The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-11
STREET RAILWAY
FACES OTHER BILLS
City Wants Pay for Snow Re.
moved and Repair of
Streets

The bill being prepared by City En-
gineer Rundlett to present to the street
railway company for street cleaning
will amount to more than was at first
estimated, going to fully $500 a week,
or $500 to $4,000 for the period that
has elapsed since the work of street
cleaning began this year.
In addition to this, the company has
not settled for the removal of snow
during the past winter, the amount
due from this source is expected to be
in the neighborhood of some $4,000, an
amount heretofore paid by the com
pany when forced to act by the city
council AS on former occasions the
company refuses to pay until the city
threatens to go into court and compel
it to do it's share towards the care OF
the streets.
Another feature promises to make
trouble for the company is the repair
of street pavements upon which the
guarantee has expired. Heretofore the
repairs on such paVementS have been
paid from the city funds, and when the
ten-year guarantee on the downtown
asphalt streets expire the cost Of re-
pairs will amount to thousands of dol
lars every year. 1t is found that fully
four fifths of the repairs must be made
along the rails of the street car tracks,
caused, it is claimed, by the fact that
water is allowed to pass under the
pavement along the rails, which are
loosened by the constant passing Of
heavily loaded street cars.
company's Share 5000 Year
1t is estimated that if the company
should be compelled to pay it's just
proportion of the cost of the repairs
that the cost would amount to some
thing like $4,000 a year at the present
time, and that the amount will be
double when the various downtown
streets pass fully under control of the
city.
This estimate of the cost is based
upon the repairs on Fifth street, now
being made, where it has been found
that the pavement has deteriOrated to
such an extent along the rails that 1t
will be necessary to make repairs next
year where such is not the case this
season.
An effort will be made the present
season to compel the company to pay
it's proportion of the cost of such re-
pairs, if the council will back up the
demand, and if possible. force the COM
pany to concede that in the future it
will pay the charges without dispute. Z
Street Flushing Another Question
The question of street cleaning and
street flushing will also be considered,
as the company seems disposed to
break it's contract with the city and
refuses to pay for washing the streets.
1t has been claimed by the company
that the street flushing is not street
cleaning proper. If the company is
compelled to pay its proportion of this
work the cost to it will be an addi-
tional $50 a week during the season.
The company will attempt, accord
ing to representations that have been
made to members of the city council,
to effect a compromise upon the theory
that it will have carried out its obli-
cations by merely paying a proportion
of the street cleaning proper, and thus
be relieved from charges from pave
ment repairing and street flushing. The
company has already agreed to do this
much, and such a compromise would
gain nothing for the city.