The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-07-23
WHAT rHE STREETS COST.

the report of the Street Department lets
a little light on the proceedings of an i'm
portant branch of the city government.
During the year ending June 80, 1892, sum
of s., 13l, 1906 was expended on the city
streets. to wit: S1,715,S16 by property own
ers for improvements il front of their lots
and S4155S0 by the department itself. 1t is
doubtful if any city of the size Of San Fran
cisco ever spent 50 much on one single
branch Of municipal administration in a
single year Many considerable cities man
age TO rub along with an expenditure of less
than two millions for all pOses-streets,
sewers, police, school, gas, water and the
rest
Fer this outlay the city has 10 show about
four and a half miles of streets paved win
ba-ait blocks and nearly seven ana NAN
miles Of streets paved win bltumlnouS Toch,
besides nearly thirteen miles OF sewers,
most OF which VIII have to be torn up When
general system Of sewerage Is adopted
Whetber the improvement is worth what 1t
cost depends largely upon the durability OF
the bituminous rock payements. If they
live 10 the natural term Of life of a street
pavement the expenditure Will not seem as
eXtTaYagant as il will IL they have to be torn
up by and by TO make place for basalt
blocks. The rule Of the department, which
orders the paving OF a block at the caprice
Of the Superintendent without regard TO the
necessities OF the property-o wners, IS not
calculated 10 insure longevity to the poul-
tce, for il is laid down without the smallest
regard to the condition OF the streets as TO
water, gas and sewer pipes. Every time a
new house is built or an old house IS SUI
piled with the modern improvements the
bitumm0us pavement is torn up and roughly
replaced when the underground pipes are
laid. When the attention of the depart
ment is drawn to the hole which is left IN
the pavement, the answer is that the de-
partment has no kettle and will not have
one until the fall, if then. On some blocks,
which the department has insisted on pay
ing only half The lots have been built upon.
When they are all covered with houses the
whole block viii require repaving
AIr. Gilleran and his men remind people
Of the plumber who was sent for to repair
the plumbing work in a fine house. When
the JOB was done the foreman, who was an
honest workman, privately observed to the
boss that the repairs he had made would
not last a year. "a yearP' replied the
plumber, -"they wont last six months II
we put in durable work In our customer 5
houses how do you think we would lve?"
The people of this city, one way and an
other, pay over two millions year TO en-
able paving companies, contractors and
PAYERS to live. That is what the Stree
Department is for. The improvement Of
the city is a secondary object; the main pur-
pose Of the assessments for street work is to
pat money into the pockets of people who
appear to be unable to make living other.
wise. To them the city is a mich COW
which enjoys immortal life. BY going over
the city piecemeal they make it keep then
year after year; and they do their work il
such a way that when the whole city has
been gone over ana curbed, gultered anC
paved, they can turn back to where they be
gan and don't all over again on some new
method. Is it any wonder that real estate
brokers report dull market for city
property?