Arizona republican., 1908-07-09
SIDEWALK CAMPAIGN
 10 BE INSTITUTED
City Council and Board of Trade Re- alize the Need of Improvements of This Sort.

That there is need of more cement
 sidewalks in Phoenix all will admit The mud is seldom very deep for very
 long at a time, but the dust is some | times as. much of a nuisance as the mud Supposing. neither were offen- sive there would still be need of side
 walks as they are worth more than their. cost merely to add to the ease and comfort of walking and for their lorhamental effect Well laid and reg ular walks add to the value of proper ty more than the cost of them, even if there is nobody to walk over them. But here in Phoenix there is block after block where there Is no sidewalk and where a great deal of walking is done. Many such blocks can be point ed out even in what might be called the business part of the city, though Washington street is pretty well pro- vided except a part of the east end. But it would be worth while for Ad- ans and Jefferson and Monroe streets to be similarly treated, and just as many more as possible. Out in the residence districts good walks are even more imperative for they are just as important for the purpose of ap- pearances, and more apt to be muddy in rainy weather and dusty in dry weather
 Phoenix is not ready to admit that Tucson is a better place to live, nor so good, for any natural reason, but in point of sidewalks Phoenix has to ad- init that the Pima capital has more miles of them and that they are one of the most attractive features of the city. It is pleasing therefore to note that both the city council and the board of trade are giving this subject careful attention and fostering a movement for better sidewalks At a recent meeting of the council an- nOuncement was made that on. any block where they property owners would build a sidewalk, the city would stand the expense of building the rec tangular sections at the block corners, that did not abutt on either the end or the side of the lot. The city also offers to build good crOssWaIks con- meeting any blocks that have been pro- vided with side walks, and in addi- ton will have the city engineer furnish the grades free of expense for any walks built by any property owner. That is going as far as the city coun- ell can see it's way clear to do at this time. except to keep the matter alive and encourage property owners to get busy. There is one more phase of the situation it is proper to refer to here. It is quite often found by property owners when they seek to act in con- cert with their neighbors on this mat ter that they find one or two or more owners of lots in a block. who refuse to build walks for one reason or an- other. Sometimes they do not care to invest the money and sometimes they are lacking in civic pride, but what ever the cause the result is the same. Those who are desirous of building walks are in formed that there is a way of forcing action. If two-thirds of the owners of lots in any block de- sire a sidewalk built, all they have to do Is to petition the council which will notify the backward property owners to build. If they refuse to do so the city may build the walks and charge the expense up as a lien on the proper ey
 The board of trade has a committee working on this matter and 1t is un- derstOod will try by moral suasion to induce at least two-t thirds of the own CTS in blocks where walks are most needed. to undertake a campaign of sidewalk building