The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1905-01-13

that there are In attendance at the
public schools in Lexington this
year from fifteen to twenty per cent
more scholars than there have ever
been before; and yet they show a
most deplorable state of affairs. In
that by the school census that there
are over ten thousand children of
school age In Lexington and there is
6 total enrolment of less than forty
FIVE hundred in the public schools.
We hope that the board Of
education will appoint at least two,
and better still three truant officers.
two for white children and one for
negro children.
The police force has been gradu-
ally increased for the past four or
FIVE years, and yet II is not large
enough, and due to that fact is not
as efficient as II should be.
CAS- to the streets, II Is a problem
what is going to be the outcome of
any given amount appropriated for
the purpose of keeping them clean
and repairing them. II has seemed
practically impossible to keep the
streets in Lexington, or for that mat
ter, of any other city, clean and in
good repair. One of the main diff
culties is that a large number of the
citizens think when they have swept
out their stores or their homes and
put their rubbish IN the gutter they
have performed their full duty in
keeping their own premises clean
and do notr<ealize the crime they
have committed not only against
their neighbors. but against them
selves in scattering their trash in the
public highway.
"The olling of the streets has
proved, in some respects. most ben
ehcial. 1t has done away with the
horrid clouds of dust which ruined
clothes, furniture in the houses, the
goods in the stores, and was the
cause of a great deal of bronchial
and throat trouble; and yet 1t has
presented problems which require
the careful consideration of those in
whose charge it is. Oil should not be
put on unless the streets are first
we'll rolled and graded, and then
rolled after 1t is applied, and
sprinkling of sand put on before
there is any travel over them. If 1t
is going to be done again, aud there
is no citizen of Lexington who does
not hope and demand that it will be.
1t should be done correctly.
Each block oiled should be
shut off from travel while the oiling
is being done and for at least TWEEN
ty-four hours after 1t is done, and
until that block is rolled and sprin-
killed. with sand. The result of the
oiling this past year, while benef-
cial during the summer, has result
ed in the streets being muddier than
they would have been had they been
cleaned regularly during the sum-
mer The oil concealed the fact that |
there was a large accumulation of |
dust on the streets, and now that |
the winter has come that dust makes |
mud. The streets this past.year have |
been better than they have been for |
number of years, and yet they have
not been as clean, nor kept in as /
good repair as they should be.
1.-THE question of light and water .
Is one that affects every citizen. and /
with the growth of the city, with the |
building up of new territory, there /
is a constantly increasing demand /
for new lights and new fire hydrants |
that will call for increased expendi- |
lures. We believe 1t would be we'll /
for the city officials to have all of
the reports showing the expenditure
of money for the past year, publish
ed, and to outline in full their plans /
for the coming year. The way to re-
tain the confidence of the public is /
to treat II with entire frankness, and /
have every matter, with an account
of the expenditure of every dollar of /
the peoples money, explained TO /
them, that they may both see where /
their money goes, as we'll as the |
benefit of the expenditure of it,"