Show TIIE NINETEENTH WARD GRAVEL A Resident Who Objects to the Statement Made by a City Councilor To the Editor ot THE HERALD A certain city alderman and citycounci lor said at the last meeting of the council that that portion the Nineteenth ward of the t city had already drawn more gravel from the city exchequer in proportion to its taxation I tax-ation than any other part of the city Your correspondent has been a property Ovner of the Nineteenth ward since about y 1872Since Since that time the respective instances of that portion of the city drawing more than its share of city gravel is about as follows On the completion of the glassworks glass-works about two blocks of the centre of the road from Second West street was graded almost three years ago two or three blocks were graveled in the csntre of the road to a certain point about Third West street on Fifth North Centre street or a portion of it has been graded since 1872 It was reported re-ported that the street car company intended running down to the north part of the old race track two or three years ago and the centre of Second North the street dividing the Seventeenth from Nineteenth ward was graveled to within a few blocks of the track To the best of my knowledge and belief these are all of the instances where the city ha spent a cent oa the Nineteenth ward Possibly some gravel was put upon Second West from Warm springs down but from the fact that not long ago I saw a wagon down to the hubs at the corner of Second West and Third North it is assumed that I very little gravel was placed on the road There was no business in the statement state-ment of the alderman When a businessman business-man increases his facilities for business I that business increases If he desires to bring people to see him he must make his business house attractive and a pleasure to visit If thero were a mud hole at the ap proach of it how long would it pay him to maintain itl How long before his rival who kept everything about the approach to and in his business house in a first class clean and pleasant condition would absorb bis business busi-ness This simile may be somewhat vague but the point I want to make is this If the city council wilfully keeps any portion of the city in the condition of a swamp reeking reek-ing and stinking with decayed vegetable matter is it making the right kind of an investment for the interest ofthejcity I leave out the question of injustice and in jury to the citizens from consequent sickness sick-ness and speak of the matter simply on a business basis The value of improvements by nhe city to the city is so apparent to me that I am astounded at the businesslike proposition of the gentleman that that portion of the city had already drawn more gravel from the city exchequer than its proportion of the city taxes If you want more taxes from the citizens of tho Nineteenth ward put their roads in a condition that they can be traveled by a loaded wagon grade and flume their creeks and thus improve their property that it will take a higher valuation on the assessors books That is the way to do it You cant increase the assessed valuation if you keep the ward in a mud hole neither can you find a market for the bonds of a railroad that di in the desert Put the road in condition and give it a terminal ter-minal point and the stock at once appreciates appre-ciates in value So gravel our roads make us believe we belong to the city have a place in the heart of the city council and doubtless our property will be worth 60c on the dollar that we can pay it out for taxes We grope along in the darkness and the mnd down there notwithstanding the fact that the gas company was authorized six years ago to extend the gas mains down to the corner of Second West and Second North We drink water from wells and springs and have the pleasure of carrying it in some instances more than a full block but we have the largest ward in area and population in the city we have manufacturing manu-facturing establishments and sites which 1 will be occupied fora hundred more and if the city will but do its duty in giving the I roads proper attention and extending the J water and gas over that ward in a short I time Mr Editor we should show you the wealthiest ward in the city I Let us get a move on us Lotus have the whole city graded macadamized and I lighted Dont wait till you havo money enough in the city treasury for youll never I get it Go right ahead and make the improvements im-provements now the property will pay the I bills Let us have a largehearted policy in the city council for which your petitioners petition-ers will ever pray Yours etcH I etc-H PaunnoKB |