged from the plant into the Taft Street drainage canal and then
into Dynamite Canal. The capacity is taxed during times of heavy rainfall.
With large amounts of drainage water infiltrating into the sewerage system,
this occasionally necessitates the discharge of raw, untreated sewage into
the drainage canal. Patterson is now contributing to a joint undertaking
with Berwick and the St. Mary SewerageDistriet Number Two for the construction
of a large sewage treatment plant.

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Operating expenses for the Sewerage Department in Patterson are difficult
to datermine in early years as expenditures for the Sewerage and Water
Department are listed as one total. Table 5 lists the expenditures and
revenues where available. Patterson has only recently levied a sewerage
service charge. As of 1975 the Patterson sewerage system served 2,678
customers.

TABLE 5

OPERATING EXPENSES AND REVENUES, SEWERAGE, PATTERSON

Year Operating Expenses Operating Revenues
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1959 (31,198)* 0
15,000 0
1974 22,639 1,405
1975 22,845 16,070

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Sewerage and Water

Bond issues for utility improvements have been issued with the combined
purpose of funding sewer, water, and natural gas projects. Table 6 notes
these projects, as well as those exclusively for sewer construction.

TABLE 6

BOND ISSUES, SEWERAGE, PATTERSON

Year Amount of Bond Purpose of Bond
(in dollars)

1956 225,000 Sewer, water, and natural gas
(mostly sewer)
1959 35,000 Sewer construction
1967 145,186 Sewer construction
1974 771,000 Sewer, water, and natural gas
(mostly water)

Expansions to the sewerage system have been made since its inception in
the 1950's. Table 7 lists the major additions to the sewerage system.

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TABLE 7

ADDITIONS TO SEWERAGE SYSTEM, PATTERSON

Year Amount Purpose

1958 126,754 Sewerage treatment plant
1958 249,818 Sanitary sewer system
1960 32,143 Additions to sewer system
1967 26,770 Improvements to sewer system
1970 129,433 Improvements to sewer system
1970 44,413 Disposal plant
1970 3,230 Equipment
1971 500 Equipment
1974 2,726 Sewer extensions

SOLID WASTE

Historically, solid waste in the Morgan City area has been disposed
of through the use of open dumps and incinerators. With the advent of
stricter pollution standards in the 1970's and the existence of greater
quantities of solid waste, improved methods of disposal are now being
financed.

Morgan City.

Morgan City currently disposes of its solid waste through the use
of an open dump. During the 1950's and 1960's an incinerator was utilized.
The quantity of garbage became too much for an incinerator to handle by
the late 1960's and, thus, Morgan City returned to the open dum p method.
Morgan City has just recently entered into a contract with other jurisdic-
tions to build a disposal plant which would utilize a shredder.

The expense of collecting and disposing of garbage has risen substan-
tially over the last several decades. Statistics are difficult to interpret
as garbage collection and disposal has historically fallen under the Parks,
Sanitation, and Cemetery Department. Expenditures have been isolated for
sanitation where possible to give an indication of the rapid rise in cost
for this service. Table 1 indicates the salaries received by the entire
sanitation section of the department. These salaries went primarily toward
garbage collection, but during certain years significant funds have gone
toward spraying the city. A separate total is given for 1974 indicating
the operating expenses of the Sanitation Department.

Capital investment in vehicles is listed in Table 2. These purchases
consist primarily of garbage trucks. Table 3 indicates the income from
garbage collection which has accrued to Morgan City. Income has consistently
risen, but certainly has not come close to matching the expenditures required
for its collection.

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TABLE I

SOLID WASTE OPERATING EXPENSES, MORGAN CITY

Year Salaries - Total Operating Expenses
Sanitation Dept. Parks, Sanitation, Cemeteries Dept.
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1952 19,281 33,252
1955 38,698 48,928
1958 47,400 69,766
1961 97,544 138,261
1964 99,757 143,502
1967 162,336 241,816
1972 175,324 221,624 Sanitation only
1974 206,802 324,205 (251,497)

TABLE 2

VEHICLE PURCHASE, SANITATION DEPARTMENT, MORGAN CITY

Year Vehicle Purchases
(in dollars)

1955 - 1959 17.1918
1960 - 1964 8,825
1965 - 1969 29,398
1970 - 1974 14,082

TABLE 3

INCOME FROM GARBAGE COLLECTION, MORGAN CITY

Year Income
(in dollars)

1960 1,404
1964 5,184
1968 5,656
1970 7,709
1972 10,303
1974 14,007
1975 16,959

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Berwick and Patterson.

Both Berwick and Patterson utilize open dumps to dispose of trash and
garbage. Patterson collects for the Bayou Vista area, and as of 1975 had
2,853 customers. Berwick,, Patterson, and the Bayou Vista area have entered
into an agreement for the construction of a solid waste disposal system.
Engineering studies have already been undertaken.

Income from garbage collection in Patterson has risen over the last
decade. Expenditures are difficult to compare as before 1966 all salaries
were shown separate from departmental expenses. Table 4 provides available
comparisons.

TABLE 4

GARBAGE DEPARTMENT, EXPENSES AND INCOME, PATTERSON

Year Expenditures Income
(in dollars) (in dollars)

1959 0* 12,000 (estimate)
1963 219* 19,457
1966 493* 33,829
1974 50,934 52,469
1975 51,845 53,533

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Does not include salaries

The expenditures of the Berwick Sanitation Department have been rising
dramatically. Table 5 notes the change in costs for operating expenses and
equipment. Berwick does not charge for garbage collection within its city
limits.

TABLE 5

EXPENSES, SANITATION DEPARTNENT, BERWICK

Year Expenditures
(in dollars)

1950 897
1953 1,885
1956 3,395
1959 6,563
1963 14,974

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(TABLE 5, continued)

1967 36,806
1974 42,457
1975 50,988

RECREATION

Recreation programs and facilities are an important component of a
city or an urban region. Within the Morgan City area significant steps
have been taken over the last decade to meet the increasing need for leisure-
time activities. Emphasis is here placed upon developed recreational sites
and theirprograms. Note must also be made, however, of the opportunities
.for outdoor experiences available outside of the confines of such facilities.
Morgan City has developed facilities which represent large capital invest-
ments. The remaining area of, the region has expended very little in comparison
with Morgan City.

Morgan City.

Morgan City has acquired additional recreational acreage as the
population has expanded over the last twenty-five years. Recreation sites
have been developed, new land purchased, and available land set aside for
future consideration. Table 1 lists the developed sites in Morgan City and
the types of recreational use available at each. It is apparent that a
wide variety of sports facilities exist. Other uses, such as picnicking,
are more limited, however, as many of the locations noted are upon school
grounds.

The most significant development in the last ten years is the construction
of the Recreation Complex. The total cost is in excess of $1,200,000. With
construction of the new expressway through Morgan City, the existing recreation
building and swimming pool had to be relocated. Therefore, much of the
funding for the new complex was provided by state monies. The swimming
pool (15,000 square feet) represents a significant expansion of such facilities
in Morgan City. It is nearly twice the size of the pool it replaces. The
pool is open to those of the entire region and thus serves a broader population
than Morgan City. Swamp Gardens is located adjacent to the Recreation Complex
and has been developed primarily as a tourist attraction. The garden features
a small swamp with native plants and wildlife exhibited in their natural
habitat. Area still remains around the Recreation Complex to accommodate
future expansion as funds become available.

Lake End Park is the o@her major public recreation site in the Morgan
City region. On the shore of Lake Palourde, and covering over 37 acres,
space is provided for picnicking, swimming, boating, waterskiing, and

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TABLE I

RECREATION SITES, MORGAN CITY

Site Acreage Facilities

Lake End Park 37.1 Playground, picnic, boat ramp
Little League Park 5.2 Baseball, grandstand
Shaw Tract 5.2 Baseball, football, grandstand
Spinella Park 2.1 Baseball, grandstand
Lawrence Park 2.8 Basketball, tennis, playground,
.picnic
Norman Park 4.4 Baseball, football
Greenwood Park .4 Picnic
Jacquet Park and School 7.7 Pool, baseball, basketball, grand-
stand
Swamp Gardens 2.7 Nature walk
Recreation Complex 4.o Pool, baseball, tennis, playground,
picnic, grandstand
Bowman Park
Evans Park
Sumter Williams School 5.2 Baseball, basketball
M.E. Norman School 5.0 Baseball
Maitland School 5.0 Basketball, playground
Shannon School 3.8 Baseball, basketball
Wyandotte School 5.3 Baseball, basketball
Morgan City Jr. High 16.5 Baseball, football, basketball,
grandstand
Morgan City Sr. High 15.1
Young's Voc.-Tech. School 6.2 Picnic
C. Catholic High 14.0 Baseball, football, basketball

other water-related activities. The site features a boat ramp, with a
second nearby.

several smaller parks are located within Morgan City. Improvements
were made to several during the late fifties and the early sixties, partic-
ularly in the form of baseball diamonds, tennis courts, bleachers, and the
general upgrading of sites. Additional playground land is found in association
with the public schools. Many playfields are equipped for baseball and
basketball, the larger schools often having football fields and sports
grandstands. Many of these schools have summer recreation programs.

The generally accepted standard of one acre of recreational land for
each 100 persons illustrates the need for additional recreational land.
Morgan City with approximately 150 acres (including all school playgrounds)
would thus be adequate for a population of 15,000. That figure was reached
within the city limits over a decade ago. When it is realized that several

_190-

of the facilities serve a regional population, the amount of land seems even
more inadequate. Fortunately, additional land for development does exist
in conjunction with the Recreation Complex. Additional small parcels of
land are present from the rights-of-way under the new freeway bridge
construction. This area offers potential for recreational land.

Over the past several decades expenditures on recreation have consist-
ently increased. The Recreation Improvement Fund has served as the primary
funding vehicle. Table 2 lists expenditures from this fund. The current
level of spending allows a full-time superintendent for recreation and an
extensive recreation program. From an expenditure of only $12,604 in 1950,
the values have risen to $74,690 in 1970 and $190,917 in 1975. Costs have
risen more rapidly in recent years, particularly with the completion of the
Recreation Complex.

TABLE 2

RECREATION FUND EXPENDITURES, MORGAN CITY

Year Expenditures
(in dollars)

1950 12,604
1952 13,074
1954 17,110
1956 17,466
1958 18,719
1960 23,279
1962 29,500
1964 34,246
1966 50,044
1968 57,840
1970 74,690
1972 99,359
1973 108,952
1974 175,613
1975 190,917

Improvements to existing facilities has required increasing expenditures.
Significant sums have been spent in recent years on tennis and basketball
facilities. Some of the expenses were due to developing the Recreation
Complex, but funds have been expended for most of the municipal park sites.
Table 3 summarizes the expenditures upon improvements to the recreation
system in Morgan City. Two bond issues have also been passed for the
construction of swimming pools. An 8,000 square foot pool was built in
1953 from a $160,000 bond issue. This pool has since been replaced by
the new pool in the Recreation Complex. A second pool was built in 1958
after the passage of a $95,000 bond. It is a smaller pool, 4,500 square
feet in size.

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TABLE 3

RECREATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS, MORGAN CITY

Year Expenditures on Improvements
(in dollars)

1950 - 1954 8,061
1955 - 1959 7,537
1960 - 1964 6,908
1965 - 1969 15,723
1970 - 1975 111,470

Berwick, Patterson, and BaVou Vista.

Limited recreation facilities are found within the three communities of
Berwick, Patterson, and Bayou Vista. One finds a small municipal park
within each of these three areas. Pharr Memorial Park within Berwick, Bayou
Vista Park in Bayou Vista, and the very small Main Street Park in Patterson
represent the major municipal recreational land. Table 4 summarizes the
recreational land found. Additional playground land is found in association
with the public schools. The Bayou Vista Park has been a relatively recent
addition as that community has expanded. A significant piece of land has
been developed adjacent to the Country Club Estates subdivision (now
incorporated into the town of Berwick), called the St. Mary Golf and
Country Club. A small park also exists within the Country Club Estates
subdivision in Berwick.

TABLE 4

RECREATION SITES, BERWICK, PATTERSON, BAYOU VISTA

Site Acreage Facilities

Bervick:
Pharr Memorial Park 6.o Baseball, tennis, playground
grandstand
Russo Park 3.0 Playground
Steward Park .2 Playground
Mahfouz Park .2 Playground
Country Club Park .7 Playground
St. Mary Golf & Country Club 67.0 Golf
Patterson:
Main Street Park 1.0 Playground
Bayou Vista:
Bayou Vista Park 5.5 Baseball, playground

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Berwick's expenditures within the recreation department have varied
considerably over the last several decades. After $11,917 was spent in
1967, this figure dropped to only $2,814 in 1972. Table 5 provides some
illustrative data on expenditures of the Berwick recreation department.
The 1975 outlay increased dramatically with the hiring of a person to
supervise the recreational program. Table 6 provides a comparison of the
nature of the costs within the department. The increase in the amount
spent on wages from 1974 to 1975 is evident.

TABLE 5

EXPENDITURES, RECREATION, BERWICK

Year Expenditures
(in dollars)

1950 0
1953 95
1957 150
1959 551
1962 2,988
1965 3,961
1969 7,284
1972 2,814
1974 4,963
1975 32,595

TABLE 6

EXPENSES BY TYPE, RECREATION, BERWICK

Type 1965 1974 1975
(in dollars)

Wages 923 611 10,845
Maintenance 1,605 1,435 3,219
Equipment, Misc. 1,433 2,552 18,243

Patterson has had a very small budget for its recreation department.
Expenditures were separately allotted to this department beginning in 1963..
In recent years the amounts have increased substantially, this attributable
to supplies and equipment.and not to salaried personnel. Table 7 notes
operating expenses by year and Table 8 the nature of the expenses within
the department.

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TABLE 7

EXPENDITURES, RECREATION, PATTERSON

Year Ex penditures
(in dollars)

1959 0
1962 0
1964 952
1967 1,888
1974 10,284
1975 10,833

TABLE 8

EXPENSES BY TYPE, RECREATION, PATTERSON

Type 1974 1975
(in dollars)

Salaries 872 765
Supplies & Equipment 6,792 6,341
Maintenance 939 2,171

Undeveloped Sites.

Within St. Mary Parish there are many settings for outdoor recreation
experiences. Rivers, lakes, and bayous are plentiful. Opportunities for
hunting, fishing, and boating are certainly not limited to developed recrea-
tional sites, The state and the parish operate parks within easy driving
distance of the Morgan City region. This abundance of natural recreational
resources must be considered when evaluating recreational facilities within
the Morgan City region. Nonetheless, developed recreation facilities are
necessary for urban dwellers, and consequently, must be the concern of
municipal governments.

TRANSPORTATION

The major public expenditure under the category of transportation is
the construction and maintenance of streets. Money for state highways
is provided through the state. No mass transit operates within the Morgan
City region. Patterson does have a small airport to the west of the town.
Local monies spent on transportation have gone almost exclusively toward

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streets. Special assessment bonds for the purpose of paving streets have
been issued frequently. An extensive program of street improvements has
taken place in Morgan City over the last decade.

A major.new addition to the transportation system in the region is
the four-lane bridge across the Atchafalaya River and its continuing express-
way through Morgan City. The bridge is now in use, but all of the expressway
through the city has not been completed. The entire project is estimated
to be in excess of $36,500,000. The old two-lane bridge made movement of
traffic between Morgan City and the communities to the west of the Atchafalaya
River difficult, particularly during rush-hour periods. The building of
the new bridge has spurred development on the west side of the river. The
expressway will divert much of the through traffic off the major surface
streets in Morgan City and should measurably improve existing traffic
congestion.

Morgan City.

Street paving bonds have been issued by the city many times in the
recent past. Table 1 lists the paving bonds. The year of issuance and
the dollar value is indicated. 1966 saw a massive program of street paving
totaling over one million dollars. Map IB illustrates the areal extent of

TABLE I

PAVING BONDS, MORGAN CITY

Year Amount of Bond
(in dollars)

1938 35,000
1939 11,000
1940 20,000
1941 16,000
1956 52,695
1958 6,915
1958 101,490
1959 37,500
1961 125,700
1961 110,925
1961 182,400
1962 68,070
1963 27,600
.1966 451,150
1966 304,950
1966 393,750
1969 16,280
1970 60,000
1972 260,466

-195-

the improvements made. Over the last twenty-five years extensive portions
of Morgan City have had street work. The vast majority of the streets have
been improved during the time period illustrated.

Additional benefits have been received from the Royalty Road Fund
Revenues. This is a rebate by the state of severance tax funds to each
parish, to be used for paving projects within that parish. From 1965 to
1975, the amount received by Morgan City was in excess of $2,000,000.

In Morgan City it is difficult to isolate the operating expenses for
streets as totals are given for the Streets and Sewerage Department.
Estimates are provided in Table 2 for selected years. Expenditures have
risen sharply to a current level of over $200,000 per year. From 1961
to 1972 the salaries in the two branches were not separated, thus making
a reasonable estimate difficult. It is clear, however, that the costs
of maintaining streets have increased substantially.

The maintenance of streets requires a large investment in vehicular
equipment. A summary of the value of the equipment purchased for the
streets section of the department is indicated in Table 3. The major
purchases included graders, bulldozers, trucks, and mowing machines.

TABLE 2

OPERATING EXPENSES, STREETS, MORGAN CITY

Year Operating Expenses
(estimates where necessary)
(in dollars)

1953 54,000
1955 89,000
1957 87,000
1959 120,000
1961 96,000
1973 201,652
1974 212,186

Berwick and Patterson.

Both Berwick and Patterson have had street paving projects financed
through the issuance of bonds. Table 4 lists the bond issues for Berwick
and Table 5 lists those for Patterson. Tables 6 and 7 describe the operating
expenses of the respective departments in Berwick and Patterson. In Berwick
the amounts have been inconsistent over the last fifteen years. In Patterson
the amount spent by the Streets and Landings Department has continually
increased.

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TABLE 3

EXPENDITURES ON EQUIPMENT, STREETS, MORGAN CITY

Year Equipment Purchases
(in dollars)

1951 - 1954 21,082
1955 - 1959 35,867
1960 - 1964 49,892
1965 - 1969 93,592
1970 - 1971 30,303

TABLE 4

BOND ISSUES, STREET PAVING, BERWICK

Year Amount of Bond
(in dollars)

1949 75,217
1956 29,470
1956 59,111
1 965 97,633
1969 40,963

TABLE 5

BOND ISSUES, STREET PAVING, PATTERSON

Year Amount of Bond
(in dollars)

1966 352,552
1975 172,470

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TABLE 6

EXPENSES, STREETS DEPARTMENT, BERWICK

Year Expenditures
(in dollars)

1950 11,012
1953 5,511
1956 11,112
1959 13,813
1962 18,634
1965 16,176
1968 3,256
1971 20,531
1974 21,245
1975 15,171

TABLE 7

EXPENSES, STREETS & LANDINGS, PATTERSON

Year Expenditures
(in dollars)

1959 24,824
1962 23,504
1965 37,406
1968 48,262
1974 60,868
1975 79,206

HOUSING

The nature of the housing stock is an important component in a community.
The quality of housing bears directly upon the need for municipal actionto
upgrade areas. The quality of the structures in a region usually correlates
well with other municipal services such as water, streets, and community
facilities. Characteristics of the housing units are analyzed through a
comparison of the four communities in the Morgan City region. The nature
of housing in Morgan City and Berwick is then analyzed to note the changes
which have taken place between 1950 and 1970. The concluding portion on
housing tries to assess how land values within the region have changed.

_198-

Housing Characteristics.

The 1970 Census of Housing provides data for Bayou Vista, Berwick,
Patterson, and Morgan City concerning housing characteristics. The first
three smaller communities each have approximately the same number of housing
units. Morgan City contains more housing units than all three combined,
its total being nearly 5,000 housing units in 1970. Detailed characteristics
of these housing units are summarized in Table 1. The bulk of the structures
are single family dwellings. A few multiple family dwellings exist, these
all being under twenty units per structure. Mention must be made of the
large number of mobile homes found within the region. Nearly one-fourth
of the units in Bayou Vista are of this type and over ten per cent of all
dwellings units in these four communities are mobile homes. This illustrates
the mobile nature of many of the residents and the relative scarcity of good
housing. The majority of the housing units are owner occupied. The percentages
range from a low of 58 per cent in Morgan City to a high of 77 per cent in
Bayou Vista. The median value of homes varies considerably over the region.
In Patterson the median value is only $13,400. A full 35 per cent are
valued at under $10,000. In contrast, Bayou Vista has less than 3.0 per cent
valued at under $10,000 and over 35 per cent is valued at above $20,000.
Morgan City has the highest median value ($18,800), but also has the widest
range in terms of home value distribution.

When scrutinizing the data on year built, several conclusions are clear.
Bayou Vista has had the bulk of its construction (over 70 per cent) accomplished
since 1960. Less than 4.0 per cent of the housing existed prior to 1950. In
contrast, the other three comminities each have a substantial older housing
stock. Berwick had over 21 per cent of its existing housing stock built
prior to 1940, Morgan City 23 per cent, and Patterson over 35 per cent.
Each of these three communities has also had significant construction during
the 1960's. Map IC presents an areal impression of the expansion which has
taken place in the Morgan City region. Compiled from "a series of areal
photographs, the map illustrates the location of major housing construction.
During the early 1950's growth is seen in the north part of Morgan City.
The 1960's see continued expansion in this direction as well as to the
east. Bayou Vista has emerged during this time period. The latest period
covered, to the middle 1970's, shows further growth around the periphery
of all the comminities. Morgan City has expanded even further to the east
and Country Club Estates has grown in Berwick. Patterson has also grown
to its west.

Plumbing facilitie s provide a good indication of the condition of a
structure. The facilities are quite complete within the four communities
vlewed. Patterson ranked the lowest with over 13 per cent of the homes
lacking either hot water, a toilet, or a bath. Almost all of the units
were connected to the municipal water system and likewise sewer connections
were high. A full one hundred per cent of the units were listed as connected
with the municipal water systems in Bayou Vista and Berwick. Bayou Vista
had the least complete -sewer system with nearly 13 per cent of the units
not connected. The presence of air conditioning somewhat reflects the
decades of prime construction in each community. Bayou Vista, the newest

TABLE 1

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS

Bayou Berwick Morgan Patterson
Vista City

Year-round housing units 1328 1306 4959 1209
Units in structure
one 965 72.7% 874 3801 76.6% 964 79.7%
two 15 1.1% 62 4.7% 279 5.6% 82 6.8%
three-four - 34 2.6% 201 4.1% 39 3.2%
five-nineteen 38 2.9% 144 11.0% 348 7.0% 46 3.8%
mobile homes 310 23.3% 192 14.7% 330 6.7% 78 6.5%

Period of construction
1960-70 938 70.6% 371 28.4% 1820 36.7% 428 35.4%
1950-59 339 25.5% 429 32.8% 1153 23.3% 234 19.4%
1940-49 26 2.0% 227 17.4% 823 16.6% 118 9.8%
1939 or earlier 25 1.9% 279 21.4% 1163 23.5% 429 35.5%

Owner-renter
Owner occupied 1013 77.2% 727 61.1% 2707 58.0% 686 60.6%
Renter occupied 299 22.80/. 463 38.9% 1960 42.0% 446 39.4%

Year moved in - owner occ.
1960-70 813 82.47. 391 53.87. 1618 60.1% 388 56.6%
1950-59 174 17.6% 174 23.9% 433 16.1% 165 24.1%
1949 and earlier - - 162 22.3% 643 23.9% 133 19.4%

Year moved in - Renter occ.
1960-70 307 100% 437 94.Wlo 1777 90.4% 399 89.5%
1950-59 - 19 4.1% 99 5.0% 40 9.0%
1949 and earlier 7 1.5% 90 4.6% 7 1.6%

Value - Owner occ.
$35,000 and over 17 2.3% 26 4.8% 281 12.3% 25 4.3%

(TABLE 1, continued)

Bayou Berwick Morgan Patterson
Vista City

Value Owner occ.
$25-34,999 62 8.5% 39 7.2% 458 20.0% 40 6.9%
$20-24,999 203 27.8% 68 12.5% 318 13.9% 72 12.4%
$15-19,999 276 37.8% 165 30.ql. 372 16.3% 118 20.3%
$10-14,999 152 20.8% 122 22.5% 448 19.6% 121 20.9%
Under $10,000 20 2.7% 122 22.5% 409 17.9% 205 35.3%
Median value $18,500 $15,800 $18,800 $13,400

Contract Rent (monthly)
$150 and over 22 7.ql. 4 .9% 102 5.2% 4 T1.
$100-149 116 38.9% 51 11.9% 275 14.1% 29 6.5%
$80-99 79 26.5% 57 13.3% 235 12.0% 66 14.8%
50 16.8% 148 34.6% 495 25.3% 105 23.6%
$60-79
0
$40-59 13 4.40/. 89 20.3% 375 19.2% 114 25.6% 0
Under $40 5 1.7% 81 18.9% 346 17.7% 76 17.1%
No cash rent 13 4.4% 129 6.6% 51 11.5%

Vacant units 24 1.87. 116 8.9% 307 6.2% 77 6.47.

Plumbing
Complete facilities 1322 99.0% 1254 96.0% 4675 94.0% 1046 86.5%
Lacks hot water, toilet,
or bath 14 1.01/. 52 4.01% 299 6.0% 163 13.5%

Water
Municipal system 1323 100% 1306 100% 4934 99.2% 1203 99.5%
Well or other - - - - 39 .8% 6 .5%

Sewer
Sewer connected 1154 87.2% 1277 97.8% 4869 97.9% 1142 94.5%
Cesspool, septic tank 169 12.8% 29 2.2% 104 2.1% 67 5.5%

(TABLE 1, continued)

Bayou Berwick Morgan Patterson
Vista City

Air Conditioning
Central air 402 30.4% 157 12.0% 1266 25.5% 245 20.3%
Window unit's) 764 57.8% 654 50.1% 1944 39.1% 422 34.9%
None 157 11.9% 495 37.9% 1763 35.5% 542 44.8%

-202-

community, has the largest percentage with central air conditioning (30
per cent) and the largest percentage with either central or window units
(80 per cent). Patterson has the largest per cent of older buildings and
the highest percentage of units with no air conditioning (44 per cent).
Morgan City and Berwick fall in be tween, with Morgan City having a greater
percentage with central air, perhaps reflective of its more recent construc-
tion and higher median value of homes.

Approximately 6.0 to 9.0 per cent of the units remained vacant at the
time of the 1970 census, except in Bayou Vista where that figure was below
2.0 per cent.

