Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-20
First Move for the Improve.
ment of the City in
Accordance With
THE STREET ACT OF 1891.
Court to Appoint Viewers on the
Opening of ThoroughfareS.
CURATIVE BILLS DID THEIR WORK.
Millions Being Collected for Improvements
Already Made.
PLANS LAID FOR TIE COMING SUMMER

City Attorney Moreland went into Com
mon Pleas Court No. 3 yesterday and asked
for the appointment of Boards of Viewers
on the opening of IL new streets under the
street improvement act of 1891. This is the
first time proceedings have been taken un-
der the new act.
The streets to be opened arc as follows:
Finance street, from Homewood avenue to
the city line; Berthoud street, from Evans to
Morgan streets; Irwin avenue, from Wight
man to Forbes streets; Callowhill street,
from North Highland avenue to Mellon
street; Aurelia street, from Shady to Den
niston avenues; Bellefeld avenue, from
Forbes street to Center avenue; Winslow
street, from Park avenue to Turrett street;
Deary street, from Lincoln to Larimer
avenues; Blair street, from Lowry street to
Hazlewood avenue; CLOSER alley, from
kirkpatrick street to property line; Golden
alley, from Sedgwick to Berg streets.
Ever since the new street act and the REM
edial legislation for this city were signed by
the Governor on the 10th of last May the
city officials have been industriously at
work getting the improvements affected by
the curative act shaped up so that the
money due the contractors could be collected
and paid to them.
Went Through the Courts Slowly.
The proceedings necessary to get both
acts thoroughly tested by the Supreme
Court consumed the whole time up until
the early part of February, and it has only
been since that time that ordinances for
new improvements have been passed. Ow-
ing to the importance of getting the money
in for the improvements made un-
der the acts of 1887 and 1889,
amounting to over 100000, in or
der to prevent any necessity for issuing any
of the bonds authorized for paying the con-
tractors, the officials devoted their whole
attention to that part of the work. They
have nearly cleared this all up, and there
are but few of the old improvements that
have not entered the routine course through
the courts. The exceptions are three streets,
Boggs avenue, Wyoming and Shiloh streets,
which have been appealed to the Supreme
Court on technical points of law, and
three others, in which the interested
persons have appealed for trial by jury.
The money is coming in rapidly on the i'm
court, and it is expected that before the
first of next year from 5000, 600 to 81, 600, 600
of the money will have been received.
Can Settle With the Contractors.
This will more than meet the city's obli-
cations to the contractors at that time and
the City Attorney says there is no doubt but
next years obligations can be met easily.
The preliminary work under the new
street act differs from that under the cura-
tive legislation. In the latter 30 days must
be allowed after making application for ap-
pointment of viewers before the appoint
ments are made. the time being allowed for
property holders interested to file exceptions
Another 80 days elapsed before the viewers
could report and 60 days further are allowed
TO file exceptions to the report. In the
street act the City Attorney, or any other
party in interest, makes application for
viewers and the court makes the appoint
ments at his leisure or at once, naming a
day when the viewers shall meet the inter-
ested persons on the line of the improve
ment. The date named by the court must
be within 80 days of the appointment, and
the viewers must serve notice on all inter-
ested at least ten days before the meeting.
Ten Days Notice to Persons Interested.
When this report is ready the viewers
must give another ten days notice to the |
interested persons to hear the report read,
after which the report is submitted to court |
with plans and schedules of the viewers |
work, and unless exceptions are filed within /,
80 days the court can confirm the report alb |
solutely. The expenses of the viewers, |
which is considerable sum, are, under the |
new act, paid by the city. They were paid |
by the property in interest under the old |
acts.
City Attorney Moreland said last night |
that the viewers applied for yesterday |
would be named in a few days, and as fast |
as the papers could be completed others |
would be applied for ''There are a great |
many street improvements demanded |
throughout the CITY, he said, ''for which |
the property owners in interest are ready |
and willing to pay, and in their impatience |
to have the work done they naturally think |
the officials are moving too slowly. But it |
is impossible under our new law to hasten |
such work. We must proceed exactly as |
the law provides and it takes time.
An Equitable Legislative Act.
every sentence of the act contemplates
equity to all whom it affects and we cannot |
ignore any feature of it no matter how great
may be the demand for an improvement.
with the ordinances that have been
passed already and many others now before
Councils put in operation there will be an
immense amount of new street improve
ments made during the present
year. There are many new sections
to be opened up and people
are crying for sewers and paved streets.
The city will now continue in the forward
march SO signally checked by the striking
down of our old street laws, and believe
we will soon have perfectly paved city
from one end to the other"