Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-09-25
Sacramento Complains of De-
fectiVe Maintenance; What
Progressive Governments Do


Sacramento and Honolulu are 28s0
miles apart by water, but not nearly
| so widely separated in municipal
problems. -
The Sacramento Bee recently pub
Eshed an article By one of its writer's.
entitled Defective System of Street
Maintenance" Much of IL might De
applied. word for word, in Honolulu.
Here II is. and II is worth reading and
remembering:
Sacramento in the last six years has
built approximately so miles of I'M
proved streets-to be exact, 634 city
blOcks-at an estimated cost of 81 800.
600. These have been constructed rs
result Of popular demand, and
property owners fave borne the ex.
pense willingly. The improvements
include a score of streets in the old
city limits and miles of streets in the
annexed districts.
Because of this era of building,
Sacramento should be today city
or boulevards. Insteads, because of
defective system in our city govern
ment, we have scores of streets, re-
Gently improved, many Of them bare
ly paid for. filled with bumps and de i
pressions. Hardly a street improved
within the last six years but has been
torn up one to a dozen times in spots
to relay gas mains, water mains, sewer
connections and what not. Some of
the holes have been properly mended.
Many, many of them have not
Claim is made at the city hall that
ii is necessary to tear up new pave.
ments to put in gas, sewer and water
mains. Perhaps it is. But other cities
find a way to refrain from despoiling
street until it has been used five
or six years. ...
Claim is made that certain corpora.
tons have the right to tear up streets
without giving notice to the city. In,
ether places city officials find a way
to force these corporations to confer
with proper authorities first.
In some instances improved streets
have begun to deteriorate within
year or two after their completion. 1t
is argued at the city hall that Sacra-
mento, under a state law, cannot CON-
pei contractors to guarantee streets
Other cities have found way Ii |
contractors were forced to guarantee
a street they would put in the ma. |
terial TO make it last. Had T street |
and Twenty-eighth street, for instance. |
been guaranteed, the contractors
would have had TO rebuild them within !
a year after they were laid.
Many Eastern cities have adopted a |
rule that all water pipes. gas mains, |
sewer connections and the like must |
be put in before a street is improved, |
and no permit will be given to tear
mp an improved street for FIVE years.
Scores of cities, East and West, |
require street contractors to furnish |
a five-year guarantee with every |
street built. This insures the city !
against faulty work, because no con- |
tractor will use poor material when |
he knows he will have to make good |
il the material fails.
Some cities, even without law to |
enforce it, have secured agreements |
with officials of corporations to no.
tify the city officials Of all intent to |
dig up streets. In other places where |
corporations have insisted on their |
franchise rights to tear up streets at |
will, courageous city officials have |
followed the work so closely and |
have insisted on the letter of the law |
with such vigor that corporations |
have been only too glad to cooperate |
with city officials in seeing that |
streets were torn up only in dire |
necessity and that repairs were made |
promptly and satisfactorily to city |
and property owners. III.
Most of Sacramento's troubles of |
late have been laid at the door Of the |
city department responsible for see |
ing that proper filings are made wheh |
gas, sewer and water mains are laid |
in following up repair work on i'm
proved thoroughfares to see that the |
streets are put back in the same con.
dition in which the contractor or cor. |
poration found them.
Many complaints have been filed !
showing streets were torn up, i'm
provements made and then the street
left in a shameful condition for
months without any attempt being
made to put things Alright Residents
of the annexed district particularly |
have been strong in their protest /
against this condition of affairs. |
bitches dug for water mains in the /
outlying districts have been known
to remain improperly filled for months
after the job was supposed to have
been finished.
Improved streets have been torn
up within three to four months after
A. - h.