Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-03-27

Mayor LdCn munu InlS evening,
when the city council meets, will de-
cline to affix his signature to con-
tracts awarded the Warren Construc-
tion company by the council for the
paving of Asylum avenue from
Twenty-fourth street to the east side
of the city limits, and Twenty-fourth
street from Asylum avenue to the
south side of the asylum grounds,
and will assign as his reason the fact
that the state board, through Cover
nor West, has advised him that it is
unfavorable to bitulithic, and favors
concrete.
The state board considered the
subject several days ago, and decided
against bitulithic for several reasons.
To begin with contract for paving
Asylum avenue from Fourteenth to
Twenty-fourth street with concrete
has already been awarded, and the
board feels that the street for its
full length should be paved with the
same kind of pavement. In addition
to this Govern r West says that the
board is unable to understand why
the state should be made to pay for
higher class Cf pavement than that
laid down by property owners now
on the same street from Fourteenth
TO Twenty-6ourth, and states that if
the plans and specifications are
changed to concrete the board will
recommend that appropriations be
made for the payment of the states
share in laying the pavement, but, if
not, it will not.
Property owners on numerous
streets in the city have petitioned for
bitulithic, and the recorder has been
directed in the most cases to adver-
tise for bids, but some are yet in
the hands of the committee. As soon
as the company submits bids for
these contracts, and they are award
ed by the council, they will be signed
up and street improvement work
rushed, as the mayor was elected on
street Improvement platform, and
is an enthusiast for all kinds of civ
ic improvements and intends. if pos
sible, to have this administration sur
pass all others in the way of i'm
provements.
Committee to Report.
The street committee will report
this evening on two streets Cottage
and Market, The petition in the
former case asks for bitulithic and
the latter for El-oso. The report on
the first will be favorable, but Just
what kind of report will be submit
ted as to the latter is not yet known,
as the property owners of one block
on this street are averse to paving it,
and it may be that they, together
with those In the other blocks, will
constitute a sufficient number to
legally demonstrate in which event
the petition will be defeated.
Pushing One Street.
Contractor Kehrberger is pushing
the construction of the concrete
curbs on Asylum avenue. He has a
large force of men at work on that.
The contract for that street was let
last year. So far there has not been
a days work done on any contract
ct by the present administration and
three months are nearly over. The
property owners of North CONNER
cial street asked that their street be
improved with bitulithAc, and, AL
though the contractors time had
elapsed for commencing work on
concrete, it was rejected, and the
determination seems to be to force
the people 10 take what they don't
want. 1t is expected that further
dilatory tactics will be employed this
evening.
1t is expected that the street car
tracks on South Commercial street
Will be completed in a few days, so
as to allow work to proceed with the
COncretinp of tho root % tho4 ,t-oo4