Evening journal., 1913-08-04
OUR NEW STREETS.
from the Dover Index.

OUR NEW STREETS.
From the Dover Index.
We have no disposition to find
fault with the Street and Sewer
Commission that built our improved
streets. The dissatisfaction that
was then heard has either been for
gotten or is at least not now voiced.
There are, however, a few things that
we think our taxpayers should be in
terested in We have been informed
that that commission has never made
q statement or report to the Town
Council of its receipts and expendi-
lures and doings under the law. II
this be true. the council should at
once demand such statement The
law requires that a report be made
every six months. and oftener, II re-
quested by the council These re-
ports are of its acts and doings, of
all moneys expended by its authority
and all obligations incurred by It.
This commission has spent S166,5OO
of the money of the people of Dover,
and ever taxpayer is entitled to
known how every cent was spent We
are also informed that, contrary to
the general understanding. the com
mission failed in its contract with
the company that did the paving 70
provide for keeping the streets re-
paired for FIVE years 1t was GER
tainlv understood that the company
was bound to keep the streets In re-
pair for FIVE years, and that the holes
in State and Loockerman streets
would have to be removed. We now
understand that such is not the case
and that the town will be az the ex-
pense of rebuilding the defective
parts Of those streets. There is a
general belief that the paving of
those streets cost the town from
% per cent. to 40 per cent too much
as il was, and now to have them full
Of holes and depressions, to be fixed
at an extra expense is laying II on
a little hard We think The council
should appoint a committee to inves-
tigate and make a report to be pub
lished as to these important matters.
REPORT OF ROAD ENGINEER.
From the Salisbury News.
On page Is of the last issue Of The
News was published detailed report
of the Roads Engineer for Wicomico
and gave full details of all the i'm
provements on roads and bridges
throughout every districtof the county.
Il was such a report as one would eX-
pect from the operations of a county
run on modern methods, and every
taxpayer in the county who is inter-
ested to know how his money is being
expended should take time to read
-. a..11 IN lot
and shows in complete form every
dollar which was expended on the
highways for all purposes for l2
months, and it is so plain that tax
payer living in any district in the
county could easily verify the report
and satisfy himself whether or not
the money had been properly expend-
ed and whether or not the county had
received full benefit from the expendi-
lures.
It is indeed gratifying to know that
the County Commissioners have, by
wise exercise of their official duties,
placed the county roads and
bridges under such skillful and eff
cient management as H. NJ Clark
Roads Engineer, has shown he pos
sesses. 1t is most gratifying for the
taxpayer TO be able to pick up his
county paper and read in cold type
Just what has been done on the high
ways and Just how much improve
ments have been made from year to
year and know just where the money
has been expended. For many years
before the system of roads engineers
was applied here, and a system of the
right kind of bookkeeping put in
-,
impossible for the taxpayers to know
what their money had been expended
for OF where IL had been expended
and much complaint would come from
one section of the county that nothing
was being done on the roads and
bridges there, and that it was all be-
ing done for some other section.
Under the old system of road super
visors and road overseers it was a Slip
shod method from start 90 finish. A lit
tie patchwork was done here and a lit
tie there with no permanent improve
ment to show for the expenditure oi
the money at the end of the year. IN,
system Of old wooden bridges was
waste of public money and always {
menace to the public travel. The coun
ty was at all times in the position o
having to pay a suit for injury to thl
public and the whole scheme was on,
of useless expenditure of public funds
Now all this has been changed. Th
roads engineer is doing away with tn
wooden bridges as fast as he can sub
stitute the culverts with concrete heads
and when one of these culverts is put il
il means that the job is through TO
many years to come. The system o
building good concrete bridges over tn
larger streams in place of the old woodei
bridges is along the same line of perma
nent improvement. The proper working
Of the sand roads in the county carrie
out the same idea, while the construc
tion of the improved she'll and ston
highways in the county is a step for
ward which has brought the county I
the front as one of the most progressive
counties in the state. II would no
have been possible TO have had thi
system of permanent improvements il
our roads and bridges without the ser
vices of a competent roads engineer
and Wicomico county is fortunate i
having secured the services of Enginee
Clark TO handle the work.
Mn Clark's report shows that ther
is something being done in substan
tial manner for every district in Wico
mico county, and the report can be point
ed to with pride by every taxpayer an
citizen in the county as showing tha
Wicomico is in the very frcnt ranks o
the progressive counties in Maryland.