Comparisons can be made between housing characteristics in 1950 and in
1970 for both Berwick and Morgan City. Data does not exist to allow compari-
sons for Bayou Vista and Patterson. Bayou Vista did not exist as a community
in 1950 and Patterson lacked the requisite population to be enumerated in
detail. Table 2 vividly illustrates some of the significant changes which
have occurred to the nature of the housing stock in Morgan City and Berwick
from 1950 to 1970.

Both Morgan City and Berwick expanded their number of housing units
between 1950 and 1970 by more than 80 per cent. In each community the
per cent of single family dwellings decreased, the per cent of multiple
family dwellings increased. The number and per cent of mobile homes
increased most dramatically. The relationship between owner and renter
units did not change substantially. The per cent of owner occupied units
increased slightly in Morgan City and decreased slightly in Berwick. The
value of housing increased nearly fourfold in Berwick and nearly fivefold
in Morgan City. Inflation is, of course, a major cause for this increase,
but improvements in the housing units themselves seems also to be signifi-
cant. In 1950, only a little more than 40 per cent of the housing units
.had hot and cold running water inside. By 1970 this figure was over 95
per cent in both communities. The upgrading of older housing and the
building of new structures have combined with inflation to see over half
of the owner occupied housing worth over $15,000 in 1970. This compares
with 2.9 per cent for Berwick and 7.3 per cent for Morgan City in 1950.
In 1950 over half of the housing stock was worth less than $5,000. This
figure was less than 10 per cent by 1970. Similar trends are apparent
when contract rent isviewed. The quality of the housing units has
improved dramatically from 1950 to 1970 in both Morgan City and Berwick.

Land Values.

Land values have risen dramatically in the Morgan City area over the
last decade. Inflation is augmented by a scarcity of usable land within
the region. To gain a better understanding of how prices have changed, a
series of interviews were conducted with reputable realtors in the Morgan
City area. The remarks of the realtors are summarized below. The view of
each realtor is identified by number (1, 2, 3, or 4). Comments were made
about both residential and commercial properties. Each interviewee indicated

TABLE 2

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS, 1950 and 1970

1950 1970 1950 1970
Berwick Berwick Morgan Morgan
City City

Year-round housing units 751 1306 2736 4959
Units in structure
one 628 83.6% 874 66.9% 2275 83.2% 3801 76.6%
two 90 12.0% 62 4.7% 330 12.1% 279 5.6%
three-four 22 2.9% 34 2.6% 73 2.7% 201 4.1%
five or more - - 144 11.0% 12 W/. 348 7.0%
mobile homes 11 1.5% 192 14.7% 46 1.7% 330 6.7%

Year Built
1960-1970 371 28.47. 1820 36.7%
1950-1959 429 32.8% 1153 23.3% 0
1940-1949 300 39.0% 227 17.Wl. 1175 43.4% 823 16.6%
1930-1939 65 8.41/. 365 13.5%
1920-1929 40 5.2% 279 21.4% 355 13.1% 1163 23.5%
1919 or earlier 365 47.,V/. 810 29.9%

Owner - renter
Owner occupied 463 66.0% 727 61.1% 1431 55.3% 2707 58.0%
Renter occupied 239 34.0% 463 38.9% 1155 44.7% 1960 42.0%

Value - Owner occ.
$15,000 or more 11 2.9% 298 55.0% 85 7.3% 1429 62.5%
$10-14,999 18 4.7% 122 22.5% 106 9.1% 448 19.6%
$5-9,999 140 36.Wl. 122 22.5//0 287 24.7% 409 17.9%
Under $5,000 216 56.1% 687 59.1%
Median Value $4,538 $15,800 $4,000 $18,800

Contract Rent (monthly)
$100 or more - - 1 .1% 377 19.3%

(TABLE 2, continued)

1950 1970 1950 1970
Berwick Berwick Morgan Morgan
City City

Contract Rent (monthly)
$40-99 43 18.0% 329 27.5% 1105 56.5%
Under $40 148 61.9% 704 58.8% 346 17.7%
None or not reported 49 20.5% 163 13.6% 129 6.6*/.
Median rent $22.25 $68 $27.56 $67

Vacant units 48 6.47. 116 8.9% 141 5.2% 307 6.2%

Water supply
Hot and cold inside 318 42.5% 1269 97 * 2% 1110 40.8% 4737 95.2%
Cold only 248 33.1% 33 2.5% 1045 38.4% 207 4.2%
No piped water inside 183 24.4% 4 .3% 568 20.9% 30 .6%

_205-

that prices have risen substantially over the last twenty-five years, the
most rapid rise occurring during the last decade.

Interview summaries:

Residential Property -

(1) Elliot subdivision (Morgan City). From 1952 to 1972 the cost of lots
increased from $40.00 per front foot to $200.00 per front foot.

(3),Elliot subdivision. In 1958 a 60' x 120' lot sold for $3,500. Today
these lots are priced between $14,000 and $18,000.

(2) Through the 1950's and the 1960's land in Morgan City sold for between
$35.00 and $40.00 per front foot. The average lot sold for around $2,500.

(3) A typical 60' x 100' lot in Morgan City now sells for as high as $12,000.

(4) A piece of property in the Lakeside subdivision (Morgan City) made a
profit of $13,000 within just three years. It is common for profits
of $4,000 per year.

(3) In Lakeside subdivision the older lots are selling for $145 per front
foot, while those near the lake are selling for between $160 and $180
per front foot.

(1) In Morgan City, from 1952 to 1963 the price of a lot ranged from $600
to $1500. By 1976, an equivalent lot was priced at $7,500 to $8,000.
The greatest increases have occurred during the most recent decade.

(1) In Bayou Vista in 1950 a 75' x 150' lot sold for about $600. It now
sells for about $8,000.

(2) In Bayou Vista an average lot which sold for $800 in the 1960's now sells
for $7,500.

(3) In Bayou Vista land increased enormously in 1975 due to the construction
of the new bridge. It is estimated that land increased 30 to 40 per cent
in a very short time. A 75' x 150' lot on a paved street typically
goes for $10,500.

(4) The advent of the bridge increased prices 30 per cent in Bayou Vista.

Commercial Property -

(1) In 1966 the rate in Morgan City for commercial property was about $2,500
per acre. In 1975 some commercial properties were selling at $12,000
per acre.

(2) It is estimated that the value of commercial property has tripled in the
last fifteen years.

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(4) Four years ago commercial property could be found selling for as low
as $200 per front foot. A price of $450 per front foot is common now.
Waterfront Property - I
(1) A typical piece of land 150' x 400' has jumped from $2,000 in the 1950's
to upwards of $30,000 at present.

(4) In the Amelia area property is so scarce that virtually none is being
sold. Most of the land is in long term lease.

To further document how prices have increased within the region the last
twenty-five years information was gathered from the St. Mary Parish Clerk of
Court's Office. Examples illustrate how lot and house values have chAnged.
Table 3provides a list of those examples. Though the time intervals between
sales differs, a general trend is evident. Recent transactions in Patterson
and Bayou Vista indicate the effect of impending bridge construction in
raising land values.

TABLE 3

CHANGE IN PURCHASE PRICE, SELECTED LOTS

Description Date of Sale Price

Morgan City:

Elliot Subdivision 1/25/65 lot only $ 4,500
75' x 124' 3/19/71 28,800
5/28/74 32,500

Elliot Subdivision 8/30/63 21,700
62' x 120' 6/17/65 23,400
8/19/69 27,300
4/11/74 34,500

Elliot Subdivision 4/24/62 24,000
4/17/69 26,000
4/15/72 31,500
11/29/73 33,900

Auburn Subdivision 8/23/67 19,200
9/17/69 22,000

Lakeside Subdivision 3/10/67 27,400
65' x 100' 11/4/68 28,669
3/17/75 31,900
11/18/75 43,000

-207-

(TABLE 3, continued)

Description Date of Sale Price

Lakeside Subdivision 9/3/68 24,700
60' x 100' 7/28/70 26,600
9/27/70 27,400
9/19/74 32,100

Lakeside Subdivision 10/28/65 31,870
70' x 110' 11/3/67 40,000
10/23/73 48,500

O'Brian Subdivision 7/26/56 10,000
50' x 86' 12/6/68 13,000
Older area 5/31/71 14,000
4/24/74 16,500

McArthur Subdivision 1/18/49 lot only 750
50' x 100' 3/3/56 6,000
Older area 11/4/68 13,000

Aucoin Subdivision 9/3/63 lot only 3,000
76' x 90' 3/19/65 lot only 4,000
Older area 4/12/65 16,500

Bayou Vista:

Bayou Vista Park Subdivision 8/29/66 18,000
65' x 125' 3/19/69 19,972
9/28/72 22,500

Bayou Vista Subdivision 7/28/59 lot only 1,200
70' x 142' 1/8/65 10,200
11/24/70 11,000
Patterson: 12/19/75 22,500,

River Oaks Drive 10/19/55 lot only 3,500
100' x 100' 6/26/58 lot only 4,144
7/20/71 12,000
1/9/72 14,000
1/20/74 25,500

Waveland Addition 10/13/65 12,000
70' x 100' 7/30/67 19,900

-207-A-

St. Mary Parish Assessments.

Assessments for St. Mary Parish have increased every year from 1954
through 1973. The assessed value of property in the parish in 1973 was
more than four times the value in 1954.

The greatest annual increases occurred in the years 1955-1958 and
again in 1966. While continuing to increase, the growth slowed noticeably
in 1972 and 1973 when the percentage increases were 2 per cent and 1 per cent
respectively.

-207-B-

Year Total Assessments Tncrease Over
Previous Ycar

1954 $ 37,335,972

1955 42,025,730 13%

1956 46,755,740 11%

1957 53,024,970 13%

1958 60,397,650 14%

1959 62,850,560 4%

1960 66,014,190 5%

1961 69,959,800 6%

1962 76,100,370 9%

1963 80,218,450 5%

1964 87,228,450 9%

1965 94,279,210 8%

1966 102,727,040 11%

1967 110,999,755 8%

196 8 117,637,920 6%

1969 127,748,120 9%

1970 138,705,690 9%

1971 150,747,955 9%

1972 154,278,135 2%

1973 155,841,890 1%

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Morgan City Revenues.

With the exception of 1961, Morgan City revenues have increased every
year from 1950 through 1974. Total revenues for the city in 1974 ($2,633,598)
were better than fifteen times the income of 1950.

Expenditures have increased with income every year except 1961. The
city registered a budget surplus during twenty-one of these twenty-five
years, but two of the deficit years were the most recent. In both 1973 and
1974 Morgan City incurred deficits of around $100,000.

-207-D-

Year Revenues % Increase Over Expenditures Difference
Previous Year

1950 1-72,377.45 154,986.05 17,391.40
1951 248,875.01 44:7. 219,190.67 29,684.34
1952 269,514.21 87. 224,910.46 44,603.75
1953 324,194.01 20% 276,311.17 47,882.84
1954 341,028.53 5% 305,791.76 35,236.77
1955 400,948.74 18% 356,670.01 44 278.73
1956 414,254.92 3% 383,065.26 31',189.66
1957 471,849.96 14% 434,284.30 37,565.66
1958 483,162.60 2% 476,086.94 7,075.66
1959 588,691.89 22% 546,449.71 42,242.18
1960 652,185.38 11% 620,140.80 32,044.58
1961 584,873.57 -10% 588,958.40 -4,084.83
1962 653,496.51 12% 649,827.69 3,668.88
1963 713,766.97 9% 710,498.59 3,268.38
1964 733,432.82 3% 748,390.18 -14,957.36
1965 820,099.73 12% 815,699.46 4,400.27
1966 1,011,970.98 23% 996,891.32 15,079.66
1967 1,157,691.09 14% 1,148,492.80 9,198.29
1968 1,330,293.62 15% 1,281,956.72 48 336.90
1969 1,480,763.55 11% 1,400,175.43 80:588.12
1970 1,601,831.87 8% 1,566,662.72 35,169.15
1971 1,900,835,28 19% 1,839,380.45 61,454.83
1972 2,065,849 9% 1,855,154 210,695
1973 2,202,165 7% 2,298,154 -95,989
1974 2,633,598 20% 2,735,711 -102,11-3

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Summary.

The preceding data illustrate the extensive growth experienced in the
study area. In order to provide an adequate level of municipal services,
expenditures have risen dramatically. New departments have been created,
new positions staffed, and new procedures developed to meet the needs of
a much larger population concentration.

Expenditures by various municipal departments in Morgan City, Berwick,
and Patterson have increased tremendously. In many instances expenditures
were near zero before 1950. In Morgan City, most departments now have
budgets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bond issues have been
passed to meet the need for new facilities. Where these were frequently
in thetens of thousands of dollars in the 1940's, they now measure in the
millions of dollars.

The municipalities in the region have had to respond to rapid growth.
They must plan for new facilities which are already needed. Funds are not
available to anticipate growth. OCS activities have special needs and these
needs must be met. Local support of the oil and gas industry is very strong
with the belief that, in spite of costs associated with rapid growth, the
industry provides innumerable net benefits to the region. Unfortunately
these net benefits do not always find their way into municipal coffers
to financially support necessary services.

Sources:

All budgetary and bond issue information was gleaned from the annual
audit reports (both general fund and utility) for Morgan City, Berwick,
and Patterson. Housing data was extracted from the United States Bureau
of the.Census, from aerial photographs of the region, and from interviews
with realtors in the study area. Background data was garnered from visits
to the region and from personal interviews with municipal officials.

-209-

TRANSPORTATION

Robert Franz, Author
Charles Durio, Research Assistant

-210-

INTRODUCT ION

The American transportation system is so all-pervasive and so efficient
that few think about it unless inconvenienced by a breakdown of some of its
parts. Indeed, transportation is taken for granted. Yet, every product
we consume has been transported, often several times by various means, before
it gets to us. Our daily travel to and from work, shopping centers, the
world of entertainment, or university classrooms involve transportation.
Even the services we consume would be literally impossible without the
transportation of tools, repair parts, or other means of producing services.

.Even our culture and heritage are strongly influenced by the availability
of the various modes of transportation. It played a pivotal role in the
discovery, settlement (or lack of), and development of our nation. The
isolation of various parts of the country is due, in part, to the lack of
adequate means of transportation. Some understanding of this system then--
its general significance and specific uses, its internal workings and its
external relationships, its origins and its future paths, its problems and
its accomplishments--is a necessary part of the education of those desiring
to play a significant role in the economic, business, or political life
of our country.

The general scope of transportation, from the standpoint of economic
significance, would encompass five separate but interconnected roles. These
are: 1) transportation and economic development, 2) transportation and
production, 3) transportation and distribution, 4) transportation and prices,
and 5) transportation and economy. Basically, transportation is involved
with two elements: 1) changing the place or the location of an item (place
utility), and 2) the subsequent time involved (time utility).

The purpose of this portion of the study is to describe the major
existing transportation systems in and around Morgan City, Louisiana.
While it is recognized that a transportation system does not begin and
end in one parish, a city that is central to offshore oil and gas exploration
and a recipient of its subsequent economic impact would not reap maximum
benefits without a well integrated transportation system. One can begin
with the city and parish, but it must eventually be coordinated at all
levels, intrastate and interstate.

Highways

Morgan City is located on U.S. Highway 90 on an east-west route from
New Orleans to Houston, Texas. Approximately thirty miles of this route
through St. Mary Parish is a hard-surfaced concrete two-lane highway. A
strip about ten miles long between Calumet and Berwick is a concrete and
asphalt surfaced four-lane highway which forms a bypass around the towns
of Patterson and Bayou Vista. Access to these towns is via State Highway
182, a two-lane paved roadway. The only immiediate northerly route toward
Baton Rouge is by way of State Highway 70 which merges with Louisiana

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Highway I some 33 miles north of Morgan City. In order to travel the central
part of the state, one must use north bound U.S. Highway 167 in Lafayette,
some 71 miles northwest of Morgan City.

At present, according to the Parish Engineers'Office, St. Mary Parish
has 79 miles of asphalt-surfaced roads, 30 miles of concrete-surfaced highways,
and 42 miles of shell roadways. This does nottake into consideration a
number of dirt roads considered insignificant for this study.

A study will soon be initiated to determine the effect oil industry
activities have had on the roads in the parish. This study and sign inventory
will be an attempt to rate the roads according to National Safety Standards.
It also has as an objective an analysis of the structural value of the
roads and the current state of repair. All throughways will be judged
according to prescribed parameters for concrete, shell, and asphalt roads
and is expected to be completed by June 1977. Except for major routes
such as U.S. 90 and Louisiana 70 the impact of OCS activities should be
small. It must be remembered that the study area includes and is surrounded
by numerous oil and gas fields. Aside from the major routes, onshore
activities will have the major impacts.

Information was obtained from the district 03 engineers' office,
Louisiana Department of Highways, regarding the current status of roads
and highways in St. Mary Parish, the type of improvement needed, the time
period required for this improvement, and the total construction cost, as
well as other information (see Appendix A).

Of the approximately 109 hardtopped roads and highways, about 81 miles
need some type of repair. New construction on a four-lane route needs to
be completed. A summary of the parish needs is shown below in terms of
miles, the improvement needed, and the estimated total construction costs.

HIGHWAY NEEDS SUMMARY FOR ST. MARY PARISH 1976

Control Section Miles Improvement Total Construction
Costs (000)

4-06 & 4-07 2.63 Resurface $ 405
9.66 Resurface 1,731
.44 Resurface 107
.39 Resurface 71
.76 Resurface 216
.24 Resurface 45
10.44 Resurface 2,034
SUB-TOTAL 24.56 $4,609

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Control Section Miles Improvement Total Construction
Costs (000)

4-08 .12 Resurface $ 9
.23 Resurface 29
1.00 Resurface & Sho. 171
.80 Reconstruct 326
5.28 Resurface 904
.14 Resurface 22
SUB-TOTAL 7.62 $1,461

5-01 .10 Resurface 47
.20 Resurface 70
.12 Resurface 28
1.43 Resurface 489
1.30 Resurface 443
4.23 Resurface 986
SUB-TOTAL 7.38 $2,063

230-05 & 230-06 5.44 Reconstruct 1,556
.76 Resurface 139
1.05 Resurface 185-
.35 Resurface 91
SUB-TOTAL 7.60 $1,971

239-01 & 239-02 8.09 Resurface 428
.52 Reconstruct 199
SUB-TOTAL 8.61 $627

239-31 3.79 Resurface 301
.95 Resurface 75
SUB-TOTAL 4.74 $376

243-01 & 243-02 10.42 Resurface & Sho. 826
9.30 Resurface 421
.55 Resurface 48
.54 Structure only 82
SUB-TOTAL 20.81 $1,377

TOTAL 81.32 $12,484

The most critical needs in the above table reflect the urgency to complete
four-laning of U.S. 90. As is pointed out in other parts of this study, many
commuters drive to the Morgan City area either on a daily or other basis.
On the two-lane sections, numerous traffic jams and slowed rates of progress
are evident. The problem is especially bad on the section leading west
toward Lafayette during cane grinding season. At this time numerous farm
tractors pulling trailers and slow cane trucks litter the roadway with

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stalk, mud, and dirt from the fields. The accident rate is so bad that this
portion of U.S. 90 is sometimes referred to as "blood alley." The completion
this year (1977) of a new four-lane bridge between Berwick and Morgan City
has removed one of the most serious bottle necks.

Truck Transportation.

With Morgan City situated directly on U.S. 90, one of the main east-
west routes from Houston, Texas, to New Orleans, Louisiana, freight shipments
have little difficulty of movement. There are some problems, however.
There are numerous small towns through which vehicles must pass. There are
few by-passes and much of the highway is two-lane, causing concentrated
traffic behind slower-moving large trucks.

Morgan City is nevertheless served by numerous freight lines which
include "hotshot" oilfield services, heavy hauling, liquid bulk transport
services and commodity movers. There are companies represented in both
intrastate and interstate hauling. Approximately fifteen companies concern
themselves with heavy oilfield hauling with the following breakdown:

Type of Service Number of Companies

"Hotshot" heavy oilfield hauling 5
Truck lines accommodating heaving oilfield equipment 9
Transportation of liquids, drilling muds and slurry only I
TOTAL 15

In addition to the above, two lines concern themselves with freight of
all types. They do move oilfield equipment but do not confine themselves
to this type of hauling.

Five of the above firms maintain offices in Lafayette, Louisiana, the
closest metropolitan area to Morgan City. Regular runs as well as trips on
demand from Lafayette to Morgan City are made daily with return runs back-
hauling freight to Lafayette being common. Information on these companies
will be found on the following page.

Two typical motor freight companies serving Morgan City are SAIA Motor
Freight of Louisiana and Texas, and Southern Pacific Transport of the same.
Both are interstate carriers, and both operate on regular schedules between
Lafayette and Morgan City on the west, and New Orleans and Morgan City on
the east. Both carriers will handle shipments of mixed freight.

Figures obtained from SAIA show an average of 75-80 thousand pounds
moved daily for LTL shipments (less than truckloads). Truckload shipments
average out to an additional 100,000 pounds. The above figures are for
inbound shipments only. Outbound shipments are substantially lower, averaging
about 2,500 lbs. daily. Shipments of carbon black from area plants go out
two or three times weekly and each load is 40,000 lbs.

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A summary of statistics from Southern Pacific shows that inbound freight
from Lafayette approximates 175,000 pounds weekly. Another 125,000 pounds
comes from New Orleans. Other incoming runs not included above consist
of shipments arriving in Morgan City from a Beaumont-Lafayette run that
averages about 120,000 pounds per week. The latter are Solid Truckload
Movements (one type of cargo only--full load) and consist of great quantities
of lube oil for offshore use.

outbound freight from Morgan City to Lafayette averages 28,000 pounds
weekly for ordinary freight. Other shipments made from Morgan City consist
of sugar. These sugar shipments originate at the refineries of Mathews,
Supreme, and Southdown, and average about 360,000 pounds per week on a
year-round basis.

SAIA estimated that 80% of all their shipments arriving in Morgan City
were oilfield related. Southern Pacific put their figure at 60%.

Rail Transportation.

There is only one railroad line serving Morgan City and the immediate
vicinity. The Southern Pacific Rail Lines operate a number of regularly
scheduled freight runs through the Morgan City, Avondale, and the Patterson-
Berwick area. Though Amtrak does go through, it does so without making a
stop and boarding has to be made at either Schriever (30 miles east at the
junction of State Highways 20 and 24), or at New Iberia (46 miles west on
U.S. 90/State Highway 182).

The operating schedule for freight precludes any actual stops in Morgan
City by "Main Line Runs". These main runs include three daily westbound
freight movements originating in the Avondale yards to Houston, Texas, and
three eastbound daily runs that make up in Houston and proceed to Avondale.
On occasion, a shipment will be of such a nature that the usual freight
handling procedures will be abandoned and the eastbound run will stop in
Morgan City to deposit the shipment there. The normal method of freighting
.cargo there, however, consists of having eastbound runs from Houston offload
the freight in Lafayette where it is handled by "locals" switching out of
there. Each day a local leaves Morgan City heading west to Lafayette and
another heads east to Avondale. Two similar runs leave both Lafayette and
Avondale bound for Morgan City daily.

Service to the outlying areas of Patterson, Berwick, and Bayou Vista
is accomplished by locals on spur lines out of Morgan City. There is a
spur or "team" track off of the main line at Patterson where several companies
make use of the siding for receipt of cars of drilling mud, pipe, building
materials and the like. This siding receives an average of about two cars
per week. Deliveries of freight to Bayou Vista are also made through this
siding. There is also a spur to Baldwin and the schedule for deliveries
there is set up for one late afternoon run per day, an overnight offloading
and loading operation (serving mostly the salt mine at Weeks Island and
the carbon black plant at Ivanhoe), and a return to Morgan City the following
morning. A carbon black plant at North Bend in the Bayou Sale area is also
served by this run.

moo so 00'm no iw'@ M'00,04 mva@w 6004 samim

LAFAYETTE BASED FREIGHT COMPANIES

Freight Company Scheduled Runs Trips Per Week Type of Freight

Acre Freight Lines None (Runs made Approximately 30 Oilfield equipment only
on demand)
Service Truck Lines None (Runs made 6 to 7 Oilfield equipment only
on demand)
SAIA Motor Freight Yes 5 per week from Lafayette Everything from household goods to
6 per week from New Orleans heavy equipment
Southern Pacific Lines Yes 2 per day from Lafayette All types of mixed freight, merchan-
2 returns backhauling dise, food, clothing, etc. (Will
handle heavy equipment if neces-
sary).
Rose Truck Lines Yes One run per day - Tuesday Oilfield equipment only
Three Saturday. Backhauling
daily. Same schedule is
followed by the Harvey,
Louisiana office.

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The total number of trains going through Morgan City daily has diminished,
but this is not indicative of any slowdown in ton/miles of freight moved. The
tonnage, in fact, has seen a steady increase in recent years due to the more
modern rail equipment used. In the past the average train consisted of
railcars 45 feet in length and 40-50 cars per train. Today's runs are
made up of two to four engines pulling up to 250 cars each 90 feet in length.

Some representative statistics for an average month in 1975 show 362
cars of 90,000 pound capacity each arriving in Morgan City. These shipments,
consisting principally of drilling mud, oilfield equipment and pipe, were
70-75% oil-industry related. Departing from Morgan City were 174 cars of
120,000 pounds each whose shipments consisted mostly of line, pipe, and
fishmeal. It was estimated that approximately a 20% increase has taken
place in total tonnage of shipments over the past 10 years.

Bus Transportation.

There is only one bus service operating out of Morgan City and serving
the area. Greyhound Lines maintains an eastbound schedule of five busses daily
and a westbound schedule of six busses daily as foll9ws:

Number of Busses Daily Destination

3 Houma, New Orleans, and Mobile
I Houma, Thibodaux, and New Orleans
1 Thibodaux, and New Orleans
6 Lafayette, Lake Charles, Houston

Two eastbound runs stop at Amelia for station stops. Several of the
westbound runs make station stops at Patterson, Franklin, Baldwin, Jeanerette,
and New Iberia before reaching Lafayette. Travelers heading north must change
busses in Lafayette.

Pipelines.

Though the system of pipelines is designed to transport only oil and gas,
Louisiana has a system which is second only to the thoroughfare system in
total mileage. The oil companies have an extensive network of oil and gas
pipelines in St. Mary Parish. Because of the inadequacy of the information
available, it was impossible to obtain data pertaining to the actual number
of pipeline miles and the exact am unt of oil and gas transmitted through
these lines. These lines serve both intrastate and interstate needs. For
a more complete description of pipeline activities, see the section on
"Land

Offshore activity is expected to remain strong for the immediate future.
This means, of course, a fairly stable employment picture. At present,
natural gas is the nation's second most widely used fuel, after oil, accounting
for 30 per cent of total U.S. energy needs. Most of this gas is drawn from
deep deposits in Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, Oklahoma and about a dozen other
states and is distributed to customers across the nation through a vast

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network of underground pipelines that total approximately 650,000 miles long
and are operated by almost 150 major transmission companies. For the U.S.,
the most promising areas of exploration are for offshore, in deep, hard-to-
drill waters. It is estimated that fully one-third of the world's undis-
covered oil is locked beneath the sea bed.

