Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-02-24
East Second Avenue Resi-
 It's Oppose Each Other in Improvement District Paving Movement.
TWO PETITIONS OUT
pronerty Owners in Burned District Say Additional Tax Would Work a Hardship on Them at This Time To Clash in Council.

While one committee of East Sec- bnd avenue headed by Matt Dono- van. is nurrying about the city se- turing signers to petition asking
 or the formation Of an im\rove- nent district for the purpose of paving that avenue from State
 treet east to the Cotton Belt
 hop4,u another committee, headed by jl ess Frazier and M. M. Bruce,
 s busily engaged urging other property owners and residents on East Second avenue to sign peti-
 jon opposing the proposed dis Erict and incidentally to protest lgainst it. The latter two men are backed up by J. B. Ezell, George Barnett and Jack Crowley, whose hames have been attached to the opposition petition. The op- posing forces are to clash at ,oming meeting of the Pine Bluff pity council, when the paving dis (rict question is aired, probably at
 he next meeting of that body.
 At recent meeting of the city Founcil, County Judge James Gould stated that in July he would re- feive between $15,00O and S1S,000 from the three-mill road tax fund, which will be donated to the city to be used in paving public streets, Recording to the law governing the three-mill tax distribution. He Stated that it was the opinion of many local citizens that East Sec Pnd avenue was probably the most
 eservAp thorougnfare in the city when Naving improvements were to be considered. Judge Gould said he was willing to assist the East Second avenue propertty owners if they manifested the prper interest formed an improvement district Rnd displayed enough signers to the usual petition to merit the do- nation.
 Friday Matt Donovan and other property owners of the East End started the ball a-rollino in behalf |of the proposed East Second ave- |nue paving district. They secured many signers, too. for it is a we'll Known fact that a majority of the property owners on that street fav- pr the movement.
 The petition created no little op- position on the part of persons in |the burned East End district and |tne opposition grew to such an ex- tent yesterday that second petition
 as circulated, urging the council
 Norm the improvement dis.
 Is, argued by those who op- 
 pose the improvement district that. owing to the recent East End confia- |sfation, they are not able at this ume to pay additional taxes on melr property. They say. in many |cases, they lost all they had in the recent fire and that it will be sev- |sral years before they fully recover rom the effects of the recent cal smity. The opposition crowd do not object to the formation of an improvement district to include all oI the avenue Beast from Sta,e to hlssouri street, which would not in- c'ade the burned district. They ''rongly oppose the idea of paving tue entire avenue, however, and ueciare that they will protest deter
 anedly to prevent their property oelng included in the paving dis u'ct. An improvement district at 'als time win work many hard sa'ps on them. say the property |O~ners in the burned district.
 age Gould says. there are no
 H number of property owners |V1 other streets and avenues in the