Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-10-29

of hearing what taxpayers thought about issuing $200,O00 worth of bonds. for the purpose of paving and perma- nently improving the streets of the city was largely attended, but the number who said anything OH the question was small. MT Blakeslee presided and all the members were present except AIessrs Buck, Hewitt, Stanley, Hurley and Brophy
 Mayor Elton was the first speaker.
 He gave q very lucid explanation of the need of permanently improving the streets. The condition of the streets of Waterbury, he said, is far from what it ought to be, and not at all as good as that of other towns lar ger and smaller in other parts of the state. This was due to two things, the smallness of the appropriations for the care of the streets and the difti- culty in keeping gravel or dirt on the high hills. The interest on the pro- posed bond would cost $7 and the principal would be retired on pay ments of $1O,O00 year, so that the propositio meant "otliag more than an annual outlay of $17,O0O, which would be saved in other ways. The owners of teams would feel the bene-' fit of the improved streets as soon as they were made, but the other rate payers would not be benefited to the same extent.
 Commissioner Wade of the depart ment of public works spoke for ten or fifteen minutes in the course of which he warmly eulogized the project and hoped to live long enough to see the streets of Waterbury paved and ill as good condition as those of other towns in the state. He believed it time that the old plan of carting on dirt to be washed away with every rain storm was done away with and the streets improved so that they will withstand all kinds of weather.
 The first discordant note was heard from Judge Cole, who was very much opposed to issuing bonds for this pur- pose, especially at this time, while we have the sewage disposal question staring us in the face. T am in favor of good streets" continued the judge, land 1t has always been mystery to me why they have not been improved considering the amount of money ap- propriated for that purpose. Not enough money raised by taxation in Waterbury to pay the running ex- penses of the city and make some permanent Improvements on the streets. Nonsense If the public funds were expended judiciously there i is enough money to do everything and ! in time pave the streets with marble. Last year the total amount raised by 1 taxation was $860,OO0, quite nice sum in little town like this. I'll wa l ger that if this money were turned !, over to committee of three experts 1 in municipal government you would need no bond issue. Talk about l spending few dollars for washouts; why I remember when North Main street was gutted so badly that DOT l tions of it had to be made out of the new and the whole work of the street ] department was done that year within l the appropriation. But at that time the superintendent of streets did all the overseeing. He didn't have q great body of foremen on the pay I roll 'sfpVi 7S
 l The chair informed MT Cole that he was dfgressing, but the speaker didn't think so. Continuing, he said, I'm opposed to the bond issue and I'm giv- 1 ing my reasons. don't believe we need 1t. I have charge of property
 owned by poor people and they are taxed for every copper they can afford
 to pay, and if you keep on adding to
 the burden they will have to go out of business. North Willow street is paved, but a few cracks was noticed in it and the city immediately went to
 work and appropriated $10,0O0 to even it up for the trolley company. The company should have done this at it's own expense"
 l At this juncture the chair again re-
 minded MT Cole that he was not talking to the point and after giving ] the subject a few more kicks the limb of the law sat down.
 Commissioner Jackson considered
 it move in the right direction and 1 was in full accord with it. He took occasion to remind Judge Cole that when North Main street was washed
 out Waterbury had population of only 15,O0O, while to-day it has 60O00. 1 The matter MT Cole had called up oc- cured, NIr Jackson thought, ill 1875, and in order to do the work nearly 1 everything else was neglected.
 Joseph Corr was opposed to bonding
 the city, but wanted it understood l that he was i'll favor of good streets.
 MT Corr was about to give his reasons l for not caring for the bond, but the l chair held him up, but before he went
 down he made it pretty plain that he does not want bonds sold to purchase
 meters with, either, adding as he took
 his seat that he considered such a
 proposition an outrage upon the com
 munity. He wanted to pay as we 1 go.
 John White was not in favor of the
 bonds. He thought the city could
 do better by putting the $7,000 which it would take to pay the interest and
 the $10,000 which it would be neces- sary to raise to meet the annual pay7
 ments into paving and get along that
 way instead of going into the business
 on a very large scale.
 l A. H. Wells.-.I'm i'll favor of good 1 streets, but I shouldn't care to put a burden of this sort on the people with. out first knowing whether they want to bear 1t or not. Why not submit i, to the people and let them decide They are the ones who will lave to l nav md if womb seem quite DropeS