The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-01-02
Members in Communication
to Come Before Next Ses-
sion Will Force Council to
Face Issue.
CITY NEEDS SEWERS
Rains Flood North End Busi-
ness District-RichmOnd's S
Macadam Streets Prove
Extensive Burden.

Council meeting next Monday night.
the first Of the new year. promises to
be one Of the most interesting sessions
held by that body in several years.
because, it was learned today. the
board of public works intends to put
squarely up to council, for solution.
the question: What is the matter
with the city government Of Rich
mond?"
It is a question which can be easily
answered by those familiar with city
affairs. but, at the same time, 1t Is
one which council has consistently
sidestepped for several years. the
policy Of letting things drift" being
much easier to carry out than to un-
dertake to provide a remedy for civic
ills.
Demand Grows Pressing.
It was learned today that the board
Of works will present communica-
ton to council in which the situation
now confronting the city will be
graphically outlined. There is no
doubt but that every councilman is
thoroughly familiar with this situation
but the question has never been for
mally brought to their attention in the
past The board will now ask that
council give its serious consideration
to the problem of providing needed
public improvements without further
delay. because the demand for such
action is so now pressing that it can
not be ignored any longer
Richmond today has less than six
miles of permanently improved
streets and thousands of dollars are
being wasted annually in providing
temporary improvements for the heav-
lest travelled streets. Richmond has
outgrown macadam streets. except in
the residential districts. but no
method has been provided for stopping
the constant leakage in the municipal
treasury by permanently improving.
which means paving the principal
streets.
City Needs Sewer System.
But the problem of providing better
streets is no more important than the
question of providing modern sewer
system. Every important sewer in
least five years In the first place
such sewers We're constructed to meet
existing conditions. Since their con-
struction the city. in its normal
growth. has spread out in ever direct
ion and new territory has been con-
stantly added for these sewers. none
too large in the first place. to drain.
The result has been that within the
last two years ever rain Of more than
usual severity has caused the flooding
of number of districts because the
sewers were too small to carry OF the
water Hard storms the last two
years have converted South A. B and
c streets, for many blocks, into lakes
because the small sewers draining
that district have had to. during that
time, serve as drainage for the
Reeveston addition of eighty acres.
Much property loss in this district of
the city has been caused by the flood
ing of the streets.
Rains Flood Sewers.
North + street is always flooded
during a heavy storm and because of
this condition damage suit against
the city of $4,000. filed by jobbins
company whose basement was flood
3 eO, Is lON peuulHS. " shis
condition a sewer on Elm Place must
be constructed and the city officials
are figuring on constructing a relief
sewer on r street east of Twelfth and
north on Twelfth to the river. This
would probably cost $4,000 while the
city only has $4,000 in it's public i'm
provement fund, $4,000 of which Is
mortgaged for an improvement made
last year. But the r street relief
sewer is an imperative need and some
way to provide for it must be found.
Tax valuations in Richmond have
not been increased in number of
years. hence the city's income has not
expanded, although the operating ex-
pense has increased year by year and
the demand for public improvements
becomes heavier each year. Council
is to be asked what remedy It will pre-
-.