Arizona republican., 1914-10-23
SERVICE TALK
 ON PAVEMENTS
Most Interesting Review is Given by E. Power Con- way, Before the Rotary Club at Its Regular Fri day Noon Meeting.

One of the most interesting of the series of service talks, recently given before the Rotary club, was that of Rotarian E. Power Conway given at last Fridays monday meeting and lunch. His general subject was "Pavements' MT. Conway said:
 The subject of pavements is one which is entirely too big, embracing, as il does, so many different phases, to be discussed intelligently in the short time allowed for a service talk bv the Rotary club. Therefore, it will be necessary to confine the dis. cussion to a brief outline, and per haps at some time later in the year some one or more of the many feat ures involved may be of sufficient interest to the members of this club to justify a further discussion.
 Any municipal improvement, such as pavements, naturally divides itself into three parts, and l mention them in the order of their importance-le- gal, engineering and construction. No contract, of course is satisfactory, until the contractor has first assured himself that all the necessary legal steps have been properly taken so as to insure his contract being valid one. This is particularly i'm portant if bonds are to be issued against the property in front of which the improvement is to he made
 When we first commenced paving in Arizona there was a territorial law known as Act 50. which provId ed for the improvement of streets in a very lengthy and uncertain man. Ter. This law was absolutely of TO value, as it failed to provide a means whereby a good and sufficient lien could be secured against the property improved. During the summer of 1911 and the summer of 1912 approx imately thirty-nine blocks of btu . lithic pavement were laid in Phoenix This was all done voluntarily by the property owners by private con- tract. as there was no satisfactory law available, at this time under which to do the work. It is a re- markable tribute to the public spirit of the property owners of Phoenix that they should voluntarily improve so much of their city when there was no way to compel them to do SO Perhaps a little credit is due to the intelligent efforts of the contractors, both in securing contracts and Tn giving satisfaction to the property owners in their completed work
 During the spring of 1912 a sub scription of some three hundred dol lars was collected from prominent property owners in this city with the idea of securing the servces of Ex- Governor Kibbey to draft an inn rroVement act to be submitted . to the first state legislature then in session. This was done and the ac. passed at that session. It is known as the improvement act of 1912, and became effective at the expiration of the period allowed for the referen- cum clause which was in the fall of 1912. The act is closely pattern ed after the California improvement laws, except that in California they have two separate acts, one known as the Vrohan act, which provides for the work being done on the cash assessment plan, and the other known as the bond act which pro- vides for the work being done, with the privilege to the property owner of having a bond run for ten years against his property. In the Ari- zona act these two features have been combined into one law A brief outline of the proceedings necessary provided by this law, might be in or der.
 The presentation of petition from the property owners of any street or district to the Council is unnecessary and has no legal weight it being only means of suggesting to the council or commission that a majority of the property owners or that street desired the improvement The council or commission has the privilege of initiating the improve ment of the street, if it so desires without a petition. The first stel that is necessary is that officia grades be established by ordinance and the pavement must be laid tC the grades established. Next, { complete map or plan of the distric to be improved and the nature of thu improvement shown thereon, is re quired. This must be adopted by tn commission and signed by the mayor and kept on file in the office of tn city clerk Specifications providing in detail the method in which tn work is to be done must also b. adopted by the council or commis sion and be on file in the office 0 the city clerk. The next step 1 what is known as a resolution of in tention. This briefly describes tn work to be done and refers, fo more particular description, to tn specifications and maps on file in tn office of the city clerk. The lay provides that this resolution shall b published ten times in a daily news paper, or ten weeks, if there is onl weekly newspaper. During. tn time the resolution of intention being published, what is known q notice of street work, printed on | conspicuous placard, must be pcste' at intervals along the line Of tn street or streets to be improved. Tn purpose of the resolution of inten ton and the notice of street work i to ho