The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-14
POWER IN
 THE CITY May Order Railway Com pany to Lay Pavement Within Certain Time SOUTH MAIN STREET
 MATTER UP AGAIN If Company Disobeys City May Do Work and Make
 Company Settle Longest Minded Body May or Lee Ever Knew Meets
 Railroad Engineer

sec. S0SI, Cx6ncEdl SldtutCS OI
 Connecticut, provides as follows:
 Every (street railway company
 shall keep so much of the high
 way as is included within it's
 tracks, and space of two feet
 on the outer side of the rails
 thereof in repair to-the satiSfac- ton of the authorities of the city, town or borough which is
 bound by law to maintain such
 highway.
 Such authorities shall not or-
 der such company to use any bet
 ter or more expensive kind of by tho city, town or borough up-
 on the remaining part of the
 highway.
 keen 8 record of all orders as to
 eursh repairs Upon the
 failure of such company to make
 the required repairs within the
 time fixed by the order such re-
 pafrs may be made by the muni-
 cdpal authorities interested, and
 the expense thereof recovered
 from the company in an action on
 this statute.
 Another discussion, of the inter minable character which has once scaused Mayor Lee to refer to the Rermanent Paving Commission. the child of his own political skill, as ''the longest winded body ever knew. took place at the meeting of the com mission, last night, when every ver- lbal means and none of the proper aeral means, were resorted to in an effort to find out when the Connec- ticut company will be ready to lay pavement to complete the repair of The att5tyde of c. c. Eiweil, engf- saeer Of the Company, caused the com mission to infer that the companys share of the work would be delayed to punish the city for refusing the rsarTT1iSSi0n fO 0CCuDv a larger part of the street with its tracks.
 Incidentally the city embarked upon a program which. if it is continued, will subject it to the duty of laying the companyss share of the pavement at cost, which the city is under no obligation to do. MT. Edweu asked for d bid upon the work from Direc- hor Biltz and ordered to do so by President M. G- Rogers. the director made the bid.
 It is needless to say 1.-the city ds not under an obligation to talk the off, cials of thesConnecdcuts Company to death ins order to get it to do its 1e- gal share of the work Of laying perm anent pavement. Neither do the statutes provide a system under which a talking competition between the paving commissioners and railroad of dcfaIs Is to be held, in the under standing that if the city officials first die of exhaustion from too much yer bal effort that no pavement shall be Laid and that if the railroad officials first expire the railroads share shall The ta1ixfest. which for many months has been the popular method keeping Main street torn up is no where referred ito either in the stat utes or in the city's charter.
 The statutes provide that the city shall make an order too for the kind of pavement that 1t wants put down, which must not be more expensive The municipal authorities are then to make an order stating the time which such repairs must be made.
 Upon the failure of the company fixed by the order, such repairs may be made by the municipal authorities interested, and the expense recovered of the company.
 Talk is cheap, but in dealing with public service corporations it is bet ter to mean business.
 Engineer c. c. Ewel1 of the Connec- ticut Co.,, spent three hours in a yer nent paving commission last night, during which he admitted that the railroad company had not done much toward carrying out it's part Of the work of paving South Main street with brick He said that he would be more enthusiastic over the proposition if the city had decided to allow the railroad to place it's tracks on 10 foot centers.
 
 peatedly that the commission had nothing to do with 10 foot centers. as 1t was a matter for the Common Coun- ell to pass upon.
 After the engineer had beaten around the bush in answering the question, ssWhen wi1l-you be reary to pave South Main street?" for over an hour he said he did not know whether the company could do the work this fall or not.
 Then Col Rogers said: eff you could get 10 foot centers would you be in more of a hurry to do this work?''
 we might be more enthusiastic over the matter" was the reply.
 'I thought I would smoke that rat out" said Col. Rogers, who informed the engineer that he was treating the commission unfairly and that his an- swers during the evening had been lot of f1imsy excuses
 MT. Elwen replied that it was the first time in his life that he had been accused of being unfair He declared that when the entire situation was taken into consideration he thought the railroad was just as far advanced with as it had it's rails on the job and the city only had the brick upon the job and had not let the contract
 After the commission had been talk ing with MT. Elwen for an hour and a half and he had told them over and over again of the merits of having tracks on 10 foot centers-~he said: ss1 have not any authority iI this matter. am only the engineer. My purpose in coming here tonight No find out what you are going to d0 in South Main street. am not sent here; I como on my own hook
 You have previously told us that
 1csntinued on Second Paeel