Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-12-19

II 10 llNldI 70 say Jhat the grocery
men and deliyerymen should pay for
the paving of our streets. First. be-
cause the law does not provide that
It should be done that way. and it is
pure theory to suggest such a method
and, second, because no such law
could be made and it would be wholly
unjust if it were made. The entire
property of the deliverymen would
not pave the streets and, even if if
dld, the cost would eventually be
thloWn on the consumers, for every
body knows that the entire expense
of handling goods Is thrown, in the
end, upon the consumer. For the
consumer to pay the cost of delivery
would throw the cost heavily upon
the poor and lightly upon the rich.
He urges that the tax for paving
should be thrown upon the entire
city. 1t is always easy when you
don't like the way provided by law, to
point out one of the thousand other
ways by which it might have been
zone and say that it is the way it
should have been done. But the fact
is that the law does provide a way
and If we have it at all we must fol-
low that way. We are not now max
ing the law, but trying to use the
law for our own benefit. Strange,
Ism 1t, that so many cities and
towns all over the land should have
made the wrong kind of laws for this
purpose, for they are all nearly like
ours, or rather, ours is nearly like
theirs. Why didn't some of these
| people who know so we'll how the
! laws should be made, say som ething
two or three years ago when they
were making this kind of law for us
in response to the demands of the
people? There is very good reason
why the abutting property pays the
bill and not the whole city. The
chief benefit comes to the abutting
~ ptNl - w I 4 an llOl pa Z lllt NllOlG
city at once, but must do it piece
meal. The paving is merely an en-
forced improvement which adds to
the value of the abutting property,
and is merely an added investment,
like Woodshed, or a basement story.
The property will sell for more if
or a paved street. 1t will rent for
more than enough to pay the inter
est on the Investment. 1t cheapens
groceries and all such things. What
a shame it has been for years: what
a cruelty to animals to compel poor
horses to struggle through our deep
nudhole streets, dragging fuel and
groceries to our doors. And at what
added cost to the consumer, A half
ton of coal in midWinter costs a dol
lar where whole ton in the fall
costs half dollar. The cleanliness
and better sanitary conditions, sum
mer and winter, by reason of clean.
paved streets alone would be worth
far more than the interest on the
added investment to the property.
The interest on one investment of
5000 in paving the abutting street
would be, at s per cent, SIG year,
and if there were no other considera-
tion than added comfort and health
and saving on HOUSEHOLD goods, it
insist on paving only one street to
let the grocery wagon in and will
keep mudholes and dust holes on the
other sides, the remedy will be only
partial. The objection that it will
benefit the automobile owners is
always the cheapest and easiest ap-
peal to envy and prejudice. Why
should not the automobile and
bicycle have a good street as we'll as
cause I am good?" Do we want to
reduce the town to condition where
only the toiling OK can drag mud
boat through the streets? Where is
the boasted western spirit of prog
ress?
That man who has the thousand
dollar lot on the corner, who says he
will sell it at reduction Il the
streets should be paved follows the
old dodge. He will try to scare his
neighbors out and continue to hold
lnim proved property for the "un-
earned increment" 1t is only a lit
tie while since that same lot sold
for 800 and it has been other peo-
pies Improvements which have
pushed it up to $1,000, and i5 is any
great hardship II this Spectator
should pay little street assessment
and help out the whole community.
Perhaps this might hurry him mp TO
make improvements and put IT on a
revenue basis. There Is In our bust
ness section right now, property
which has been held In this way for