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In Re Statement of Joseph P. Smith. While I do not feel that the improvement is a pressing need ! am convinced that within a comparatively short time the State Department of Public Works will consider it desirable that Nain Street be widened to conform to the State Highway ~stem plan and requirements, and will take steps to dQ this as provided by regulations and an existing agreement with the city, using funds accumulated in our State Highway ~ cent ~und. Obviously then it is my opinion that we, the city council, ~ould be derelict to our duty if we do not cooperate with the State Department of Public Works to the end that we avail the city of some $33,000.00 now being offered as an outright grant towards this widening project purpose, thus helping the labor situation in the city and preventing the. diversion of these Federal funds to other communities. This especially in view of the fact that wherever the money goes we must ultimately help to repay it. Every conceivable purpose lying within the prescribed scope of this Works Progress Highway Fund has been studied but each one, excepting the Nain Street project mentioned above, would entail prohibitive inroads on our City Street ~ cent Gas Tax Fund for our contribution towards its cost. Im this connection I wish to say that it is my emphatic belief that our City Street ~ cent Gas Tax Fund, sometimes called the Second Quarter Cent Gas Tax, should be used as far as possible to effect reduction of taxes and not so much towards opening new traffic a~teri~ or ot--~facilities for a possible future traffic need. I am further impressed by the permanent, useful nature of this project which is not a so called boondogling pro~ such as we have so often criticized and also by it's hand- labor nature which tends to minimize the amount of money required from our State Highway ~ cent Gas Tax Fund. The project also bears aDvery.definite relation to the South Nain Street - Corona el Nar Highway extension which has been included in the State Highway ~ystem and towards which some funds have been allocated. Having in mind these facts I move that the resolution now before us concerning this matter be approved." At the request of Trustee ~oseph P. Smith, the following statement, with reference to the widening of South Nain Street as proposed by State Highway Department, was ordered spread on the records: "As a member of the committee appointed to investigate the proposed widening of South Nain ~treet in this City as proposed by the State Highway Department, I wish to present this report as my conclusions concerning the proposed work: The fundamental facts back of this proposed improvement are as follows: The Federal Government has allocated several million dol- lars to the State of California for the improvement of #Farm to N~ket Highways~ within this State and has specified that not less than twenty-five (~§%) per cent of this s~mbe expended upon streets of m~Jor importance within cities. From the tax upon gasoline there has accumulated and is accumulating a considerable sum of money in the hands of the State Highway Department. The sum received from a one- quarter cent tax upon gasoline must be expended by the State Highway Department upon State Highways wit~u municipalities~ The Federal funds allocated to the State of California have been placed under the Jurisdiction of the State Highway Department. The said Highway Department now proposes to allocate $~3,000.00 of Federal funds and $1§,§~.00 from the one-quarter cent highway gas tax fund to the widening of South Nain ~treet. I am opposed to this Council taking any action ratifying the proposal of the State Highway Department for the follow- ing reasons: ~l) The improvement is not necessary. ~) The improvement will not remedy the down-town traffic condition. ~) The improvement is only a first step, and will re~ th~ expenditure of thousands of dollars additional before improvement is completed. ~) The improvement will destroy the trees now growing along South Nain Street. (§) There is no popular demand for such widening. ~8) The moneys allocated to this improvement should be used for the improvementof other State Highways and streets of major importance within the ~ity. The improvement is ~uecessary for the reason that South Nain Street is now of ample width to carry easily and all traffic flowing thereon and all traffic which may or in f~$ure years flow thereon. It may be true that on one or two public holidays during the year there is a sufficient amount of traffic upon this highway to cause a light amount of traffic congestion. This traffic congestion however, is ~never of sufficient volume to warrant the injury to our city