The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-08-15
CITY WILL VOTE
ON PAVING BONDS
Council Overrules Pro-
testing Petitioners;
Election Next
PAVING DEBATE


| Tuesday evening that the city Of
Blackfoot should have a chance to
vote one new paving ordinance,
which will provide for q connecting
link between the county highways
just being finished and the city, ON
Bridge street, pave Shilling and in
other partly paved districts generally
complete the improvement. The
council voted unanimously, Mr..
Tavey being absent, after hearing
an open debate between leading citi-
zens for and against.
A protesting petition containing
some fifty names of property owners
who thought this an "unadvisable
time" for the paving, represented at
the meeting by William Montgomery
and a protest made by O. s. L. rail-
road thru its attorney Paul Williams
were overruled, after Mr.. Mont
gomery had made the statement that
the. petitioners were not so much
against paving as they were against
going ahead with it before adequate
sewers and water system were, ac-
quired by the city. 1t was explained
to him that the council would lay
an adequate sewer system before put
ting down foot of pavement.
The objections of the Oregon Short
Line system were perfunctory, nam
ing chiefly the present excessive cost.
Mr.. Williams, sfer the company,
stated that under federal control the
o. s. L. did not have corporate funds
available for the purpose Of paving.
He said that in such matters of taxa
tion for Improvement the govern
ment did not interfere, but left it to
the company's corporate Golfers, and
that they had not the funds at this
time
Besides Mr.. Montgomery, L. M.
Capps spoke against the proposed
paving. He said the time was not
ripe, that labor and materials were
too high and many property holders
would be unable to handle the assess
ment. He said so far as he himself
was concerned he could take care of
any paving tax.
The John E. Price company,
bonding house of Seattle, will COM
mence Immediately upon the drawing
up of both general and special bond
Htion papers looking to public
vote in the early future.
Strong Support Given
The proposed bond election for
paving was given the most uncom-
promising support by number of
citizens, several among them being
large property owners. They ap-
peared and expressed themselves as
follows:
They Always Protest
F. e .Seeger, president commercial
club: "Let us pay no attention to the
protests Of the railroad. They al
ways protest. They always have the
money when the time comes to pay.
To build up this town also builds up
the railroad business"
Twenty Years to Pay
Byrd Trego, editor Idaho Republi-
can: THE protest says this paving
tax would be an unjust burden upon
the tax payers; at this time but I
understand that we are now bonding
the city to acquire funds and relieve
any excessive burden on the people,
staving off the days Of payment till
the present crisis has passed, and
distributing the payments over long
period to keep it from working a
hardship at any particular time. If
were one of the protestants I
should want to cut out that phrase
at this time, because 1t makes their
whole statement fall fiat.
"The Oregon Short Line also
makes a statement that is ridiculous.
They say it would be great burden
on them to lay the pavement now, be-
cause they are controlled by the gov
ernment and cannot use their funds
as they might wish. They want this.
improvement delayed till such time
as they shall have money and have
control of their properties. The same
statement as to payment Of bonds
applies to them--they don't have to
pay now, and all the indications are
that railroad management will be
again in the hands of the owners be-
fore the assessor gets to them with
a bill for even the first payment on
paving bonds. But the Short Line
Continued on page four