The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-22
NEITHER BODY KNOWS
 DEFINITELY OF COST

6b1OuS GA0u O04O4OA O4 Administration on Strat-
 ford Avenue Bridge.
 '.AI1 the meetings of the bridge com mission were open to the public. So said Mayor C.. B. Wilson last night when the members of the bridge lcommission, having bowed down to public opinion, finally explained their plans for the new Stratford avenue i bridge.
 1 Mayor wilson said it not only once, but he repeated it. He said it as if he meant it, too.
 The statement of His Honor caused a little amusement among those among the public who had tried to ind out mething about the doings of the bridge commission in their secret ses- sions The public usually gets Its in formation about public meetings through newspaper represent who attend the meetings. Mayor Will son had forgotten that he barred news paper reporters from the meetings and when asked about the action of the commission, said the members did not wish to make public any of their plans- The G. O. F. machine had a glorious time last night trying to destroy it's own creation-the City Plan commits sion. Members of the machine, were posted in various parts of the council Ichamber-none of them sat with the public in the spectators seats-and at 1.the appointed time, rose with their carefully rehearsed questions. 5
 So rank was the meeting at one time and so evident the attitude of the com 1 mission toward the city planners, that George M. Flames expressed the senti- I rnent Of the general public there when 1 he told story Of a man who had stol- en a horse. Men threatened to lynch i hdrn immediately but one among them demanded a. fair trial for the alleged thief. After the evening meal. the ifair-minded man asked if all was ready 1 for the trial All assented and gath cred round for the hearing. Then the l fair-rninded man said: tsLet the gI1il- l ty -- stand upt'
 The e--zcsof the meeting last night l was that a thorough inquiry into the total costs of both the bridge and plan commissions projects will be made for the purpose Of informing the public. l Speakers secuted the assertion of the mayor that it is necessary to build the i bridge in a hurry, and as result, it vii be delayed until th7N total costs of leach plan can be learned.
 HI The reason was because ,seither the bridge nor plan commission had an ac- | curate idea, of how much land damages and improvements would cost There is a dispute as to which costs the more.
 HI Charles D. Davis opened the meeting E by explaining the plans of the City \ Plan commission. He pointed out that the commission had been asked to in iquire into methods of planning the l growth Of Bridgeport so that it would be accomplished in the best manner for the community. He said John No iIen and Frederick Law Olmstead, two eminent men, had been hired to look lover the ground ard make report on the best site fsr Stratford avenue { tFrid TSnev had dana so and their report was cast aside with little con t sideration, after two years work by the planners.
 Then the comnpission went to work and evolved a plan of their own, he said.s MT. Davis put the matter up to the EAayor with this:
 st4The public is entitled to know what good reasons there are. if any, why the lefty plan commission's s plans for the bridge were turned down. There should be grave reasons for doing so. "
 MT. Davis took a fall out of the I mayors allegation that time is short for building the bridge MT. Davis pointed out that it is a vital necessity Ito delay until the commission is sure | it is right, and then go ahead. He pointed out that it is not a thing fo1 the next few years, but for as long as Bridgeport lasts. He showed thai Fair1e cid and Stratford are increasing = 100 per cent, and that this city vii
  the increased traffic
 The bridge commissions plan eIimi
 mates the prospect of a State stree bridge. The City Plan commission.
 project is predicated upon the expect
 ation that some day there will be
 State street bridge
 sl MT Davis showed that Bridgepor is an east and west city and becaus Fairfield and Stratford are increasin;
 along the shore, will have to have lt---. ladmitted that it cannot be done now
 but said that changes in the location of the railroad station and other i'm pedin1ents are bound to come and mak
 room for the bridge.
 Engineer Greiner, who has the con
 tract for the bridge, was present las might for the first time, aIthougl Mayor wilson had avoided detaf1in
 the project until 1t was demanded b ! a spectator. It contemplates bridge
 the north line of which would be 4
 feet north of the north line of tn
 present bridge, and would run paralle I to it, except at the western ends w1er
 it would coincide on the north sid
 with the Fairfield avenue building lin
 The City Plan commissions brldg . is a straight one. running at right an
 g1es to the river.
 Major c. B. Pi1lsbury favored tn plan of the City Plan commission
 Has the bridge commission consult
 ed Major PilIsbury?. asked MT Dav.
 of Mayor Wilson
 I've have consulted his assistant, s said the mayor.
 Did he approve the bridge commis
 sion p1an?" asked MT. Davis. Mayo
 Wilson replied in the affirmative.
 Then he approves both of them.
 talked with him on the telephone an he toId@me that the City Plan connmis 9~l sion'ss bridge is the better one
 Mayor Wilson was slightly habbe