The record-union., 1895-07-20
TOWN IMPROVEMENT SOCIETIES.

TOWN IMPROVEMENT SOCIETIES.
Los Gatos has organized an improvement
society. Men and women are members. The
Fnnual fee OF membership Is So 90.
The town improvement society Is Of
the order Of village societies, of which DR..
Holland used TO write SO urgently and
entertainingly. They are by no means
new. They were known in New Eng
land as auxiliary to the town meeting,
early in the century. but they did not
reach any degree of large efficiency until
within the last twenty years. Perhaps
no men did more to forward their forma-
tion by advocating their usefulness than
John G. Holland and George William
Curtis.
The, Town improvement Society is far
apart from the Board of Trade for it has
nothing to do with trade matters nor ex-
tension of the business relations of q
place, nor yet with the internal business
concerns Of the city or town. 1t is dis
tinot from Chamber of Commerce, be-
cause it has nothing TO do with communi-
ties on the outside. nor with promotion
of business or industrial interests, nor
does it receive visitors, collect statistics
or disseminate Information, nor does it
concern itself with political or financial
they relate closely to the work Of the i'm
pr0Vement society.
What then are the scope and purposes of
the town improvement societies of which
it is said there are over 800 in the United
States, and not all confined to towns and
small cities, for Philadelphia and Boston
have five each, and San Francisco has
three or four district societies that fairly
fill the measure of the definition we are
about to give.
A town improvement society is an as
sociation of citizens OF both sexes, in dis
tricts if the place is large, for the purpose
of conserving and stimulating local
cleanliness, neatness and economy, and
the general comfort of the community 80
far as it is related to environment. The
society concerns itself about shade trees.
street repair and construction, disinfec-
ton, highway cleaning. neatness of
fences or fence removal, hitehing posts
and uniformity of telegraph and tele-
phone poles. If there are such in the dis
srict
The society by various moral courses
encourages among the people in the dis
triet generous competitive spirit in the
matter of the keeping OF premises, streets,
walkways. alleys, etc., in neat order and
good repair. 1t makes war upon all who
litter or obstrucE the streets, enforces the
ordinances of cleanliness and health, and
procures others to be passed that are
necessary. It gives its influence to the
promotion of proper drainage and the
supply of good water tor domestic pur-
poses.
The societies also are watchful that
officers do their duty relating to patrol OF
ing, etc. They are concerned about the
beautifying OF the town, and the cultivs-
ton of good taste in the matter of
grounds, ornamentation, etc.
They are, wherever tried, found to be
conservators of economy. They are COM
posed mainly OF taxpayers and home
owners, and the personal equation in
them comes into close relation with the
pocket nerve. They. therefore, procure a
great deal of work to be done by each do
ing little that costs the town nothing,
and hence there is direct saving to the
town treasury.
Whatever will benefit, beautify, ad-
vance and add to the comforts of life in a
town these societies concern themselves
about, but they sndeavor to avoid politi-
cal matters. Where they exist. however,
their influence upon political parties is
very great. For every political party in
q town where there is an improvement
society is spurred on to nominate for
office those who will be most likely to
have the commentator OF the organiza-
ton that labors for cleanliness. decency,
progress and economy.
There ought to be in Sacramento at
least nine town Improvement societies,
one tor each ward. They would be gen-
srous competitors in the effort to better
local conditions. With such societies IN
existence we do not believe that even the
boldest citizen will dare to walk to the
middle of the highway and deposit Q lot