The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-10-06
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
So'nam's Niggardly Policy Toward
schoois-A Truck Farm on Fifth Ave-
nue-The Gas Combines Rival.
Especial correspondence.1

.
There are very few persons familiar
with the municipal affairs of either New
York or Brooklyn for the last ten years
VINO would have the temerity to aver
that these cities have been governed
With q sense Of responsibility for the
slightest expenditures. Both munich
pailties are necessarily very expensive
and money has been spent freely, with
out going into the question of the wis
dom OF the expense in each case The
streets, the fire departments, the local
courts and other branches Of the gov
ernment seem to have no trouble what
ever in getting through appropriations
which are large enough almosr to take
ones breath away. Once in awhile
there is a grumble about wasting the
money Of the downtrodden taxpayer,
but as rule the people of the commu-
nifty are good natured and their growls
are merely ephemeral But let the sug-
gestion be made that q few hundred
thousands Of dollars are needed for new
school buildings and just listen for tho
surging wall Of woe that will go up to
the skies-and the newspapers. Imme-
diately there is talk of what an easy
timo and good pay the teachers have,
as though that had anything to do with
tho matter. There is always good deal
OF discussion and then-the money is
not appropriated and tens Of thousands
OF children either do not get into school
ut all or else arc obliged to take their
education in homeopathic doses, as is
now being done to very great extent
in thic ri nv op1 P,no1y1,-,,
Good Schools and Lots of Them.
There arc those who believe that in
tho coming campaign q man who will
mako Il campaign on q platform of good
schools and lots of them will get most
OF the votes of the nonproperty owners,
and as they are i'll the large majority,
he would come pretty close to being
elected OF course it is to be under
stood that he is to have the backing of
some influential party or faction in the
first instance, SO that his candidature
will be regarded seriously. This opin-
ION OF the advocates may be trifie
rosy, but it certainly ought to wake the
powers that be to n sense of the danger
which confronts those in public life
who appear to BIO willing that the edu-
cation of the littlo ones shall DO neg
Iected, or at least not attended to until
the wants of every ward hecler in his
district shall have been satisfied.
Truck Farm on Fifth Avenue.
The Fifth avenue truck farm will be-
fore long provide excellent tomatoes,
radishes, green corn and cantaloupes
1t extends from Sixty-fourth street to
Sixty eighth street. along an embank-
ment which the contractors put there
when they removed the earth from the
big trench which extends down the
middle Of the avenue and into which
gas and water mains are to be put
some day. The place has been dubbed
Pumpkin Ridge.
The greatest number of tomato plants
seem to have grown in front of the new
house Of William G. Whitney, near
Sixty-seventh street l noticed about
$50 tomato plants on the mound there,
furnishing in almost tropical luxuri-
ance. Radishes were growing Mt regular
intervals and might perhaps do better
If they were watered more frequently.
The corn does not seem to be doing as
well as it might This is a rather dry
season, to be sure, yet little watering
and moderate amount of hoeing might
be beneficial
The cantaloupe is represented by q
single vine SO far. 1t is probable that
Pumpkin Ridge will develop better
melons next year.
Comptroller Fitch, who lives not far
from Pumpkin Ridge, went into the
mayors office few days ago rubbing
his hands gleefully He glanced at Gem
eral Coils, the commissioner of public
works, who had had brief conference
with the mayor.
Going out of town tonight?'' asked
the comptroller
No." answered the mayor. "Too
busy
We'll, you needn't go to the country
for rural luxuries," said the comptrol-
Ter. up near Sixty eighth street, in
Fifth avenue, the inhabitants are pick
ing tomatoes and cucumbers off tho
vines ON the ridge Of clay which has
been there since last June. -
General Coils at this point said he
had an engagement, and the comptrol-
Ter sat down to tell the mayor all about
the truck farm
New York's Gas Combine.
The big gas combine of this city is
not to have things all to itself much lon
ger, it would seem.
Anthony N. Brady. the gas king, is
very busy man these days He sits in
the boards of the Equitable Gas compa-
ny, in this city, and also in that of the
Chicago Gas trust.
nv.