Arizona republican., 1907-09-26
THE IMPROVEMENTS OF
 CENTRAL AVENUE
Some of the Phoenix Business Men Are Aroused to Aetion'by the Needs of That Thoroughfare.

Central avenue has been attracting much attention the past few weeks and considerable comment, not at all of favorable kind. Yesterday a prominent business man hailed a pass ing reporter and directed his interest and gaze to the northward along the avenue. where the dust was rising in volumes. in puffs and clouds, envel- oping the scenery like a fog in Mis- sissippi swamp.
 Tt is shame" said this business man. that Central avenue should be neglected. It has always been the pride of the city and a joy to the Phoenician who wished to drive his eastern friends out into the country. to show them what fine boulevards We have. and amplify on the beauties of the suburban homes along the high way. Heretofore it has been here that the tourists received their first and most favorable impression of the val ley and city. But what would they think this afternoon if driven through that wall of pulverized adobe? Why a man could not tell any more about what a ranch looked like than he could the canals on Mars"
 During the day a number of busi- ness men approached The Republican representative and voiced similar views about the thoroughfare. They seemed convinced that as the time of the year was approaching when the city would be filling up with people from the east, It was timely to agitate a movement in favor of sprinkling and giving the avenue a touch of improve ment one business man remarked that one of the best assets that d community could possess was good roads. No other public improvement bears witness so well for the progress siveness of the people. or accomplish es so much for the money invested. Good roads. said he. not only enhance the value of the property but are es- sential to every citizen for business and for pleasure. Good roads give a higher and more enterprising tone to the city and benefit all in some con- siderable degree. Nothing gives to a stranger so quickly, a bad idea of the city and valley as i'll kept. dusty streets. even though the residences on either hand may be palatial and sur rounded by fine green lawns and shrubbery. It is not what the indi vidual does for his own convenience that impresses the prospective citizen so much as what all the people do in a public spirited manner for the whole community.
 Several business men were yester- day discussing plans to raise the funds to keen the ayenue in fine condition this winter. beginning with as little de- lay as possible the sprinkling. before the road is further ruined by travel and cut up by the heavy traffic.
 IL is not at all likely that the mat ter will be long neglected for its inn portance is realized by those most in terested and many other progressive citizens who will be ready to do the right thing when the matter is pre- scented to them in the right light Central avenue is one of the principal drives in the valley and no tourist ever comes to Phoenix that does not in one kind of a conveyance or anoth- CT take a ride out into the country by that route. No citizen. says one business man, who is a dyed-in-the wool Phoenix booster. will for a min- ute forget the benefit derived by the city through the agency of good roads