Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-02
DUBLIN STREET MATTER.
Board of Public Works Being Criti-
 cised for It's Action.

clSeu lOF us ActlO1..
 The board of public works is com ing i'll for some criticism regarding the vote passed Tuesday night. in structing the superintendent of streets to proceed with the work of widening Dublin street opposite tue Byrnes property, not because it is some thing that ought not to be done, but on account of the fact that it seems to be generally believed that the award of benefits and damages was not equitable and did q great injustice to the abutting property owners. The Byrnes people never opposed the pro- ject, but, like everybody else. they al ways contended that they should re- ceive a reasonable compensation for the expense they would be put to after the retaining wall is torn down and the embankment cut into. One award of benefits and damages gave them something in the neighborhood of $1 ,0O0 damages, but this was held up in the aldermanic chamber and then special committee was appointed to figure on the cost of rebuilding the wall and reported that 1t would involve an expenditure of $6OO This was pushed about from time to time until finally Alderman Goss got it amended so that the whole award of damages was whittled down to S450 S15O less than the cost of building the wall. to say nothing of other costs incident to the change. When Mir Goss made this motion it was looked upon as a joke and more than one member of the board laughed at the ai,surdity of it.. but it passed all the same. and al though Mayor Barlow did not veto it.. as it was supposed he would do. still he made no attempt to carry out the l order and the thing remained in that way up to the present. Of course it was well understood that the interest ed parties would take an appeal. but ewing to the Illness of Nlr Ryrne, they put it off a little too long l and when Attorney Carmody l came around to act for them | in the premises the time limit had eN- pired. Their check for &4J0 is still in possession of the city. no one ever having called to claim it, and it is apt to remain there. by all accounts.
 The people in that part of the town want the work done. but none of them appears to be anxious to see it taken hold of under existing conditions. One of the residents of that section told |, reporter to-day that there was no ques-
 
 ed that the street be worked to grade at this point, but that it was mani festly unfair to do it at the expense ot the Byrnes- estate. The RyrneS prop erty.' he said. will be benefited by the improvement, but only in common ; with others in proportion 70 what they own. If Mayor Kilduff ana the board of public works want to be fair in thls matter they should reconsider the ac tion they have taken and recommend to the aldermen that the case be re 1 opened and the whole matter gone oVel again. We all recognize that the city's | interest should not be lost sight of il 1 this or any other case of the kind but at the same time we should no' | lose sight of the fact that private ln terests should be respected too, anc it is just as much of d duty upon pub | lie officials to look out for one as fol the other. No body of officials should | feel that they are acting for the public good when they force a man into the courts to seek his rights. nor think that they have served the community hon ! eStly when they succeed in putting people between two fires. that is. plac ing them in q position where they are obliged to submit to unfair treatment or go into the courts. This is nc grind upon Mayor Kildun or his ad ministration. Mir Kildrf had nc hand in the award of benefits art damages. but he is in q position now to show that he does not approve o1 how these people have fared. and il is his duty to do it. I don't want tt be understood as arguing that the worl ought not to be done. The point desire to make is that # D"hlin street and the public generally are to profit by the prosecution Of this work. il should not be performed in such wa! that one family will suffer heavy dam ages without receiving reasonable com | pensation.''