Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-05-31
TALKINCABOUT BOND. ISSUES
Some Regard Committee as ConseYa-
 tors for City Officials.

the DOnQ issue committee Monday
 night by the newspapers has set ev-
 erybody talking and people in all
 sections of the town want to know
 what the whole thing means. any
 way. A great many took no particu-
 lar notice of the commission until af-
 ter that session. Now everybody is
 "on to- 1t and while many consider
 1t move in the right direction, oth-
 CTS regard 1t with alarm and want to
 know if those men are to act as con-
 servators over the officials chosen by
 the electors to manage the affairs of
 the city for two years. Of course this
 IS an erroneous idea as anybody can
 see by looking into the case. The
 commission has no power to do any,
 thing. It was appointed to look over the field and make recommendations
 to the board of aldermen and then
 it will be up to the direct represen-
 tatives of the people to approve or
 disapprove of the findings of the con-
 mission. Tenants claim that the land
 lords are constantly pushing up the
 prices on them and that any addi-
 tions to the rate bills will fix things
 so that ordinary laborers will soon
 have to dwell in caves or take the broad dome of heaven for roof. This
 of course is one way of looking at
 the commission, but 1t is safe to pre-
 dict that when the committee makes
 It's report 1t will recommend nothing that is not really necessary to the
 development of the town and in case
 It should the mayor and city boards
 may be depended upon to step in and lprune the burden down so that each
 Will be able to bear his share of the
 load without going to the wall.
 On the other hand many think
 good will come from the investiga-
 ton made by the commission, that is
 provided it does it's work well. It appears to be generally admitted that
 the time is ripe to make determined
 move for the extension of Liberty street and the opening of a public
 way along Jackson street to connect with West Main street; also a bridge across the Naugatuck river to River side street, somewhere in the neigh
 borhoOd of the entrance to Riverside cemetery or Sunnyside avenue. To be sure a fight will be made for the ele- vation of the Bank street bridge and the opening of streets from South Leonard street to Jackson street. if not clear over to South Main street. The proposed viaduct for Brooklyn will also be considered, but the wise heads claim that the extension of Liberty street. the widening of Grand and South Willow streets, the open ing of the streets already mentioned in the vicinity of the gas house and the bridge across the river. and pos sibly some paving are all the commis-. sion will care to stand for.
 But practically as these improve ments would come in one section, property owners in the other districts may enter protest unless they getiI something. The eastern section of the city has not been receiving things with a lavish hand. They want the trolley on Dublin street and at least two cross streets from Dublin street tpy East Main street, Rutledge street should be extended to Dublin street and Doolittle alley should be carried to East Main street. Tn addition to these cross street from Dublin street to East Main street is needed beyond St Joseph's cemetery. Beside these projects East Main street should be widened from Wolcott street to the Meriden road, especially If we are to have two tracks in that street. and they are coming. unless the company can be prevailed upon to go out Dublin street way, a plan which Is quite feasible, and get on to the Cheshire road by way of Har- per's ferry.
 The south end of the city doesn't 1 want much, but such things as 1t l does need are great necessities. To | begin with there should be better 1 bridge over the Mad river at Baldwin | street; one of the bridges over the ! same stream at Liberty street should | be eliminated and a new span put | up there which would insure safety l to public travel and also give the city ! a chance to make such a street there | as will meet the requirements of the | demands made upon roadway where is travel of every sort. Provision should be made to tunnel Benedict's | pond. no matter who bears the ex- pense. and then fill in the mud hole | to agree with the grade of River street. The high shoulder of the west | side of Baldwin street should be drop ped a few inches and the walks on ! the opposite side raised a trifie so | that people riding over 1t in a team would not think they were driving along the side of steep precipice. K This condition was aggravated con- siderably since the trolley tracks were laid in the street and a level bed made for the track in the center of the roadway SO that probably the east side gutter is foot or eighteen Inches below the tracks. The trolley should have been assessed the whole of the cost of doing this. but kind friends let them out for nothing and as the work will have to be done 'ome time this Is a most opportune moment to call attention to it. It Is certain that the abuttine property | owners cannot be assessed a cent for t. because the city permitted the change to be made without warning hem of what 1t meant. therefore the ,ost must necessarily come from the public exchequer. and it is a fit sub ect for the bond issue commission to rrapple with. The powers that be tell IS that fire protection is moving that way. and if this be true the matter will not properly come before the If the city Is going Into he business of buying parks for pub , ic use probably there is part Of Wa erbury can be had cheaper than in he south end or where such a place { would accommodate a larger number II nannla rlnlf lf lx arf frarnain rn.nlaf.