The Lakeland evening telegram., 1914-05-30
ALL WRONG

etdl articles in the Lakeland Even
ing Telegram on the subject of mu-
n1clpal improvement, of which the
water and light plant seems to be
the main issue, and with all due re-
speets to the writer's think thew
are all wrong and | will undertake
70 snow how they are wrong by out
Illlhg what Lakeland requires to go
forward If we are going to build
city that we all would like to see
we must be both willing and gritty
ana supply whatever we need. I feel
sorry for the large property owners
"here It is necessary to increase
taxes or obligating their property for
a bond issue, but | have never seen
or heard OF city being built on a
low taxation.
When it became necessary to raise
part OF Chicago twelve or fifteen feet
the majority of the people did not
cry down with the taxes and let we'll
enough alone; they borrowed the
money, raised the taxes and the city
moved onward. There was one old
woman that detied the progress for
a long time but they filled up all
around her little place so high that
people passing by could spit on the
roof. She finally had to come out
and sold the little hole in the ground
for sum of money that would have
gotten whole square of it had it
been left as it was, not because she
detied progress but because progress
deted her. and the city moved on
ward.
Then again when the progressives
of Chicago realized they could not
empty the sewerage in Lake Michi-
gan and drink the same water, they
raised $35,000,0 600 to build sew
erage canal and the city moved on
ward 50 fast that the Illinois Cen
trail railway had to steal piece of
Lake Michigan and fill it up to get
a place large enough to build a ter
minal station to accommodate the
public.
About twenty years ago when Bir-
mingham got to be good sized town
a company gave the low tax advo-
Gates few thousand dollars for a
water franchise. For many years the
low tax advocates have been kicking
against the high price Of water and
two years ago the city commission
ers tried to arrange to buy the wa
ter works, but the water company
wanted s5,O00,000 for what they
have, and the water company moves
onward and the low tax advocates
are still kicking.
New Orleans tried for about two
hundred years to keep from spending
a little money to establish lines and
levels on the streets and sidewalks
and they got so tangled up 1t was
necessary to spend about $4,000 to
establish grades and make profile
of the streets and sidewalks to keep
them from getting in a more hazard
ous condition
Look over the paved streets and
sidewalks in Lakeland and see the
deformed grades with many steps
and slides that could have been
avoided with a little money spent in
advance for grades and lines,
What Lakeland needs is a bond is
sue of 100000 to be spent in mu-
nicipal improvements, divided into
about the following proportions:
StO0 GOO to be used for light, water
ana cas- plant; $4,000 for extending
the sewer and water mains; $20,oO0
for one park at Lake Hollinssworth
ana one at Lake Parker; $500, 600 to
mild a street railway system from
Lake Parker TO Lake IIollingsworth
and from Lake Bonny to the A. c.
l. railroad shops; $4,000 to carry
ON the paving Of streets and side
walks Let majority of the prop
org owners in each street select the
Kind of paving they want, and give
tham the option Of paying for it in
two yearly installments. Use enough
money. say $4,000, to establish lines
and levels on every street, and let
.ba citv move onward. Don't let us