The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-13
GOSSIP OF DAY.
Objection to Changing the
Name of Walker Street.
Mr.. Charles Edward Paine
Will Oppose Proposition.
Ice-Making SeaSOn--City Uses 1885,
OOO to 100000 Tons Yearly.

but here is one who was not represented
and be is not likely to be. On the con-
trary Mr.. Charles Edward Paine proposes
TO oppose the change with all the power
at his command. lie was at the city hall
this morning and il is probable that he
will secure q public hearing on the sub
ject.
Mr.. Paine doesn't believe in changing
street names that have been In use Tor
generations. IL causes confusion With
out comforting any benefit whatever and
ought not to be resorted to except IN
cases where change Is absolutely de-
manded.
~ know the reason for proposing this
change, - Mr.. Paine said this morning.
"Me all know that Walker street has a
hard name and IL Is for the purpose OF
getting rir OF the bad reputation that
this alteration is proposed. But mere
change of name will not make the
thoroughfare any better. Brunswick
avenue Will be no more savory than
Walker street is now, IL Walker street
methods are 10 be permitted. Ii these petit
tioners desire TO get rid OF the bad repute
which attaches to walker street let them
get rid of the persons who have brought
this disrepute upon the thoroughfare
They have the remedy in their own
hands. Let them drive out the disrep-
utable characters who live there aud there
will be little trouble about the good re-
putation of the street afterward. To
change the name and allow the same
question: BILE characters TO remain would
have not the slightest effect in the diIec-
tion desired -
And il may be remarked in passing that
Mr.. Paine has the best of the argument.
You can't change reputation with
change of name. You must change the
people whose characters brought about
that reputation. Walker street by any
other name would smell as foul unless
the doubtful characters are bani'hed
from il.
There's ice on all the PONDS in this vi
cinity, hut the ice men are not yet GER
tain that they are going TO get an early
harvest. A week OF such weather as
tnat of yesterday and today Will give
them all the ice they want, but the va
carries ef-the-weather- such that no
predictions will be made until 12-1nch
ice actually covers the ponds and is ready
for cutting. Even then warm rain
would make matters very dubious.
Providence is pretty liberal consumer
OF ice. The total output for the year tiuc-
tuates between 125, 900 and 140 900 tons,
or nearly ton TO every man, woman
ard child i'm the community. The pioneer
firm in the ice business is that Of Earl
Carpenter x Sons, which was established 73
years ago and has had prosperous career
ever since. IL has grown With the city and
Is recognized in these days as one of its
permanent institutions. Messrs Carpen-
ter x Co. handle about oue-half the ice
consumed here, the remaining half being
furnished by half dozen concerns that
have come into existence during the last
decade or two.
The manufacture of artificial ice has
made some progress here, but it has not
i'm any way lessened the demand for the
natural article. Its use Is confined chiefly
TO households, butchers and provision
dealers not finding it exactly suited to
their wants on account OF its hardness
and slowness in melting.
Superintendent of Hacks Norcross is
doing some lively work these days look
ing after the owners OF teams who have
not taken out license. Until recently
Mr.. Norcross was compelled to do all
the Office work of his department and
this prevented him from giving as much
attention TO those who failed to observe
the law as he desired to do. Now, how
ever, he is relieved from the office work
and is giving several hours a day to look
ing up unlicensed teams. How successful
he has been is shown by comparison of
the figures for this year with those of
1894 I'm '94 there were issued 1893 paid
and 2S5S free licenses. This year the
number of paid licenses was 1874 and
free 4i11, an increase OF ISL III the former
and 1853 in the latter.
All carriages, carts or wagons of'what-
ever description, used for hire must pay
a license fee of one dollar. Vehicles not
used for hire must be licensed and num-
bered, but no fee is required. This re-
tftft-etttettt mini AeFiHg - OF particular
value in keeping track of peddlers, of
whom there are a great number in the
city, especially during the summer and
fall months. Experience has demonstrat
ed that not all of these peregrina-
ting merchants are as honest as
they ought TO be. Cases have
been reported TO tho police, from which il
appears that customers have given bills
in payment for articles purchased snd
the vendors, on the plea OF getting
change, have left and never returned.
Now il the wagons OF the tricky ueddlers
who resort TO this dishonest device to
increase their revenue are mum bered they
can be traced and forced 10 disgorge or
maze to answer for their roguery before
the courts. In another way the mum
bering of teams Is of advantage. A
citizen may be knocke q down IN the
street and injured or even killed by
the recklesspess OF a driver. II there is
no number on the wagon il might be
difficult matter 10 trace the person re-
sponsible for the accident, but with IL il
becomes comparatively easy.
Up i'm Massachusetts, there Ia law
which makes II n punishable offense for
any dealer I'm milk to sell milk in glass
jars that are not up 10 n standard meas
ure or to have such Jars i'm his possession.
The enactment OF this law. says Col. pettis,
the local sealer of weights and measures,
has driven these short measure jars into
Rhode Island and many OF them into this
city. Dealers who are determined &C.
make an excessive profit by deceiving
their customers buy them for two rea-
sons; first, they are cheaper than jars Of
standard size, and, secondly, as they hold
less they enable the dealer to make q
bigger profit.
With the law as it is at present it is al
most impossible TO convict the dealers
who use these delusive Jars. They can
he reached only through as actual sales,
and as ii is almost impossible for the
soale~ to obtain these they go on with
their crooked MQrk. .pract iCallY unchecked
and unpublished. At the coming sess.on
OF the General Assembly state Sealer
Crawford and City Sealer Pettis propose
TO make another attempt 10 have n law