The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-04-02
BOARD OF WORKS
MAKES A PUBLIC
DEFENSE OF ACTION
Criticism of Action of Body in
REGARD to North { street
Improvement Brings Forth
Appeal to People.
TELLS WHY IT FAVORS
PAVING OF STREET.
Claims That Sucn Methods OF
Improvement Will Be Less
Costly to Taxpayers in the
End Than MaCadam.

In view of the fact that the board
of public works has been criticized
for its firm stand TO have North
street from Tenth street TO Sixteenth
street paved and the walks, cutters
and curbs cemented. the board feels il
self called upon to make Il public cX-
planation concerning its attitude in
the matter. Today the Palladium re-
ceived the following comprehensive
communication from the board:
Editor Palladium:
In view of the many false rumOrs
and charges concerning the North +
street paving Improvement, some OF
which have been given publicity
through the local press. in which the
attitude and motives of the board OF
works have been criticised and inn
pugned the undersigned desire to
make the following statement of their
position therein:
This board is a unit in supporting
the proposition to have North + street
paved with vitrified brick. 1t is unani-
nous in the opinion that 43 per cent
in the cost of said paving (aside from
the amount chargable TO the Street
Railway company is a generous pro-
portion for the city at large TO pay.
The board is unalterably opposed to
spending seven or eight thousand dol
lars in making a macadam street
there, believing that such would be
waste of public money, considering
the existing conditions-the heavy
hauling, the narrow street and the car
tracks in the middle of the same The
board is willing 70 spend that amount
of public money if it can be put into d
permanent Improvement such as a Wit
rified brick street would be.
The board is opposed TO the sugges-
ton of the directors of the CONNER
cial club, that the city pay the whole
cost Of the brick paving. We do not
think it is fair to the other tax PAYERS,
for the city to pay for all the street
paving out of the general fund on the
theory that the abutting property de
rives no benefit whatever from such
an improvement. 1t Is especially un,
fair to those tax payerS-manufactu
ers, merchants and private citizens
who have heretofore paid a greater
percent of the brick paving abutting
| their property than is asked in this
case, to require them as tax payers to
| bear the same share of the cost of this
! Improvement as falls to the North f.
| street property owners We do not
| believe that the city-at-large gets the
whole benefit and the abutting prop.
| erty owners no benefit by such paw
! ing. On the contrary We think such
property is very greatly benefited. not
only in its future value, but in the
| permanence and increased utility and
comfort resulting from such improve
ment. If this is true il would not only
! be unjust, but a dangerous precedent
to compel the city TO pay the whole
biIl-One that would prove very pan
dora box of trouble for the city in the
future. Again, We believe the placine
of the whole burden of said expense
on the city would be illegal. under the
present law; and such a basis of set
tlement would probably have to owl
the gauntlet of the courts. as any tal
payer of the city could enioin the pay
ment for the work. thus causing furth
er expense and embarra Ssment TO tbs
city. The discretion given the hCarC
in the law to place a portion Of the
cost of such Improvement on the city
is based explicitly in definite bene
fit to the city. A fair construction o
| this clause would not warrant us il
putting it all there if il could b,
shown that the abut,ing property haC
received any benefit what ever there
from
The board is also agreed as to I'll,
need and desira bility of cement walks
curbs and cutters. which latter mus
Of course go in with the paved street
The only difference between the mem
bers was as to whether the need o
cement sidewalks was so imperativ,
that they should be included in the i'm
provement this year II was the be
lief of one member that this portion
Of the Improvement amounting 70 oy
er s125 TO full length lot. might We!
wait a year or TWO. thus lighte nint
the present burden of expense 70 tha
extent. He also thought the common
council might be more friendly TO tha
modification. than to voting the Who'll,
thing through at once. The fact tha
he was the owner of teams and haav,
wagons that travelled E street as the,
Continued on Page Four.)