Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-09-04
CITY POSTPONES
PAVING PROGRAM
BUT IS BLOCKS
Under Avalanche of Pro-
tests, Only East Central
and West Tiieras Plans
Will Be Carried Out Now.


by letter, petition and verbal an
nouncement, the city commission
ers last night voted to indefinitely
defer action of the 100000 paw
ing program with the exception of
the strips on East Central avenue
between High and Mulberry
streets and on West Tijeras avenue
between First and Thirteenth
streets.
BY this action the paving of all
but sixteen of the eighty blocks
outlined in the program adopted
about six weeks ago has been in
definitely postponed. and the paw
ing on East Central and West
Tijeras avenues, by the wording of
Commissioner Reynolds, is depend
ent on receiving a reasonable bid.
Costs Bring Protests.
Protests were made chiefly on
the high cost as indicated by tine
engineers estimate of "a q yard.
Most of the present paving was
put down at a cast of $2.65 yard,
and the taxpayers gould not see
their way clear, the protests stated,
to have the work done at this ad-
ditional cost of $1.55 Il yard.
About 200 taxpayers were at the
commissioners room when the
special protest meeting was called
to order Many could not get into
the room. but stood in the hall
and swarmed into the doorways.
City Manager Gladding then began
reading protests. individual and in
petitions containing from four to
forty names. He was busy more
than an hour at this task.
While the majority stated that
they were not opposed to paving
but only to the high cost of paving,
many represented that financial
ruin would stare them in the face
if the program were carried out
at present prices. one woman, a
widow with four children and the
sole support of he. family had
written an appealing letter that the
paving on South Second street be
deferred.
An Epidemic of Protests.
Some living on streets that were
not included in the program, and
few owning properly on streets
already paved. had caught the
protest fever. and innocently put
in their objections along with the
others.
Following the reading of petit
tions and acceptance os verbal pro-
tests, Commissioner Hughes said
that he believed the commission
should defer action u year on the
entire program. This course. he
said, would enable the taxpayers
to learn whether or not the price
of paving was due for a drop from
the present "a level. This hope
had been reflected throughout the
hundreds of protests and formed
the principal reason for the re-
quests for delay.
Action Not Adopted.
This suggestion was not put into
form of a motion. and Commits
sioner Reynolds moved that on all
streets where the protests did not
represent 81 per cent OF the prop
erty, that bids be asked and that
on streets where more than 81 per
cent of the frontage was repre-
sented by protests. that asking of
bids be delayed year.
There was some opposition TO
this motion and Commissioner
Reynolds offered the substitute
deferring action on all streets ex-
cept West Tijeras and East Cen
tral. He selected these two streets
because but few protests had been
filed affecting them.
Following adoption of the mo-
tion, a mighty cheer went up from
the taxpayers.
South Second Leads List.
South Second street led the Of
fensive for opposition with about
IS per cent of the property repre-
sented in protests. The Santa Fe,
with 1000 feet front, was included.
Several petitions and a number
of individual protests, representing
in all about fifty property owners,
came from North Second street,
South Arno street was we'll repre-
sented, and South Fourth street
was apparently almost unanimous
against paving at this time.
North Arno, South Sixth, West
Gold, North First, West Roma,
North High and North Tenth were
also well represented by protests.
Some of the protestants declared
that they had been informed that
there was ne competition in bids
and were opposed to paving where
only one contractor had submitted
a bid. Others opposed it on the basis
that they had gotten along with
out paving for seventeen years.
Still others placed the improvement
in the class of luxuries and called
attention to the governments agi-
tation for retrenchment, while the
residents of one street pointed out
that the paving of their street
would bring in automobiles and
menace the lives of their children.
Program Still Exists.
Before voting on the final mo-
ton to defer advertising for bids
except on the two aforementioned
streets, Commissioner Hughes
asked City Attorney Kelaher for an
opinion as to whether the city could
legally delay accepting bids on the
sixty-four blocks In the
/ leontiassd ion fage Ihgee.lk