The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-22
COUNCILMEN TO
BE PROSECUTED
For Failure TO Repair the city's Paved
Streets.
BOARD OF TRADE IN DEAD EARNEST
1t Was Voted Unanimously at Last
Nights Combined Dinner and
Meeting to Direct City solicitor
Torrey to Procure Indictments.
Nearly Ninety Members and App,i-
oants Attended the Rousins Meet
ing Of the Board.

oants Attended the Rousins Meet
ing OF the Board.
The members of both branches of
councils are to be prosecuted, not in
q perfunctory formal way but with all
the influence and power OF the Scranton
board Of trade. Following the supper
and during the regular meeting of the
board last night L. II. Sturges made a
motion which prevailed, amid much
enthusiasm, that James II. Torrey be
directed as the boards attorney to
secure indictments against the MEM
bers Of councils for maintaining a nuis-
ance in their failure to keep the city's
pavements in repair.
This action developed after q discus
sion of the 1898 city appropriation and
the report of Colonel f. L. Hitchcock
and e. S. Williams. of the committee
on highways, in reference to their re-
cent audience with the joint estimates
committee of councils, to whom the
Evo gentlemen, as board representa-
tives, asked that the I.ackawanna and
Washington avenue pavements be re-
surfaced. The report of Colonel Hitch
follows
The question of resurfdcins the asphalt
pavement ON LaCkawdnna and Nashing-
ton avenues, from the Lackawanna ave-
nue. bridge to Gibson street, has received
careful attention. The committee
went over both streets with Mr.. Phillips,
city engineer, and made 1t careful esu-
mate of the yardage, which would re-
uuire rcsurtaCng. Your committee then
went before the estimate committee OF
councils and submitted a statement TO
| them. This statement w9s sup
| plemented by verbal remarks by both
| members of the committee, intended to
| impress upon councils the necessity for
| immediate action as recommended in or
| der to save these pavements. A number
| of questions were asked the committee
| by counclmen, which were promptly an
swered.
RECEIVED WITH COURTESY.
Your committee take pleasure in saying,
| they were received by the estimates COM
| mittee with the utmost courtesy, but SO
| far as getting the required appropriation
| Is concerned, our mission was a failure
| Not for want of disposition on the part
of the estimates committee, but for want
| of funds. However, 1t does seem to your
| committee, that some means should be
| found to save these pavementS, from
| what threatens to be absolute ruin, even
| IL some other necessary matter had to
| wait for e time. Some things can wait,
without great danger or loss. Some other
| things cannot. These pavements belong
| to the latter class.
| Here are $1,000 square yards OF pave
| ment in the very heart of our busy city
which cost abutting owners over $4,000
| The city has had the use and benefit OF
| them for twelve years at total cost fCl
| repairs of about 5000. Much less money
| than the streets could possibly have beer
cared for without the pavements. They
| are now in an almost impossible condi'
| ton and disintegrating with rapidity
| which not only threatens total destruc'
ton, but which renders travel upon then
| unsafe. Yet we are told that this condi
| tion of affairs is without remedy, owing
| to the present state of the Citys finances
1t has been suggested that an ordinance
| be passed increasing the bonded debt o.
| the city, and money so raised be IN
pended in needed city improvements, in
| Guiding these pavemcnts. But this car
only be done by vote of the city at al
election held for that purpose, and If tn,
| funds were to be raised in this way, il
| would require from four to six months t
do IL. Who can tell what the condition
of these streets would be at the end o
| that time.
| President George Sanderson, OF selec
| council, supplemented the report will
| some exhaustive statistics. His figure!
| showed that from 1894 to 1898 inclusiv,
| increases in the appropriations for the
| fire department, electric lights, polio,
department and street department
had been, respectively, $17,700, S14,700
| S18,2O0 and $4,000 in round numbers
This was to show, as Mr.. Sandersor
said, to what extent the city's mos
important department had been sac
rificed in making appropriations from
wear to year. A bond issue he advo
Gated for present source of funds anC
an increased assessed valuation o
property for future relief
MUCH DAMAGE CAUSED.
EbeneZer Williams offered the frs
suggestion of possible damages. We
hicles were constantly being broker
| and horses injured on account of tn,
| dangerous condition of the pavements
| especially those of Lackawanna ant
| Washington avenues, and"it was onl!
a question of time before some persol
| Would recover damages for physical in
| juries and nobody could foretell wher
! the damages would end. Prosecutor
would certainly have a clear case.
Later in the meeting the regular or
der of business ordinarily devoted t
| what might come under the head o
new business was set aside for i'm
promptu speeches by persons callet
upon informally by President Luthe
Keller. 1t was during this period tina
emphatic action against the council
| AA1
his remarks, urged the board to advo
cate city appropriations for genera
purposes and to make stand agains
ward items which benefited only Ger
tain localities and consumed thous
ands of dollars that could be used I
better advantage to the city at large
The neglect of pavements, he said, wa
no less a legal than a moral offensC
Councilmen were individually amen
able to the criminal law. On the groun
of public safety, councils could be hel
liable for appropriating money for triv
ial purposes when it was plain froT
the clamor that the voice of the pee
pie was unanimously for pavement re
pairs.
MIR, STURGES' REMARKS.
Mr.. Sturges, when called upon b
President Keller, proceeded at once I
warm up to the pavement repair ques
tion. Properties in which he was inter
ested had been assessed $4,000 for
certain part of the Washington avenu
pavement, when it was allowed to 81
into disreputable dsrepair nearly a
of the property owners petitione
councils toward the close OF the five
year period not TO surrender the bon
Of the contractors until they compile