The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-02
BUCKINGHAM
 SAYS BOOST
 QUIT KNOCKING
No Danger of Pavement of State Street Ceasing at Park Avenue For Benefit of Fair field Avenue

AOAoOAAdiAy 1IltcItSlcU HI ray. l ing COntract-Time to Gall
 a Halt, He Says
 Mayor Buckingham today in no un-
 certain terms expressed his opinion
 of some men, he did not mention any names, but referred to them as dis
 gruntled contractors, scheming poli-
 ticians and sore-heads, in comment
 ing on the carrying on of the State
 street paving contract. eff these 1 men, he said, would follow s. E.. V1ncents plan to Boost Bridgeport and to Work For Bridgeport instead of criticising and intimating that graft is being accepted. more would be accomplished. Their efforts have the tendency to prevent honest and capable men from accepting public office"
 It is inferred that the Paving Com mission will not complete the paving of State street, but will rush into Fairfield avenue, there to lay blocks. It has so infuriated some of the ald-
 ermen that they threaten to present
 motions at the next meeting of the
 council to call halt to all opera
 tions in Fairfield avenue till State
 street is completed. State street will
 be paved straight through to the
 junction of Fairfield avenue 'The
 Paving Commission could not stop
 the paving of State street now, if
 they wanted to-" said Commissioner
 Walter B. Lasher this morning. The
 contracts for the pavement have been
 signed and delivered. If the com-
 tractor would have a good chance to
 collect damages from the city. His
 contract calls for State street from
 Broad street to Fairfield avenue
 When the stretch from Broad to Park
 is completed, then the other strip
 from one of the commissioners will set at rest all talk about the street being done by p1ecemeal, and prob ably not all this year.
 Mayor Buckingham's, attention was called te the matter through an arti- ,ele in a local newspaper. He con- sidered that facts were being mis- represented. He said, "The Paving Commission has stated publicly that there will be no laying of pavement in Fairfield avenue until that section in State street between Broad and Park is completed. But starting in l Fairfield avenue will not stop the ! work further out State street. The | street to it's end according to his contract, which calls for the eomple- l tion of the work in 90 working days. | understand he started on July 5. | As soon as State street is opened l from Broad to Park avenue then the | bids for Fairfield avenue will be call- | ed. The statement that the work on State street west of Park avenue is to be stopped is untruthful and is made without any foundation. A statement to the contrary is a dis tortion of facts. T.
 It is also stated that there are piles of rubbish banked up on State street A Farmer reporter went out State street about noon today but could find no piles of rubbish. There were num- erous piles of stone and dirt to be used in the concrete foundation. Re- garding this statement the mayor said. sIt is joke to think that a street cannot be torn up for pave ment without piles of dirt and stone being thrown on the street Where Is, 1t to be placed if not in the street?"
 The mayor rises to the defense of indirect accusations are made. 'The implied statement is made" he says, that someone is being benefited by the laying of the block. It would seem to imply that the Paving Com E who have absolute charge ] ,f the paving and the purchasing of E, -he material, are men who would ac- ;ept and are accepting graft 9 Con- { ,inuing the mayor said, 'I think that ( he men composing the Paving com { mission are above such insinuations ] The same men today constitute the ! commission that were appointed by ] ormer Mayor Lee. There is no req 'on to believe that they are seeking o benefit themselves financially this { year more than they did last year or he year before. The fact that one of I 'ur local papers published such inn 'utations has the same tendency as t has In the past to prevent, honor-l Lble, honest and capable men from
 accepting public office without anyl 
 'The question is asked,'' said thel mayor, eff private business would 'e run under such a plan. In pri- ate business one would not be han. icapped by disgruntled contractors, cheming politicians and sore-heads of 4 'arious kinds. .s
 "Mr. Graham Van Kuren, of the p ontracting firm stated to Director d Kenny yesterday that the pavement S 7ould be laid to exact specifications ', nd to the satisfaction to all con f erned and that if the director want q d to make any suggestions they n Tould be gladly followed The conn any came herefto do a first class D ob and desire to win reputation n pr first class workmanship" W
 Many of our citizens are not true r, } Bridgeport inferred the mayor, C. They would prefer to criticise than u ) boost the city and it's industries. a.
 agree with MT. Vincent that we all b hould Work For Bridgeport. !" a Relative to the condition of Fair a cid avenue, the mayor said, Flair lo cid avenue does not present a new A ondition," he said, For the past six rt ears the street has been in poor con a ltion, but it now better than it has m cen for the last two years. Those W ho are really interested in the wei U Ire of the city should use every ol leans possible to come forward this ear than to place obstacles in Fair iI n cid avenue III
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