The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-05-25
DETROIT HIS PICK
OF CITIES OF
THE WORLD
JOS. BOYER, HOME FROM TRIP
ABROAD, SEES NOTHING TO
COMPARE WITH OUR TOWN.
cRITIcIsEs PAvEMENTs.

III glau 10 be Dack, SAYS Joseph
Boyer. president OF the Burroughs
Adding Machine Co.. who has return
ed from 10 weeks touring abroad.
While away | visited most OF the
capitals OF Europe, but l would rather
live In Detroit than I'm any city I saw.
doubt II there Is any other city In
the world that nature has endowed SO
generously as ours. | don't mean that
In every single respect we are ahead
OF European cities. because In some
important matters they have long
lead on u.s.
THE asphalt streets, for instance
on the main thoroughfares in Lon
don and elsewhere, are far better
than ours. They are very much bet
ter made and so much better main
tanned than our Woodward-ave.. that
there Is no comparison. There Is
probably ten times more traffic OH
the Strand In London than on the
busiest part OF Woodward-ave.. yet
the asphalt paving on the Strand Is
very nearly perfect and l understand
Is kept In that condition practically
all the time.
Il looked into this matter little
bit and believe their superior streets
are due to two reasons: First, they
are made much better with splendid
foundations; second, they are looked
after very carefully at all times.
Police inspect Streets.
II was told that In some OF the En-
ropean cities. If not in all of them
the streets are under the supervision
OF the policemen, to the extent that
each officer Is expected and required
to report when there Is any indica
ton OF section Of the paving needing
repairs, and when the least indication
OF weakness appears, repairs are
made Immediately.
When repairs are necessary. they
are attended to promptly, with char.
acteristic thoroughness, and the new
material Is fenced about and given
ample time TO set and harden before
public traffic is allowed to cross IT,
You know how il Is with our streets.
A hole appears and sometimes no at.
tention is paid to 1t, with the result
that II rapidly widens and may extend
from car-track 10 curbstone before
repairs are made.
IF the Strand. and streets In other
European cities over which very
heavy traffic passes, are maintained
so splendidly, there can certainly lie
no reasonable justification for our
thoroughfares ever getting SO bad.
Woodward-ave., south Of Boston boule-
ward is by no means perfect but north
OF that point 1t is in such awful shape
as TO be almost impossible"
ION Monday we are having 30 bank
ers from Texas spend a day In De.
troit as our guests. We wanted to
take them in automobiles to the golf
club for supper, but are ashamed 70
drive north on Woodward-ave., and
hence were obliged to make arrange
ments with the Country club"
Don't Give. Streets Fair Chance.
I'm one/reshect we don't give our
streets fair chance. | believe we
make great mistake in allowing
them to be dug up so frequently for
the laying OF pipes. etc. | have re-
been duly resurfaced and Just little
while after, long trench was cut
through 1t. OF course, in time the
trench was filed up again and the
street surface patched, but a street
surface after being so cut and patch
ed is not nearly as good as before.
"Of course. | don't know all the
handicaps under which our street dc
partment may labor, but | am sure
that it is not thoroughly efficient. The
condition of the streets tells the
story. At this moment l have in
mind near my office two streets
across which trenches were run by
private parties. The work was done
more than a year ago but there still
remains on one of these streets dip
or groove In the pavement, perhaps
two or three inches deep, and foot
and half wide. and on the other a
hump or ridge about as high as the
other is deep. One of these was by
letter called TO the attention OF the
street department and no reply was
ever received, and the defects are not
yet corrected.
Il believe the people in Detroit have
no idea how many thousand dollars
OF unnecessary expense they are put
TO each year because our streets are
not properly laid and are not after
wards properly taken care Of
Maybe this seems like criticism
but IL is sincerely made. like and