Waterbury Democrat., 1902-09-04
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
Strong Feeling that Way Among
The Mayors at Grand Rapids.

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The Mayors at Grand Rapids.
Mayor Kilduff Has Arrived Home from
the Session and is Well Pleased with
His Trip-The Mayor Says Grand
Rapids Has About 160 Miles of Paved
Streets The Streets are Broad and
Nearly All the Sidewalks arelTwelve
Feet Wides
Mayor Kilduff is home from the an
nual meeting Of the League OF Amerl-
can municipalities at Grand RAPIDS,
Mich and has in his possession
yalua bic amount of information rela-
tive to the method of doing business
in other places which cannot but prove
of much benefit to the people OF wa
terbury To a Democrat reporter his
honor said this morning that he was
much pleased with the deliberations
of the meeting and that he regretted
that Waterbury does not belong to
the organization. 1t costs $50 year
for membership and in return for this
municipalities receive information
from time to time relative to the
method of conducting affairs in almost
every city in the country. Frequently
cities find it necessary to get hold OF
such information and the only way
they can obtain it is by writing to the
clerks Of cities, which is not always
very satisfactory. At best about the
only thing that can be done in this re-
spect by municipalities not connected
with the national body is to take what
they can get from such towns
as NAV put themselves to the trouble
of answering the questions asked OF
them.
The mayor said that he was some
what surprised at the general feeling
in favor Of municipal ownership.
.sThere are no politics In the organiza-
ton" he said, .'the end in view, so far
as I could see, being to bring about
better understanding of the needs Of.
municipalities and the best and most
inexpensive way of performing the
work. Every man who read a paper
or asked question with few excep-
tions favored home rule for cities and
towns. The opinion was pretty gem
orally entertained, too, that contract
work is not the bonanza some people
think and that cities should endeavor
to perform as much work as can be
handled to advantage by the day. This
is in line with the demand for home
rule The labor element is strong in
that part OF the country and | think
that the time has come when men who
work for a living are going to have
more to say about shaping legislation
than they ever have had n the past.
There is a strong sentiment in other
states for a uniformity of charters.
1t is different in Connecticut. Nearly
every town in the state has a charter
differing widely from the others so
that there is not much chance for con-
certed action for anything that would
suit ALL OF course we don't spend
as much money here in making pub
lie improvements as they do in some
places that visited. In Grand Rapids
place of about 10000 or 100000 in
habitants, they expend vast sums of
money in beautifying the city. They
have about 160 miles Of paved streets
and they are kept in the pink of con-
dition. The streets are wide not only
in the business portions of the city,
but also in the residence districts. The
same rule applies to the sidewalks,
which in most instances are twelve
feet wide with nice grassy patches
between the curbing and the concrete.
The property owners pay the entire
cost of paving the streets and~also con-
struct ana maintain the walks.
ssIt would do you good to look along
these streets. They are provided with
rows of handsome trees set after each
I, IoIy,
noticing that the work was done in ac-
cordance with we'll defined system.
.'The Grand Rapids peoplepay for their
water in advance and they use lots of
it, too. The women, the rich as well
use the hose every day. I have no.
ticed in some streets women almost as
far as you could see ahead of you han
ding the hose.
Grand Rapids collects its
taxes promptly. If it is not
paid to the collector within
a certain time the city sells the ac-
counts to men who make a business of
buying unpaid tax bills and reap a rich
harvest at it. For instance, if prop
erty owner neglects to come down on
schedule time the city gets its money
from the banks or somebody else and
the purchaser collects the face of the
bill with interest and costs from the
owner. This has tendency to bring
rate payers in on time, so that the city
receives all it's money promptly and is
in a position to use it in public improve
ments. Nobody is allowed to owe the
city anything beyond a reasonable
time"
Mayor Kilduff said that just as he
was about to return home Mayor Pal
mer informed him that the Rev Fran
cis4T. Russell of this city was in Grand
Rapids visiting his son, and that had he
known it a little earlier he should have
called upon him. The Connecticut del
egation included besides Mayor Kilduff,
Mavor Sullivan of Hartford, Mayor
Phillips of Derby and Alderman
Graves of Bridgeport.
HONOLULU CONVENTION.
Honolulu, Aug 27 via Victoria, 3.