Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-21
SEWER FIRST, THEN PAVEMENT

AS badly as North Main street in Metuchen needs paw
ing it seems a pity to go to The expense of laying a permanent
pavement only to have it all ripped up within a short time
10 lay a sewer.
That is the reputation that the average American mu-
hicipalily has in public works. 1t almost seems as if the
officials deliberately did what they could to pile expense on
the taxpayers.
Metuchen is advocating a sewer system. The wonder
is that the place has not had sewers long ago. Metuchen can
never hope to attract desirable residents in large numbers
as long as the place is without sewers. Sewers are one of the
first essentials of a modern, up-to-date municipality, espe-
eialy a municipality that prides itself on its attractiveness
for home building.
Metuchen has asked for ID cement pavement on North
Main street. This is the hardest kind of a pavement to break
into and restore once it is laid, The borough council may
give all the bonds it can raise as a guarantee that the pave
ment will be restored TO its original shape after the sewer is
laid, but it will be impossible TO live up to The guarantee UNI
less The borough expects to repave the whole street. In that
case, why ask the county to spend so much money on the
work now?
AS long as sewers arc being agitated in the borough and
as every citizen of Metuchcn must realize that a sewer sys-
lem has got to come sooner or later, why does the borough
not proceed with its sewer system and then call upon The
county to do the paving?
AS the taxpayers Of the whole county will have to bear
heir share of the expense of this paving they are vitality in
terested. 1t is only fair, therefore, to the rest of the county
to insist that Metuchen make her streets ready for a perma-
nent pavement before she asks the county to go to the ex-
pense of paving them.
We venture to say that there is not a citizen in Metuch-
en- who, in building a house, would lay a cement floor in his
tNihol ohu 'HNi, Nilhih 81 hpi'th VI lNA Yea III tndI CcilCH
Floor to make a sewer connection.
Why should there be any difference when the munich
pality is concerned?
There is no desire to discriminate against Meluchen.
but why waste the taxpayers money in laying a pavement
only to have it all cut to pieces within a year or two? The
county had It's lesson in Woodbridge township when the
sewer was laid through Fords. The taxpayers of the county
were put to the expense of paving that road twice even
though Woodbridge gave a guarantee that the pavement
would be restored to its original condition.
We all know that it is impossible to restore any pave
nent that has a sheet surface to its original condition once
it has been cut. Surely the Woodbridge experience has not
been forgotten so soon.
The only fair thing-the only right thing to do in the
matter of the Metuchen pavement is to tell Metuchen to lay
her sewer first and then the pavement will be put down. If
Metuchen had shown as much activity in getting a sewer
system, which she must have if she is to succeed, as she
has shown in trying to get the county to lay this pavement
The sewer would have been down and the pavement laid by
this time. BY putting down the sewer first both the county
and Metuehen will be benefited. Metuchen will be assured
of a decent pavement for all time and the county funds Will
not be wasted.