Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-07
STREET NEEDS,
1contInned From FIrst PAGE,


A method to adopt for the Inaugural
ton Of this work, one In harmony with
modern methods of handling questions
of great import, would be to have q
commission of three or five capable
citizens appointed to devise compre-
hensive plan of relief for the whole
city. Their position would be that of an
advisory body, similar to the grade
crossing commission, appointed in 1890,
by the board of aldermen; with the city
engineer, or his first assistant, as a
member, it would be in effect an ad-
junct to the engineering department.
Its task should not alone consist in
making restoration to every section,
such conveniences as would equal those
of which said sections have been dis
possessed; but would also be to define a
limit to future extension of railway
franchises in and upon the streets made
or improved by them, and upon other
streets already laid out, which now
serve, or in time will be likely to serve,
as auXiliaries or substitutes to those
given over to tramways.
In this way special character would
attach to the work, that would disting-
uish it from the ordinary routine OF
street improvements Such restrictions
should form component partof theplan
and be made secure by provisions talk
ing all right OF revision or repeal from
future city governments, except by and
with the consent of state court or of
the legislature.
Posterity would then be given assur-
ance that this vast undertaking was to
be their heritage And the demands of
right and justice be not violated if they
are compelled to share in the expense.
| To meet this expense and divide with
posterity the work of liquidation, we
should need to make appeal to the legis-
lature for permission to contract for a
longtime loan, the same as is CUSTOM
ary with the sewer and water depart
ments. They have been left free to act
in this way because of the assumption
that their constructive work was to con-
fer benefits more to the future than to
the immediate present.
This proposed extension and remodel
ling of our system of streets ought to
come under the same classification; we
cannot expect to have a satisfactory
and adequate street system until such
privilege can be awaited of.
Figures kindly furnished me and tab
ulated by Auditor Howell show the
amount of expenditure of the highway
department for street construction and
maintenance over a period of six years
ending with 1896. to nearly equal the
combined expenditure of the water and
sewer departments, including sewage
publication. The amount charged the
highway department is 81, 270 $50; it lacks
only 21a per cent of the amount charged
the other two together, viz. $1,000, 613.
If this can be taken as gauge of the
relative Importance Of these several de-
partments of city work, then why not
give 1t equal privileges and facilities
with the others whenever works are OF
the same character.
Al the last session of the legislature
permission was granted the city of Bos-
ton to contract 30-year loan to the
amount of $1,0OO0OO outside the debt
limit for purposes of ordinary highway
Improvements like action must certain
ly follow an appeal from Worcester in
aid of works extraordinary. Without
such assistance it is self-evident fact
that our condition is hopeless.
l will leave the subject here feeling
that we ought to look to other and more
competent members for enlightenment
on the financial aspect of the problem
and be helped by them to satisfac-
tory decision of the whole matter.