Water Transportation.

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway has often been referred to as the most
remarkable artery of transportation in America. Conceived in 1905 to link
inland ports with ocean-going traffic, this avenue of commerce has far
outgrown even the wildest expectations of its founders.

This system of canals connecting major shipping ports was initially
constructed with depths of five feet and bottom widths of 40 feet. The
canals proved so successful, improved the life of the Gulf coastal area,
and profited the nation to such a degree that over the years Congress
authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to enlarge the project depths
and widths to more than twice the original dimensions. In addition, the
canals were connected to one major waterway.

Today the system stretches from the Mexican border at Brownsville,
Texas, along the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico to St. Marks, Florida,
providing over 1,300 miles of protected waterway, most of it 12 feet deep
and 125 feet wide.

St. Mary Parish is in an enviable position as far' as present available
water transportation and future transportation is concerned. In addition
to such large navigable bodies of water as the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
in the southern part of the parish, the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Teche,
there are many more canals and smaller streams that contribute to water
accessibility within the parish. Two main drainage and navigation canals
starting at the Teche and emptying into the Atchafalaya Bay are the Charenton
Canal and Wax Lake Outlet Canal. The Bayou Teche flows west to east and
empties into the Atchafalaya at Patterson.

Because of Morgan City's location at the junction of the Intracoastal
Waterway, which runs from Texas to Florida, and the Atchafalaya River, which
joins the Mississippi, the port of Morgan City is in a position to serve
the markets of almost the entire half of the U.S. (See Appendix D).

Since Morgan City is situated in the center of the Louisiana Gulf Coast,
along with the network of canals,and rivers which spread out from it in all
directions, it becomes a natural and desirable port for a large portion of
Louisiana. Because of this good location, and the fact that Morgan City
has the only good natural harbor along the coast, it has become one of the
most active offshore centers for oil company operations on the Gulf.

Very little, if any, gas and oil is stored and/or used in Morgan City
from the extensive offshore network of wells. Most of the oil is taken
directly to other ports adjacent to refineries with Morgan City benefiting

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primarily from the hauling of oilfield supplies, men, and equipment from
shore to OCS areas. Residual fuel oil is stored and used mostly by the
oilfield service companies. Movements of petroleum and petroleum products
in the Atchafalaya-Morgan City area are generally transient in nature and
usually originate from inshore and onshore fields.

The most recent summary of vessel movement for the Atchafalaya Bay
seen by the author was for July 1974 and therefore was not included. These
figures are obtainable from the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District
and give a breakdown for crewboats, tug/tow operations, supply vessels
and "other".

Air Transportation.

Planning for an adequate aviation system first began in the latter
part of 1972 under the direction of Governor Edwin Edwards. A revamping
of the Division of Aviation occurred with the intent of obtaining a maximum
of local participation in its development.

According to an Airport Systems Plan survey conducted in late 1973, the
aviation facilities within St. Mary Parish need improvement. Out of ten
airports in the Acadiana Planning and Development District, the one in
Patterson showed a need for improvement in nine areas. These were in:
obstruction removal, pave, MIRL,,VASI, REIL, acquisition, improve access,
lighted wind cone, and meterological instruments.

The only air facility serving St. Mary Parish is the Harry P. Williams
Memorial Airport located approximately two miles northwest of Patterson,
Louisiana, situated on the high natural levee of Bayou Teche. It is
classified as a Basic Transport (BT) airport by the National Airport System.
This airport serves the air transportation needs of the Morgan City-Berwick-
Patterson areas, providing essential passenger and goods transport services
to both commercial and industrial interests in the area. This is an
especially important aspect to both the onshore and offshore oil and gas
operations near and in the Gulf of Mexico.

A forecast of aviation demand from 1972 to 1993 was made for the
Louisiana State Aviation System by the Northrop Airport Development Corporation
in 1976. The figures are indicated below.

CURRENT AND PROJECTED GENERAL AVIATION ACTIVITY FOR HARRY P. WILLIAMS AIRPORT

1972 Operations 1993 Operations

Land Planes 37,700 89,000
Sea Planes 172000 31,600
Helicopters 12,000 67,000
TOTAL 61,700 187,600

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The total number of land planes based at the above airport is projected
to increase by more than 130 per cent by the projected date. Sea planes are
expected to Increase by 150 per cent and helicopters by 460 per cent during
the same period.. The implications of this study are defined in much needed
expanded facility requirements. It should be kept in mind that these
projections are dependent upon a continued high level of OCS activities.
In addition to the air support operations to the offshore industry provided
by the Williams Airport, Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI), maintains a
large and complete base in Amelia for the prime purpose of providing ferry
service to and from the many offshore oil platforms that dot the Gulf of
Mexico off the Louisiana coast. This company, one of the largest operations
of its kind, keeps 60 of its fleet of 450 available for the activity in
and around Morgan City. These helicopters make an average of some 200
flights daily providing passenger service to the rigs as well as the
occasional transportation of small equipment and tools.

As of early 1976, one cominercial carrier operates a regular daily
schedule of flights into and out of the Harry P. Williams Airport. Coastal
Airways, with its eight-passenger capacity Cessna 402, has two flights
in and out daily, six days a week. These flights originate at Gulfport,
go to New Orleans, Patterson, and return to New Orleans. This line has
a current average of approximately 24 passengers per month. To make the
service a permanent one, a monthly goal of 90-120 must be attained.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Locklin, D. Philip. Economics of Transportation. 7th ed. Homewood, Ill.:
Richard D. Irwin, 1972.

Louisiana Department of Highways. Highway Needs Summary for St. Mary Parish,
District 03, 1976.

Louisiana State Department of Public Works. Master Plan: Harry P. Williams
Memorial Airport, 1976-1975. Baton Rouge, La., February, 1976.

.Oil and Gas Map of Louisiana. Department of Conservation, July, 1973. Compiled
by Louisiana Geological Survey.

Pegrum, Dudley F. Transportation: Economics and Public Policy. 3rd. ed.
Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, 1973.

Sampson, Roy J. and Martin T. Farris. Domestic Transportation: Practice,
Theory, and Policy. 3rd. ed. Boston: Houghton Miffin Company, 1971.

Waterbourne Commerce of the United States. Part 2. Waterways and Harbors-
Gulf Coast, Mississippi River System and Antilles, Department of the
Army Corps of Engineers, 1975.

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CONCLUSIONS

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Pot-ential impacts of OCS activities upon a community can be listed
under a number of categories. In many cases these categories are directly
related to one another; however, delineating the impact along a number of
variables does allow one to more clearly conceptualize the extent and direction
of the impact.

I. Em ployment

One of the more visible effects of increased OCS activities is the
concurrent increase in employment in the immediate area. Not only does
employment increase directly as new activities are undertaken, but employment
also increases as secondary and tertiary industry gear up to meet the increased
demand for goods and services.

II. Income

Closely tied to increased employment are increases in personal income for
those employed. These changes occur as increased specialization is required
from employees, and as the developing areas of the economy must compete for
existing labor.

III. Occupational Shifts

Tied to increases in both income and employment is the necessity for
many employees to change their occupations in order to take advantage of
the new opportunities. Many of these changes in occupation require changes
in working hours, skills required, and life styles in general.

IV. Population Increases

In-migration to an area with increasing employment opportunity can
become one of the potentially more problematic impacts of OCS activities.
With rapid population increases, strains are placed on available housing,
community services, and a variety of interrelated services such as utilities,
sewage disposal, etc.

V. Increased Division of Labor

As the economy diversifies, new jobs are created, the population
increases, and shifts in occupation occur. This will mean that a greater
variety of.jobs will exist in the occupational structure. The type of
job that one works at for eight (or twelve in some cases) hours a day
affects both directly and indirectly one's life style, status in the
community, orientation toward community activities, and outlook on life
in general. With this increase in job categories and concurrent diversity
in life styles, etc., the sense of community found inmost smaller homo-
geneous settlements is lost.

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VI. Changes in Land Use

With the increase in employment and population, the demand arises for
r
land to be used as industrial sites and housing development. Lands formerly
used for other purposes (principally agriculture) are thus switched to more
profitable uses. In some cases these changes require alteration of the
land through such activities as dredging or filling.

VII. Strains on Municipal Services

Municipal services are potentially impacted both di rectly (as OCS
related activities increase their consumption of water electricity, etc.)
and indirectly (as population growth places new demands on these services).

VIII. Destruction of the Environment

Closely related to changes in the use of land and the strains placed
on municipal services are activities which are potentially destructive to
the environment. The activities range from the necessity to dump raw sewage
into local streams to dredge and fill activities to provide industrial
sites and housing developments. In addition, there are other activities
directly related to OCS production and exploration which pose potential
problems. These range from oil spills (both at the site of production and
exploration and as boats and barges are loaded and unloaded at central
facilities) to bank erosion with the passage of crew and work boats.

IX. Shifts in Tax Base

As the population and economy expand, and as changes occur in land
use patterns, the potential for physical growth of the urban area also
occurs. All of the factors potentially affect the tax base available for
local government to provide municipal services.

X. Changes in Recreation Patterns

With increased division of labor and increased income, the manner in
which people spend their leisure time will inevitably change. To the extent
that these recreational activities are complemented by the actions of local
government (such as construction of parks and boat ramps, etc.) they become
an indirect impact of OCS activities.

It should be emphasized that the extent of the impact in all of the above
mentioned areas will, to a great extent, depend on the make-up and existing
facilities of the community being impacted. Thus, a small agriculturally
oriented town on the Gulf Coast might experience tremendous increases in
employment and income potential leading to significant shifts in the occupa-
tions of its inhabitants, increases in the division of labor, and large
population increases. This in turn leads to major changes in land use,
strains on existing municipal services, and greatly increases potential
for environmental destruction. In addition, major changes in tax structure

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and recreation patterns would occur. A large industrialized port city
with a diverse occupational structure would feel few of these impacts.

A flow diagram has been constructed in an attempt to visually display
the sequential relationship between the existing community make-up and OCS
related activities (See flow diagram). The question then arises as to which
of these impacts are visible and significant in the Morgan City area and
the extent of these impacts.

The determination of the exact impact of OCS activities on the economy
of Morgan City and St. Mary Parish is difficult and is,in fact, only.possible
by considering ranges of the viable impact. It is impossible to say with
any degree of accuracy, exactly how many jobs or how much income is created
by OCS developments. Most of the difficulty lies in the fact that employees'
time on-the-job is not separable between OCS work and work performed within
the three-mile limit. Needless to say, there are a myriad of economic
activities performed by onshore personnel that bear directly or indirectly
on OCS activities; e.g., catering services, towing, tugboat, and barge
operations, industrial supplies,.warehousing, fuel services, personnel
ferrying@services, etc. It might be said that the determination of such
an impact is as much a conceptual matter as one of accounting for each
dollar spent or person hired.

Employment..

One approach that can be taken is a comparison of OCS oil and gas
production relative to total employment. For instance, between 1961 and
1970, Louisiana OCS oil production averaged 75.0 per cent of total offshore
Louisiana oil production. The mean OCS gas production was the same as that
of oil from 1961 to 1970. Using this statistic, one might do well to assume
that approximately 75.0 per cent of the workers in St. Mary's mining, other
transportation, miscellaneous manufacturing, and transportation equipment
(other than motor vehicle) sectors were connected with OCS activities. The
result is that in 1970, 20.0 per cent of St. Mary Parish's total employment
was attributable to OCS activities. Applying the same rough technique to
the employment data for Morgan City in 1970 yields the same figure.

It must be remembered that the four industries listed above are known
to have strong ties to OCS oil and gas activity. Exclusion of the many
remaining industries is due to the subtle, indirect effects that are normally
included in a sophisticated technique such as input-output tables. An on-
site inspection of Morgan City will convince the reader that the 20.0 per cent
employment impact and the subsequent impact on payrolls due to OCS activities
is conservative. Unfortunately, existing data resources do not provide
sufficient detail to precisely determine the complete direct and indirect
impact on Morgan City or St. Mary Parish. Using the 20.0 per cent figure
as a conservative benchmark, one might conclude, using the shift-share
analysis, that a conservative range of the employment impact in St. Mary
Parish from OCS activities is between 20.0 and 35.0 per cent.

F L 0 W C H A R T

OIL INVESTMENT COWUNITY STRUCTURE OIL PRODUCTION IMPACTS
1. capital 1. manpower N%.. I. # of rigs 1. increased income
(per capita)
2. lease as producrion 2. available land employmento 12. # of barrels increase
activities 3. zoning regulations purchases payroll, 2. strain on services Qn
4. housing property a. city
5. municipal service purchase, b. parish
A 6. transportation demands on 3. occupational shifts
7. cultural variables local 4. property value increase
services 5. recreational shifts
8. location 6. tnx h;,se changes
7. division of labor
1. profit increased cooperation S. shifts in land use
2. new technology political, industrial- 9. population increase
V 10. employment
011, DISCOVEFY

1. quantity
2. availability expanded utility services
vocational-technical training
city annexations
planning agencies & studies
in migration
increase in commuters
taxation changes
construction

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To arrive at this range, one need examine the behavior of OCS oil and
gas production off the Louisiana coast relative to the regional share effect
on employment in St. Mary Parish. From 1940 to 1950, the national growth
effect spurred most of the growth of employment in St. Mary Parish. The
national growth effect was 294.0 per cent compared to a regional share effect
of -31.0 per cent in St. Mary. Furthermore, if one uses the relative growth
rate, that.is, the ratio of St. Mary Parish's employment growth rate to that
of the United States, St. Mary Parish registered decline of -65.8 per cent.
For the same period, Louisiana's relative growth rate was -43.9 per cent.

From 1954 to 1960, Louisiana's OCS oil production increased 1375.0 per
cent compared to a 208.0 per cent increase in production within the three-
mile limit. From 1950 to 1960, the national growth effect in St. Mary
Parish was 49.5 per cent; however, the regional share effect was 94.3
per cent. In the same period, OCS gas production rose 388.0 per cent and
production within the three-mile boundary increased 435.0 per cent. Finally,
St. Mary's relative growth rate from 1950 to 1960 was 102.2 per cent compared
to that of 2.4 per cent for the state.

During the period 1960-1970, OCS oil production increased 423.0 per cent
and production within three,;-miles of the coast increased 63.0 per cent.
Gas produced beyond three-miles increased 617.0 per cent.from 1960 to 1970;
however, that produced in the near-coast area rose only 274.0 per cent.

During the same period, there was little change in the national growth
effect on St. Mary's employment, 44.5 per cent. However, the effect of the
regional share was 50.6 per cent. This lessening in the regional share
effect is attributable to the slowing of the rate of increase of OCS oil
production. The rate of increase in production within the OCS boundary
also slowed; however, the largest decrease occurred in the OCS region.
OCS gas production increased in this decade by 617.0 per cent. This increase
seems to have provided a buffer, permitting the regional share effect for
the decade to be slightly greater than the national growth effect.

Generally, the regional share effect had its greatest impact on St.
Mary Parish's employment during the 1950's. It was then that OCS activities
increased at a very fast pace. As the rate of OCS production slowed, the
regional share's impact was not as great. During this stage in the develop-
ment of Morgan City and St. Mary Parish, the industrial-mix component became
slightly positive, indicating the growth of tertiary sectors and less
dependence on the regional growth effects so prominent in the area's early
economic development. As the economic base of the'parish broadens, it is
suspected that the industrial-mix effect will become more important as a
contributor to the overall growth of employment and income.

Income.

Income has increased faster in St. Mary Parish than in Louisiana. From
-1949 through 1959, effective buying income (disposable income) increased
140.0 per cent in St. Mary Parish and 78.0 per cent in Louisiana. During
the period 1959-1969, the same respective increases of income were 211.0

227-

per cent and 101 per cent. The full differential effect of OCS activities,
as evidenced in the regional share effect, is exhibited in the higher median
income. Both Morgan City and St. Mary Parish have had higher median incomes
than Louisiana. This is directly attributable to the regional share effect.
Generally, median income was somewhat lower in St. Mary Parish and Morgan
City than in the United States due to the poor industrial-mix component.
An improvement in the industrial mix of the area should raise incomes during
the decade of the 1970's.

Occupations.

As outlined in other parts of this study, Louisiana shared in the
decline of agricultural workers over the relevant periods discussed. The
exceptionally rapid declines in farmers and farm managers in St. Mary Parish
is likely due to the attraction of higher paying jobs in the oil industry.
The per cent of workers as farmers or farm managers declined from 2.5 per
cent in 1950 to 0.7 per cent in 1970. In the United States, the per cents
for the same decades were 7.8 per cent and 1.9 per cent. Even more surprising
is that in 1950, 14.0 per cent of St. Mary's workers were farm laborers.
By 1960, this proportion dropped to 2.8 per cent, a much greater decline
from Louisiana's 4.4 per cent in 1950 and 2.2 per cent in 1960.

The discovery of oil offshore and later in the OCS regions led to an
influx of managerial positions in Morgan City. In 1950, 13.2 per cent of
the workers were managers compared to 9.1 per cent in the United States.
By 1960, the United States had a ratio of 8.4 per cent of managers to total
workers, but Morgan City registered 16.0 per cent in such positions.
Finally, by 1970, Morgan City's management-to-total worker ratio was 15..6
per cent compared to that of 8.3 per cent in the United States.

In 1950, operatives were 25.4 per cent of Morgan City's workers,
compared to 20.1 per cent in the United States and 15.4 per cent in Louisiana.
By 1960, Morgan City's per cent of operatives had declined to 21.2 per cent,
while that in Louisiana and the United States was 16.4 and 19.4 per cent
respectively. These decreases in persons employed as operatives continued
until 1970. In Morgan City, the per cent was 16.6 in 1970, 13.4 per cent
in the state, and 17.6 per cent in the United States. The significantly
greater decline of persons employed as operatives in Morgan City when
compared to other regions is attributed to the demand for more highly skilled
personnel. As evidenced elsewhere, specialized oil field work and other
occupations represented the greatest demand element.

An occupation which indicates this shift toward the skills necessary
for OCS and offshore work is craftsmen. In the United States, the per cent
of craftsmen declined from 14.1 per cent in 1950 to slightly less than 14.0
per cent in both 1960 and 1970. In Louisiana, the ratio of craftsmen to ,
total workers rose to 12.4 per cent in 1960 and then declined to 11.1 per cent
in 1970. However, in St. Mary Parish craftsmen were 11.0 per cent of the
workers in 1950, 13.3 per cent in 1960, and 14.3 per cent in 1970.

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These differential changes in the occupations, income, employment,
and income distribution of Morgan City and St. Mary Parish appear to be
significantly different from those of the United States and Louisiana.
As.exhibited previously, these changes have occurred because of large
changes in the regional advantages of St. Mary Parish and Morgan City.
The impetus for this regional share effect was provided by the increase
in Louisiana OCS oil and gas activities.

Population.

The population growth of Morgan City and St. Mary Parish over the last
several decades is undoubtedly linked to petroleum development. The popu-
_:@atio.n growth in Morgan City has increased on the average almost twice
as fast as that of Louisiana and the United States as a whole. There is
simply little to cause this growth other than high in-migration and low out-
migration caused by increased employment and income opportunity. The birth
rate and death in the.parish (or the internal growth rate) is not significantly
different from the rest of the parish. Other than its location on major
water transportation routes, there is little other than petroleum activities
to provide increased employment. Since we can conservatively estimate
that 20 - 35% of the employment in the Morgan City area is linked to OCS
activities, it is reasonable to assume that a similar growth in population
has occurred as individuals move to fill these previously nonexistent j obs.
Using 1950 as a starting point, 25% would be a conservative estimate for
that portion of the population growth that can be directly linked to OCS
activities to the present time. This rapid population growth has been
felt primarily in the area of housing and municipal services (See below).
The pinch in housing will continue to be felt long after the parish ceases
to grow in population, since many residents are living in relatively
temporary quarters or are commuting-.

Division of Labor.

There is little doubt that there has been an increase in the division
of labor in Morgan City. One indication of this is the fact that many of
the occupations directlyand indirectly related to OCS activity did not
exist prior to the onset of offshore drilling in 1947. In addition, many
migrants to the area were attracted because of the demand for specialized
skills which they possessed, skills not readily found in Morgan City.

There is no way to assign a numerical value to this change. It is
sufficient to say that Morgan City has undergone a significant transformation
as its economy and populationhave almost doubled since the onset of offshore
activities.

Land Use Shifts.

Land use changes in the study area, while previously large, are slowing
as OCS production stabilizes following the initial expansion of activity.
It appears unlikely that any additional major demands for land will result
from these activities. Continuing small changes can be expected as the

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area better adjusts to present or forthcoming conditions. For example,
some of the trailer homes may be abandoned as families move into more
permanent types of housing. The Bayou Vista area will probably continue
to expand, as a bedroom community, because of the new multilane bridge.
Therefore, there will likely be a continuing, though small, loss of
agricultural land to residential uses. The conversion of additional swamp-
land will be slowed because of environmental considerations.

Environmental Destruction.

Additional environmental impacts associated with OCS activities can be
expected to be minimal. In fact, the environment may improve somewhat
as sewage treatment facilities are upgraded, solid waste disposal facilities
improved, and more care exercised in the handling of fuels and chemicals.
The proposed enlargement of Bayous Boeuf, Black, and Chene are unlikely to
result in any major expansion of fabricating facilities but rather in a more
effective use of the present facilities and less chance of unemployment as
Gulf OCS activities decline.

Municipal Services.

The impact of OCS activities on municipal services has been great.
Companies have required access roads, gas, water, electricity, and other
municipal services. To provide these services, municipal expenditures
have risen in a spectacular fashion. Existing services have been expanded
dramatically and new services offered to meet the needs of the oil and gas
industry, of the population growth experienced, and of the new demands of
an urban region.

As an area experiences rapid growth, there is almost always a lag in
the development of necessary services. It is difficult for smaller munici-
palities to anticipate growth and extensively expand facilities. The area
does not have the tax base and, hence, monetary resources. Furthermore,
growth is not a certainty. Therefore, the development of municipal services
are usually a delayed reaction to mounting needs resulting from growth.

Having significant growth as a result of OCS activities can result in
problems in providing services. Special needs by this specialized field
must be met. Fresh water must be provided to be hauled offshore. The volume
and nature of refuse from these activities presents unusual disposal problems.
Due to the nature of employees often working seven days on, then seven days
off, extensive commuting results. Oftentimes commuters make extensive use
of facilities, putting little back in the form of taxes.

The municipalities of the region have responded to the needs associated
with growth. Gas, electric, and water lines have been expanded. Large
expenditures have had to be made for new water treatment plants, power plants,
and waste disposal facilities. The growth has necessitated unprecedented
expansion in the study area. Basic thresholds were reached where numerous
major developments were necessary. The kinds and volumes of services
provided in the towns of Berwick, Morgan City, and Patterson were no longer

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adequate for this growing urban region. Not only did existing services
have to be doubled, quadrupled, etc., but new needs of this urban population
concentration created the need for new municipal services not offered here-
tofore. Despite the difficulties associated with meting the.demands of a
rapidly growing area, residents seem to feel that benefits far outweigh the
costs of OCS activities.

Shifts in Tax Base.

Although local officials have been hard pressed in many cases to keep
up with the demands for roads, schools, and utilities (See chapters on social
and cultural impact and on municipal services). The greatest danger facing
Morgan City at the present time is that demands for these services will
continue to grow, but with existing housing shortages, settlement will occur
outside the city; thus, not providing a growing tax base to meet the demands.

Implications for Coastal Zone Management.

At some future date, oil and gas production from the OCS will decline.
Already a shift in production towards the west is evident in the Gulf and
away from the study area. Such a decline would have serious-economic
consequences for the Morgan City area. However, some of the boats, equipment,
and rigs produced here are sent to Venezuela, the Middle East, and the North
Sea. Conversations with company officials and others indicate that should
oil and gas be discovered off the East Coast of the United States that
many of the rigs and equipment needed would be fabricated on the Gulf
Coast and towed around Florida. Therefore, a decline in Gulf OCS production
will seriously hurt the economy of the study area but will be unlikely to
result in the extinction of these types of economic activities.

Most of the major environuiental and economic impacts associated with
the development of OCS production have already taken place. However, some
continue such as erosion of stream banks, disposal of fill And solid waste,
lack of adequate housing and sewage treatment facilities, and the like.
Additional serious impacts will occur in the Morgan City area as Gulf OCS
areas are depleted, especially if no major fields are found off the East
Coast or if drilling there is too long delayed.

If a coastal zone management program is designed to delineate and to
.focus attention on these impacts, then it could be of value to the study
area. A great deal of planning clearly needs to be done in advance of a
decline.in OCS production. The job is there; however, it is impossible,
without examining a specific coastal zone program, to determine whether
or not that program could serve as a valuable tool in ameliorating impacts.

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SURVEY OF EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS

IN MORGAN CITY'S PETROLEUM AND RELATED INDUSTRIES

L. Wilson Trahin

A P P E N D I X I

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This segment repre,sents data on current employment in the oil and gas

sector of Morgan City as well as that of related industrial sectors. A

survey of firms by use of a mail questionnaire was performed in December,

1976. Two hundred firms were sent the questionnaire, of which 66 responded.

Total payroll in 1976 of these 66 companies was $94,554,813 and total

employees were 8,471.

'Using Standard Industrial Classification Codes, firms in the following

industries in Morgan City were surveyed:

1311 Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Production

1381 Drilling Oil and Gas Wells

1382 Oil and Gas Field Exploration Services

1381 Oil and Gas Field Services, NEC

1623 Pipeline Construction

3441 Fabricated Structural Metal

3533 Oil Field;Machinery and Equipment

4422 Coa stwise Transportation

4454 Towing and Tugboat Services

5084 Industry Machinery and Equipment

5085 Industrial Supplies

Miscellaneous Services.

Employment and labor force information was gathered using the employees'

occupation as the base. Each occupation was segmented into its total employees

by race and sex. Subsequently, the number in each occupation was subdivided

into those employees with the following types of training: on-the-job training,

vocational school training, grade school completion, some hig h school, high

school completion, some college, and college completion.

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In addition, interest was expressed in determining the extent of

commuting into Morgan City. Each establishment was asked to report the

number of employees whose residence in 1976 was in Morgan City, in St.

