The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-01-19
PLAN FOR IMPROVING
STREETS IS POPULAR
Eastern City Official Has Find
Plan For Paying For
Street improvements.
If Scheme Was Adopted in Du-
luth Streets of Entire City
Gould Be Paved.
From the Public:

u VlIA l4AS uN1ACs
The city of Meriden, Conn.,. has a.
sensible superintendent Of streets. His
poses to pave streets at the expense
Of the people who are enriched by the
Improvement. His plan Is simple and
feasible. According to the Mer1den
Morning Record, he Is a firm believer
in equal rights to all and special priv
ileges to mono. superintendent Burke
says" continues the Record. that the
building of streets is public-serving
function Of the government and 1t is
a part Of the governments business
to do equally for each man in propor-
ton to the benefits that man receives
from the government. Land
values are higher in the centers of pop
ulation, where the most people ane and
gradually grow lower as the outskirts
Of the city are reached. Taking the
total lund value OF the city at $6,OOO,-
900 as q basis for calculation, and tax
Ing it 5 per cent, 100000 is raised,
the amount suggested as necessary to
bond the city for the proposed pro-
ject. superintendent Burke states, and
with reason, that If the city were bond
ed for that amount the chief streets
would be permanently paved, but the
money swould not hold out long enough
to warrant the side streets and more
remote residential portions Of the city
being paved. BY this system all tax
payers would be obliged to help GER
tain sections and would derive no i'm
mediate benefits in their own. But
according to Superintendent Burkes
scher'e each street in the city would
.e paved with such material as its
land value permitted. The appraisal Of
North Colony is $996,119. If that were
taxed at per cent. that street could
be paved with asphalt. Pratt street
probably could not afford to pay for
asphalt. Its land value is $323,sS8
This would guarantee perhaps brick or
block paving, the property warranting
such. If bonding were adopted Pratt
street. or a portion Of it might be
asphalted, and taxpayers In all parts
pf~the city would be Obliged Ito help
Say for4E IT ,tlious I, 4YsF.
having occasion to 90 On the ID CROUCH
fare. II bonding were adopted street
like South FOURTH Tor illustration,
would undoubtedly be given the go-by.
This street is listed with land values
at but $12,314. Being short street,
the money derived here would probably
pay for macadam. Take an outside
street, such as Bartlett street, where
there are no sidewalks, as still
further Illustration. Under the bond
ing system nobody presumes any at
tention would be given this street, but
under Superintendent Burke's plan re-
fuse crushed stone from Lanes quarry
could at least be used, and the residents
there would have all they were entitled
to for the tax levied upon them.
The street is listed at $6,914 in land
values, and the people living there
would have a first class highway for
little money. According to the super
intendent's plan, when a majority Of
the property owners got together and
asked for their particular street to
be attended to the work would be done.
If the owners wanted better pavement
than the land assessment would call
for it would be up to them to lay a
larger assessment. AS the land values
deprecated on a long street, such as
North Colony, two styles of paving
could be employed, asphalt to Britannia
and another kind to the town line. If
it was decided to pay for the work in
less than ten years, a larger tax would
bo the result by laying q / per cent.
tax the entire city could have it's
streets in apple-pie order and paid
for in five years time. If onc-fourth
OF 1 per cent. additional were decided
upon, the taxpayers would have twen-
ty years in which to SETTLE" We have
quoted 1T length and used local street
names, because the situation is typical.
Change the Names and the Record 8
description for Meriden will fit any
other town or city in the country. Mr..
Burke's plan is indeed the true plan
for street improvement. TO bond or
levy general taxes is to benefit the real
estate owner at the expense of the real
taxpayer; to lay special assessments
regardless Of relative values, or prac-
tically so, as is usually done, is to
burden the small home owner for the
benefit Of the rich real estate owner.
But to tax abutting owners In propor-
ton to the value Of their holdings is
to give value for value.