The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-11
PAYMENTS.

TIE HERALD still insists that no other
paving should be attempted this season
than that which has been contracted for on
Commercial street In this we know that
great majority of the property
are with US. There are several very excel
lent reasons why the paving should be de-
ferred. The chief OF these is that time may
be had for testing the material. 1t must
be apparent to everybody who does any
reading of the newspapers and does any
thinking as result of what he
reads, that there exists deplorable
amount of ignorance concerning the
values of paving material. We read
in the same issue of newspaper
the positive and emphatic assertions Of
men presumed to be intelligent and trust
worthy that three or four different kinds
of materials are each the very best that
can be used In this climate. The advocates
of granite grow furious when somebody
suggests asphaltum, and the men who talk
asphaltum denounce those who favor sand
stone as fools. One man viii tell you that
he will sell his property and remove from
the street if stone shall be laid, and his
next-door neighbor will say that if as
phaltum shall be used he win endeavor to
enloin the corporation on the ground
that it will be unjust to compel
property-oweners to pay for pavement
which will last only two or three years.
Some insist that there is nothing that will
equal brick, all things being considered,
and there are those who favor tarred
III 90 -toA, l- %
be backed in his advocacy by personal
observation in other cities or by a thorough
reading UP on the subject 1t may be re
marked that gentlemen who have examined
the same streets elsewhere entertain radi-
cally different opinions regarding the pave
ment, one insisting that the material is all
that could be desired, and another being
forcefLl in the assertion that the material
is in everyway Objectionable.
AS remarked, it is clear that the
ignorance greatly overbalances the in
formation. All these good men
may think they are right, but most Of them
must be wrong. We do not believe that
there are two opinions regarding the adop-
ton of the Utah asphalt providing it shall
prove successful, and the price satisfac
tory. Everybody would prefer that ma
terial TO stone, wood or brick, if it will re-
sist the frost and endure the traffic 1t
is neat in appearance, presents smo 9th
and even surface and is practically noise
less qualifications which no other material
mentioned possesses. But so far as we
can learn nobody can speak definitely as to
Utah asphaltum. Some have seen one kind
of asphaltum on the streets of San Fran
cisco; others have seen another kind on the
magnificent streets of Washington; still
others tell US that in Paris no other ma
terial is used; but no one knows as to the
Utah article, and who can tell what the
effect viii be of our severe frosts going
down two or three feet? or Of our sudden
thawss or of our long weeks of extremely
hot weather?
The people of Commercial street have SC
much faith in Utah asphaltum that they
are willing to experiment with it at their
own cost and risk. Why not let them
make the test for the benefit of all prop
erty-ownersl If failure shall be
wrought it will be inexpensive and
the city will be saved an i'm
mense sum of money, besides being
spared the annoyance of long years of
broken and ragged pavement on some of its
principal thoroughfares, for it may as well
be understood that the property owners are
not going to tax themselves very soon for
a second pavement. BY next summer Com
mercial street will have demonstrated in a
manner that will be entirely satisfactory
whether or not anybody wants asphaltum
and that will be time enought to commence
the pavement of other streets 1t is not q
life and death matter that we should be
gin now. We have lived. and had q certain
degree of health and comfort and convent
ence, for forty odd years with unpaved
streets, and should be able to worry
through few more months with old fash
toned roads, with their mud and dust, thei
ruts and chuck holes.
Nothing has been said about the increased
taxation for city purposes, the sewer taz
and the cost of sewer connections, the
street spriukling tax the increased water
tax, the sidewalk tax, and so on, all Of
which make the ownership of property ar
expensive luxury this year, and incline PEG
pie to ask little respite from this eterna
paying out for public purposes.
The REPUBLICAN majority in Congress
has done great things this session Il