The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-11-16
STREET OILING TO CLAIM ATTENTION
 OF CITY FATHERS
Property Owners Must Pay More for
 New Dust.Laying Scheme.

 sprinkling assessment if the roadway in front of our property was oiled this year instead of being sprinkled with water?'', is a question being asked by many taxpayers Some have hinted that there would be a special assess ment for oiling and that it would be optional in the future with the prop erty owners whether they would have water or oil to lay the dust oil if only put on the road once costs more than water applied twice a day all sea- son, and an official of the public works deps rtment said today that no one should protest against paying street sprinkling assessment because tne street had been oiled. His argument was that it cost more to get the oil and that the people were getting some thing for their money. Of course he admitted that it would rot be right to continue paying the street sprinkling contractors for putting water on any street where oil had been spread and the sprinkling discontinued
 Road oil was used in this city last year as an experiment by the city in protecting from dust clouds those who live along thoroughfares most used by automobilists.
 Director Biltz who had charge of put ting down the oil is undecided whether he will recommend the use of the oil In residential districts. Many people have complained to the director be- cause the oil is absorbed by the shoes and is the ruination of carpets and rugs. There are other people who are agreed that the oil is the greatest thing in the world, and that the past summer with the road oiled in front of their homes was the first season they were able to sit on their front porch with comfort since buzz wagons became prevalent in the community ~l.n oil are disgusted with the people who claim that the oil tracks into the houses. They say they should stay on the sidewalk where they belong and that there would be little sympathy for anyone who was run down by a motor car if they did not know enough to keep their footwear out of the grease.
 But on the other hand the house. wives who do not want their houses tracked up say that it Is not the mem bers of the family who leave oily foot prints upon the floor coverings of the house It is the iceman. the laundry man, the groceryman. the butcher boy and other emissaries to the houses who bring the oil part way to the I1v- ing rooms and leave it to the members of the family to pick up and bring 1t the rest of the way.
 It looks as though all oil put on the roads next summer by the city will be upon tu-npikes and thoroughfareS on the outside of the city, and that peo- pie residing in the residential section will have to petition for the oil if they are willing to have to take a chance of the oil being brought into the house upon the shoes.
 As for the expense of oiling streets it will cost the property owners more than water sprinkling if the city de- cides to charge for it in the same man. ner as the street sprinkling has been sold in the past
 There is no doubt that the oil set ties the dust question for the whole season and there will be many dis tricts which will ask for it in prefer ence to the water despite the danger of discoloring floor covering mater ials.
 There were several residents who oil- ed the street in front of their homes last year out of their own purses and several manufacturers paid for oiling the streets around their plants without waiting for the city to act
 It Is a certainty that the problem of what streets are to be oiled and what streets are to be sprinkled will come before she city government for settlement before long.
 The oil put on the streets last year came from the general appropriation made by the Board of Apportionment and was paid for out of the taxes of the entire city. The sum appropriated was S2OO0-$1, 900 coming from the First district and s1,000 from the Sec and district.
 Property owners who want oil put on the streets where they reside would do well to petition for 1t, if they are