The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-02
IN BEHALF OF BETTER ROADS.
BICYCLISTS WILL GENERALLY
FAVOR SOMETHING OF THE
SORT.
GOSSIP OF THE CYCLING WORLD
Globe for the Local Riders of
Wheels.

Toronto World says:
The paving Of the streets is the most
important question in municipal affairs
at the present time. Citizens are dis
gusted with the condition of the streets
and they are ready to accept any
amendment to the present law that Will
provide for new pavements wherever
they are needed. The tax bills for this
year. which are just being distributed,
remind ratepayers that the general tax
rate has already reached high-water
mark. Not another mill or fraction o.
mill should be added to 1t. Those
who are planning amendments to the
existing system ought to endeaVOr to
distribute the burden as eQuitably as
possible. 1t would seem to be a fair
proposition that those who directly use
the paVements ought to be taxed for
the privilege. The citizen who has
carriage should certainly be called upon
to contribute more than the individual
who does not possess such a luxury.
According to the local Improvements
principle, citizens are called upon 20
pay the cost of the improvements abut-
ting their property. In addition to this
principle we think it would only be
equitable to levy a tax on every vehi-
Gle that uses the streets. The taxes
received from this source would go a
long way towards keeping the streets
in repair once they are paved. we be-
Heve the taxing of bicycles is worthy
of serious consideration. Several cities
are taxing wheelmen, and the principle
is spreading rapidly. Montreal levies a
tax of So. In Chicago very recently
the aldermen approved of an ordinance
taxing all kinds of vehicles, on the
ground that "the streets cannot be kept
in good order by the amount at present
at the disposal Of the civic admins
tration.' The same state of affairs
n iSt N this oitU The
dinance places tax of 81 per year oil
each bicycle, of 81 per year on each
vehicle drawn by one horse, of So per
year on each vehicle drawn by two
horses, and so on until $3.50 year is
levied upon each wogan or coach draw;
by eight horses.
Bicyclists will no doubt object to such
a tax, but Of what use would their
wheels be if they hadn't well-paved
streets on which to use them? Wheel
men do not appreciate the great privi-
lege they enjoy in having so many as
phalt and other well-paved thorough
fares in the city. True it is, the ma
scandalous condition, but the princ:-
pal thoroughfares are fortunately Ill
good shape. The Wheelmen, more than
any other class of the community, get
the benefit of the large amount of mon
ey that has been spent in paving the
SIlSCI lcllWdy IOulSS. HS DICy Gle
would be of little practical benefit IN
Toronto if these pavements did not
exist. We think therefore, that tax
of 81 on bicycles would be equitable,
and, if the money so collected was
spent in improving the streets so as
to afford special paths for wheelmen,
we think it would pay them handsome
,ly@ to contribute this amount yearly,
OF course, other vehicles would have to
be taxed, and the scale adopted ir
Chicago might be followed in Toronto
The Brooklyn aldermen are consider
ing the ACCESSIBILITY of leVying a tax Of
81 year for a bicycle license, and a
resolution to that effect may be pre-
scented in a week or so. 1t is expected
that $4,000 a year could be raised in
this way, and the money would be
spent in keeping the bicycle paths and
streets in repair.
One way to clean a chain we'll, says
The American Wheelman, is to take q
car inches in diameter and 3 inches
deep and boil the chain and place it in
the can. Pour in naphtha enough to
cover the chain, put on a tight fitting
cover and shake it for few minutes.
Pour off the naphtha and repeat once.
In five minutes this viii clean any chain
perfectly. Oil it we'll and work the oil
in. Now wipe the chain dry and put on
it a moderate amount Of graphite and
the chain will run smoothly.
Gen. Miles opinion that the wheel has
a broad field of usefulness in war is up
held by the correspondents who have
just returned from the '1ate unpleasant
ness" in Greece. The newspaper man
who used a bicycle instead of a horse
scored numberless 'beats" on his un-
fortunate fellow workmen and present.
ed his news to the world a great deal
earlier than did the correspondents who
relied upon horsefiesh to carry them to
the telegraph office.
The practice of certain young boys
and girls riding along the streets Of
this city in the evenings with arms
around each other is getting too pre-
Valent and complaints are being made
with a view to breaking UP this disgust
ing practice, says the Columbus Dis
patch. To the credit of the great ma
jority of riders it may be said that
this practice is confined to a rather
small number. Decent wheelmen and
wheelwomen are disguised at such eX-
hihitiOns along the public streets, and
in not a few cases some of these low
ing riders have been Kissed as they
passed, locked in each others arms.
More than one accident has teen caused
by young people riding along in this
manner and if the practice is not stop
ped, other accidents will occur. If
the young people engaged in such prac-
tees were the only ones hurt at the
time of these accidents it might not be
so bad but their falling has caused
others to fall. 1t is such exhibitions
as this on the public streets which have
a tendency to bring bicycling into dis
repute and if for no other reason, such
exhibitions should cease on the streets
of the city.
To the person who has not given the
matter due consideration the mechan-
ism of wheel is regarded as exceed
irgly intricate. Indeed, riders of sea-
sons experience are found who are in
equal ignorance. The nOn-rider thinks
with CONSERVATION of what the result
of a fall would be miles from home or
of a puncture, Now, as mat
ter of fact, the construction Of
an up-to- date bicycle Is simplicity
itself, an the modus operandi of TAX
ing it apart and putting it together
again can be mastered by any one
with but little difficulty. This is usu-
ally found out by the novice along in
the middle of the season after he has
several times paid card rates at a re-
pair shop to have a puncture fixed, or
the chain adjusted. Cleaning the bear
ings will cost the price of a Sunday
dinner at a country inn, and could
be done Just as well at home while
resting.
One agent tells of a young man who
twisted his handle bar in the steering
head and then trundled the machine
three blocks to a shop and watched
the dealer repair the damage with his
hands in about five seconds and charge
the amazed owner 25 cents for his