Mary Parish.but outside Morgan City, in another parish, or out-of-state.

The information presents an up-to-date picture of the diversity of

oil and gas-related employment in Morgan City. In addition, there appears

to be a significant number of women in the industry. While it is difficult

to compare salary ranges with those in other occupations because of the

paucity of data, salaries listed in Table B appear to be higher than the

average for Louisiana.

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A. EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

This section of the report indicates the employment distribution by

industry, sex, and race in 1976. Women are now working in occupations that

were considered to be exclusively for men just a decade ago. Many are

working offshore as engineers, chemists, geologists, cooks, and even

roustabouts, a term for laborer. Women have been accepted in onshore

operations equally well. They serve as dispatchers, warehouse receiving

for heavy material, welders, welder/fitters, burners, equipment operators

and truck drivers.

Discrimination against women and non-whites rarely is indicated.

Recognition of skills regardless of sex or ethnic background is the principle

criteria in personnel selection.

The highest concentration of non-white males is in fabricated structural

products, 26.0 per cent of the total employees. Following fabricated steel

was oil and gas field services, not elsewhere classified, however, only 13

of the 52 employees listed were non-white males.

More than 36.0 per cent of the employees in this survey worked in the

fabricated metal products industry. Seventeen per cent were in some form

of offshore transportation, a vital part of OCS activity. The industries

most closely tied to OCS activities--production, drilling, survey of fields,

drilling services, and pipeline construction, employed 23.0 per cent of the

workers in this survey.

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EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

BROKEN DOWN BY RACE AND SEX

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL

1311 Production 665 109 22 4 800
1381 Contract Drilling 840 92 18 2 '952

1382 Survey 46 - - - 46

1389 Drilling Mud 34 13 5 52

1623 Pipeline 74 2 2 - 78

3441 Fabricated Structural
Steel 2137 820 89 43 3089

3533 Machinery 6 Equipment 264 51 16 - 331

4442 offshore Transportation 1249 122 32 14 1417

4454 Towing & Tug 84 - 5 - 89

5084 Industry Machine &
Equipment 83 10 8 1 102

5085 Industrial Supplies 142 18 34 - 194

Electronics 143 2 30 4 179

Miscellaneous Services 1033 69 37 3 1142

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B. ENPLOYMENT BY RACE, SEX, OCCUPATION, INDUSTRY WITH WAGES

The firms reporting were separated according to Standard Industrial

Classification Manual, with the following groups making up this report:

1311 - Production

1381 - Contract Drilling

1382 - Survey

1389 - Drilling Mud

1623 - Pipeline

3441 - Fabricated Structural Steel

3533 Machinery &.Equipment

4442 Offshore Transportation

4454 - Towing & Tug

5084 - Industry Machine & Equipment

5085 - Industrial Supplies

Electronics

Miscellaneous Services.

In reviewing the reports by industry, there are several occupational

titles that are not used in all companies similarly classified. Wage

differentials.occur due to several reasons. A major factor is that

national oil producing companies accepting a union contract settled in

another state would normally affect a raise for local employees. Wages

and other benefits continue to be offered by locally owned and managed

companies in order to maintain competent workers and to attract skilled

personnel.

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EMPLOYMENT BY RACE, SEX, OCCUPATION AND INDUSTRY

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL SALARY
(THOUSANDS)
PRODUCTION 1311

Superintendent 2 2 $241$45 Yr.

Assistant Superinten-
dent 3 3

Supervisor 13 1 14 $151$35 Yr.

Assistant Supervisor 5 5

Foreman 79 1 80 $161$30 Yr.

Assistant Foreman 1@ 1 17 $161$24 Yr.

Co-ordinators 3 3 $121$24 Yr.

Employee Relations 2 2

OfficialslManager 26 1 2 29

Professional 7 1 8

Draftsmen 2 2

Geologist 1 1

Inspector 2 2

Clerical 6 3 10 1 20

Sr. Clerks 3 1 4 $101$12 Yr.

Intermediate Clerk 1 1 $81$10 Yr.

Steno 4 2 6 $71$9 Yr.

Secretary 1 1 $91$12 Yr.

Switchboard 1 1

Warehouse Assistant 2 2

.Truck Drivers 2 2 $121$14 Yr.

Dispatcher 8 2 1 11 $211$13 Yr.

Chief Operator 6 6 $16 Yr.

Lease Operator 11 7 18 $15 Yr.

Operator 48 2 50 $121$24 Yr.

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Page 2 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE W71ITE NON-WHITE TOTAL SALARY
PRODUCTION 1311 (CONTINUED) (THOUSANDS)

Engineers 1 1 $121$25 Yr.

Civil Engineers 28 1 29 $151$25 Yr.

Engineer's Asst. 17 1 18

Maintenance Man 8 2 10 $15 Yr.

Mechanics 18 18 $141$18 Yr.

Helicopter Mechanic 4 1 5 $121$16 Yr.

Metermen 11 2 13 $101$12 Yr.

Wel ders 3 1 4 $141$18 Yr.

Electricians 4 4 $141$20 Yr.

Technicians 21 21 $121$24 Yr.

Pumper 67 8 75

Computer Operator 3 1 4

Tug Captain 2 2 $151$25IYr.

Wheelman 2 2 $121$20 Yr.

Deckhand 2 2 $101$15 Yr.

Steward 2 2 $101$15 Yr.

Crane Operator 2 2 $151$20 Yr.

Helicopter Pilot 9 1 10 $181$30 Yr.

Leadermen 5 5 $141$20 Yr.

Head Roustabout 4 4

Roustabout 74 25 99

Helpers 28 15 43 $101$14 Yr.

Chief Cook 3 1 4 $101$12 Yr.

Cook 2 2 4 $91$10 Yr.

Cook's Helper 2 2 $81$9 Yr.

Craftsmen 89 17 106

Laborers 10 7 2 19

Service Workers 2 2

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Page 3 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL SALARY
CONTRACT DRILLING 1381 (THOUSANDS)

Superintendent 5 5

Assistant Supt. 2 2

supervisor 20 3 23 $181$40 Yr.

Supervisor Trainee 3 3

Managers 3 3 $181$39 Yr.

Office Manager 1 1

Foreman 5 5

Executive 2 2

Secretarial 1 4 5 $81$14 Yr.

General office 1 7 1 9 $71$10 Yr.

Drafting 1 1 2 $15 Yr.

Salesman 3 3 $22 Yr.

Electricians 12 12 $81$13 Yr.

Dispatcher 7 7 $_q Yr.

Clerks 3 1 4 $16 Yr.

Safety Director 2 2 $18 Yr.

Sales Coordinator 1 1

Electrical Engineer 1 1

Engineers 6 1 7 $19 Yr.

Drillers 47 1 48 $91$21 Yr.

Derrickmen 56 6 62 $111$19 Yr.

Motormen 56 1 57 $111$15 Yr.

Welder 26 26 $121$16 Yr.

Mechanic 1 1 $13 Yr.

Rig Mechanic 26 1 27 $19 Yr.

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Page 4 - Employment by Race.- Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON_pMrTE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL SALARY
CONTRACT DRILLING 1381 (CONTINUED) (THOUSANDS)

Crane Operator 34 2 36 $111$15 Yr.

Pumpers 3 3

Shop Hands & Yard Men 9 9 $81$14 Yr.

Operators 7 4 11 $15 Yr.

Tool Pusher 28 2 30 $24 Yr.

Roughneck 39 9 48 $10 Yr.

Roustabout 115 38 153 $81$12 Yr.

Wireline Trainee 26 6 32

Wireline Specialist 36 1 37

Commodity Serviceman 10 1 11

Special Tool man 1 1

Deckhand 13 2 15 $71$9 Yr.

First Mate 2 2 $101$12 Yr.

Ship's Engineer 4 4 $101$12 Yr.

Captains 11 11 $121$15 Yr.

Rotary Helper 146 12 158 $15 Yr.

Insurance & Claims 1 1 $16 Yr.

switchboard 1 $7 Yr.

Helpers 8 4 12 $10 Yr.

Cooks 3 1 4 $71$8 Yr.

Messmen 2 2 4 $6 Yr.

Watchman 1 1 $6 Yr.

PorterlRadio Opr. 1 1 $6 Yr.

Truck Driver 1 1 $7 Yr.

Accountant 1 1

Steward 1 1

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Page 5 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

SURVEY WORK 1382

Boat Captain 14 14 $111$14 Yr.

Deckhands 12 12

Cooks 16 16

Manager 1 1

Office Personnel 2 2

Janitor 1 1 $15 Yr.

DRILLING MUD & CHEMICALS 1389

General Manager 2 2 $231$27 Yr.

Managers 2 1 3 $151$19 Yr.

Chief Engineer 2 2 $19 Yr.

Salesman 1 1 2 $18 Yr.

Transportation 1 1 $12 Yr.

Truck Drivers 2 5 7 $14 Yr.

Warehouseman 3 3 $10 Yr.

Engineers 14 14 $10/$18 Yr.

Dispatchers 4 4 $91$14 Yr.

Chief Accountant 1 1 $18 Yr.

Bookkeeper 2 2 $8 Yr.

Clerical 3 3 $7/$8 Yr.

Yard Fo remen 3 3 $14 Yr.

Laborers 2 3 5 $12 Yr.

PIPELINE 1623-

officers 2 2

Dredge Captain 8 8 $12 Yr.

Tug Captain 4 4 $10 Yr.

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Page 6 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

PIPELINE 1623 (CONTINUED)

Dredge Oiler 16 16 $6 Yr.

Dredge D- H 5 5 $5 Yr.

Tug D-H 3 3 $6 Yr.

Superintendent 5 5

Operations Manager 1 1

Accountant 7 7

Secretaries 2 2

Pilots 1 1

Radiomen 1 1

Welders 1 1 $10 Yr.

Machinists 1 1 $10 Yr.

Laborers 3 2 5 $5 Yr.

Dredge Operators 16 16 $9 Yr.

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441

Yard Superintendent 6 6 $8 Yr.

Supervisors 33 1 34 $171$19 Yr.

Pusher 1 1 $13 Yr.

Purchasing Agent 1 1 $14 Yr.

Stockroom Clerk 1 1 $7/$10 Yr.

Warehouse 29 3 1 33 $9 Yr.

FitterlWelder 4 2 6 $13 Yr.

Welders 736 272 7 14 1029 $71$15 Yr.

Fitters 378 212 3 16 609 $71$15 Yr.

Tackers 2 2 $8 Yr.

Fitters Helpers 8 5 13 $10 Yr.

Helpers 3 3 6 $7 Yr.

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Page 7 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE [MITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441 (CONTINUED)

Engineer 45 2 47

Electricians 43 8 3 54 $15 Yr..

Carpenters 3 2 5 $111$15 Yr.

outside Machinist 3 3 $15 Yr.

Painter 1 1 $15 Yr.

Draftsman 10 10 $141$15 Yr.

Secretary 17 17 $41$7 Yr.

Laborers 1 1 2 4 $7 Yr.

Misc. Others 180 60 12 3 255 Up to $13 Yr.

Superintendent 36 36

Burners 30 34 2 1 67 $71$15 Yr.

Riggers 167 98 1 266 $71$15 Yr.

Loftsmen 7 1 8 $71$15 Yr.

Machinist 15 12 27 $71$15 Yr.

Blasters & Painters 34 24 58 $71$15 Yr.

Service Workers 4 4 3 11 $71$9 Yr.

Heavy Equipment Opr. 122 16 138 $81$15 Yr.

Truck Drivers 7 8 15 $91$12 Yr.

Swampers 3 7 10 $7/$8 Yr.

mechanic 40 12 1 53 $7/15 Yr.

Ultrasonic & X-Ray
Technicians 1 1

Clerks 4 1 5

General Office 11 11

Timekeeper 5 5

Registered Nurse 1 2 3

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Page 8 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITF TOTAL -(THO USANDS)

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441 (CONTINUED)

Commercial Programming 10 1 3 14

Technical Programming 4 1 5

Systems Analyst 3 1 3 7

Computer Operator 5 1 2 8

Keypunch Operator 1 12 3 16

Assistant Supt. 1 1

Workmen's Compensation 2 2

Accountant 5 5

Sales 3 3

Insurance 1 1

Engineer's Aide 3 3

Supt. Aide 3 1 4

Accountant Clerks 4 1 4 9

Executive Secretary 3 3

Medical Technician 4 3 7

Maintenance 55 5 60

Port Captain 1 1

Assistant Port Capt. 1 1

Safety Engineer 3 3

Radio Operator 5 5

Buyer 1 1

Port Steward 1 1

Chief Steward 4 4

Group Vice President 1 1

Assistant to V.P. 1 1

Division Manager 2 2

Tugboat Capt. 2 2

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Page 9 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441 (CONTINUED)

Tug Mechanic 2 2

Tug Cook 2 2

Deckhand 6 6

Messmen 27 16 43

Barge Clerks 12 3 15

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT 3533

President 1 1 $21 Yr.

Superintendent 1 1 $15 Yr.

Supervisor 13 13 $15 Yr.

Foremen 3 3 $12 Yr.

Managers 3 3

office Manager 2 2 $17 Yr.

Sales office 8 1 9 $13 Yr.

Purchasing Agent 1 1 $10 Yr.

Accountant 1 1 $15 Yr.

Secretaries 14 14 $61$9 Yr.

Inventory Control 4 4

Material Clerk 7 9 16

Stock Room 5 1 6

Safety & First Aid 1 1 2

Personnel Director 1 1

Inspector 9 1 10

Maintenance 10 2 12

Welders 56 4 60 $141$15 Yr.

machinists 49 4 53

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Page 10 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT 3533 (CONTINUED)
Riggers 9 1 lo $8 Yr.

Painters 1 3 4 $101$12 Yr.

Sandblasters 5 5 $71$8 Yr.

Pipefitters 3 3 $111$4 $1119 Yr.

Crane Operator 2 1 3

Metalizer 2 4 6

Assembler 42 12 54

Mechanics 3 3 $12 Yr.

Electrician 1 1 $12 Yr.

Welders Helpers 4 4 $7 Yr.

Helpers 20 1 21 $7 Yr.

Carpenters 1 1 $14 Yr.

Laborers 2 2 4

OFFSHORE TRANSPORTATION 4442

President 1 1 $481$60 Yr.

Company officers 6 1 7 $121$50 Yr.

Supervisors 3 3 $101$20 Yr.

Manager 29 1 30 $201$35 Yr.

Secretarial 12 4 16 $61$12 Yr.

Clerks 4 6 1 11 $71$20 Yr.

Personnel Assistant 2 2 $101$20 Yr.

General Office 3 1 4 $71$9 Yr.

Purchasing Agent 2 2 $101$20 Yr.

Safety Officer 1 1 $101$20 Yr.

Sales Representative 1 1 $101$20 Yr.

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Page 11 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

OFFSHORE TRANSPORTATION 4442 (CONTINUED)

Accountant 2 2 $101$20 Yr.

Adm. Assistant 1 1 2 $101$20 Yr.

Controller 1 1 $251$35 Yr.

Assistant Controller 1 1 $151$25 Yr.

Crew Assignment 2 2 $101$20 Yr.

Dispatcher 2 2 $81$10 Yr.

Warehouseman 1 2 3 $81$10 Yr.

Pilot (Plane) 1 1 $101$20 Yr.

Driver, Transport 1 1 $81$10 Yr.

Mechanic 15 3 18 $71$20 Yr.

Port Mechanic 1 1 $101$12 Yr.

Port Captain 6 6 $101$20 Yr.

Captain 78 1 79 $151$35 Yr.

Mate 66 2 1 69 $111$20 Yr.

Chief Engineer 1 1 $201$30 Yr.

Engineers 282 9 291 $101$20 Yr.

Masters 162 2 164

AB Seamen 96 20 118 $71$8 Yr.

Deckhands 253 42 1 296 $51$10 Yr.

Cooks 115 14 9 8 146 $61$10 Yr.

AB Cook 2 2 $8 Yr.

Wheelmen 9 1 10 $101$20 Yr.

oiler 4 4 $7 Yr.

O.S. 1 1 $7 Yr.

Riggers 66 20 86 $7 Yr.

Mechanics 13 3 16 $7 Yr.

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Page 12 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

OFFSHORE TRANSPORTATION 4442 (CONTINUED)

Electrician 14 3 17 $7 yr.

Diver 1 1 $101$20 Yr.

TOWING & TUG 4454

President 1 1 @$211$30 Yr.

Vice President 2 2 $121$20 Yr.

Managers 2 2 $181$20 Yr.

Assistant Manager 1 l' $18 Yr.

Secretary 5 5 $31$5 Yr.

Port Captain 2 2 .$20 Yr.

Captain 28 28 $111$20 Yr.

Wheelman 12 12 $11 Yr.

Pilot 5 5 $121$16 Yr.

Mate 3 3 $12 Yr.

Deckhand 28 28 $61$12 Yr.

INDUSTRY MACHINE & EQUIPMENT 5084

President 2 2 $181$35 Yr.

V.P. - Manager 3 3 $181$30 Yr.

Supervisors 7 7 $20 Yr.

Managers 4 4 $91$19 Yr.

Foremen 2 2 $9 Yr.

Clerical 6 1 7 $61$8 Yr.

Secretary 2 2 $51$9 Yr.

Parts Counterman 5 5 $71$12 Yr.

Warehouseman 4 2 6 $10 Yr.

-249-

Page 13 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupat ion and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

INDUSTRY MACHINE & EQUIPMENT 5084 (CONTINUED)

Field Mechanic 17 17 $13 Yr.

Shop Mechanic 20 3 23

Apprentice Mechanic 4 1 5

Sales 4 4 $18 Yr.

Inside Sales 1 1 $12 Yr.

Outside Sales 2 2 $12 Yr.

Toolroom Man 1 1 $9 Yr.

Janitor 1 1 $8 Yr.

Mechanic Helper 2 2 $7 Yr.

Yardhand 4 4

Truck Driver 1 2 3. $51$6 Yr.

Porter 1 1 $61$8 Yr.

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES 5085

President 2 2 $201$39 Yr.

Supervisors 6 6 $18 Yr.

Superintendents 1 1 2

Managers 16 16 $221$48 Yr.

Assistant Manager 2 2 $111$18 Yr.

Secretary 4 4 $71$11 Yr.

General Office 2 12 14 $51$14 Yr.

Cardex Clerk 1 1

Administrative Asst. 1 1 $12 Yr.

Senior Clerk 1 1

Statistical Clerk 1 1

-250-

Page 14 Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MA LE FEMALE. SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES 5085 (CONTINUED)

Intermediate Clerk 1 1 2

Inside Sales 10 1 2 13 7 Yr.

Outside Sales 5 5 $161$18 Yr.

Sales 18 18 $161$21 Yr.

Warehouseman 32 6 4 42 $61$12 Yr.

Purchasing Agent 6 6

Pur. & Traffic. Clerk 1 5 .6

Truck Driver 7 2 9 $81$9 Yr.

Buyer 2 2

Shipping Ins. Claims
Coord. 1 1

Expeditor 1 1

Storeman 4 4

Bookkeeper 3 4

Computer Clerk 2 2

Marketing Spec. & Sales 1 1

Director of store
operations 1 1

organization &
Method Spec. 1 1

Janitor 1

Foreman 2 2

Painters 3 1 4

Carpenters 2 2 4

Draftsmen 1 1

Finishing Carpenters 3 1 4

-251-

Page 15 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES 5085 (CONTINUED)

Parts Specialist 1 1

Laborers 2 2

Leadermen 2 2

Service Tech. 4 4 $23 Yr.

Service Tech. Trainee 1 1 $18 Yr.

ELECTRONICS & ELECTRICAL-COMPANIES

President 3 3 $18 Yr.

V.P. Operations 1 1 $201$30 Yr.

Sec. Treasurer 2 2

Manager 23 24 $151$50 Yr.

Supervisors 1 1 2 $61$13 Yr.

Secretary 4 4 $51$8 Yr.

General Office 2 18 1 21 $51$10 Yr.

Controller 1 1

Purchasing Agent 1 1 $8

Shop Foreman 1 1 $16 Yr.

Salesmen 2 2 $15 Yr.

Outside Sales 3 3 $121$16 Yr.

inside Sales 7 7 $91$12 Yr.

Warehouseman 6 6 $61$16 Yr.

Bookkeeper 1 1 $10 Yr.

Janitor 1 1 $4 Yr.

Technicians 40 1 41 $61$15 Yr.

Switchboard Opr. 4 2 6 $10 Yr.

-252-

Page 16 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE W71ITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS),

ELECTRONICS & ELECTRICAL COMPANIES (CONTINUED)

Draftsman 1 1 $81$14 Yr.

Engineers 2 2 $121$20 Yr.

Electrician 10 10 $81$16 Yr.

Installer 1 1 $13 Yr.

Motor Shop 9 9 $7/$10 Yr.

Motor Winder 1 1 $12 Yr.

Comb. Ser & Winder 5 5 $12 Yr.

Comb. Ser. & Rep. 1 1 $12 Yr.

App. Winders 2 1 3 $8 Yr.

Truck Driver 1 1 $9 Yr.

Ship's Mate 2 2 $91$13 Yr.

Ship's Captain 2 2 $121$18 Yr.

Engineer 2 2 $111$13 Yr.

Cook 2 2 $71$9 Yr.

Roustabout 10 10 $61$10 Yr.

inventory Clerk 1 1 $61$8 Yr.

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

President 1 1

General Manager 1 1 $24 Yr.

Managers 10 10 $191$36 Yr.

Superintendent 7 7 $181$31 Yr.

Supervisors 10 10 $91$14 Yr.

Secretarial 1 13 14 $51$6 Yr.

Clerical 4 4

Diesel Mechanics 2 2 $15 Yr.

-253-

Page 17 - Employment by Race, Sex, Occupation and Industry

MALE FEMALE SALARY
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL (THOUSANDS)

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

Operators 1 3 4 $10 Yr.

Laborers 3 7 10 $7 Yr.

Blaster & Painter 5 4 9 $91$12 Yr.

Valve Repair 1 1 $17 Yr.

Helper 16 12 2 30 $5/$10 Yr.

Mechanic 4 1 5 $91$12 Yr.

Yard Operator 2 2 $9 Yr.

Leaderman 2 2 $9 Yr.

Salaried Employees 2 3 5

Administrative 3 1 4 $15 Yr.

Warehouseman 12 2 1 1 16 $7/$10 Yr.

Sales 5 5 $181$25 Yr.

Shop 2 1 3 $61$14 Yr.

Truck Drivers 5 1 6 $101$13 Yr.

Dispatcher 1 1

Stewards 151 9 160 $71$9 Yr.

2nd Cook 59 1 4 64 $6 Yr.

Galleyhands 600 20 12 2 634 $415 Yr.

Deckhands 1 1 2 $61$7 Yr.

Mate 1 1 2 $71$8 Yr.

Captain 1 1 2 $101$12 Yr.

Divers 50 50 $131$18 Yr.

Tenders 66 66 $61$11 Yr.

Electronics Tech. 5 5 $151$18 Yr.

Engineers 1 1 $201$25 Yr.

Vessel Personnel 4 4 $81$21 Yr.

-254-

C. TOTAL EMPLOYMENT BY RACE, SEX, OCCUPATION

Table C provides a categorization of employment by race, sex, and

occupation. Of particular interest is that 2347 males were employed as

mechanics, fitters, riggers, welders, and heavy equipment operators. These,

five occupations represented 29.0 per cent of male employment as reported

in the survey. Such a high percentage in these occupations may be agood

indicator of the concentration of heavy industries.

Of the 66 firms.returning the questionnaire, there were 422 engineers

employed, 5.0 per cent of total employees in the survey. There is, in

addition, a high percentage of technical and highly skilled persons in

the industries surveyed, such as geologists, computer programmers, accoun-

tants, and numerous managers.

Employment of non-white males was concentrated in occupations with a

significant amount of skill required--welders, fitters, and riggers. More

than 46.0 per cent of the non-white males were in these three occupations.

It should be realized that these occupations are relatively high-paying,

as the salary scales in Table B attest.

Approximately 60.0 per cent of the females employed in the industries

surveyed worked as secretaries, clerks, keypunch operators, and dispatchers.

However, one unexpected result is that 42.0 per cent of the non-white females

in the survey were employed as welders and fitters.

Generally, one discovers that there is a relatively high proportion of

workers in Morgan City who perform an activity with some degree of skill

re quired. Although many of these jobs are manually-oriented, the high

salary scale has apparently enticed females into these occupations.

