The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-04-22
MANY REQUEST THAT
STREETS Be OILED
Council Places Matter of AL
laying Dust in Hands of
Board.
.PLAN DECIDED UPON
All Streets Running North
and South to Receive
First Attention.
PLAN DECIDED UPON

Charles w. Jordan, secretary of the
Commercial club stated today that he
has been besieged with telephone calls
from persons inquiring about the plan
of oiling or sprinkling all the streets
of the city during the summer to allay
the dust. Business men and house
wives have been telephoning to Mr..
Jordan, Street Commissioner Gem
and other city officials asking that
their street be oiled before others.
According to Mr.. Jordan. Contractor
Davis of Connersville, will be able to
come to Richmond at once and oil
fifty miles of streets in ten days.
At the meeting of the city council
last night the question was discussed
and although all councilmen seemed to
be in favor of allaying the dust
through oiling or sprinkling, they re-
ferred the matter to the board of
works. 1t is believed that the matter
will be settled at the board meeting
Thursday. The meeting will be at
tended by the members of the public
health committee of the Commercial
club.
Mr.. Davis stated that he has in
creased his force and will be able to
come to this city in a week and oil
fifty miles of streets in ten days if
weather conditions are satisfactory.
The plan of the city officials and
prominent Commercial Club members
is to create enthusiasm among the
citizens in keeping the dust off the
streets during the summer when 1t is
detrimental to health. Contractors
will take as many private contracts for
oiling streets as possible. What
streets are not oiled under private
contract will be ordered done by the
board of works and the cost assessed
to the property owners.
AS the streets which were oiled last
year, were not satisfactory to many
people, it is expected that Street Com
missioner Gem will have an employo
of the street department make an ex-
animation of the streets before they
are oiled to see that they are properly
cleaned.
Amendments made to the state laws
this year make it possible for the
| board to order the oiling and assess
the cost to property owners. Where
owners refuse to have the street oiled
in front of their property, complaint
will be made to the board and that
portion of the street will be ordered by
the board.
1t is expected that the members of
the board will order North and South
A streets oiled as soon as arrange
ments can be made with contractors
While his force of men is busy on
these street, petitions will be prepared
and circulated among the property
owners for them to sign. These will
be handed to the contractors who will
then do the work under private con-
tract.
The streets to oil after North and
South A streets will be the cross
streets running north and south be-
! tween Fourth and Twentieth streets
Any other streets for which petitions
are filed, will also be oiled. After
work on these streets have been COM
pleted, streets in West Richmond will
receive attention.
City officials and members of the
board of health believe that flying dust
is very unhealthy to the lungs, throat
and respitory organs. City Health
| Officer Davis stated today that he is
very much in favor of some means of
allaying the dust. THE streets are
general recepticles for everything.
While many citizens have been breath
ing dust for scores of years and are
healthy, at the same time, there is al
ways a chance of some disease being
spread through this means While
am in favor of oil, it is a question
whether or not the ordinary dust is
more unhealthy than the dust from
oiled streets which is very irritating to
| the throat"