The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-06-13
CITY ELECTION FOR PAVING
AND IMPROVEMENT BONDS
Voters Urged Authorize Issues So That Necessary Work
May Be Started at nce.-.Proposition Backed by
Business Men. ..All Saloons Closed.

A special election for the purpose
of submitting to the voters two separ.
ate propositions for issuance OF
bonds will be held tomorrow.
The rst proposition is for the
issuance of $4,000 of bonds, bear
ing interest at S per cent, due in 20
years. the proceeds to be used in
street paving.
Ordinarily the people of any city
are inclined to hesitate about in.
creasing their bonded debt, but in
this instance it is difficult to under
stand why any of the. people of Be-
midji,unless it be theowners of bust
ness property in the downtown dis
trict, should oppose the issuance of
bondsfor paving. The owners of
business property in the city are
practically all in favor of paving,
They will have to pay the entire cost
and the rest of the property owners
of the city will Ihave benefit of the
pavement without any cost. Under
these circumstances it seems to US
that the only way for the paying
bonds to be defeated would lie in
case the people of the city generality
did not understand the true situa-
ton.
The $4,000 to be derived from
the sale of the paving bonds will
be. turned into what is known as
the Permanent Improvement Revolv-
ing Fund, to be used for street paw
ing. The paving, when laid, is
assessed solely against the property
fronting on the pavement, and the
assessments, when paid, 90 back
into the Revolving Fund to be again
used for like purpose. The other
property owners of the city bear no
part of the cost of this improvement,
and yet they have the benefit of its
free use, and the general benefit
which comes from such a public
improvement. ...,
There is nothing that tends to the
general improvement and welfare of
a city more than the pavement of its
business streets, both from a sani-
tary and business standpoint. The
business thrift and activity which
such an improvement clearly indi-
Gates attracts outside capital and
industries, and the prosperity which
will naturally follow an improve
ment of this character will be shared
in by every resident of Bemidji.
1t would seem that further dis
cussion on the paving question
would merely tend to make the
arguments of its opponents appear
unreasonable. The only difficulty
about the matter is that under the
City Charter we are limited at this
time to $4,000 of paving bonds.
Many of our merchants have already
signifed their willingness to pay the
entire cost of their pavement as soon
as it is completed. so. that the money
may be quickly returned to the Re.
volving Fund and be used again
in additional paving. From the
spirit of our citizens on this question
it is apparent that the much needed
paving of the downtown district
can be rapidly done with even the
small amount of money now at our
command.
The second question submitted
at this election is for issuance Of
$4,000 of bonds for Permanent
Improvement Fund of the City, the
proceeds to be used in building q
new city jail, repairing the city hall,
the grading of streets and the build.
ing of a bridge across the Mississippi
river leading to Mill Park Addition.
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