-255-

EMPLOYMENT BY RACE, SEX AND OCCUPATION

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL

Superintendent 57 1 58

Yard Superintendent 6 6

Assistant Supt. 9 9

Presidents 11 11

vice Presidents 7 7

Supervisor 106 6 112

Assistant Supervisor 8 8

Foreman 90 6 96

Assistant Foreman 16 1 17

Managers 128 3 3 134

Assistant Managers 3 3

Coordinators 5 5

Buyers 3 3

Purchasing Agent 11 11

Accountants 17 17

Bookkeeper 3 3 1 7

Switchboard Operator 6 2 8

Company Officers 24 4 2 30

Executive Secretaries 3 3

Secretary 2 78 4 84

General Office 16 3 76 6 101

Clerks 26 11 14 1 52

Administrative Asst. 2 2 4

Draftsmen 14 2 16

Controllers 3 3

Dispatchers 22 2 1 25

Employee Relations 2 2

-256-

Page 2 - Employment by Race, Sex and Occupation

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NOIV-WHITE TOTAL

Geologist 1 1

Inspector 2 2

Computer Operators 10 2 2 14,

Safety & First Aid 7 1 8

Registered Nurse 1 2 3

Medical Technician 4 3 7

Insurance Claims 2 2

Workmen's Compensation 2 2

Timekeeper 5 5

Commercial Programming 10 1 3 14

Technical Programming 4 1 5

Systems Analyst 3 1 3 7

Keypunch Operator 1 12 3 16

Radio operator 6 6

Inventory Control 4 4

Personnel Director 1 1

Personnel Assistant 2 2

Marketing Specialist 1 1

Director of Store
operations 1

Organization & Methods
Specialist 1 1

Expeditor 1 1

Porter 1 1 1

Sales 55 2 57

Counter Sales 18 1 2 21

Stewards 159 9 168

Warehousemen 89 15 6 1 ill

-257-

Page 3 - Employment by Race, Sex and Occupation

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL

Maintenance 73 9 82

Truck Drivers 28 is 46

Mechanics 134 22 1 157

Rig Mechanics 26 1 27

Apprentice Mechanics 4 1 5

FitterslWelders 4 2 6

Fitters 381 212 3 16 612

welders 822 277 7 14 1120

Riggers 242 119 361

Painters 5 4 9

Sandblaster 5 5

BlasterslPainters 39 28 67

Electricians 84 11 3 98

Pumpers 70 8 78

Machinist 68 16 84

Electrical Engineers 3 3

Burners 30 34 2 1 67

Loftsmen 7 1 8

Heavy Equip. Operators 122 16 138

Lease Operator 11 7 18

Operator 62 5 4 71

Crane Operator 38 3 41

Dredge Operator 16 16

Leadermen 7 2 9

Tackers 2 2

Engineers 68 4 72

Chief Engineers 3 3

-258-

Page 4 - Employment by Race, Sex and Occupation

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL

civil Engineers 28 1 29

Engineer's Assistant 20 1 21

Installer 1 1

motor Shop 9 9

Motor Winder 1

Comb. Ser. & Winder 5 5

Comb. Ser. & Ref. 1 1

Apprentice Winders 2 1 3

Electronics Tech. 45 1 46

Technicians 21 21

Ultrasonic & X-Ray
Technician 1 1

Swampers 3 7 10

Metalizers 2 4 6

Assembler 42 12 54

Carpenters 6 4 10

Finishing Carpenters 3 1 4

Helicopter Mechanic 4 1 1 5

Stockroom Clerk 5 1 6

Special Tool Man 1 1

Crew Assignment 2 2

Parts Counterman 5 5

Tool Room Man 1 1

Purchasing & Traffic Clerk 1 5 6

Store Man 4 4

Parts Man 1 1

Valve Repair 1 1

-259-

Page 5 - Employment by Race, Sex and occupation

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE W111TE NON-WIII71E TOTAL

service Technicians 4 4

Service Trainee 1 1

Roughnecks 39 9 48

Roustabouts 203 63 266

Laborers 21 22 4 2 49

Helpers 75 35 2 112

Shopmen 2 1 3

Mechanic's Helpers 2 2

Welder's Helpers 4 4

Fitters Helpers 8 5 13

Rotary Helper 146 12 158

Helicopter Pilot 9 1 10

Plane Pilot 1 1

Craftsmen 89 17 106

Service Worker 4 6 3 13

Metermen 11 2 13

Barge Clerks 12 3 15

Shop & Yard Hands 13 13

Wireline Specialist 36 1 37

Wireline Trainee 26 6 32

Commodity Serviceman 10 1 11

Drillers 47 1 48

Derrickmen 56 6 62

Motormen 56 1 57

Tool Pusher 28 2 30

Pusher 1 1

Jani tor 1 3 4

-260-

Page 6 - Employment by Race, Sex and Occupation

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL

Watchmen 1 1

Divers 51 51

Tenders 66 66

Miscellaneous 180 60 12 3 255

Port Captain 8 1 9

Asst. Port Captain 1 1

Captains 134 1 1 136

Tug Captains 8 8

Dredge Captains 8 8

Masters 162 2 164

Engineers 288 9 297

Wheelmen 23 1 24

Dredge Deckhands 5 5

AB Seamen 98 20 118

Dredge Oilers 16 16

Tugboat Mechanic 2 2

Chief Cooks 3 1 4

2nd Cooks 59 1 4 64

Galleyhands 600 20 12 2, 634

Vessel Personnel 4 4

Mates 74 3 1 78

Pilots 6 6

Tug Deckhands 9 9

Deckhands 309 45 1 355

Oilers 4 4

O.S. 1 1

-261-

Page 7 - Employment by Race, Sex and Occupation

MALE FEMALE
WHITE NON-WHITE WHITE NON-WHITE TOTAL

AB Cooks 2 2

Cooks 140 16 9 9 174

Cook's Helpers 2 2

Messmen 29 18 47

-262-

D. EDUCATION

The education of th e employees as originally requested in the survey

requires an explanation. It was intended to determine the number in each

occupation according to their education. Unfortunately, many of the companies

,did not fully report this information.

Many of the skills required may be obtained by attending Young Memorial

Vocational Tec hnical School in Morgan City. This school has furnished

hundreds of skilled men and women since its first class in 1965. Presently,

more than 300 attend day classes with approximately an equal number in night

classes. Courses taught currently are welding, weld/fitting, diesel,

electronics, licensed practical nursing, machine shop, drafting, office

oc cupations, and courses for training persons to apply for licenses to serve

as masters/captains, tankermen, mate and deckhands. In August, air conditioning

and auto mechanic courses will open for training.

In 1947, the year offshore exploration for oil and gas began, the

average hourly wage earner's education was about fifth level. Now the

average is about at 12th grade level. The technical skills required to

,service and operate the more sophisticated equipment will mandate a higher

educational equivalency.

As expected, most of the upper managerial positions of the firms in

this survey are filled by persons with university degrees. As one progresses

down in authority, more supervisory positions are held by persons with on-

the-job training, high school diplomas, and vocational school training.

Much of the knowledge necessary for such positions is probably best gained

in the daily experience of each area of operation.

-263-

In the production sector of Morgan City, the survey reveals that there

is a predominance of persons with at least a high school diploma. Fabricated

metal products exhibit a large percentage of employees with vocational

school training, particularly among welders and fitters. Similarly, voca-

tional training and on-the-job training provided a majority of the required

skills in offshore transportation.

In contrast to the above sector, towing and tugboat services appear

to have a predominance of persons employed with an educational background

of less than high school. On a slightly higher scale, the industrial

machinery and equipment sector's skill level was concentrated at the high

school diploma level.

The actual number of employees with each stated level of skill was

given for 2682 persons, 32.0 per cent of the representative sample. Of

these 2682 persons, 8.5 per cent had less than a completed high school

education and 1492 had completed high school or 56 per cent.

-264-

BREAKDOWN BY EDUCATION

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

PRODUCTION 1,311

Superintendent 2

Supervisor 4 2 5

Foremen 36 1 9

Assistant Foremen 5 2 3

Managers x x

Professional x

Geologist x

Clerical x x

Sr. Clerks 3

intermediate Clerks 1

Steno 2

Secretary 1

Truck Drivers x 2

Dispatcher x 2

Chief Operator x

Lease Operator 4 12 2

Ope rator 3 6 24 5

Engineers 6

Civil Engineers 2 6 2 4

Maintenance Man

Mechanics 10

Helicopter Mechanic 5

welders 4

Technicians 6 11 3

Page 2 - Breakdown by Education _265-

PRODUCTION 1311 (CONTINUED)

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

Tug Captain 2

Wheelman 2

Deckhand 1 1

Steward 2

Crane Operator 1 1

Helicopter Pilot 8 2

Leadermen 1 4

Roustabout X 2 1

Helpers 5 34 4

Chief Cook 1 2

Cook 4

Cooks Helper 1 1

Craftsmen X X

Laborers X X X

Service Workers X X

Metermen 2

CONTRACT DRILLING 1381

Superintendent X X

Assistant Superintendent X X

Supervisor X 4 3

super-Trainee X

Managers 1

office Manager 1

Foremen X 1

Executives 2

secretarial X

General Office X

-266-

Page 3 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HXGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

CONTRACT DRILLING 1381

Drafting x

Salesman 3 1

Electricians x x

Dispatcher x 1 2

Clerks 3 1

Safety Director x x x x

Sales Coordinator

Electrical Engineer 1

Engineers 1 7

Drillers x x

Derrickmen x x

Motormen x x x

Welder x x

Mechanic 1

Rig Mechanic x

Crane Operator x x x

Pumpers x

Shophands & Yard men x x

Operators x

Tool Pusher x x

Roughneck x x

Roustabout x x

Administrative Assistant x

Wireline Trainee 1 16 15

Wireline Specialist 6 13 18

Commodity Serviceman 1 10

-267-

Page 4 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

CONTRACT DRILLING 1381 (CONTINUED)

Special Toolman 1

Deckhand x x

First Mate x x x

Ship's Engineers x x x

Captains x x x

Rotary Helper x

Insurance & Claims x

Switchboard x

Helpers No information given

Cooks No information given

Messmen No information gi ven

Watchmen no information given

Radio Opr.lPorter No information given

Truck Driver No information given

Accountant No information given

Steward No information given

SURVEY WORK 1382

Boat Captain No information given
Deckhands No information given
Cooks No information given
Manager No information given
Office Personnel No information given
Janitor No information given

-268-

Page 5 - Breakdown byEducation

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC. TE. CH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

MUD & CHEMICALS 1389

General Managers x x

Managers x x x

Chief Engineer x x x

Salesmen x

Truck Driver x x

Warehouseman x

Engineers x x

Dispatchers x x

Chief Accountant x x

Bookkeeper x

Clerical x x

Yard Foreman x

Laborers x

PIPELINE 1623

officers 2

Dredge Captain 8

Tug Captain 4

Dredge Oiler 7 8 1

Dredge Deckhand 3 2

Tug Deckhand 3

Superintendent 5

operations Manager 1

Accountant 7

Secretarial 2

Pilot 1

-269-

Page 6 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC. TECII.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

PIPELINE 1623 (CONTINUED)

Radiomen

Welders 1 x

machinist 1

Laborers 5

Dredge Operator 10 6

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441

Yard Superintendent x

Supervisors x 2 x

Pusher x

Purchasing Agent 1

Stockroom Clerk x

Warehouseman x

FitterlWelder x

Welder x 4 289 x

Fitters x 6 148 1

Tackers x

Fitter's Helpers 6 7

Helpers x 15

Engineers x

Electricians x x 2

Carpenters 1 2

Outside Machinist 1 2

Painter x

Draftsmen x 2

-270-

Page 7 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING. COLLEGE

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441

Secretarial 6 x

Laborers x

Miscellaneous x 255

Superintendents x

Burners x x x x

Riggers x x x

Loftsmen x x x x

Machinist x x x x

Blasters & Painters x x x

Service Workers x

Heavy Equipment Opr. x x x

Truck Driver x x

Swampers x x

mechanic x x x x

Ultrasonic & X-Ray Tech. x x

Clerks x x

General office x x

Timekeeper x

R.N. x

Commercial Programming x

Technical Programming x

Systems Analyst x

Computer Operator x x

Keypunch x x

Assistant Personnel
Supervisor x x

-271-

Page 8 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

FABRICATED STRUCTURAL STEEL 3441 (CONTINUED)

workmen's Compensation X

Accountant X

Sales X X

Insurance X

Engineer's Aide X

Superintendent's Aidw X

Accountant Clerks X X

Executive Secretaries X X

Medical Tech. X X

Maintenance X X X

Port Captain X

Assistant Port Captain X

Safety Rep. X X

Radio Operator X

Buyer X

Port Steward X

Chief Steward X

Group V.P. X

Assistant to V.P.

Division manager X

Tug Boat Capt. X

Tug Boat Mechanic X

Tug Boat Cook X

Deckhands X X

Messmen X X

Barge Clerks X

-272-

Page 9 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT 3533

President 1

Superintendent 1

Foremen 2 1 2

Managers x

Office manager x

Purchasing Agent x

Accountant x x

Secretarial x x x

Inventory Control No information

Materials Clerk No information

Stockroom No information

Safety & First Aid No information

Personnel Director No information

Inspector No information

Maintenance No information

Welders 11 7 2

Machinist No information

Rigger 6 2 8 2

Painter 1 3

Sandblaster 3 2 1

Pipefitters 1 1 2

Crane Operator No information

Metalizer No information

Assembler No information

Electrician No information

-273-

Page 10 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLECE

MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT 3533 (CONTINUED)

Welders Helper 2 1 3

Helpers No information

Carpenters 1

Laborers No information

OFFSHORE TRANSPORTATION 4442

President 1

Company Officers x 4

supervisor x 3

Manager 1 25

Secretarial 15

Clerks 10 1 1

Personnel Assistant 2

General office 4

Purchasing Agents 3 1

Safety Officer 1

Sales Representative 1

Accountant 2

Administrative Assistant 2

Controller 1

Assistant Controller 1

Crew Assignment 2

Dispatcher 2

Warehouseman x 2

Pilot (Plane) x 1

Driver 1

-274-

Page 11 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

OFFSHORE TRANSPORTATXON 4442 (CONTINUED)

Mechanic 2

Port Mechanic 1

Port Captain 4 3

Captain 56 2 2 7

Mate 19 4 49

Chief Engineer 1

Engineers 53 4 239

Masters 16 53 100

AB Seamen 3

Deckhands 262 10

Cooks 47 1 1

AB Cooks 2

Wheelman 10

oiler 4

O.S. L

Rigger 87

Mechanics x 16

Electrician x 17

Diver 1

TOWING & TUG 4454

President x

Vice President

Managers

Assistant Manager 1

Secretary 4

-275-

Page 12 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

TOWING & TUG 4454 (CONTINUED)

Port Captain 2

Captain 22 2

Wheelman 12

Pilot 3

Mate 3

Deckhand 25 4

INDUSTRY MACHINE & EQUIPMENT 5084

President x x

V. P. Manager x

Supervisors x x

Manager 5 x 2

Foremen x

Clerical 5

Secretary 1 1

Parts Counterman x x

Warehouseman x x

Field Mechanic x X. x

Shop Mechanic x x

Apprentice Mechanic x x x

Sales 9

Toolroom Man x

Janitor x

Mechanics Helper x x

Yard Hand x

Truck Driver x

Porter x

-276-

Page 13 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC. TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES 5085

President 2 X

Supervisors 2 X X

Superintendents X X

Managers X 14 X 10

Assistant Managers X X

Secretarial X 3 1

General Office X 11 2 2

Cardex Clerk 1

Administrative Assistant X 1

Senior Clerk 1

Statistical Clerk 1

intermediate Clerk 2

Inside Sales 2 9

Outside Sales X 3 1

Sales X 9 7

Warehouseman 4 4 21 4

Purchasing Agent .5 1
Purchasing & Traffic Clerk 1 3

Truck Driver 3 2 5

Buyer 1 1

Inside Claims & Shipping
Coordinator 1

Expeditor 1

Storeman 4

Bookkeeper 2 2

Computer Clerk 2

Marketing Specialist 1

-277-

Page 14 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINXNG COLLEGE

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES 5085 (CONTINUED)

Director of Store
operations 1

organization & Methods
Specialist

Janitor

Foreman 2

Painter 4

Carpenters 3 1

Drafters 1

Finishing Carpenter 2 2

Parts Specialist I

Laborers 2

Leadermen 2

Service Tech. 4

Service Tech. Trainee x

ELECTRONICS & ELECTRICAL

President 1

V.P. Operations 1

Sec. Treasurer 2

Manager 2 10 8 5

Supervisors 2

Secretary 5

General office 5 2 7 6 2

Controller I x

Purchasing Agent I x

Shop Foreman x x

278-

Page 15 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL' TRAINING COLLEGE

Salesmen x 1

Outside Sales 1 2

Inside Sales 6

Warehouseman 3 1

Bookkeeper 1

Janitor x

Technicians 10 2 5

Switchboard Operator 6

Draftsman 1

Engineers 2

Electri6ian 4 5 1

installer 1

Motor Shop 2 3. 4

Motor Winder x 1

Comb. Serv. & Winders x 2

Comb. Ser. & Ref. x 3

Apprentice Winders x x

Truck Drivers x x

Ship Mate 2

Ship Captain 2

Ship's Engineer 2

Cook 2

Roustabout 10

inventory Clerk

-279-

Page 16 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

President 1

General Manager 1

Manager 2 2 1 2

Superintendent 6

supervisor a

Secretarial .12 1 1

Clerical 4

Diesel mechanics 2

Operators x x

Labor x x

Blasters & Painters 1 7

Valve Repair 1

Helpers 5 20 2

Mechanics 4

Yard Operator 2

Leadermen 2

Salaried Employees 5

Administrative x x

warehouseman x x

Sales 3

Shop 2

Truck Driver 6

Dispatcher 1

Stewards x x

2nd Cook x x

Galleyhands x x

-280-

Page 17 - Breakdown by Education

ON THE JOB LESS THAN HIGH VOC.TECH.
TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAINING COLLEGE

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES (CONTINUED)

Deckhand 2

Kate 2

Captain 1 1

Divers 10 30 10

Tenders 16 40 10

Electronic Tech. 5

Ship's Engineers x x x

Barge Personnel x

Vessel Personnel 2 2

NOTE: W Indicates that personnel were shown to be in these classifications,
but no amounts were given.

E. PROJECTED VACANCIES -281-

Job opportunities in this industrial complex presently is excellent

for those who have skills or are willing to learn the skills required.

Future opportunities as reported show 2023 job possibilities, from

laborer to management position.

The expansion of this industrial area will be greatly enhanced with

completion of the Bayou Boeuf, Black and Chene Project. This calls for

the widening of the tributaries to 400 feet, which would connect with the

Atchafalaya River. The economic and environmental justification has been

approved by Congress. However, this project is under review by the

Executive Branch.

The occupation needed most in December, 1976, was that of a deckhand.

These vacancies represented 23.9 per cent of the total vacancies reported.

Welders represented 8.5 per cent; welder's helpers, 5.3 per cent; riggers,

3.8 per cent; wireline trainees and specialists, 2.5 per cent; seamen and

divers, 6.3 per cent; and tenders, 4.1 per cent. These categories represent

more than fifty per cent of the vacancies represented by 66 companies

surveyed. Interesting, almost one-fourth of the reported occupations

needed, that of deckhands, requires little skill. There is, however,

a significant difference in the salaries paid deckhands relative to that

paid welders, etc.

-282-

PROJECTED
VACANCIES

President, Supervisor, Switchboard Operator 2
Manager 26
Lease Operator
Outside Sales 27
Maintenance
Counter Sales 18
Port Captain 1
Warehouse 36
Secretarial 32 Captain 53
Wheelman 5
Office Manager,
Supervisors 35 Deckhands 485

Clerical 32 Pilot 5

Purchasing Agent Draftsperson

Controller Engineers 36

Janitor Shipmates 69

Secretary-Treasurer 2 Ships Engineers

Service Manager Ship's Cook 124

Operations Manager I Inventory Clerk 1

Electronic Tech. 14 Dredge Captain

Tool Room Storekeeper Dredge Deckhand

Field Mechanic 4 Tug Captains 6

Shop Mechanic 14 Tug Deckhands

Production Foreman 1 Dredge Oilers 8

Assistant Foreman 1 Radiomen,

Chief Operator 6 Welders 172

operator 6 Machinists

Roustabout 1 Laborers 27

Dispatcher 4 Dredge Operator

Pumpers Drilling Supervisor I

Base Foreman Drilling Super-Trainee 2

Field Foreman Shop Foreman

Systems Tech. 4 Shop Hands 12

-283-

Page 2 - Vacancies (Projected)

Drilling Superintendent Senior Clerk

ASSt. Drilling Superintendent File Clerk 2

safety Director Shipping Inside Claims

Electrical Engineer 5 Coordinator

Yardman 3 Expeditor

Drillers Painters 13

Derrickman Carpenters 12

Motormen Finishing Carpenters

Roughneck Inventory Acct.
Supervisor
Crane operator
Electrician.s 25 utility Leadermen
Lumber Leadermen
Tool Pushers Cardex Clerk 1
Barge Foreman
Engineering 1
Fitters 37 Communications
welder 83
Welder's Helper 108 Marine
Aviation
Tackers Construction
Truck Drivers 10
Crewboat Captain 2 Drilling
Production Operations 3
.Division Manager
Deputy Division Manager Civil Engineer 5
Production Tech. 1
Buyer
Instrument Tech. 1
Accounting manager
Communication Tech.
Computer Clerk Co-ordinator
Director of Store
operations Wireline Operators 1

Intermediate Clerk offshore Leadermen

Statistical Clerk 1 Production Operators Offshore

organizer & Methods Offshore Helpers 4
Specialist

-284-
Page 3 - Vacancies (Projected)

Land Leaadermen@ Domestic operations
Manager
Land Operator
Intl. operations manager
Land Helpers offshore Ar .ea Manager
Mechanics 16
Assistant Int'l Manager

Metermen
Diver 60
Helicopter Mechanics Installer 1

Chief Cook
Able Body Seamen 66
Cook
ordinary Seaman 2
Commissary Helper
Able Body Cooks 4
mechanic's Helper
District Rep.
BlasterlPainter 17 Employee Relations

Pipefitter Foreman 6 Representative Employee
Relations
Pipefitter 6 Geologist
Rigger 78
Construction Inspector
Field Representative
District Super. Gas
Wireline Trainee 30 Gas Engineer
Wireline Specialist 20
District Petroleum Engineer
Wireline Supervisor 1
Petroleum Engineer
Operations Clerk Associate Engineer
Valve Repairman 2 Dist. Super. Material
Parts Manager Supply

Porter Assistant District Super.

Chief Engineer Supervisor

Service-Tech. Trainee 2 Computor Operators

Assistant Controller Tenders 82
outside Machinist Vessel Personnel 4
crew Assistant Plumbers 1

Port Mechanic Upholstry
Area Sales Manager Glass Mech. 2

-285-

Page 4 - Vacancies (Projected)

Diving Mechanic

Glass Helpers

Craftsmen

Metalizer

Assembler

Material Clerk

Rotary Helper

Insurance

Steward

Watchman,
Security Guard

Barge Clerks 3

Messmen 5

Accountant Clerks 2

Commercial Programmers 2

Keypunch I

Heavy Equipment

Operator 5

Swampers 3

Burners 1

Tool machine Operator 5

-286-

F. INDUSTRY COMMUTING PATTERNS

The drilling, production, and related services spreads its economic

benefits far beyond the Mforgan City area. This report shows a total

employment of 8471, with 1728 employees living in the 'eastern half of

St. Mary Parish, and 688 in the west half. Almost every parish is affected

by the offshore impact.

ovides opportunity
The work schedules established for the offshore work pr

.for the employee's family to reside in other states. Presently, the work

schedules are seven days on, or fourteen days on, with equal time off. On

the job offshore calls for 12 hours per day. This provides for overtime;

consequently, the wages are considered relatively high.

There were 651 persons working in Morgan City who commuted from Assumption

Parish. These Assumption residents represented 7.7 per cent of total employees

in this survey. More than 87.0 per cent of these 651 persons were in the

fabricated metal industry.

Lafourche Parish was the residence of 718 persons in the survey or 8.5

per cent of the total 8471 employed persons. Once again fabrication yards

attracted most of these residents, however, 8.5 per cent of the Lafourche

residents were employed in coastwise transportation sector. The largest

number of near-parish commuters, 734, were from Terrebonne Parish. They

too were concentrated in:the local fabrication yards and in coastwise

transportation. Finally, 543 persons working in the Morgan City area

listed as residences, the states of Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama,

Florida, and Oklahoma.

-287-

INDUSTRY COMMUTING PATTERNS

1311 1381 1382 1623 3341 3533 4442 4454 5084 5085 Elect. Misc.

Wax Lake to East
Line, St. Mary 150 115 45 31 617 16 133 58 53 102 144 264

Wax Lake to West
Line, St. Mary 15 12 41 5 371 51 25 4 13 28 6 117

Assumption Parish 6 2 567 12 10 1 8 19 6 20

Lafourche Parish 4 5 1 586 3 60 9 17 8 25

Terrebonne Parish 11 3 5 1 579 5 60 1 14 14 41

Lafayette, La. 13 8 X 7

Abbeville, La. 10

Basile, La. 5

North, La. 2

Lake Charles, La. 1

New Orleans, La. 1 X

Loreauville, La. 2

New Iberia, La. 8 1 X 2

Broussard, La. 1

Gueydan, La. 8 1

Jennings, La. 2

Erath, La. 1

Eunice, La. 1 2

Minden, La. 5

Ville Platte, La. 1

Alexandria, La. 4

Palmeto, La. 1

Many, La. 1

Hackberry, La. 1

Lake Arthur, La. 2

Coushata, La. 3

-288-

Page 2 Industry Commuting Patterns

1311 1381 1382 1623 3341 3533 4442 4454 5084 5085 Elect. Misc.

Shreveport, La. 7

Mansfield, La. 1

Tioga, La. 2

Churchpoint, La. 1

Kaplan, La. 1

Pineville, La. 1

Angola, La. 1

Opelousas, La. 2

Mamou, La. 3

Vidalia, La. I

DeRidder, La. I

Acadia Parish .6

Calcasieu Parish 3

Cameron Parish 5 1

Iberia Parish 16 4

Rapides Parish 7

St. Landry Parish 22 1 X

St. Martin Parish 9

Vermilion Parish 14 2 1

Catahoula Parish 1

Baton Rouge, La. 1 2

Campti, La.

Washington, La.

Cottonport, La.

Iowa, La.

Breaux Bridge, La..

Plaquemine, La. X

Jefferson Parish 1 X 3

-289-

Page 3 - Industry Commuting Patterns

1311 1381 1382 1623 3341 3533 4442 4454 5084 5085 Elect. Misc.

Ascension Parish X 3

Pierre Part, La. 2

Delcambre, La. 1

Arnoudville, La. 1

Scott, La. 1

Gretna, La. X 1

Louisiana 33 9 345

Texas 4 8 6 1 1 200

Arkansas 2 2 3

Mississippi 4 106 35 4 17 65

Alabama 13 17 34

Florida 7 10

Oklahoma 2

Ohio

unspecified 19 575 7 40 146 58 1224 8 23

California 25

Avoyelles Parish X

X - Indicates that employees are living in area, but no numbers specified.

NOTE: No information given on 1389

MANPOWER SURVEY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SERVIN3
MORGAN CITY, BERWICK, PATTERSON AREA

1. NAME OF FIRM 6. NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON PAYROLL

2. KIND OF BUSINESS 7. PRODUCT AND/OR SERVICE

3. NAME OF PERSON REPORTING

4. TITLE 5. DATE B. ANNUAL PAYROLL 1976

9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
TRAINING & EDUCATION
EMPLOYEE'S FAMILY RESIDENCE SHOW
MALLE FE14ALE NO. OF EST. EMP. ON THAN VOC. ANNUAL % NO. OF EMPLOYEES LIVING IN AREA SHOWN
NUN- NEEIDS FOR LESS HIGH SCHOOL
JOB TITLE OR WORK CURRENT SALARY JOB HIGH EMPLOYEE IMPORTANT: USE ADDITIONAL SHEL'r
OCCUPRTION SCHEDULE WHITE WHITE WHITE WHITE VACKNCIES JOB 1978 RANGE TRN. SCHOOL SCHOOL TRN. COLLEGE TIMNOVER IF NECESSARY

A. WAX LAKE TO EAST LINE-
ST. MARY PARISH

B. WAX LAKE - WEST TO ST.
MARY PARISH LINE

C. ASSUMPTION PARISH

D. LAFOURCHE

E. TERREBONNE

F_ LIST NO'. IN OTHER LA. CITIES
& PARISHES & CITIES IN OTHER
STATES

-291-

A P P E N D I X I I

-292-

AN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY

OF THE MRGAN CITY AREA,

1700-1050

.--by Dr. Timothy F. Reilly
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Social Studies
University of Southwestern Louisiana

293-

The historical geography of the port of Morgan City-Berwick provides
a classic example of a community's steady endurance in the face of serious
environmental hazards. Morgan City-Berwick's surrounding hinterland, for a
radius of at least 40 miles in all directions, is in large part a spongy
morass of cypress swamps, muddy bayous, and canal dredgings amid slender
projections of cultivated levee backslopes. As a population cluster, Morgan
City-Berwick does not owe its existence to these inauspicious factors, but
to its famous crossroads position at the southern margin. of the Atchafalaya
Basin.

