Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-03-24
ALONG FELT WANT
Extension of Railroad Hill Street
 City Matters Generally.

petition in favor of the project iron property owners in that district
 While this matter is in hand it would
 be wise plan to call that portion ol
 the highway which runs from Soutl
 Leonard street to South Main stree,
 something besides South Leonard
 street, because it creates a lot of mis
 understanding and besides there is nc
 reason in the world why it ever should
 have been called by that name. You
 tell man to go to any part of South
 Leonard street and he will head for
 Brooklyn while as matter of fact it
 might be saving of a thousand feet
 for him to go by way of South Main
 street provided his objective point was
 at or near the point to which it is in
 tended to extend Railroad Hill street.
 If the city would rename this all such
 confusion would be avoided.
 Then there is another matter in that
 neighborhood which demands atten-
 tion. The railroad bridge-at the tracks
 of the New England road is almost
 too narrow for fellow and girl to
 walk through it side by side and so
 low that q man with tall hat would
 hit it. It was q black eye for that
 district and the place will not make
 much headway until it is made higher
 and widened so that man who lives
 in Hopeville or Platts Mills and wants
 to deliver load of hay to a customer
 across the river in South Brooklyn will
 not have to come all theway up to Wash l ingtOn avenue to get in there. Just what kind of law there was in force l when the railroad was allowed to put up such bridge as that is something l few know. but in any case it should
 not stand there much longer and prob
 ably this would be, good time to re-
 move the obstruction" while the rail
 road people are said to be ill generous
 mood towards Waterbury. This is
 something which great portion of
 the community might mot notice, but
 it is there. just the same and is q serious handicap to the development of that part of the town. Some day no doubt, a street will run from that point to the Platts Mills road, and then South
 Brooklyn will be- on the highway to prosperity. The city engineer should have included that in his plan for the extension of Railroad Hill street. but perhasp he was afraid this would be asking too much. although it has more merit than many of the applications for new streets already in the works.
 The opening of new streets in Water bury is quite a problem in itself and will have to be conducted on larger scale than ever before if we are to make ample provision for the growth of the city. Not long ago Mir. Cairns submitted list of streets which have been ordered laid out by the board of aldermen years ago and which are still on the waiting list involving an eX- penditure of something in the neighbOr- hood of S150,OU. In many Instances the property owners have paid their assessments and the money has been converted to other purposes, and in every instance where the assessment has not been paid the property is en- cumbered by lien. Besides these there are fifteen or twenty other new streets ready for hearings now and more are coming in so that it is quite plain to everybody who is at all famil- iar"with the needs of the,cife' in' rlfss respect that monster appropriation will have to be made this fall for "Streets-New York" unless the city wants to tie up q lot of valuable prop crty with liens. These items of cN- pcnse do not include the much needed cross streets from Bank street to Benc- dict street and the extension of Field street to Riverside street. two projects that have stood out prominently before the public for years. but for some req son or other no administration ever had the courage to take hold of them. all .r. .s ;., tnJ nS if hns hnpn I for the past twenty years and over that 1 they are almost actual necessities in so | far as the convenience of the w0rklnS ] people are concerned. \ great deal Is said from time to time about the need | of better accommodation on the high ways for automobiles and other modes | of conveyance and vast sums are be- ing spent right along for such purposes. but tine man and the woman on foot | appear to be getting lost sight of in the shuffIe. although it is admitted that they are the mainstayS of every com mlnty and nearly everybody who aims at making q living at anything m Il business way looks to them for the major portion of his income.
 And these things are by no means all. though. perhaps. it would be just as well to cut it short lest the whole story might appall rate payers whose income is limited to d small days wages and deter the rising generation from at- tempting to own anything taxable. We have the care of the streets and side walks. the disposal of sewage. ad- ilitions to the water system. the of the poor. who VIII aIways he with us. getting our parks in shape so that tlic public may be able to derive some benefit From tbrm. additions tO the police and fire thc collection and dis ,osaI of garbage. and various other tens of expense that go ia make up n community and which will ave to be met no matter where the .ipews of war come from. Tn" prob 1 em before those who have to do with ,rch matters is to legislate so that working people may be able Ia carry . heir share of the burden and at the ame time be in q position to lay some hing by for the time when they will case to he sources of revenue to them elves or anybody else. The ability to .,y should not he measured hy the means of the we'll to do clements of the hut rather according to what the common people can afford without putting them in q position , ybere they will be public charges as oop as they become unable to kecp up . ith the proce~sion In the labor mar ei. It is not tlI. good fortune of every nan to bc manufacturer or 2 mer-