Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-01-14
MACADAM STREETS.

MACADAM STREETS.
The Observer gave the macada
streets five years in which to wear Of
and become worthless. So much tin
was not necessary Three years woul
have been enough. But we desired I
be liberal about 1t and threw in tw
years for good measure. Eightee
months have passed, and what do "
see? Mud! Just plain, old-fashione
Oregon mud! What shall we Sc
next? More midland, also, chuck
holes! Then the expense of patching
will begin, and every year 1t will groy
worse. Such is the history of mac
adam in every other town in the I'm
tied States, and Dallas will be no ex
ception to the rule. What will follow
next? Disguised property owners will
arise in their wrath and demand the
Improvement which they should have
asked in the first place-smooth sur
faced pavement. And they will get
it. II the council then in power re-
fuses to grant it, the people will elect
council that will. The hard pave
ment will come.
The hard pavement should have
been adopted when the city abandoned
the old method of street improvement.
1t was short-sighted policy and poor
economy that prompted the property
owners to avoid the expense of
smooth pavement and substitute mac
adam. There are three periods in
the evolution of a town--the gravel |
period, the macadam period, and the |
hard pavement period. That is to
say, in the evolution of most towns. A
Few towns are wise and skip the mac
adam period altogether-and thereby
save money Dallas should have been
In this latter class. 1t would seem
that town which is decidedly live
one" along all other lines of growth
and development, ought to have been |
among the live ones in the improve
ment of its streets. former resi- '
dent of Dallas, who is still a loyal a
TREND to the town and interested in t
its welfare, said to the writer not long b
ago: why didn't the people over at v
home put down hard pavement? Dali A
las is too good a town to be fooIing 81
with macadam." He was right. A
live, growing town like Dallas owed II {
to itself and to the good reputation II a
enjoys over the state to improve its h
business streets with the smooth sur v
faee pavement Both of the newspa-
pers OF the town, and many of the m
property-owners, cried long and loudly w
Tor the hard pavement, but a few tax W
payers obJected-and the council saw
III TO listen to the obiectors. II w
seemed as If, in our state of evolution an
we had to pass through the usual laI
course of experiments We have pass
ed through the gravel stage, and are ba
now IN the macadam stage. Some day tei
we shall go on to the hard pavement tn,
stage-the stage of permanent i'm mis-
provement. mr.,
But let no one deceive himself into dai
thinking that by resorting to mac ba.
adam we have saved money Time tho
VIII prove the folly of that course wo
thousands of dollars were wasted I'm sui
Dallas on gravel streets; thousands {
more have been wasted on macadar oml
- true the property-owners are eleC
lot Kicking much just now The kick is by
ust beginning. It is louder now than Mil
was last winter, and another year wer
VIII be louder still. Alreadv tba Jeav
eople are becoming disgusted with Schl
ne SLOPPY muddy crossings which II
ave replaced the old-time crosswaIxq WAS
~ pretty soon' when the expense Of mini
atching begins, the murmurines viii "a
sVefop into roar. The roar will peao
ing the desired results The town man
III never go back to the gravel the tight
'opie VIII object to a further use of breal
ushed rock, and smooth pavement Ac
III ahord the only relief in sight hom,
men that method Of Improvement a few
All De adopted, Dallas will begin 10 "I
Nv as II deserves to grow. quite
roi proof OF the correctness OF this night
9ur'en'' we nave only to look at my s
'ns aoout u.s. Salem was an over mont
'"n crossroads village until II be- will
10 pave its streets Today II is you
OF the liveliest towns in the val- MARI,
For forty years, IL had only ono sb,
'minent street Today It has three coupI
TOUR i've business thoroughfares arrivl
property considered worthless n rison
years ago is now in demand NJ Wuso
cy prices. The Increase I'm nroro,- elo,,,,
'.iues aiohe mas paid the cost OF had b
ing over and over. Albany Is an Mr.
er one OF the dead ones that has long
brought TO life by modern street comm
roNement Eugene led the valley, whom
ms IN the movement for paves ers. N
Gus ana Eugene doubled its pom detectl
ION IN less than three years. Mod Detect
Is another shining examine of covere
I can be accomplished bv nro- wmia,
sive methods. Corvallis vo,e ma the A.
ses' ana decided TO improve its we
Us The city officers came 10 Dali for IN,
looked over our macadam, saId schnec
un'hss about H. and then went in
ana put down hard pavement sru
iendence Is preparing 70 nave . connie
u"~eh blocks next summer: 80 Il Zee. an
lDurh- None OF these towns have was n,
nouon OF wasting their time ana their =,
y on macadam. And none a. "ob
able than Dallas 70 put 5ov-- do tI,.
mooth pavement N,o-,,
-, o'-eIser mas no desire 10 crit "Just
- :, 's,'i'eis OF the Dallas city don't tr
~ or the property-owners who Flick.
"a on improving the streets win y nj,
60 rock. for it Is TO be presumed to Win
=, ~ no1kins Tor What they hurt Wi
ed to be the best Interest of ~. vnli.
tnere can be no qustion OF the bride.
= y H.ao.oam streets over But ".
's.e' -, 'noroughfares. but very mn
- - Improvement IL only or look
-.,..-,.- - :. an excuse for the daughter
! - ,--- ~ 20 continue this iittle bu
'.,--,., s.''ent would Be an VII tak,
'onahie blunder. A few years morulsg
~ prove that The money spe,t a.
-'--'-- virtually thrown Love I