This vast fresh-water swamp region is drained by the Atchafalaya River,
a former distributary of the Mississippi River. Both nature and man have
intervened in such a way as to change both the function and orientation of
this deep and treacherous stream. Nevertheless, the swamplands on either
side of the river have continued to pose a considerable barrier to transpor-
tation routing, agricultural expansion, and human settlement.

For centuries, man's only means of crossing the Atchafalaya was along
its complex maze of waterways. As late as 1863, east-west passage through
the Atchafalaya Basin was commonly limited to two routes: one means of
communication utilized Bayou Plaquemine and the upper Grand River between
the Mississippi River just south of Baton Rouge and Bayou Courtableau on
the western side; another route, located to the south, followed a primitive
canal between Bayou Lafourche and Lake Verret. The water connection continued
westward to Lake Palourde and finally to Grand Lake. There were minor
water routes within the Basin, itself, but these two provided circuitous
access to Louisiana's lower Mississippi River settlements.1

Two separate waterways traversed the interior swamp wilderness from
north to south. The Atchafalaya River, itself, provided a major, albeit
dangerous, route from the Red River lowlands southward to Grand Lake and the
Lower Atchafalaya River. Another parallel passage by way of Grand River
along the eastern fringe of the swamp was of comparatively minor importance.
Later on, transportation routes around and through the Basin were spurred
by the development of three nearby agricultural districts as well as the
need for a continuous land-and-water route between New Orleans and the Texas
frontier lands.2 I I

The first agricultural settlement complex included the cultivated
lands along the lower Mississippi River valley from the Felicianas southward
to New Orleans. As the "cradle of Louisiana's civilization," the area
served as a coreland and staging area in the expansion of rural frontiers.
Both the early German Coast of St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes,
begun in 1720, as well as the Acadian Coast of St. James and Ascension,
established in the 1760's, played significant roles in populating this
riverine country. In the meantime, growing numbers of Creole and Anglo-
Saxon planters eventually succeeded in making the region one of the richest
in the rural South.3

A second zone of human settlement and agricultural expansion developed
as an adjunct of the Mississippi river district. Both Acadians and Anglo-
Saxons were instrumental in developing the elongated stretch of cultivated

-294-

lands on either side of Bayou Lafourche, a former distributary of the
Mississippi. By the 1830's, continuous settlement had spread as far south
as Lockport.4

While the slightly higher riverine lands along the eastern side of the
Atchafalaya Basin were'being developed, the lands beyond the western and
southwestern margins of the Basin were experiencing similar agricultural
and pastoral beginnings. Both the Opelousas Prairie and the transitional
Bluff Terrace became important population centers for migrating Acadian
petits habitants and smaller numbers of Anglo-Saxon planters and plain folk.
More importantly, the Attakapas Prairie stretching along Bayou Teche served
as a settlement compound for Anglo-Saxon indigo and sugar cane planters
as well as Acadian farmers and fisherfolk. Indeed, the sugar cane culture
which was to develop along the meandering banks of the Teche acquired a
distinction and character second only to the sugar producing districts along
the lower Mississippi and Lafourche areas.

The site now occupied by Morgan City-Berwick played a significant
role in the distribution of different peoples, and in the shipment and exchange
of goods. The east-west transport system which crossed the Atchafalaya from
the Lafourche to the Teche utilized the water complex on the immediate fringe
of present-day Morgan City Furthermore, both of the north-south water
routes which crossed the swamp converged at the point where the lower
Atchafalaya River leaves Grand Lake in its,final passage to the Gulf of
Mexico. And finally,.the Bayou Teche district, itself,.regularly exported
its agricultural harvests at the lower threshold of the Basin, while it
imported finished supply goods and luxuries through the same funnel.5

While the Morgan City-Berwick site was not ideal in terms of its local
elevation, drainage, flood protection, amount of readily available living
space, and hinterland accessibility and potential for development, the boat
landing nonetheless gained viability and importance by serving the transport
needs of outlying areas engaged in cross-country trade. As long as a crudely
fashioned nineteenth century commercial network relied heavily on the
technology and relative economy of water transport, the Morgan City-Berwick
area played a meaningful role in both the intra-regional and inter-regional
contexts.

The railroad lifeline,.itself, was gradually successful in replacing
the paddle wheeler and sailing vessel, but only after an extended partnership
with the established water transport system. The actual routing of the east-
west railroad through Morgan City-Berwick was chiefly the result of the success
of the old water routes. The rail system first served as an important link
between the'land-cushioned port of New Orleans and an important coastwise
steamship line; later, the railroad's ultimate extension across-the breadth
of Louisiana paralleled the Teche waterway, by then the focus of a large and
thriving population. In its final stretch, the railroad headed straightway
across the Great Southwest Prairies to the Texas border.

In the millenium before the coming of the white man, the lower Atchafalaya
Basin was largely dominated by the Chitimacha Indians, who at one time
numbered around 2,000. Like most coastal areas in eastern North America,

-295-

population was sparse compared to Indian populations in Middle and South
America at the time of European contact. The lands fringing Grand Lake,
the lower Atchafalaya River, Lake Palourde, and Bayou Teche disclosed a
sprinkling of small villages of palmetto- thatched huts. Life was simple
and generally peaceful. Both the Chitimacha and their more war-like neighbors
to the west, the Attakapas, were probably of the same family.6

Wild berry, grape, pumpkin, and maize furnished part of the vegetable
diet, along with wild bean and potato. Waterfowl, deer, and the smaller game
of the forest provided a regular supply of meat. Pirogues, hollowed out
of cypress trees and given shape by means of fire, were essential craft
used in inter-village communication and fishing expeditions on the numerous
lakes and rivers. Village middens attest to an abundance of shellfish;
large quantities of catfish, garfish, crawfish, and bass were also extracted
from fresh and brackish waters. Shrimp, crab and other seafoods came from
the deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Tribal fishermen utilized the simple
hook-and-line, as well as a crude fishing net of forest vine stretched
across a circular frame. The apparatus was usually placed at the mouth of
a bayou. Another instrument, the fish trap, was fashioned out of wooden
slats and contained a funnel-type opening. Concealed bear pits, blow guns
made from cane shoots, and arrows of cane and thistledown were some of the
other means of securing food.7

During the first half of the eighteenth century, the Chitimacha in the
Grand Lak'e-Bayou Teche district were almost entirely isolated from European
civilization. The Chitimacha to the east, however, were heavily decimated
by military assault before they acquiesced to the French. After 1750, the
western villagers followed suit by offering little resistance to the encroaching
white hunters, trappers, and farm folk emanating slowly across the bayous and
marshes of the Deltaic Plain.8

The founding of the French colonial seaport of New Orleans in 1718
helped to end the Indian culture's secure isolation, but the penetration of
French-Acadian settlers after 1762 posed an even greater threat to the
continued existence of the Chitimacha tribe. As refugees from their British-
occupied lands in Canada, the Acadians introduced their Roman Catholic faith
and seMi6ubsistence agriculture to non-British south Louisiana, where they
hoped to reassert their independent way of life.9

The culture of the Chitimacha was almost entirely obliterated by "Cajun
society" during the nineteenth century. Intermarriage with white and black
substantially diluted the tribe of its biological separateness; Roman
Catholicism replaced Indian religious beliefs; a French patois coupled
with pidgin English gradually eroded the native language; the introduction
of European disease undoubtedly emptied many villages of their inhabitants;
and the new importance of European and American money influenced the' hasty
sale of valuable Chitimacha acreage. The art of pottery-making among the
Chitimacha died out before the middle of the nineteenth century; the highly
praised skills used in basket-weaving gradually faded away by the middle
of the following century.10

-296-

Today, there are no full-blooded Chitimacha, and daily life among mixed-
blooded descendants is not too different from the adjacent white and black
folk. Assimilation with non-Indian culture since World War II is nearly
completed. Only the reservation at Charenton remains as a touchstone of
cultural identity and as an important link with the past. Fewer than three
hundred persons comprise the surviving Chitimacha.11

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, there were perhaps as many
as 20 Chitimacha settlements in the vicinity of Grand Lake and Bayou Teche.
Tchat Kasitunshki, now Charenton, is the sole survivor. It occupied a
central point vis-a-vis the other villages, some of which had strategic
function or cultural significance. Shoktangi hane hetchi'nsh, located three
miles north of Charenton on an inlet of Grand Lake, contained the tribal
lodge for religious dances and the principal burial ground; at the western
end of Grand Lake, Hipinimtch namu served partly as a portage facility.
Significantly, another small Indian settlement, Tchati Kutin&j namu--"village
by the great bayou"--was located at the confluence of Bayou Teche and the
lower Atchafalaya River. This east-end community may have been a convenient
way-station for the pirogue fishermen and traders as they drifted along one
of the earliest water routes known to man.12

The earliest observations recorded by visitors to the Atchafalaya Basin
do not provide a great deal of specific detail concerning the Morgan City-
Berwick site. There are general descriptions of usable waterways and unusual
plants, but there is limited material relating to locations which were
destined later for greater strategic significance, population, and trade.
Nonetheless, a few of the early travelers' casual statements on the Morgan
City-Berwick environs are worthy of scrutiny. At the time of the American
Revolution, one writer noted that the land surrounding Grand Lake was a low
and swampy terrain, heavily timbered with cypress and oak, and criss-crossed
by braided streams, some of which were navigable:

At a little diftance-from, the foutheastern fhore
of the lake Chetimachas /Grand Lake/, is an ifland
where perfons paffing that way generally halt as a
refting place. Nearly oppofite this island, along
the weftern fhore, there is an opening which leads
to the fea. It is about 150 yards wide, and has 16
or 17 fathoms water. From the lake along this open-
ing it is 3 miles to the Tage /Teche/ river, which
is on the North fide. Three fmall rivulets-fall in
on the fame fide, in the above diftance; and 3 miles
below the-Tage river on the w6ftern fide is a large
favanna /savanna/ known by the name of Prairu de
Jacko .... From this favanna it is about 33 miles to
the fea.13

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, almost 30 years later, another well-
known account gave a good description of the lower Basin's stream drainage
and navigation obstacles, but little was said of the Morgan City-Berwick site:

-297-

The current of the Chafalia is gentle till
it is joined by the Plaquemines about one hundred
and fifty miles from the outlet on the Mississippi,
where its velocity is considerably increased. It
communicates with Lake Natchez by means of several
bayous, the largest of which is bayou Long. This
bayou is connected with lake Flat, Grand river, and
Grand lake, by means of several bayous, most of which
are navigable in the season of high water. Grand
Lake is about forty miles long, and from three to ten
miles wide, into which the Chafalia is emptied by a
channel of about two hundred and fifty yards wide;
and a depth of nearly forty feet. It then passes
through Berwick Bay, which is from half a mile to two
miles wide, and from sixty to eighty feet deep; and
after a course of about twelve miles, it falls into
Vermillion Z@sijl hLay, Khich is an arm of the gulf....
The bayou Tersh /Teche/, which affords a navigable
communication with the settlements in the Atakapas
/sic/, joins the Chafalia near Grand lake .... 14

An earlier description of Bayou Tech portrayed the stream's navigational
attributes, but also sketche&a cultural atmosphere of transition from
primitive Indian settlement to European dominance. At the time of the
American Revolution, the native Chitimacha had quietly retired to the
isolation of their remnant territories while the first movements of a more
exuberant and aggressive population trickled into the fertile lands along
the Teche. The area was destined, of course, to be in the principal hinterland
for Morgan City-Berwick:

In afcending the Tage river, it is 10 leagues
from its mouth to an old Indian village, on the Eaft
fide, called Mingo Luoc, which fignifies Fire Chief.
From this village to the habitation of Monf. Mafs,
which is on the Weft fide, it is 2 leagues. One and
an half leagues further up, on the Eaft side, is the
village de Selieu Rouge, from whence there is a portage
of half a mile to lake Chetimacha. Two leagues further
up the river, and on the Weft fide, is the habitation of
Monf. Sorrel. From whence, to the town la Nouvelle
Iberie, on the fame fide, it is tolerably well fettled.
From this town about fix leagues wefterly acrofs the
country is -fituated the village de Skunnemoke or,the
Tuckapas /@ear Lafayette7, on the Vermillion /sic/
river .... The river Tage-, is in general better than
100 yards wide, with gentle current, and a fmall ebb
and flow of about 8 or 10 inches. It narrows as you
afcend it, where in fome places, it is not 50 yards
over. Veffels drawing from 7 to 8 feet water may go
from the fea to this town without any obftructions.... 15

-298-

.Around 1802, only "one hundred souls" resided in the two Indian villages
along the lower Teche.- Farther west, a sprinkling of Attakapas Indians
continued to occupy a few holdings "on the Bayou or creek of Vermilion."
Estimates on population growth within the Attakapas and Opelousas regions
indicate a relatively slow-paced beginning. In 1785, about 2400 persons--7.5
per cent of the population total for the Louisiana territory--occupied the
southwest prairie country.. Almost a generation later there were only about
3900 settlers, a little over 9.0 per cent of the territory's total before
American purchase. In 1785, about half of the 2400 total was white, the
other half slave; by 1802, about 64 per cent was white (out of a population
total of 3900), while 36 per cent was black.16

Most of the white settlers in the Teche district were French Acadian
and Creole, with a handful of Spanish and Anglo-Saxons. The district was
said to "abound in cattle and horses," and possessed "a large quantity of
good land." And while much of the agricultural produce was sent to New
Orleans by way of the Gulf, most was transported in simple batteaux along the
lakes and bayous once used-by the sedentary and semi-nomadic Indians and
their successors, the fur trappers and subsistence cultivators.17

During the first decade of American administration, the population of
Attakapas and Opelousas was said to total about 3100 whites and 3000 slaves.
Settlement and population growth were still said to be hampered by the forest
and swamp barriers of the Atchafalaya Basin, as well as the western jurisdiction
of the colonial Spanish whose "extreme-jealousy and caution" made further
penetration uncertain.16 The remote character and nebulous administration
of extreme southwestern Louisiana helped.to create a cultural vacuum throughout
most of the nineteenth century. For generations, this "No Man's Land"
between the Attakapas-Opelousas country and the Sabine river served as a
backwoods frontier for desperadoes, squatters, and marginal farmers.19

In a westward journey from the older plantations along the lower
Mississippi river above and below New Orleans, the early Teche region was
a midway point between civilization and frontier barbarism. While several
,of the settlements on the Teche were copies of the riverine lands farther
east, rough edges were still apparent in the architectural standards, house
size, roads, and cultivated clearings.20

The Atakapas /sic/ and Apalousas /sic/ are situated
on the right bank of the Chafalia. The first bounds on
the gulf, and the second joins it on the north, and
spreads between it and Red river. These include the
oldest and most opulent settlements in this quarter.
Those in the Atakapas are generally formed along the
Bayou Tersh, and some other bayous-of inferior note.
The lands near the Chafalia are low and swampy, though
some of them abound in excellent timber. Most of those
along the seacoast are also covered with swamps and
marshes; yet small tracts are occasionally found suffi-
ciently elevated for cultivation, and extremely fertile.
The interior of the district is diversified by prairies
and bayous; and along the latter, to the depth of 'two

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or three hundred yards, plenty of wood is to be f ound.
The lands suitable for cultivation extend in narrow
borders along on each side of the bayous; the rest
of the land is low and boggy, and fit only for the
pasturage of cattle. Such, however, is the number of
bayous, that the elevated lands are nearly__equal in
quantity to those of a low and spungy /@ic/ nature.
The soil is of a luxuriant quality., calculated for the
growth of the sugar cane, tobacco, cotton, indigo,
corn, and rice. Perhaps the lands along these bayous
are not exceeded in fertility by any tracts of the same
extent in Louisiana. The country is pleasant, and the
inhabitants are furnished with plenty of fish, oysters,
crabs, and wild fowl; as also with the orange, and all
other fruits, vegetables, and plants, incident to the
Delta. The climate in this district is nearly similar
to that of the Delta; with the advantage, however, that
it is refreshed by breezes from the sea.... 21

One early observer of the Teche made the brilliant deduction that the
stream "must have derived its channel from a state of things which no longer
exists, and the waters which flowed in its present cou 'rse must have formerly
been vastly more abundant." The author based his remark on the Teche's
considerable depth and width despite its limited water source. He noted
that the tide often flowed past the town of New Iberia, enabling vessels
of five feet draft to penetrate the remote ports upstream. The elevated
and broad levees along the stream signalled earlier alluvial depositions
of immense proportions. And despite the bayou's complex meanderings, the
author observed that "the channel is as regular as though formed by a
skillful engineer.,,22

Indeed, subsequent studies were to reveal that Bayou Teche was the
third in a series of streams flowing through the Attakapas country. Preceding
the placid Teche was the broader and more turbulent Red River, which now
serves as the Atchafalaya's all too generous tributary. And in an earlier
period, the Mississippi river, itself, poured through Attakapas before
a series of dislocations farther east. Both the Teche and its borderlands
are the gift of the Mississippi.23

Upon superficial examination, the abundance of streams and lakes led
many viewers to believe that transportation was no problem for the early
settlers. Although there were continuous water routes with New Orleans,
there existed theever-present challenge of hazardous navigation due to
seasonal water fluctuations. At the beginning of the nineteenth century,
"vessels of sixty or eighty tons burthen" passed from the Gulf to the middle
portion of the.Teche. But travel up the Atchafalaya was difficult if
not impractical, while a large vessel was unthinkable for navigating the
bewildering maze of waterways separating the lower Atchafalaya river from
New Orleans. Coastwise passage through the Gulf of Mexico, itself, was
made both difficult and dangerous by the interdigitating coastal marsh.24

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One early source characterized the Plaquemine passage to New Orleans as
the "most used in transporting articles of commerce," adding'that cargo was
usually placed on board "large barges from 20 to 50 tons burden." At the
beginning of the.nineteenth century, the navigation of Bayou Plaquemine
was said to be feasible only when the Mississippi river was high enough to
spill through the outlet.25 By mid-century, the route still provided a
haphazard means of transport as it flowed past fertile cotton fields and
dark swamps of cypress and gum:

As we passed up the Mississippi, upon aproaching
/sic/ the entrance to.../Plaquemine/ bayou, our steamer
edged along by the side of a huge raft of drift stuff,
lodged at the junctioni.... and above this,!at the distance
of a few rods, was another bold raft, ragged as a patch
of windfalls, and threatening as a nest of snakes.
Between these two rafts the water draws in from the
Mississippi with great force, and at this point our
boat entered. She passed up as though she were bound
for a higher point on the river, until her bows were
nearly opposite the lower part of the upper raft, when
all of a sudden the thought seemed to occur to her that
she would visit Attakapas--she turned her water-rooting
snout towards the,opening between the rafts, and in a
few moments she plunged into one of the most crooked,
uncivilized bayous that nature ever invented. It is so
crooked that a water snake would be likely to lose the
natural channel and run into the woods. The boat no
sooner wheels around one elbow that she prepares to
wheel another, and then another and another, so that
there is no end to her wheeling. At some point one would
suppose the boat had found the end of the bayou, and was
bound to run right straight into the woods, when suddenly
the channel takes a short crook, and the waters roll
around a point, and.the steamboat saves her bacon.and
moves oft. At some places the boat brushes the woods,
at others it shaves a point, and at others it hugs the
shore.26

The Atchafalaya river was alternately praised and criticized for its
navigability by early reporters. William Darby noted that the Atchafalaya's
relatively straight course southward from its junction with the Red river
shortened travel distance to the Gulf by 127 miles. He also stated that the
navigator encountered fewer obstructions in Atchafalaya Bay than at the
Mississippi's mud-choked delta. Darby contended that only "the contumacy
of custom" could influence the Attakapas inhabitants to neglect their fertile
lands and their accessibility to outside markets. "Nature has been more
than usually benef icient to the Attakapas," said he, adding that the region
demanded little from "the hand of art."27

According to another observer, the Atchafalaya presented obstacles to
navigation which surpassed those of Bayou Plaquemine. It would be several

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years before the "short-cut to the Gulf" provided a continuous water access
between the Teche country and northern and central Louisiana:

Bayou Atchafalaya, leaves the river three miles
below the mouth -of Red River, and enters the gulf near
Vermillion /sic/ Bay. It is large, but rendered un-
navigable by an immense floating bridge or raft across
it, formed by the gradual accumulation.of drift wood.
It is many leagues in length, and so firm and compact
in some places, that cattle and horses are driven over
it .... The water which descends this channel passes under
the bridge, and in many places may be seen winding
through small holes and crevices.- and at last rushes
forth with considerable violence. In times of inun-
dation small boats can pass the bridge by keeping on
the flats. Large boats drawn into the vortex of this
Bayou, find it difficult to regain the mississippi.28

Not everyone was in agreement with the peculiar properties of the
great raft. William Darby, writing around 1815, disputed the veracity
of reports that cattle and horses were sometimes driven casually across
the river flotsam. He maintained that recurrent movement and reshaping
of the floating raft structures made passage difficult if not impossible.
In the same breath, Darby acknowledged the growth of "small willows and
other aquatic bushes" on the rafts., but he claimed that their maturation
was almost always thwarted by the debris' constant shifting and.breakage.29

Farther downstream, Darby noted the contrasting nature of the cleared
portions of the Atchafalaya. He was enchanted by the "many species of...
flowers" and funereal drapings of Spanish Moss which decorated the dark
forests of cypress and gum. "Even the aligator dsicT," he raptured,
"otherwise the most loathsome and disgusting of animated beings, serves
to increase the impressive solemnity of the scene."30 In one of the
darker recesses of this forest primeval, the same observer, deeply moved,
contemplated the similarity between the swampy environs and the dawn of
creation: To have an idea of the dead silence, the awful
lonesomeness, and dreary aspect of this region, it is
necessary to visit the spot. Animated nature is
banished; scarce a bird flits along to enliven the
scenery. Natural beauty is not wanting, the varied
windings, and intricate bendings of the lakes, relieve
the sameness, whilst the rich green of the luxuriant
growth of forest trees, the long line of woods melting
into the distant sky, the multifarious tints of the willow,
cotton, and other fluviatic trees, rendered venerable by
the long train of waving moss, amuse the fancy. The
imagination fleets back towards the birth of nature,
when a new creation started from the deep, with all
the freshness of mundane youth .... 31

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Near the beginning of the nineteenth century, one traveler described
the log-choked Atchafalaya as having a width of two hundred yards near its
northern junction, with a depth of about 18 feet during the low water period
and 33 feet in high water. Thirty miles downstream, the "raft of wood"
was said to begin, continuing with frequent interruptions for a distance
of 20 miles. Several of the logjams supported a considerable amount of
plant and animal life. Willow trees, for instance, could attain a ten-inch
diameter as their root systems plunged downward into the matted debris.
These rafts were often characterized as "floating bridges," since they
often touched opposing banks and rose and fell with the fluctuating
waters.32

In 1831, Captain Henry Miller Shreve succeeded in clearing the stream
of much of its driftage. Gradually the small Atchafalaya, through flood
and natural drainage, captured more and more of the Mississippi's flow.
During the remainder of the century the Atchafalaya served as an important
transportation artery for south central Louisiana and the commercial entrepot
of Berwick-Morgan City. But not without cost. By assuming the role of a
major stream, the Atchafalaya has since become a threat to the ecology
of its surrounding natural semi-wilderness--one of the most unique in the
world. Furthermore, its high water marks have continually menaced the
safety and security of Morgan City-Berwick, not to mention the smaller
population corridors to the north and east. Finally, the Atchafalaya's
threat to the traditional course of the Mississippi, itself, has stirred
up concern.in the established port facilities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans.33
The future of Morgan City-Berwick will be partly determined bythe future
,role of the Atchafalaya.

Only a small part of the upper riverine borderland was suitable for
settlement and cultivation. A few miles of high ground stretched along the
left (east) bank of the Atchafalaya below its junction with the Red, and
"a few small spots of high land" were found below Bayou de Glaize. During
high water, the Atchafalaya's trade connection with the Attakapas country
often bypassed the site of Morgan City-Berwick, since short overland
connections-tied landing points such as Fausse Point on Lake Chetimaches
/Grand Lake/ with St. Martinsville, New Iberia, and Franklin.34 However,
traders heading forthe lower Atchafalaya region and the extensive farmlands
along the Teche frequently circulated their commerce by way of the Morgan
City-Berwick site.

