Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-12
Street improvements.

10 the Edltor OF HE EVENING STAR:
The subject of the apportionment OF the ap-
preparation for street improvements, to which
reference is made in The STAR of the 5th, was
only an incident or side issue of the main ques-
ton presented by our committee for the con-
sideration Of the board OF District Commission
ers, but it is one of grave importance.
The revised tabular statement Of Capt Sy.
mons purporting to show '.the cost of the i'm
provement OF streets and avenues in the differ
ent sections, with the percentage Of expendi-
lures in each section since the establishment of
the present form of government" appears ON
page 233 OF the last report of our District Com
missioners and represents the amount for the
northeast section to have been S437,6
This elaborate table purports to be the result
OF laborious researches and discriminating cal
culations to show precisely how many cents
worth OF street improvements may be parceled
out to each of five sections according to the
population, valuation, area. needs and growth
OF eacn. This continuance obviously originated
In purpose to aggrandize one section at the
expense OF another.
After one section had received the benefit of
nine-tenths of the money applicable to street
improvements for eight wears. as admitted.
with largely enhanced valuation thereby cre-
ated, just and generous government would
have said: Now the other sections must have q
chance and be made equal
This table consists of tifty-six items Of expen-
may be instanced in illustration of its character
One OF these Is an item of appropriation of
Sl4O 500 for the general schedule" and the
other is an appropriation of Sl29.700 for the
northeast section. In the same report Capt.
Symons says: There are certain streets which
1t seems hardly fair to charge to any one sec
ton for the reason that they have general
Importance; such are the great avenue thor
oughfares and streets partly in one section and
partly In another. These streets properly form
general schedule for improvement"
OF this schedule the Commissioners them
selves had previously said THE general
schedule ID intended to provide for the i'm
provement of streets which are regarded as of
public Importance independent of their special
locality. Such is Maryland av anue," &c.
But when the appropriation appeared this
general schedule contained not a cent for the
Improvement of said Maryland avenue. nor
for any other avenue or street in the
northeast section, although it contained
items OF appropriation for comparatively unim-
portant streets in every other quarter of the
city and one for the county.
But the northeast section was actually
charged with an item for the Improvement of
said Maryland avenue from 9th street to the
boundary. This same northeast section was
also charged with an item for the improvement
OF North Capitol street. half of which belongs
to the northwest quarter, and all of which. ac-
cordlng to Capt Symons himself, should have
been III the general schedule. And still more an
item for the pavement of 18th street from East
Capitol street to North Carolina avenue, ex-
ciusiveiy in the southeast quarter. was also
charged to our northeast section.
Furthermore, this table is put forth as en-
bracing all of the expenditures on streets, but
that also is delusion.
The appropriations already made '.for re-
pairs to concrete pavements" aggregate more
than Sl,0OO0CO, and not penny Of it is in
cluded in this tabular apportionment. More
than two-thirds of it has been used in resur-
facing streets at about Sl.30 per square yard,
making them NEARLY as good as new" as re-
peatedly admitted. The nice asphalt pave
ment on II street northwest on the north side
OF Lafayette park is an example. This and
other similar improvements are continuously
made in the northwest section without. in any
manner, taking them into this account of street
improvements. s. C.. CLARKE