Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-04-25

to be floating about concerning the
special election called for May 13,
to vote bonds for the building of the
Wishkah street bridge, largely by rea.
son of not having knowledge of the
real situation confronting the city in
the matter of bridge across the
Wishkah river. Many think it means
two bridges, and they can see no nee
essity for the second, and Mayor-elect
France appears to have fallen into
this error. The mistake Of Mr.. France
is doubtless due to the fact that when
the Heron street bridge was con
demned by the bridge expert. Mr.
France was in the east, which doubt
less accounts for the following state
ment made by him in an interview
printed in the Aberdeen World:
III we get the industries. we will
have to have the public docks. A new
bridge or a public market will not
add one whit to our population, but
they will increase our taxasr without
specially benefitting US. II we in
crease in population then We will
have to have bridges, but we have not
increased any in population in the
past three years."
The mayorelect appears to forget
that the mayor and city council have
absolutely nothing to do in the mat
ter of providing public docks for the
commerce of the port of Aberdeen
unless they chose to provide city
dock at the foot of Heron street as
suggested by the Herald. The en-.
tire county is incorporated in the
Port of Grays Harbor and the Harbor
commission has already had the har.
Dor surveyed, a comprehensive system
of docks planned out and money will
soon be available to make a start on
the work.
And it is we'll that it is SO. Judg-
ing by the past the city council
will have all it can attend to without
this additional burden. We are sur
prised to find the mayor-elect of the
opinion that "a new bridge or a pub
lie market will not add whit to uor
population, but will add to our taxes
without specially benefitting u.s." He
could use the same argument against
any and all street and other improve
ments. In fact the new bridge pro-
position is really street improve
ment. A suitable bridge must be
provided across the Wishkah river II
Aberdeen desires to grow and to do
business with the world lying east
of that river.
It is possible to erect a public
market and city dock at the foot of
Heron street without the city spend
ing a dollar if deemed desirable. No
difficulty will be found in leasing this
site at a fair rental for term of
years to private parties who would
erect the market and dock, and turn
them over to the city at the expira-
ton of the lease.
What Will Bridge Cost?
Just why the estimate for the new
bridge was made so high is not clear,
and the sum of $4,000 named in the
bond election call is construed by
some as the amount that will be re-
quired. A glance at the ordinance
will reveal the error in this supposi-
ton. The ordinance authorizes the
mayor to issue bonds, "IN AN
AMOUNT NOT EXCEEDING $95 5000,
AS SHALL BE REQUIRED FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF sue H
BRIDGE"
The cost of the bridge rests abso-
lutely with the city council. That
body determines the style and size
of bridge desired and awards the con.
tract. Not dollar of the bonds may
be used for any other purpose, SO
that the amount authorized at the
election is simply an exorbitant max
imum, and bears no relation to the
actual cost of the bridge. Since this
bridge has been under consideration
builders in various parts Of the coun-
try have sent descriptions of bridges
built by them, with approximate
prices, an examination Of which
leads the Herald to believe that q
bridge forty feet wide can be built
for $4,000 or less.