It must be emphasized that the Morgan City-Berwick site was merely
an underdeveloped ferry crossing when the communities along the middle and
upper Teche were the mainstays of the Attakapas agricultural region. As
last as 1818, the frontier landing known informally as "Renthrop's ferry"
or "Berwick's Bay" marked the western terminus of the wilderness route
between the Attakapas region and the Mississippi river.35

The contrast, to the eye of the traveller between
the dark and silent gloom in the thick, heavy timbered,
inundated lands of Atchafalaya, and the open, light,
and cheerful expansion of the wide spread prairas of
Opelousas and Attacapas Z101, produce surprising and

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agreeable emotions. In a route by the mouth of the
Teche, into Attacapas, after landing at Renthrop's
ferry, the most interesting object which will arrest
the attention of the spectator, is the rich borders of
the Teche, lined with live oak, black oak, sweet gum
and laurel magnolia; the arable margin narrow and
nexting down the Atchafala@a five or six miles below
the mouth of the Teche.... 6

At mid-century, the Planters' Banner of Franklin considered the feasibility
of building a railroad to New Orleans "down the southern bank of the Teche"
and through "Rentrope's (point at) Berwick's Bay, thence across the Atchafalaya
to Gibbon's point." The low-lying district of what is now Terre Bonne--between
the lower Atchafalaya river and Bayou Lafourche--did not offer the direct
water transportation linkage which was at least a seasonal factor on the
northerly Plaquemine route. There was no continuously navigable stream
which flowed between the Lafourche area and Attakapas. Nevertheless, a
transportation system was improvized by utilizing the waters of bayous
Black and Boeuf, both of which served as a partial connection to Berwick's
Bay. In 1815, incidentally, the term "Berwick's Bay" was described as
Ilan unmeaning appellation given to a dilation of the Atchafalaya river,
below the mouth of the Teche." It was further noted that "use will most
probably perpetuate the name."38

Initially, this important subregion of the Bayou Country developed more
slowly than the western lands of the Teche due to the more limited land surface
available for cultivation, lower elevation, and discontinuous navigation.
Still, the smaller bayous acted as penetrating lifelines of antebellum
civilization:

... Bayou Boeuf, is formed from several streams,
that rise east of Lake Palourde, and unite with an
outlet of that lake. The margin of bayou Boeuf
and bayou Black, is an alluvial soil, of quality
equal to any in Louisiana; covered with strong cane,
and heavy timber. West of Lafourche and south of
Bayou Boeuf, rise a number of small streams, that
run nearly south into the gulph of Mexico. The
upper parts of Derbane, the grand and Petit Caillou,
bayou Peau de Chevreuil, (deer skin) and bayou du
Large possess a soil, equal to that on the Boeuf .... 39

Two generations later, a retrospective account of the area underscored
the relatively rapid agricultural growth and internal improvements witnessed
in the backcountry east of Lake Palourde. Fragments of the old "Attakapas
and Barataria Canal" resulted from the first attempts to construct a continuous
waterway with Bayou Lafourche "where steamboats regularly ply to and from
New Orleans." The route along Bayou Black reportedly cut the distance to
New Orleans by one-half, and it was speculated that an improved waterway
would "confer a great benefit on this country, and to Attakapas particularly.... 1140

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With its source near Thibodaux, Bayou Black snaked its way leisurely
westward toward Attakapas. Said to contain cultivable lands "of unsurpassed
fertility," the Bayou Black corridor exhibited in 1850 a succession of large
sugar cane plantations and prosperous small farms:41

IThe nearest land route from Attakapas to New
Orleans, is by this bayou, and is often traveled.
Drovers, with herds of cattle from the prairies,
frequent this route. The outlet of this bayou,
for navigation purposes, is toward the Attakapas;
but should the canal, of which we have spoken, be
completed, then there will be a nearer and safer
route. There are many planters on these various
bayous who are the owners of smaller estates than
those we have mentioned, and they are numerous,
and add to society the benefit of intelligence with
pleasant intercourse .... 42

Just a few decades earlier, there had been "dense forests and dreary
solitudes" where wild deer and bear had roamed at will. Now the scene was
greatly changed. Small schooners loaded up with "the sweets of the sugar-cane"
,while the tolling of a steamboat bell indicated an arrival at a plantation
wharf.43 Before the outbreak of the Civil War at the close of the next
decade, the Bayou Black water route was to be supplemented andjargely
supplanted by the New Orleans, Opelousas, and Great Western Railway,,an
artery of commerce which was to play a crucial role in the development of
Berwick's Bay.

One of the earliest and most detailed sketches of social life along the
Lower Atchafalaya River was made in 1819 by James Leander Cathcart. Acting
as an agent for the United States Navy, Cathcart was evaluating southeast
Louisiana's timber reserves for future use in shipbuilding. He began his
exploration of the Lower Atchafalaya by first landing his sailing vessel
near the home of a squatter family on Tiger Island--the present-day site
of Morgan City:

... We landed at a white mans house on Tiger Island
where LaCoup is from 80 to 100 yards wide, there is
likewise a house on Lafourche Isle opposite to it, owned
by one Garrett Taylor from Ouachitta--Pierre Moreaux
at whose house we landed is a sailor, a native of old
France, & is about 60 years old, his wife is a native
of Bedford County Pennsylvania, about 33 & has two
children the youngest a fine fat boy of a year old,
their house is fix'd on a hill of clam shells, which
bounds an Indian burial ground, from whence they
frequently dig human bones, & once they found a whole
skeleton; behind the hill is a piece of good alluvial
land; as low as the surface of the water, the soil
appears rich & produces red maite, cabbage, garlic,
beans, & sweet potatoes--they have some poultry, & what

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1 thought a curiosity, their dog which was very tame,
eat corn with them in perfect harmony, picking the grain
from the cob with his teeth, & generously permitting
an old hen to pick up all that fell on the ground--Not
so their neighbor Garrett Taylor, who is a single man,
& very lazy (as they say) & very frequently comes over
to ask for provisions, & if refused mal-treats them
& takes what he pleases; once he beat the woman & she
thinks that he wishes to make them abandon their little
plantation, where they have been settled in solitude
these two years, in order that he might take possession
of it, & benefit by their industry, for they are all
squatters here & have an equal right to the soil; One
would imagine that these poor neighbours would find a
mutual benefit in living upon good terms with each other;
but such a Tyrant is Man! that although the Bayou runs
between them, it does not prevent feuds & persecution.
Their residence are miserable huts, made of Cypress
boards not near so clean, comfortable, or well furnished
as the Indian Positions habitation; here we filld
our water casks with pretty good water, & they were
very civil to us--44

Cathcart noted that much of the vegetation covering the natural levees
running parallel to the local bayous included a sprinkling of live oak,
together with cypress, red oak, and an understory of palmetto, briars,
and a coarse grass cover. He complained that the vegetation along Bayou
Boeuf on the south side of Tiger Island was badly stunted due to the lowness
of terrain and frequency of overflow. Luxuriant growths of wild cane
covered much of the soggy environs.45

Across the Atchafalaya River, however, Cathcart found the rudiments
of civilization to be more substantial. Stopping at the future site of the
town of Berwick and at Renthrop's ferry house, he noted the social character-
istics of the few settlers and he commented on their peculiar situation.
He found the Berwick plantation singularly inviting:

... Mr. /Joseph/ Berwick is the son of the man who
gave name to the bay, he has five children, who look
healthy, he was born on this spot, is unletter'd but
civil & intelligent; he presented us with some good
oranges fresh from his trees which are the first we
have had since we left New Orleans ......

On Mr. Berwicks place are four Indian Mounds,
which are a natural curiosity, the origin of which
is veil'd by the lapse of time, they are situated at
right angles, pointing to the four Cardinal points,
including a square of about an Acre, in which about
30 years ago, there were several strata of ashes very
visible, supposed to have accumulated from the council
fires of the aborigines, who were of the Chetimachaux

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tribe at that period, but who had not the least knowledge,
even by tradition of the origin, or even for what purpose
those mounds were erected ......

It is worthy of remark that many human bones have
been dug up, on Mr. Berwicks plantation, in the vicinity
of the mounds, while they have remained undisburb'd,
Mr. Berwick seems to have more genius to cultivate
cotton, having rais'd last year 150,000 lbs on his
plantation, with three Negroes, besides his family
& household domestics, than to pry into the curiosities
of antiquity, although they have been in his view for
more than 30 years; .... 46

Cathcart's description of the Atchafalaya River's Renthrop ferry crossing
and depot rounded out the early agricultural setting. From these primitive
beginnings, the towns of Berwick and Brashear (Morgan City) gradually asserted
their regional commercial preeminence:

... Mr. Renthrop & his Son are Taylors natives of West-
phalia, come to Philadelphia some years ago, & have
traveld through many places in the United States since,
& about nine years ago settled upon this spot, they.
keep a tolerable good table for this part of the world,
their beds are clean, provisions wholesome, liquors
whiskey, taffia & bad claret, they are obliging but
wholy illiterate. Their farm is not very extensive,
but their garden is productive, they raise poultry &
hogs in abundance, & some fine cattle, & this is the
first place we have had milk with our coffee since
we left New Orleans; fresh butter is entirely out of
the question, & salt cannot be procured except in the
City; hogs lard is made its substitute in all culinary
purposes, the land everywhere is rich alluvion, capable
of producing every necessary of life, & many of the
luxuries; but owing to the prevalence of slavery, the
whites are lazy, & in general dissipated, & confine
themselves to the culture of cotton & sugar alone,
because more productive with less labor; The flats
(so call'd) used at this Ferry are form'd of two large
canoes, on which is a platform for horses,,the price of
carriage for a man & horse is 12 dollars, & for black
tattle 1.50 cs per head they cross the Lake to the canal
which runs into Lake Verrett from Lafourche a distance
of 30 miles, & from thence passengers proceed to Donald-
sonville, & take passage in Steam boats, that pass either
up or down the Mississippi, at the rate of 12@ cts per
mile. The flats or double canoes, row with two or more
oars, & sail when the wind is fair, the rudder is on
one canoe only, the pilot sits on the platform, & steers
with a yoke & lines, as he would a gig or wherry--47

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Cathcart's account underscored the varied ethnic background of the
small population located along either side of the Atchafalaya Basin--a
characteristic which was to continue down to the present day. The Berwicks,
for example, were the direct descendants of Thomas Berwick of Pennsylvania,
who was very likely the first white settler in what is today St. Mary
Parish. The elder Berwick's son, Joseph, and his widow, Eleanor, had
inherited the property in 1797. Subsequently, in 1811, the Berwick heirs
reportedly owned about 1600 arpents of land along both the west and east
banks of the river. The Tiger Island site along the east bank was afterward
acquired by Dr. Walter Brashear, a Maryland physician and descendant of an
old and distinguished family of French origin.. Brashear had given up a
promising medical career in Kentucky so that members of his family might
enjoy Louisiana's milder climate. Tuberculosis had invaded the Brashear
household earlier. The family first settled on Belle Isle in 1817, but
later moved farther north to the site of "Brashear," across the river from
the Berwick settlement.48

During the next two decades, the Brashear family developed the Tiger
Island site into a sugar plantation. Before Dr. Brashear's death in 1860
at the age of 84, the plantation flourished despite the economic doldrums
of the early 1840's. As a result of the economic and military hardships
of the Civil War, the Brashear family lost their holding and were forced
to depart. Small wonder, then, that the settlement's name was changed to
"Morgan City" in 1876 when railroad magnate Charles Morgan succeeded in
breathing new life into the small entrepot. In the meantime, the area's
small population mix had been further compounded by the arrival of Acadians,
Slavs, and additional groups of Anglo-Saxons and Latins.49

Almost 30 years after Cathcart concluded his timber survey, for the
United States Navy, the natural landscape had changed significantly. Broad
stretches of sugarcane and cotton fields covered the gentle levee backslopes
of the Atchafalaya River and neighboring Bayou Teche. Much of the live oak
found in the adjacent forests had been extracted for use in the American
Navy and merchant marine. One eye-witness source ruefully criticized a
local observation that "there is here enough oak to sustain a fleet for the
world." Said the critic in rebuttal: "the recent encroachments on this fine
timber have conclusively shown that no treasugois exhaustless, that is
sufficiently rich to tempt American cupidity."

Indeed, the celebrated Indian Mounds at Berwick Plantation also disclosed
the ravages of human curiosity and disdain. By 1847 only one of the four
mounds still maintained an elevation of 30 feet, largely because of its
significance as the Berwick family cemetery. The loss was irreparable and
especially painful since the skeletons, pottery, and shell fragments were
perhaps pre-Attakapas in origin. Berwick's Bay, itself, was described as
'1a beautiful expansion of water," where the surrounding natural levees rose
from five to eight feet above the surface of the water.51

To the west, the plantations of the Attakapas Prairie and the cattle
ranches of the Opelousas Country provided the Bay with its initial hinterland
of raw materials production and a small market for manufactures such as

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hardware and dry goods arriving from New Orleans. By the time the Attakapas
Canal was completed in 1825, there were 15,000 inhabitants in the Attakapas
Country, alone. Navigation of the Teche and the Lower Atchafalaya River
was sometimes negotiated by ocean-going brigs towed by steamers. One such
brig was the Attakapas. Laden with sugar, the sailing vessel was towed
out to sea.by the steamer Louisville. Fifteen days later, the Attakapas
deposited its cargo in Charleston, South Carolina.52

New roads paralleled Bayou Teche and emanated into the back country.
Improved navigation during the high water season and the primitive road
system were of essential importance in developing the plantation district.
In.April, 1825, for example, a Captain Curry had successfully maneuvered
his steamboat Louisville down the treacherous course of Bayou Plaquemine
and up the meandering Teche. The event was hailed as the genesis of a "new
era in the history" of the Teche country. The Captain was given a formal
dinner in honor of the occasion when he arrived in St. Martinville. Passage
by boat was not always a tranquil affair. It is recorded that on March 12,
1825, a keel boat loaded with 53 hogsheads of sugar and a few bales of
cotton was sunk in a squall on Grand Lake.53 More than a generation later,
the east-west water route.was still a well traveled artery. Only the coming
of the railroad eroded its importance:

The Vesta and Vanleer are now running on the
route between Attakapas and New Orleans,--They both
are said to be in good condition and well adapted
to this trade. They are now able to pass through
Plaquemine without difficulty which will enable them
to make quick trips to the city. We feel confident
that they will prove satisfactory to all that patronize
them.54

In 1826 the sugar harvest in the Teche district amounted to 3000 hogsheads.
Some 57 plantations employed about 640 field hands on more than 1500 acres of
sugar-producing land. This was something of a commercial turnabout. Ten
years earlier, the production of cane had been almost entirely abandoned,due
to the high prices commanded by cotton. But a cotton blight, together with
Ila suc cession of bad seasons," induced the planters to engage in sugar.55

While the Teche plantation district and the western prairie lands of
Attakapas specialized in cash crops such as sugar and--to a lesser extent--
cotton, the eastern hinterlands of Brashear-Berwick began to develop plantation
acreage for the production of sugar. Subsistence crops such as corn,
"providence" rice, melon, squash, and bean were also grown by the petit
habitants and the slave population. Meanwhile, the Lower Atchafalaya harbor
continued in its role as a receiving point for the cattle raised in Texas
and the nearby Southwest prairies. The cattle were traditionally driven
through Tiger Island on their way to.New Orleans.56

April 12, 1857 marked the dawn of a new transportation era for Berwick's
Bay and the tiny settlement of Brashear. Workmen had completed construction
of the eighty-mile long New Orleans, Opelousas, and Great Western Railroad

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which tied the Lower Atchafalaya River to the eastern terminus in Algiers,
just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The "Applesauce,"
as the railway was called, traversed some of the most difficult swamp
terrain in North America as it meandered through the bogs and bayous separating
the interior settlements of Lafourche and Des Allemands.57

The route was sporadically successful. Goods and passengers going to or
coming from Texas could save one day of travel by avoiding the often difficult
passage through the Belize andMississippi River below New Orleans. At the
same time, Charles Morgan, a New York businessman who owned the railroad as
well as the Southern Steamship Company, could avoid paying the expensive
harbor fees at New Orleans. The rail-water route between New Orleans, Galveston,
and other Gulf ports provided the Berwick's Bay area with its first major
impetus for a promising economic growth.58 Before the advent of Morgan's
Railroad, Berwick's Bay had offered a far more tenuous connection between
New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.

Temporarily operated by Union troops during most of the Civil War period,
the New Orleans, Opelousas, and Great Western Railroad (N.O.O. & G.W.)
renewed its contract with Morgan in 1866. Supplementary steamship service
between Brashear and Galveston occurred twice-weekly. Within three years,
Morgan had become the sole proprietor of the renamed Louisiana and Texas
Railroad, which served as the new lifeline of the growing comp lex of coal
yards, cattle stockades, warehouses and wharves lining the Lower Atchafalaya
River. Brashear's harbor frontage was 330 feet wide and easily accommodated
Morgan's largest steam vessels serving the Louisiana and Texas coastlands.
Shortly afterward, Morgan used Chinese and Negro labor to raise the railway's
grade and bridgework by two feet, further minimizing the threat of flood.
An enlarged wharf system at Brashear was connected to New Orleans by a telegraph
line.59

In 1872, a new wharf was constructed at Berwick, just across the river
from Brashear. In the meantime, Chinese workmen busily extended the railroad
west of Brashear. The newly created New Orleans, Mobile,& Texas Railroad
snaked its way through the Teche country on its way to Vermilionville
(Lafayette) and later in the century reached the distant banks of the Sabine
River.60

Morgan's decision to upgrade the Brashear terminal resulted from his
sizable harbor fees repeatedly incurred at New Orleans. As a matter of
fact, even the New Orleans press exclaimed that the high cost of conducting
business there was perhaps strangling the city's commercial lifelines.
Brashear also was relatively free of New Orleans' ravaging yellow fever
epidemics and subsequent quarantines, high land costs, and political
intrigue.61 Morgan's economic objectives involving the early growth and
development of Brashear are perhaps best related by his biographer, James P.
Baughman:*

- Thus, the drawbacks of New Orleans as a maritime
shipping point and the expense even of maintaining (much
less expanding) facilities there conditioned Morgan's

*Full text reprinted by permission of the author and publi sher.

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major decision to increase operations at his Brashear
terminal. As a newer, less-urban settlement and one
uniquely dependent upon his patronage, Brashear was
certainly a more pliable environment. By the mid-1870s,
Morgan's wharves stretched over 2,600 feet along the
Atchafalaya River and employed some 800 men in the
transhipment of goods or in nearby warehouses, cattle
pens, coal yards, and marine ways....In 1873, the payroll
on the wharves alone was $51,000 per month.

Indeed, Morgan had plans for the Brashear area.
On April 22, 1871, he publicly endorsed the Louisiana
legislature's charter of the Atchafalaya Bay Company
and became its largest stockholder and prime contractor.
Authorized to dredge a seaway from the Atchafalaya
River to the Gulf, the company began at once. Working
day and night, three dredges cut a 100-by 12-foot channel
from the river's mouth to the shell reef guarding
Atchafalaya Bay .... The channel opened on May'4, 1872.
Morgan's steamers used it free, while other vessels
were charged 25 cents per ton.

Upon completion of the Atchafalaya channel, Morgan
discontinued his 'outside' routes (i.e., New Orleans-
Texas, via the Mississippi River) and moved all his
steamships to Brashear in the final step in a plan to
upgrade his route from Louisiana to Texas. Rail-steamer
integration substituted rails for ships in entering
New Orleans and ships for rails in entering Texas.
The most workable solution to the difficulties Morgan
had encountered in linking the two areas, it made
Brashear the crossroads of his growing enterprises.

Agricultural producers of western Louisiana hailed
the expansion of Morgan's interests in Brashear. In
return, the steamship operator worked diligently to
please. He or his agents frequently visited the parishes
along his railroad's route encouraging the construction
of branch lines. Interested planters generously donated
right-of-way and grading; Morgan reciprocated with spur
trackage. the first and longest of these branches was
completed over the fifteen miles from Terrebonne (now
Schriever) to Houma in 1872.

The railroad also maintained daily connections
and through rates with independent steamboats on the
waterways it crossed--bayous Lafourche, Terrebonne,
Grand Caillou, Petit Caillou, Teche--and often Morgan
engineers and road gangs supplied relief or protection
work in times of flood. These services and courtesies
won friends for the Morgan lines in Louisiana's bayou

_311-

country, and few were surprised when Brashear was renamed
Morgan City in February 1876.62

In the generation which followed, Morgan's rail and steamshipservice
in southern Louisiana greatly benefited Morgan City and its citizens. Other
than an annual mail subsidy and contractual obligations for the movement
of Federal troops and stores, the Morgan line remained independent of
government aid. And during the entire period of postbellum. economic
recovery, the only labor disruption occurred in 1875 when six Negro coal
leaders objected to being paid in general-store scrip instead of cash.
Although the workers were jailed after an altercation with the wharf foreman,
their action eventually brought about a change.in policy. In the long-run,
Morgan's employees were relatively well paid and honestly dealt with,
Turnover remained extremely low and job security was insured by the
conscientious performance of one's duty.63

Mindful of Morgan's Yankee origins, the local press nevertheless issued
its finest praise in 1877 for the man whose business acumen had re-vitalized
the commerce of the Lower Atchafalaya. A stream of lavish praise was now
punctuated with fulsome bribery:

If Charles Morgan will give us railway connections
with Texas by virtue of such legislative encouragement
as can be granted him here, we will favor him against
Tilden or any other New Yorker as a candidate for the
next presidential vacancy.64

The all-rail line between New Orleans and Houston was finally completed
on September 28, 1880. Two years later, a new bridge across the Atchafalaya
River further expedited rail service between the two Gulf Coast cities as
it heralded Morgan City's new strategic economic importance.65

Several overflows damaged the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western
Railroad after its construction in 1857. Flooding in 1862, 1865, and 1867
disrupted transportation between Algiers and the Teche country, and in
1874 forced the substitution of steamer service between Brashear and Tigerville.
Later on,the railroad grade was elevated by about four feet. Meanwhile,
regular steamship service between Brashear and the Texas coast continued
between 1857 and 1882.66 It was during the new railroad age that the
physical character of Brashear-Berwick underwent radical change. What had
been a sleepy backwater port suddenly became a prosperous little boom
town--with all the advantages and disadvantages normally in attendance.
Between 1860.and 1875, Brashear's population jumped from a mere 300 to
almost 2,000.67

During the Civil War years, Brashear and its surrounding countryside
had sustained considerable damage due to recurrent warfare by opposing
military forces. Confederate control during the first three years of the
war was followed by,Union occupation between July, 1864, and March, 1865,
a Confederate re-capture for two weeks, and finally, Union re-occupation
for the duration of the war. Several gunboat battles were fought on

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surrounding waterways in addition to the local land battles and skirmishes.
During the first Confederate occupation, blockade running sometimes resulted
in successful landings in Havana. Both armies constructed temporary military
garrisons on both sides of the Atchafalaya River and succeeded in driving
out many of the wealthy sugar planters, small farmers, and townspeople due,
to the repeated upheavals. Significant traces of the economic devastation
resulting from the war could be found throughout the area during the remainder
of the century.68

The Reconstruction Era in the Brashear area was not without, incident.
Racial discord ran deep when the settlement headquartered a major concentration
of black soldiers who were initially a part of the new cultural design.
Writing in 1868, one irate Southerner complained of the town's vulnerability
to carpetbaggers and freedmen:

We were informed at Brashear City that the Negroes
at Free Town,,situated a few hundred yards from Brashear,
drill, nightly, and keep up the discipline of a military
camp. The military orders and the sound of the drum
are within hearing distance of Brashear, and comparatively
a small number of white men. This gives the Negroes
boldness and effrontery. A few insidio s carpet-b
au ag ers
from the North ... are the instiga /tors/ of all this.99

But apart from the undercurrent of tension stemming from the black
soldier encampment, and the brief labor row of 1875 which involved overtones
of racial discimination, there was relatively little to mar the peace along
the Lower Atchafalaya. Indeed, there were few communities in the postbellum
South which reported so little in the way of actual racial unrest.

In the decade following the War, Brashear experienced its first great
leap forward. *In 1866, there had been only five stores, two coffee houses,
one shoemaker, and one tailor. Considering that the Algiers railroad had
been in existence for almost a decade, this was a somewhat modest growth
despite the sporadic warfare and military occupation. But by 1875, Brashear
had mushroomed in response to Morgan's combined railway and steamship
operation. Beside the new custom house and Mbrgan's@wharfage and railway
depot stood 50 wholesale and retail stores, 15 coffee houses, five billiard
rooms, three bakeries, three drug stores, five restaurants, one hotel,
perhaps 12 boarding houses, one ice house, and two newspaper offices.
In addition, local manufactures included four steam sawmills; one (Spanish)
moss factory; and one sash, door and blind factory. The town's residential
area included 800 houses, five churches, five schools, two fire companies,
and one Masonic Lodge. Brashear also counted among its citizens one Congressman,
one state representative, one parish and one district judge, four doctors,
three lawyers, and a collector of customs.70

The railroad and steamship baron was alone instrumental in salvaging
the destiny of the Lower Atchafalaya port facility. One of the best descriptions
of the early boom period of Morgan's station in the swamp was supplied by one
eyewitness traveling to New Orleans in the summer of 1870:

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We arrived at Brashear eight long hours before the
departure of the /railroad/ cars for New Orleans. This
enabled us to examine the improvements which Mr. Morgan
is adding to that place....

The new cattle pen is convenient and substantial.
It has thirty apartments, capable of holding conveniently
fifty head of beeves in each, or fifteen hundred in all.
There is a continuous watering trough, running through
fifteen of these pens, five hundred feet in length, and
a fine double-brake pump connected with it, where seven
or eight hundred beeves may drink in a short space of
time. There is a separate and convenient landing for
the Teche steamers and cattle. The stock minder's
house is on the wharf at the end of the cattle pens.
The whole is made with reference to and for the
accommodations of the Texas and Teche steamers ....

In two weeks the cars will come into the depot
on the new track. On this track the whole train will
lay by the side of the Teche and Texas steamers, about
fifty feet distant from them. The steamers will then
receive and discharge freight very conveniently and
passengers will have no trouble in passing baggage
between the cars and the steamers.

The improvements lately made at this depot are
very expensive, and the amount of square timbers and
planks used in these improvements is enormous.
Mr. Nelson /;upervisor-/ informed us that most
of the square timber.was Zrked out in the swamps,
and on the bayous and lakes, by the Creoles, and by
them floated to the depot. These Creoles have received
from Mr. Morgan this year about 30,000 dollars. And
their work has been well done.

Mr. Nelson has employed much white labor on the
wharf and depot improvements .... 71

The reporter also observed that the Brashear harbor was regularly
served by salt bargetraffic from Petit Anse /Avery/ Island. The barges
were towed coastwise from Vermilion Bay to the mouth of the Atchafalaya
River. He later described the railroad trip to New Orleans as "elegant
and comfortable," since "the springs of these cars... L/were-/...much superior
to those of the old cars.72

Across the river, meanwhile, economic recovery was proceeding at snail's
pace in Berwick. The western hinterland in the immediate vicinity retained

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its agrarian character of ill-kempt sugar plantations and weed-choked byways.
The scars of the late War, a depressed economy, and location on the far side
of the river were factors which retarded early growth. Cultural continuity
in family name, however, was a significant feature of west bank life as
late as 1871:

The Berwick plantation, and the Golden Farm,
on Berwick's Bay, are not cultivated. The former
place was formerly owned by Joseph Berwick, long
since deceased; the latter, by Dr. Walter Brashear.

At Berwicks there is a small ship yard, and a
foundry kept up by Mr. Watkins, who understands working
iron, brass, and copper as well as the best in this
section of the State.- There is also a new grocery
store here, kept by Mr. Roberts, formerly editor of
the Attakapas Register.

Dr. Rhode s works about 30 hands. His is the old
Rentrop plantations, at the junction of Berwick's Bay
and the Atchafalaya.

Mr. Bradley's place, next above Dr. Rhodes, is

house on this place, is in ruins, the brick walks are
worked by Mr. Bradley's three sons. The old sugar

mostly down, and small trees are growing up through
the old machinery which is rust eaten, and ruined....

