The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-14
CLEAR THE Sidewalks
Police Remove Street Eneumbr-
anees-Street and Water
Board Permits No Good.

For the past month the Board of
Street and Water Commissioners has
been issuing permits Unfortunately to
peanut vendors. The Captain did not
make any objections when he noticed
Italians fixing up little stands on side
streets, but when they began to erect
stand large enough to live in and which
occupied about two-thirds of the side
walk on some of the principal thorough
fares, he made a big kick and a hard
one. He not only stopped work upon
every stand that came to his notice, but
caused the removal of the building ma
terial. The Italians howled and declared
that they were being swindled, they hay-
ing paid the Street and Water Board
81 each for the privilege of erecting
stands. Some of them went further and
stated that they had paid a months
rent for the sidewalk in advance.
SIDEWALKS RENTED.
The information that the sidewalks
were being rented opened the Captains
eyes, and he began to dig further into
the matter. He found that one italian
had been given permission to erect a
small house, called a stand, ID feet 6
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near York street, and that the Italian,
who was to occupy it was to pay $1U
per month rent for the sidewalk That
stand was not erected. The Captain
notified the Street and Water Board that
it was against the law to cucumber the
sidewalks with such stands. No atten-
ton was paid to the notice, and the
board still continued to issue permits.
Finally Michael Kelly, a peanut vendor.
who paid rent to John Hecker to keep
a stand on the sidewalk at Newark ave-
nue. and Grove street, was arrested and
charged with violating a city ordinance.
The case was heard yesterday afternoon
by Justice Potts. City Attorney Weart
appeared for the city. Assistant Surveyor
Charles Van Keuren testified that the
stand occupied more than five feet of
the sidewalk. A vegetable stand adjoin-
ing it, for which the owner paid a side
walk rental, occupied still more of the
sidewalk. Mr.. Weart produced the law
on the subject, and showed that no one
has any right to use part of the sidewalk
an inch beyond the building line.
CAN USE TWO FEET.
BY courtesy and sometimes an ordin-
ance a merchant is allowed to- USE W
LStN vi NA& lin S-A OtA AiAN "
his goods. In ~substantiation of this fact
he showed that property owners al
ways had to secure a permit to build a
bay window, which ever projected over
the building line.
Justice Potts found the prisoner guilty,
but at Captain Farrier's request sus-
pended sentence.
Il don't want to punish these poor
men, said the Captain, but 1 do want
to impress upon the minds of the Street
and Water Commissioners that they can
wilfuly authorize the obstruction of
the street. In future merchants may
have the two feet Of sidewalk to display
goods. and the same courtesy will be
extended to peanut vendors. When it
comes to building houses and stands
combined on the sidewalks, 1 won't al
it,"
The Captain proposes keeping the side
walks clear Many complaints have been
made to him that certain merchants
monopolize the sidewalks, and he pro-
poses putting an end to such imposi-
tionS,