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 200
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 be
applied. word for word, In Honolulu.
Here II is, and it is worth reading and
remembering: IL.
Sacramento in the last six years has
built approximately 80 miles of i'm
Proved st:eets-to be exact, 634 city
blocks-at an estimated cost of 81 ,509,-
600. These have been constructed IS
result OF popular demand. and
property owners rave 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 a city
OF 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
pressiCns. Hardly 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
il 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 way
to force these corporations to confer
with proper authorities first.
ssln some instances improved streets
have begun to deteriorate within a
year or two after their completion. 1t
is argued at the city hall that Sacra-
mento, under a state law, cannot com.
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
rule that all water pipes. gas mains,
sewer connections and the like must
be put In before street is improved,
and no permit will be given to tear
up an improved street for five years.
Scores of cities, East and West,
require street contractors 10 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 ii, 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
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. p"
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 when
gas, sewer and water mains are laid
in following up repair work on Inn
proved thoroughfares to see that the
streets are put back in the same con.
dition in which the contractor or cor
poration found them. 49,. - 81.
Many complaints have been filed
showing streets were torn up, i'm.
provements made and then the street
left in 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
ND within three to four month"; after
the date of completion, and the con-
tractors or corporations have been