Mrs. V.H. Rentrop has ten hands on her place,
on the west side of the Atchafalaya.... 73

Social life in the e arly.postbellum period of Brashear-Morgan City was
not as sedate as it might have been in older established communities in
southern Louisiana. The port facility normally attracted a wide variety
of ethnic groups and individual characters who were usually transient or
seasonally oriented. The sometimes "here today, gone tomorrow" aspect of
employment and commercial life was an indicator that profits could be made
but momentum@sporadic. The dommunity was frontier-like in the extreme,
and newspaper items made repeated references to chronic social ills.

To begin with, the town was not renowned for its loveliness. Here
are some exemplary quotes in the Attakapas Register cajoling the citizenry
to take more pride in the appearance of their community:

That old building on the foot of Ferret street,
known as Loyd's saloon, is being torn down. Let us
pray.

A liberal use of paint and white wash will add
greatly to the appearance of the city.

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Plant shade trees. We want to have the pleasure
of recording the fact that a thousand trees have been
planted within the city limits this year. Now is the
time to plant them.74

Sidewalks in the business section were sometimes made of five-foot
planks laid crossways. Meanwhile, the young shade trees were under repeated
siege; some townspeople and visitors habitually used the tender plants as
hitching posts for their horses. A small minority of city beautifiers,
struggling in earnest against the indomitable philistines, had disseminated
more than 300 trees along the principal thoroughfares as early as 1875.75

In addition., dogs and swine seem to have been a special nuisance in
their wanderings about the town. Judging from rueful editorials in the local
newspaper, Morgan City was apparently experiencing more than its share
of homeless canines and rooting hogs:

Cut the tails of all the dogs in Morgan City,
lay them in a straight line, and it would reach from
here to New Iberia. This, too, in our Centennial year,
with sausages at two-bits per pound.

The dog crop has increased since pizened sausage
came into vogue, and those that were poor and mangy
now have a clear thrilling bark, and wag their tails
when they see a policeman.76

A city ordinance underscored the problem. "No dog, bitch or whelp"
was allowed to run at large without a wire muzzle or chain. Dog owners
were assessed two dollars for each offen'se. The town marshall was given
authority to destroy any dog running loose. Foraging hogs within the city
could be more costly to their owners. If unclaimed within 24 hours the hog
in custody could be sold to the highest bidder.77

violence, public drunkenness, and vagrancy were also widespread problems
amid the bustle of life in Morgan City. Considering the large population
of male transients and roustabouts, "demon rum" flowed freely about the
waterfront grog shops and knife fights were given "ho-hum" reportage:

If you want to take a drink in this city, you can
choose out of twenty-two different coffee-houses. That's
all.

Sunday evening last Front street was pretty thoroughly
populated with drunken men, who were rather too full
to wipe off their chins. Five of them were jugged.

Mr. Franciona, who was stabbed in the arm last
Friday,is getting along nicely. The person stabbing
him was fined twenty five dollars, and placed under
peace bond.

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For the past two weeks our town has been pretty
well overdone in the line of tramps, who go from house
to house begging something to eat. Most of them are
large, robust, double-fisted men who ought to have
more vim and self-respect....

A quarrel arose between Robt. Cronier and Peter
Leonard, on Front Street, last Sunday, and resulted
in the latter receiving two cuts, one in the back and
one in the side. The wounded man received medical
attendance and the wounds were pronounced not dangerous.78

One of the most amusing stories reported in the local press involved one
inebriated soul whose powerful thirst led to a serious mishap behind the bar.
Such goings-on supplied the town wags with the typical ingredients for Morgan
City drollery:

An old swamper named Jones was about two sheets
in the wind last Monday, and going into the store of
Louis Gougenheim, on Front street, asked for a drink
of whisky. This was refused him, and he next asked
for a drink of water. There being none in the store
Mx. Gougenheim kindly went back to the cistern to get
some water for him, and while absent Jones made a raid
on the whisky barrel as he supposed. Buthe missed his
mark. In his haste he drew about one pint of coal-
oil from an adjoining barrel, and had just swallowed
the quantity when the proprietor stepped in. Jones
smacked his lips, said it did not taste like whisky.
Then he cried; then he laid down on the floor rolled
over and over, and said he was going to die. But he
didn't die. He was sick, though, and through advice
of Mr. Gougenheim he got into his skiff and started
for camp, with a pint of coal-oil to light him on his
way.79

Despite the town's rough edges, the commercial growth of Mbrgan City
was buoyed by a local boosterism that seldom faltered during the 1870's and
80's. Public disorders and local political corruption seemingly had no
embarrassing effect on the citizenry. "A new house is commenced about
every two weeks," boasted the local newspaper, "and merchants spread
out new wares in enlarged buildings with the utmost confidence and pecuniary
success.PO Opportunities were advertised as unlimited:

... There is need for people here, and glorious
opportunities for small capitalists, so we feel
justified in advising them to call here when they
conclude to emigrate. Do not forget that we are
situated at the termination of a railroad, and the
head of steamship and steamboat lines. Come right
along, friend, and hang out your sign.81

_317-

Moo's Restaurant of Morgan City had become a regional favorite among
the railroad and steamship passengers, including members of the State Supreme
Court who happened to be passing through town. Oysters, a local specialty,
sold for as low as "four dollars per thousand at the wharf." The plentiful
supply was described as "inexhaustible and of excellent quality," since,
in the words of the editor, "the bivalves in this section can be had for
the gathering, as they are not bedded by individuals." Proposals were
made that Morgan's Railway be used to transport the seafood on a regular
basis to the larger New Orleans market.82

At the close of the Reconstruction Era, Morgan City's commercial
hinterland was one of the richest and most varied along the Gulf Coast.
The cultivated lands surrounding Morgan City were largely devoted to sugar
cane production. However, the local merchants shared only a fraction of
the profits made from the sale and shipment of raw sugar and molasses to
distant markets. The New Orleans commercial community managed to dominate
more than 85 per cent of the exported volume due to numerous capital invest-
ments and continuing planter dependence.83

New Orleans also received nearly all of the Spanish moss which first
arrived in Morgan City--the primary collecting center. The large amounts
of live oak and cypress which were disseminated more widely throughout the
country. Navy yards and private shipbuilding facilities from San Francisco
to Maine received cargoes of both sawed and dressed lumber. Morgan City
became one of the South's leading entrepots of the timber industry. At
the same time, trade in cattle, tallow, and hides was said to be "respect-
able," but apparently conditions were not optimal. Of course, recent
railroad construction in the continental interior had managed to re-orient
the cattle drives of the Southwest. Cheaper and more direct transportation
to the large Northeastern markets helped to deflect trade away from the Gulf
Coast.84

A varied assortment of other native products were dominated by the larger
New Orleans market which often served as a go-between. Locally produced
oranges, honey, and beeswax, for example, were first shipped to New Orleans
before their removal to the north by rail. Other foodstuffs, such as figs
and berries--either raw, dried, or preserved--seem to have had limited
commercial value. Like the local river rice, corn, potatoes, and dairy
and poultry produce, these items did not yet command any significant export
value. Trade in most wild animal products at this time was minimal, except
for alligator and pelican products. In 1876, more than 4100 alligator
hides sold for 40 cents apiece. Remarkably, only one barrel of alligator
oil was extracted for sale and profit. In the case of pelican oil, four
barrels were produced:85 .

This superior oil for machinery sold for 60 cents
in the raw and $1.25 per gallon in the refined state ....
Thousands.of the birds congretate on the Gulf Coast, and
their capture in large numbers is easily effected.86

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Needless to say, the pelican is no longer a familiar sight in the
Morgan.City environs or anywhere else along Louisiana's coastal region.
Another victim of advancing civilization, the pelican is now found within
the state's borders only as a result of artificial circumstances.

Early in the nineteenth century, a significant part of Morgan City's
trade had consisted of wild game and seafood products. As early as 1819,
New Orleans was supplied with fresh fish and turtle brought in by boat from
the coastal margins of present-day Terre Bonne Parish'*87 Lack of adequate
refrigeration, however, greatly restricted the radius of trade and quantity
of catch. The ice house was an important oasis of preservation and comfort
during all the seasons of the year. Louisiana's humid subtropical climate
was first held at bay by blocks of New England ice before mechanical
refrigeration became a common fixture in Morgan City and in the railroad
cars and steamship reefers which served the port:

The Schooner "Grace Vandosen" is expected in a
few days loaded with 500 tons of ice at Belfast, Maine,
consigned to Mr. A. Ehrman. This will be the second
cargo this winter, and we are gleased to know that ice
will be plentiful next summer. 8

The surrounding marshland provided abundant wild fowl as well as marine
life. -One newspaper report in 1878 noted that "There is a little sloop
running regularly between here and Chenier Tigue /Chenier au Tigr@e/ bringing
into market wild game, principally brant, or wild geese." They were described
as it cleaned, fat, and ready for the oven, at reasonable prices."89

By 1898, Morgan City was regionally renowned for its oyster, fish,
shrimp, and crab trade. One of the largest processors was the Berwick Bay
Fish and Oyster Co., Inc. The production and sale of fresh-water finfish,
incidentally, has subsided in recent years due to pollution, agricultural
pesticides, wildly fluctuating temperatures, and scarcity of oxygen. Today,
the production of jumbo shrimp and crabmeat continue to be important. And
while commercial fur trapping in the area was relatively inactive during
the nineteenth century, it experienced impressive growth during the first
half of the present century.90

Morgan City's jumbo shrimp business allegedly experienced a difficult
birth. While Southern states along the eastern seaboard had exploited
the jumbo for years, Louisiana by 1933 had not developed a similar market.
This condition changed during' the following year when Captain Ted Anderson,
a Scandinavian mariner, bypassed the traditional shallows and sailed far
out into the Gulf. Returning to Morgan City with almost 50 barrels of
splendid jumbo shrimp, Capt. Anderson first encountered resistance among
pop-eyed dealers. The general conclusion among some of the buyers was that
something was amiss with "them shrimp swole up like that." At any rate,
the Scandinavian intruder and innovator did manage to dispose of his catch
in Berwick, and thus began Louisiana's modern-day "shrimp revolution."91

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Steamship operations in Morgan City reached their peak in the decade
preceding the completion of the Louisiana and Texas Railroad. The telegraph
operator on Shell Island regularly notified the port town whenever a vessel
arrived at the mouth of Atchafalaya Bay. Western Union provided the informa-
tion and time needed to make ready for cargo discharge and re-loading.
Coastwise steamers tied Morgan City to the Texas ports of Galveston, Corpus
Christi, Rockport, and Indianola. Along inland waterways during the high
water season, daily packets carrying freight and passengers ascended Bayou
Teche for New Iberia and St. Martinville; weekly packets headed upstream on
Bayou Vermilion for Abbeville, and Vermilionville. Even the treacherous
Upper Atchafalaya was sometimes navigable for small packets.92

Both the railroad traffic and that of the River continued to sustain
the region's commercial vitality during the last quarter of the nineteenth
century. As early as 1878, a daily passenger train arriving from New Orleans
contained as many as 400 riders.93 Following Morgan's death, the Atchafalaya
River's 12 to 14-foot channel was rather casually maintained by both private
and public interests. After years of sedimentary build-up, re-dredging was
financed in 1907, which accommodated "30 vessels in coastwise trade and 18
vessels from foreign ports." Following another 30 years of almost total
neglect, the silt-laden channel was once more deepened to at least 10 feet
as a result of the burgeoning jumbo shrimp industry and its need for improved
access to the Gulf. Today, the Louisiana Intracoastal Seaway Association
(LISA), organized in 1958, is a primary force in helping to maintain minimal
navigational requirements in the Lower Atchafalaya River and neighboring
waterways.94

The town of Berwick--perhaps the oldest European settlement in St. Mary
Parish--grew very slowly during the one hundred year period following Joseph
Berwick's birth in 17.79 at the site of that village. By 1876, the community
counted only 300 souls while Morgan City loomed as a "metropolis" of perhaps
2000 inhabitants (It should be remembered that just before the outbreak
of the Civil War, the population of Morgan City LBrashear7/ had been as low
as 300). Berwick's major industry at this time centered around its substantial
shipyard and dock, and the resident shipwrights and their apprenticed sons
contributed heavily to the water-borne commerce of the Atchafalaya Basin
and adjacent coastal marsh region.95

By the close of the nineteenth century, however, Berwick also boasted
one lumber company, one general merchandise store, two grocery stores, one
shoe store, one carpenter works, one blacksmith shop, and two saloons.
One individual acted as notary public while another served as justice of
the peace. The local doctor also served as druggist and postmaster.
The town was incorporated in 1907.96

By mid-century Berwick had experienced phenomenal growth. Its four-mile
waterfront with its 90-foot deep channel, accommodated the interests of
local shrimping fleets, seafood packing plants with ties all over the world,
boat-building and shipyard maintenance operations, marine equipment production
facilities for an infant offshore petroleum industry, and an oyster shell
products company.97 The onl industry to experience a complete shutdown was
y

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the sawmilling of cypress--an enterprise which quite naturally dissolved
when commercial cypress disappeared around 1925.98

The importance of food-processing facilities in Morgan City-Berwick
is underscored by the large numbers of unskilled workers locally employed.
It is noteworthy that food-processing is still Louisianals number one industry
in terms of numbers of employees. The average petroleum worker generally
maintains a higher standard of living, but he is frequently outnumbered
by the food factory worker (many of whom are females). The latter group
is perhaps more dependent on the local payroll due to a greater reluctance
to break family ties and move away in search of better pay.99

Morgan City, meanwhile,.fias remained the keystone municipality of the
Lower Atchafalaya Basin. The relative stability of the community was indicated
as early as 1876 when the varied religious character of the inhabitants
expressed itself in wood and brick. One Roman Catholic Church (1868) and
one Jewish Synagogue (1875) had been constructed. Presbyterians, Methodists
(North), Baptists (black), and other Protestants also worshipped in regular
services at their respective churches. Morgan City also boasted two public
schools (open six months of the year), one Catholic arochial school, the
Morgan City Academy, and two private girls' schools.YOO

While Charles Morgan was responsible for Berwick Bay's first major
.economic revolution by virtue of the convergence of his celebrated trans-
portation lines,,* the discovery of offshore petroleum could be characterized
later as the area's second major economic revolution. On November 17, 1947,
Kerr-McGee Oil Industries was successful in Ship Shoal Field, Block 32, and
several major oil companies followed suit. Morgan City became an important
base for operations along the coastal shelf, and thus the "cradle" of
technology's experimental venture into offshore petroleum extraction. This
second revolution was to become an evenl6reater instrument of environmental
and economic change than was the first.

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FOOTNOTES

Bob F. Perkins, gen. ed., Geoscience and Man, Vol.. II: Atchafalaya
Swamp Life, Settlement and Folk Occupations, by Malcolm L. Comeaux (Baton
Rouge: School of Geoscience, Louisiana State University, 1972), p. 10.
21bid., pp. 9-10.
3Joseph G. Tregle, Jr., "The Lower Mississippi," The Rivers and Bayous
of Louisiana, ed. by Edwin Adams Davis (Baton Rouge: Louisiana Education
Research Association, 1968), pp. 143-144; Fred B. Kniffen, Louisiana: Its
Land and People (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1968),
pp. 124-125.
4Philip D. Uzee, "Bayou Lafourche," The Rivers and Bayous of Louisiana,
ed. by Edwin Adams Davis (Baton Rouge: Louisiana Education Research Association
1968), pp. 122-123.
5"Progress of Improvements in Attakapas," Planters' Banner (Franklin),
April 27, 1848, p. 2.
6Morgan City Historical Society, A History of Morgan City, Louisiana
(Morgan City: King-Hannaford, 1965), pp. 9-10; John R. Swanton, Indian
Tribes of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Adjacent Coast of the Gulf of
Mexico (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1911), p. 343.
7Fred B. Kniffen, The Indians of Louis iana (Baton Rouge: Louisiana
Bureau of Educational Materials, Statistics and Research, College of Education,
Louisiana State University, 1965), p. 54; Albert S. Gatschet, The Shetimasha
Indians of St. Mary's Parish, Southern Louisiana (N.p., n.d. A paper read
before the 70th meeting of the Anthropological Society of Washington in
1883), p. 5. A copy of the paper is located in the Louisiana Room of the
Louisiana State University Library at Baton Rouge; Herbert T. Hoover, The
Chitimacha People (Phoenix: Indian Tribal Series, 1975), pp. 11-12; Swanton,
Indian Tribes .... p. 346.
8Hoover, The Chitimacha People, pp. 31-34, 37; Uzee, "Bayou Lafourche,"
p. 122.
9Hoover, The Chitimacha People, pp. 34, 37-38.
101bid., pp.
11 Kniffen, The Indians of Louisiana, p. 83; Hoover, The Chitimacha People,
pp. viii-ix.
12 Gatschet, The Shetimasha Indians .... p. 4.
13 Thomas Hutchins, An Historical Narrative and Topographical Description
of Louisiana, and West-Florida.... (Philadelphia: Printed for the author,
1784), p. 46.

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14Major Amos Stoddard, Sketches, Historical and Descriptive, of Louisiana
(Philadelphia: Mathew Carey, 1812), p. 179.
15Hutchins, An Historical Narrative-, pp. 46-47.
16 John Davis, Travels in Louisiana and the Floridas, in the Year, 1802,
giving correct picture of those countries (New York: n.p., 1806), pp. 136-139.
17 Ibid., p. 171.
18 Stoddard, Sketches, Historical and Descriptive-, p. 178.
19 Fred B. Kniffen, Louisiana: Its Land and People (Baton Rouge: Louisiana
State University Press, 1968), p. 138.
20 Edmund Dana, Geographical Sketches on the Western Country: designed
for emigrants and settlers: being the result of extensive researches and
remarks... (Cincinnati: Looker, Reynolds & Co., 1819), p. 223.
2lStoddard, Sketches, Historical and Descriptive .... p. 180.
22 Dana, Geographical Sketches on the Western Country.... p. 221.
23 Kniffen, Louisiana: Its Land and People, pp. 52-53.
24Stoddard, Sketches, Historical and Descriptive-, pp. 180-181, 184.
25 Dana, Geographical Sketches on the Western Country.... pp. 215.-216.'
26 "Bayou.Plaquemine," Planters' Banner, Aug. 4, 1853.
27 William Darby, A Geographical Description of the State of Louisiana ... with
an account of the character and manners of the inhabitants (Philadelphia: John
Melish, 1816), p. 73.
28 Daniel Blowe, A Geographical, Historical, Commercial, and Agricultural
View of the United States of America ... Compiled bv Several Gentlemen from
a Variety of Original Manuscripts, and from the Latest and Best Authorities
(London: Edwards & Knibb, 1820), p. 624.
29 Darby, A Geographical Description of the State of Louisiana.... p. 65.
301bid., p. 66.
3lIbid., p. 69.
32 Stoddard, Sketches, Historical and Descriptive-, p. 178.
33Sue Lyles Eakin, "The Atchafalaya'," The Rivers and Bayous of Louisiana,
ed. by Edwin Adams Davis (Baton Rouge: The Louisiana Education Research
Association, 1968), pp. 114-115;

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34Dana, Geographical Sketches on the Western Country..., pp. 216-217.
351bid., p. 232.
361bid.
37 Planters' Banner (Franklin), Dec. 13, 1849, p. 2.
38Darby, A Geographical Description of the State of Louisiana.... p. 121.
39 Ibid., pp. 121-122.
40 DeBow's Review, Vol. VIII, 1850, p. 148.
41 Ibid., p. 149.
42 Ibid., p. 150.
43 Ibid., p. 149.
44James Leander Cathcart, "Report of the agents /James Leander Cathcart
and James Hutton appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to survey timber
resources between the Mermentau, and Mobile Rivers, November 1818-N@jy 1819.
With an appendix consisting of copies of letters received and sent/, Archives,
University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette (Xerox copy of microfilm
made from the General Land Office, National Archives, Washington, D.C.,
1942), pp. 29-30.
45 Ibid., p. 31.
46 Ibid., pp. 32-33.
47 Ibid., pp. 33-34.

48
Bayou-Rama /'@ouvenir Program/., "100-year old Morgan City" (Morgan
City Centennial, Inc., 1960), n.p.; "Morgan City Founded as Brashear City by
Physician from Maryland" (from St. Mary Parish Resources and Facilities-1949),
St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune (Historical and Progress Edition),
April 28, 1959, Sect. X, p. 2.
491bid.
50,,V,s,t to Attakapas" (from the New York American Agriculturalist),
Planters' Banner (Franklin), July 22, 1847, p. 1.
5lIbid.
52 "Progress of Improvements in Attakapas" (from the files of the
Attakapas Gazette), Planters' Banner, April 27, 1848, p. 2.
53 Ibid.

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54,,Our New Orleans Boats," Planters' Banner, Dec. 28, 1848, p. 2.
55,'Progress of Improvements in Attakapas," Planters' Banner, April 27,
1848, p. 2. - I
56Bayou-Rama, "100-year old Morgan City," n.p.
57 James P. Baughman, Charles Morgan and the Development of Southern
Transportation (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1968), pp. 97, 103;
One traveler confidently noted that "the alligator will migrate before the
hand and foot of civilization." See Thomas North, Five Years in Texas;
or, What You Did Not Hear,During the War from January 1861 to January 1866.
A Narrative of his Travels, Experiences, and Observations, in Texas and
Mexico (Cincinnati: Elm Street Printing Co., 1871), pp. 52-53. Much of the
roadside vegetation consisted of dwarf palm and climbing plants such as the
Cherokee rose. See Thomas R. Nichols, Forty Years of American Life (London:
John Maxwell and Company, 1864), 2 vols., Vol. I, pp. 206-207.
58 Baughman, Charles Morgan and the Development of Southern Transportation,
pp. 103-104.
59 Ibid., pp. 127, 156, 161.
601bid.1 p. 169.
6lIbid., p. 175.

62
Ibid., pp. 176-177; See also, "Morgan Spent Million Dollars 75 Years
Ago Dredging River," St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune, April 28, 1959,
P. 1.
63 Baughman, Charles Morgan and the Development of Southern Transportation,
pp. 177-179.
64 Attakapas Register, March 24, 1877, p. 1.

Baughman, Charles Morgan and the Development of Southern Transpor ation,
p. 219.
6.6 Emerson Bentley,.Morgan City, The Commercial Entrepot of Attakapas:
Its Description, Natural Advantages, Future Prospects, Local History, and
General Directory (New Orleans: A.W. Hyatt, 1876), p. 22.
671bid., pp. 22, 24.

68
Bayou-Rama, "100-year old Morgan City," n.p.; "Morgan City Founded as
Brashear City by Physician from Maryland," St. Mary and Franklin Banner-
Tribune, April 28, 1959, Sect. X, p. 2; Morgan City Historical Society, A
History of Morgan City, Louisiana (Morgan City: King-Hannaford Co., Inc.,
1960), pp. 17-25.

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69 "Trip to New Orleans," Planters' Banner, Sept. 5, 1868, p. 2.
70 "Atchafalaya Port Hub for Vast Waterway Net," St. Mary and Franklin
Banner-Tribune (Historical and Progress Edition), Sect. 10, April 28, 1959,
P. 1.
71 "Editorial Correspondence," Planters' Banner, July 27, 1870, p. 2.
72 Ib id .
73,, On the Atchafalaya," Planters' Banner, April 26, 1871, p. 2.
74,, The City," Planters' Banner, Dec. 2, 1876, p. 2; Feb. 3,
75 Bentley, Morgan City, The Commercial Entrepot of Attakapas..., p. 24.
76 "The City," Attakapas_Register (Morgan City), Nov. 18, 1876, p. 2;
May 28, 1878, p. 3.
77The Laws and Revised Ordinances of the Town of Brashear. Compiled,
Revised and Codified, pursuant to an Ordinance of the Mayor and Councilmen.
Approved, July 8th, 1872, by W. Bartholomew Merchant, Esq. (New Orleans:
Stevens & Seymour, 1872), pp. 41-42.
78,, The City," Attakapas Register, Dec. 2, 1876, p. 2; Dec. 23, 1876,
p. 2; Dec. 30, 1876, p. 2; Morgan City Free Press, Vol. XI, No. 16, April
18, 1889, p. 3.
79"The City," Attakapas Register, Jan. 26, 1878, p. 3.
80 "Our City," Attakapas Register, April 7, 1877, p. 2.
81 Ibid.
82 Free Press (Morgan City), Vol. II, July 22, 1880, p. 3; Attakapas
Register, Sept. 1, 1877, p. 2.
83 Bentley, Morgan City, The Commercial Entrepot of Attakapas..., pp. 12-13.
84
85 Ibid., pp. 8-9, 13.
'Ibid., pp. 10, 12-14.
861bid., p. 11.
87 Cathcart, "Report of the agebts /"Yames Leander Cathcart and James
Hutton .... 7, p. 39.
88"The City," Attakapas Register, Jan. 20, 1877, p. 2.
89 Ibid., March 9, 1878, p. 3.

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90Kniffen, Louisiana: Its Land and People, pp. 90, 92; "Oyster, Fish
Trade were Principal Commodities of Morgan City in '98" and "Atchafalaya
Port Hub for Vast Waterway Net," St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune
(Historical and Progress Edition), April 28, 1959, pp. 2, 7.
9lIbid., p. 2.
92 Bentley, Morgan City, The Commercial Entrepot of Attakapas, pp. 3-5.
93tiThe City," Attakapas Register, March 9, 1878, p. 3.
94
"Morgan Spent Million Dollars 75 Years Ago Dredging River," St. Mary
and Franklin Banner-Tribune, April 28, 1959, p. 1.
95Bentley, Morgan City, The Commercial Entrepot of Attakapas, pp. 4, 22, 24.

96,,
Berwick Bay Pioneer Settlers are Names," St. Mary Banner and Franklin
Tribune, April 28, 1959, p. 7.
97,,
Berwick has one of South s Finest Harbors, Town is Site of First
White Settlement Here," St. Mary Banner and Franklin Tribune, April 28, 1959,
Sect. VIII, p. 7.
98Kniffen, Louisiana: Its Land and People, p. 163-164; Rachael Edna
Norgress, "The History of the Cypress Lumber Industry in Louisiana," Louisiana
Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXX, No. 3, July, 1947, pp. 1005.
99Kniffen, Louis .iana: Its Land and People, p. 174.1
100 Bentley,.Morgan City, The Commercial Entre2ot of Attakapas, pp. 6,
23, 24-26.
101 Morgan City Historical Society, A History of Morgan City, Louisiana,
pp. 71-76.

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