Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1904-08-22
lMPROvEMEN Mt CLUBS
WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED HY
ONE OF THESE INSTITUTIONS.

~
Power In building Up a Tow,
Some Points on Forming nm
citation of This Kind,
Inc Columbia Improvement league
Is the name of an association inst mr..
gained in western town. Its object
is to aid in keeping the public thor
oughfares clean, beautify waste places
ana vacant lots, improve sanitary con-
ditions of the streets and to DIR
everything in it's power to make the
town better place to live in. Every
town and village in the land should
have an organization of thin kind. and
II the right sort of citizens are en-
rolled and will take hold of the work.
much good will result Village i'm
provement societies are recommended
because they cultivate general
friendly feeling; they foster public
spirit; they do much to break the mo-
notony of the life Of small commune
Ties. which is not commonly too ex-
citing under any circumstances; they
make life better worth the living and
real estate better worth the buying;
they attract people OF taste and fortune
who are prospecting for a place which
they can call home.
In organizing one OF these societies
the matter should first be talked over
by all those interested in the project.
The Initiative should be taken by the
women of the town, as it has been
shown in thousands of instances that
their influence is all powerful. Let
them call meeting at a private house
and secure the attendance of half
dozen enterprising men. Plans can
then be laid and matters talked over,
and a call can be issued for a public
meeting. Just what is needed to be
done to beautify and improve the town
can be outlined before this public
meeting takes place, and those who
are to speak can post themselves on
the subject.
The first move made in any town
should be to secure good streets. II
asphalt pavements are beyond their
means, the thorOughfares can at least
be improved and provided with proper
drainage. The main business street
should be macadamized, IL not paved.
and If the improvement is carried be-
yond the town in either direction so
much the better for the farmers.
There are hundreds of small towns
in the United States with fairly good
streets, but without forty rods Of good
sidewalks. Usually there is an ordi-
nance providing for good plank walks.
il not of brick or cement. but it is sell
dom enforced the length Of a street.
1t is matter to be seen to at the very
outset when improvements are under
consideration. While plank sidewalks
may be a little cheaper at the start.
they need repairs even after the first
year they are laid and will not last
many years. Some Of Michigan's small
and progressive towns are going in for
cement walks this year. and miles of
them will be laid.
The third consideration should be
shade trees. Trees almost as much as
the architecture of houses make q
street. More towns are famous through
their public buildings. In a recent
case before the courts Of Indiana a
judge held that 1--WE maple trees in
front of residence added $1,000 to the
value of the property.
The public buildings Of town should
of course be included in the boom. II
there are bridges, they should be kept
in good repair and well painted. A
dingy old courthouse Is an eyesore to
| any town. and a community that can't
| afford paint and repairs has no 60
ahead to it. One always finds in a
town OF 1000 Inhabitants from three
to five churches. and in almost every
| case they are wooden buildings and
| sadly in need OF paint and repairs.
| Their looks give stranger the impress
sion of poverty stricken congregations.
An efficient fire department should be
| part and parcel OF town boom. Not
only will the individual members Of the
department become interested in other
public matters calculated to benefit the
| town. but the rates of insurance will
be lessened and the department. as q
financial Investment. found to be profit
| able
There are many other suggestions
that can be jOtted down and brought
up at a public meeting. Committees
/ appointed to take up the work should
| include both men and women and take
in everybody of public spirit. and the
boom at once becomes general and can
not fail to be successful.
A.. B. LEWIS
NJ n>~u<sfv Hack Yards