The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-18

Each time these efforts have consisted of throwing loose chert in about half the holes, and scattering very thin layer along portions of the street. No attempt was ever made to pack or roll it. and until the rain washed it away (which has been very soon). the road was really more inconvenient to travel than before on account of the sharp stones left ly- ing loose to cut automobile tires, and horses feet. But In the past few days they have capped the climax Having to go around on account of the viaduct the automobilist encounters on the curve just beyond the Louisville and Nash vile crossing, a block of slag about four inches deep covering the entire street which cannot be lodged, and the only thing the automobilist can do Is to pray that his tires will not be cut entirely to pieces and ''cuss the powers that be-" but neither is of much avail. Not content with that the street car company has been permitted to cover it's track space from Avondale, to Lacrosse sta ticns with mixture ts earth and rocks that make that part practically impas- sable, and we have to bump along on either side over a succession of thank ycu-ma ans" In addition to this, from Lacrosse station to Woodlawn, we en- counter layer after layer of loose slag.
 
 except to make the street very difficult te travel upon. both for automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles.
 Now all this inefficient work costs the city money, and yet 1t is absolutely of no value to it's citizens. I am informed. by those in a position to know, that by the use of a scarifier and roller. worn- out chert road, or gravel road, can be made first class road with the use of ,otA ria1 and at cost of less than 5000 per mile Certainly, if have been correctly in- formed, with the amount of money that has been expended on this six miles of road in the past two years, we should have a smooth street; at least, most of the distance. Let us get the value of what money Is spent, even if we can't build paved streets. As 1t is, every dol lar that is spent, under the present methods, is an absolute waste of money.
 Again. if the city would exercise a little more care and require persons who dig up the street to lay gas, or other pipes. to put 1t back in good condition, and not merely throw the earth and chert back loosely without tamping and pack ing it, our streets would not deteriorate so rapidly.
 The city is claiming. understand. from the county quite a considerable sum of Ce@@@ tax which has been transferred from the general fund. I, for one, would regret very much to see 1t succeed, because we can go out of the city limits and travel on good roads, which we cannot do in the city, except where the streets are paved. and then the property owner pays for 1t directly. and this money when paid to the city would be absolutely lost to the tax payer as far as the benefit to the streets are concerned.
 This article is not written from a spirit of antagonism to the city government. but is criticism forced from observing the wasteful and worse than useless ex- penditure of money that could have been easily avoided by adopting improved that have been proven efficient, without any very great additional cost.
 The work done by the cf on about a block on South Eleventh avenue in the past few weeks establishes my contention We ought to have a passable road on First avenue. and 1t can be done without much cost. except the lapur cost. Give 1t to us, Mr. Commissioners. Do not wait until the viaduct is completed. and then argue and sQuabble, for months over a brick or asphalt pavement, and then do because you fear 1t may mol please some people. Take a lesson from the board of revenue, who made an excel- lent road from Fairfield to Bessemer from the foundations of an old road, at a min mum cost. This street can be made first class one without the expenditure of 3 great amount of money, and no money that you can spend will serve a greater number of people or more strongly em- phasize the progressive spirit of your ad- 
 DAN A. GREENE.
 Birmignham. October IS. 1914