The St. Louis Republic., 1900-11-14
TEN MILLIONS NEEDED
FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
Robert E. McMath Tells What Should Be Done
in Preparation for Worlds Fair-Only In
crease of Public Debt Can Provide
Funds, Says Comptroller Sturgeon.

! Eoher, +. MrtIa.h. President OF the Board
| o. Gnhc lmpTnvrb- lis .- - -:i..i'- 2'rt'
-. Louis viii have TO spend Slo0c' 90 "a
order TO put the city in fit condition for the
:. 'flas ran.
His estimates of the nee assary cxrcndI-
lures to that end are as follows:
For clean pure water tfItraton r!ana s.. .ooo go
For public sewers i,.,Jn0
For street improvements Ic'ty's share Of
For repairs and additions "a public build
irss and eleemosynary institutions ?.5foooO
For bridge brIlda; and reconstruction. 2,o'.o5a
Total ......................l .le. coo
He does not think that this amount will
do all that should be done before the city
is thrown open to receive the world in 1908.
hut that this is the minimum amount that
will put II in presentahle condition.
Discussing the question of munlcipa!
housecleaning. Mr. McMath said: Now
that there is no question as to the holding
Of the Worlds Fair. the thing for st.
Louisans to do is to look existing condi-
tons squarely in the face and to consider
them in n busnesslike manner. ! take it
that no thinking man will deny that our
streets are bad very bad: that our water
is unciean; that our sewerage system is
inadequate. and that our public buildings
are disgrace TO modern civilization.
Present Conditions DisEraceful.
the world come and see how badly off she
is IN things that go TO make up cities of the
first class. To invite strangers here. in the
present condition of the city. would be. in
my Judgment. little short Of suicidal from
the city's standpoint. Oar guests would go
to their homes with the most Enfavorabie
impressions and instead OF praisng St.
Louis. would discredit it in the eyes of the
world.
1T would be hard to determine in what
particular the demand for Improvement IS
strongest. In discussing the needs of the
city it IS hard to know where to begin.
''The water supply is perhaps the most
vital question, in so far as it concerns citi-
zens and visitors alike. For a large mart
of the tine It is so muddy as to be repu-
sive TO those not accustomed to It. It is
generally believed to be unwholesome l
think 1t is conceded that filtration Ia the
most practical solution of the problem of
clean wafer and experts have estimated
tina; an adequate filtration plant will cost
s., S,OS0O00
Il want to go on record as being op-
posed to any scheme for the betterment OF
the water supply that would jeopardize the
citys absolute ownership of the Water
works. As It now stands, the water plant
has cost the city something over 100000.
against which amount there is bonded
debt of s5,S0SG00. This water plant is one
thing that ST. Louis owns in which she may
take pride. 1t is the ctty's only paying in
stitution. and whatever is done to improve
It should be done by the city.
Street Building at StundStil.
"Our streets are In miserable condition.
The reason is that since 1915 there has not
been sufficient money at the city's disposal
to make them what they should be. We
have been forced to content ourselves with
a system Of patching up the worst places
and letting the rest go. The money spent
in patching has been virtually thrown
away. for the reason that there was no
foundation to work on.
What the streets need is reconstruction
and new construction The bulk of the ex-
pense for such work would be assessed
against abutting property and paid in in
stallments. think 81. .0o0.oa0 will cover the
city's share of the necessary street work.
''At the beginning of 1899 there We're 4iS
miles of improved streets in the city. In the
% years prior to that time only lie miles
had been built and since 1899 work in the
Street Department has almost been at
stand still. The best streets in the city
practically the only good ones-are those
that were reconstructed between 1876 and
1893. OF this class there are only 69 miles.
Needs of Public Institutions.
Not one of our public buildings is fit to