The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1908-12-10

wide parking seems to increase the
depth of the adjacent lots and gives
the houses better setting.
AS to curbing, it Is recommended
that uniformity in construction be re-
quired In each civic unit, such unit be-
ing whole street or at least a section
considerably longer than one lot. The
report recommends the substitution of
concrete cutters for cobble ones, stat
Ing that the latter are difficult to keep
clean and are soon deficient in orderIi.
ness Of aspect
Street trees should be, as Mr.. Rob-
lnson states, the property Of the com
mun1ty as whole and in charge Of
Its representative, one who has ex-
pert knowledge and who should be re-
sponsible for their welfare In every
way. The trees on any civic unit
should be uniform in variety, age and
spacing. If placed alternately on op-
posite sides Of the streets, large grow
Ing trees, such as naples or elms,
should be planted forty feet apart.
Modern town aud city conditions re-
quire that street corners be rounded
for both utility and looks. The radius
should be not less than six feet, and
where the sidewalk width is sufficient
more to advantage. Angles in the
street lines are Objectionable, and
where they exist curves should be sub
St1tuted for them. A break in the line
OF a street is frequently desirable, but
angles give an Objectionable stiffness
to the general appearance. Every OPP
pOrtunity should be taken of space at
street intersections available for the To-
cation at their centers of round or
oval flower beds. In these low cOnifers
may be massed, as they are main
tanned III good appearance with little
trouble Such beds should be pro-
tected from teams by coping. Shrub
berry placed thus in the center of the
roadway Is far more effective than
side parking, as it is visible far up and
down the intersecting streets Street
joys, the failure of streets on the op-
posite sides of an 1ntersecting street
to meet in alignment, should not be
left square, but the corners of each
should be rounded SO as to obtain
continuous reversed curve.
The report calls attention to the de-
STABILITY Of ordinances establishing
building lines on all streets. Unless
there Is such an ordinance any prop
erty owner may injure not only his
immediate neighbors, but the appear
ance Of long stretch of street, by
placing his building beyond the gen
eral line of others in the neighbor-
hood. How far this building line
should be back from the property line
must be decided separately for each
street.
The matter of parks, parkways and
recreative facilities is treated Of in
this report at some length, but these
depend SO almost entirely upon the
local topography and other conditions
that there are few general rules which
it seems advisable to endeavor to
state. One point, however, is worthy
of emphasis-the great need in most
suburban towns Of making the sur
roundings Of the railroad station much
more attractive than so many Of them
now are These surroundings should
be such as to conceal as far as possible
the cruder and more unsightly features
necessarily connected with some sta
tons, such as side tracks. turnta bles,
etc, by locating here artistic group
1ngs Of shrubbery and shade trees
which shall offer a pleasing prospect
to either citizen or stranger on al1ght-
ing from the train.
A Valuable Milestone.
A we'll known novelist was touring
through Lancashire in order to learn
something of the lives of the inhab1t-
ants when he came upon an old man
breaking stones on the roadside and.
thinking he might gain some known
edge from him. addressed him thus:
How far Is it to Fleetwood, my
man.?
you'll see milestone bit farther
on was the gruff reply.
whats the use, if l can't read?'
said the novelist, eager to draw the old
man into conversation.
Then it'll just suit you, for there's
nowt on it," said the old fellow.-Lon-
don Graphic.