Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-24
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Postage ReCOmm0n0e0-In0 Weee Os0o
Levee and the Broadway Bridge.
The attendance upon the meeting of the
board of directors of the chamber of COM
MERGE yesterday morning was as large as
ordinary, and after the usual preliminary
business was disposed of the action OF Pres
ident Sanborn, in sending the communi-
cation in regard to the signal service to
Washington was endorsed.
THE GRADING OF THE STREETS.
Mr.. Willius from the committee on
streets and bridges made the following re-
port:
To the Board of Directors of the Chamber
of Commerce.:
Gentlemen-Your committee to whom
was referred the resolution involving the
question of paving the streets OF the bus
mess portion of this city beg leave to re-
port that during the last winter a series of
citizens meetings were held at the instiga
ton of this chamber for a full discussion
of the same subject, in consultation with
the city engineer and members of the
common council and the board of public
works.
Said meeting resulted in the expression
of a general sentiment in favor of paving
all the streets of the city embraced in
district bounded by East Third street, Wa
bashaw, East Seventh street and Broadway,
after gas and water mains and sewerage
had first been provided. AT that time the
paving of the following streets was under
consideration by the common council,
namely, Third street, between Sibley and
Wacouta, Fourth street, from jackson to
Broadway, Sibley street, from Fifth street
to the levee, and Seventh street from
jackson to Kittson street. All this work
has since been contracted for and finished,
except a small portion of Seventh
street, now in course of construction, and
which will probably be completed within
day or two. This will close
the work of that character for this season,
and was perhaps as much as circumstances
warranted to be undertaken this year, con-
sidering the large volume of miscellaneous
street Improvements in all parts of the
city, ordered during the past year. Your
committe are of the opinion, however,
that the coming winter months should be
employed to lay out definite plan for
further extension for the system of paving,
as recommended by the citizens meeting of
last winter, and that the contracts be let
early enough to give the contractors ample
time to procure their material to the best
possible advantage and to commence work
as soon as the frost is out of the ground next
spring. We recommend that urgent repre-
sentation be made to the common council
to accomplish this end. If st. Paul had
nothing else to boast of she can certainly
point to the one fact, that, among the cit
les of the Union of $4,000 inhabitants and
more, there is not one, perhaps, in which
prominent streets are in such disgrace
full condition as ours. In dry weather the
dust is absolutely intolerable. and we all
know what there is to contend with after a
rain. Bat however great the satisfaction
may be that we derive from this condition
of affairs, your committee are inclined
to believe that the time has arrived when
we should cast off our filthy garment of
old and invest in new suit that will give
us more comfort for ourselves and more
creditable appearance in the eyes of a
large number of strangers who come to
visit US. Public necessity demands this
change.
Owners of improved property in the dis
trict referred to as rule, doubtless appre-
ciate the necessity of having their streets
properly improved, and will gladly bear
the comparatively light burden of their
assessments.
Any possible opposition by spectators
in unimproved lots, held simply for rise
in value, should receive the least possible
consideration at the hands of the city gov
eminent. It is customary and proper, as
a rule, that the common council is govern
ed by the wishes of interested property
owners in ordering Improvements for
which such property owners are to be as
sessea, but there are cases, like the one be-
fore us, where public requirements will
justify a deviation from that rule, and
where public opinion will sustain the coun-
Gil in exercising its superior power even in
the face of a marked opposition on the
part of those mostly directly interested.
The committee on streets, roads and
parks. F. W1LLIus,
J. w. MoCLUNa.
Almost before anyone knew it motion
was made and carried adopting the report.
One or two of the members then began to
think the board had been too hasty in its
action, and finally Capt. Berkey made mo
ton to reconsider the motion by which the
report was adopted, and gave his reasons
therefor. The substance of these was that
the board was anxious to keep the taxes
ulating the expenditures of the city on an
economical basis. The report he said, was
too broad and sweeping, and the recon-
mendations in it injudicious at the present
time. He argued generally that it was un-
wise to engage SO long before hand and to
such an extent in public improve
ments. Considerable discussion fol-
lowed as to the cause of the city council and
board of public works commencing worl
all over the city and not finishing it, and
commencing great public improvement
without the petition in the first place
of a majority of the property owners ask
ing for them.
Mr.. Oppenheim argued that that was tn
only way to have any public i'm
provements, inasmuch as nonresident
would always refuse to ask for anything
to be done. On vote being put the vot'
was reconsidered and the report wa
simply accepted.
THE sAwDUsT BUSINESS.
The following was offered by DR.. Day:
RESOLVED, by the chamber of commerc,