The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-01
WHAT STREET PAVING DOES.

HAT ~ -D-""
That there are few things which
conduce more directly to the progress
and prosperity of city than we'll paw
ed streets is a proposition so evident
as to need no argument. We have had
an illustrate right here in Savannah
within the last fifteen to eighteen
years. With the commencement of the
paving of the streets there began an
upward movement of property values
and an Improvement in buildings, and
in the means of transportation. Go
back in retrospect TO the time when
Broughton, Bull, Je fferson, Drayton and
South Broad streets-now the best
paved in the city-were hardly more
than sand-beds, intersected at inter
walls by other sand-beds called streets
only by courtesy. At that time, it will
be recalled. there were no public hacks
and hansoms on the streets and only
a few carriages for public use. If one
wished to be driven anywhere the only
vehicles available were the carriages,
which cost the user from 81 to SO. And
the vehicles owned in the city for pri-
vate use were very few in number.
There was but little pleasure to be de-
rived from riding or driving on the
streets.
Note the difference at the present
time. There isn't a city in the country
that is better provided with public
conveyances. At the several hack
stands that have been established on
the principal streets. convenient to the
hotels and business centers, there are
of hacks and hansoms-vehicles that
would do credit to a city Of twice the
population. or any city in fact. And
the tariff for the use of them is very
low. For twenty-five cents one may be
driven to any point within the corpor-
ate limits. Then the horses and vehi-
cles for private use have increased
into the thousands, and any day one
may see fine turn-outs on the streets
for the pleasure of their owners. Not
only that, but the automobile has come
and is now local institution in con-
stantly increasing numbers. There are
probably upwards of fifty of these We
hicles in use on the streets at the
present time. with a fair prospect that
there will be a hundred of them with
in the next six months. All of these
things give life and hustle and activity
to the city. They show that there is
something doing" here. And the tax
Office has felt the benefit of this con-
dition of affairs. That is one object
lesson showing the value of street paw
ing The wisdom OF those who inaugu-
rated the paving movement has been
vindicat in the making of Savannah
one the leading cities Of its class
in the world.
The good work, however, is far from
being completed. There are still miles
and miles OF unpaved streets within
the corporate limits. Earnest efforts
should be made to have more paving
done every year. Some plan should be
found by which the streets can be i'm
proved in modern style and payment
therefor made in easy instalments.
No reasonable property owner would
object to the paving or to paying his
or her pro rata part of the cost If it
were so arranged that the payments
would extend over a period of several
years. Other cities have paved their
streets on this plan, and have found it
satisfactory. VIII not some of our al
dermen start the movement towards
making Savannah model city?