Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-03-23
WORDY PAVING SCRAP
AT PUBLIC MEETING
BRINGS NO ACTION
Final Action To Be Taken by
Council AT Next Regular
Meeting

AASNo
After an extended and wordy dis |
cussion of the status of the South |
Church paving case remains exactly as
it did before the meeting of the prop
erty owners was called at the city
council chambers last night The mem
bers of the street committee heard the
discussion and viii make their recon-
mendations to the city council. The
committee reported last night as being
in favor of the Improvement and it
they make this recommendation to the
council the council will vote upon the
question. If it is passed the city en-
gineer win look up the titles and own
erships of the property along this
street and this will probably be the
first definite and exact report of actual
conditions as the two sides were unable
to agree last night upon the amount of
frontage represented by the respective
sides. If the council decided to reject
the recommendations of the street com
mittee the proposed paving viii die in
the making and the matter will rest un
til it is brought up again but at pres
ent the case remains as it was be-
cause nothing was settled by last
nights S discussion.
Councilman Charles Jones was only
a passive supporter of the proposed
measure last night and resigned the
active leadership of the paving forces
to W. H. Brown who was the spokesman
of the paving petitioners. Dan Fry was
the recognized leader of the anti-plvers
and the battle went merrily ON with
each side insisting that it was right.
Fry Quotes Figures.
The figures relative to the holdings
of the different property owners inter
ested were given by Mr.. Fry substan-
TALLY as follows:
90 In the improvement from State to
Mission street the total length of the
proposed improvement is 2135.66 feet.
Doubling this to get the total length Of
abutting property we have 427l.32 feet.
At Oak street there is siXty-six feet of
property which / have included be-
cause it has been assessed for the last
eleven years.
"Erasing the name of Mr.. Trindle
A4NAl thC PNtlllOhy lHc tOtdl dulOuuJ rep
resented by the petitioners is 1042 feet.
Now regarding the bridge which they
say | nave included in my figures
From Mission street north the proposed
improvement extends 10 feet onto block
| II, which is my property and 10 feet
onto the Lord property on the other
side of the street. The bridge then
extends from Bellevue to Oak except
ten feet. The city would then levy an
assessment on one lot in my block and
on one lot of the Lord block. The
bridge is $50 feet long, representing
$50 feet. The amount to take out for
the bridge is 495 feet. The total i'm
provement is 4337 feet Taking off
495 there is left 3s42 Half of that is
1921, hence the petitioners to have a
majority would have to represent 1922
feet. They have l1l6, OF a shortage of
about $50 feet. -
Mayor White here called Mr. Fry Is
attention to block IL where he stated
that instead of 145 feet Mr.. Fry and
Mrs. Lord had demonstrating pow
er of only 10 feet and Fry replied that
even with this further deduction it left
shortage of s07 on the petition. b
Some personalities were injected in.
to the meeting when Mr.. Fry declared
he had been a booster during his entire
20 years residence in Salem and asked.
Does any one know of any improve
ment in that time that l have op.
posedl"
Mayor White was on mis- feet in an
instant and challenged this statement
by asking who besides Mr.. Fry was op-
posing the improvement and who was
the most determined champion Of the
demonstrators. Mr. White continued by
saying that the city owed it to the
farmers to put in a good street so that
they could reach the markets of the
town and that there was not decent
street in town to travel on to the vari-
Gus fruit markets.
This was a signal for further pro-
tests from the Fry followers and D. N.
Mclnturff declared that he would be
in favor Of the pavement if he were
assured that President Wilson would
not be reelected Councilman Cook
added little levity to the seriousness
Of the meeting by asking how Mcln-
turf could support Fry and oppose
Wilson since botn Mr. Fry and Mr. Wi
son are well known democrats.
Other property owners spoke either
for or against the pavement but no def
mite action was taken Mr. Mclnturff
sought to secure some action at the
meeting by proposing that a committee
of two, one from each side, be appoint.
ed to interview the property owners
and to secure their stand in the mat
ter for record. Chairman Cook replied
that since the meeting had been called
by the street committee only for the
purpose Of hearing the opinions Of the
property owners that the matter would
come up in council in the regular man
ner and be disposed Of by this body at
the next regular meeting.
This means that if the council votes
in favor Of the proposed Improvement
the demonstrators must secure two
thirds majority Of the frontage on the
remonstrance TO block the pavement.