New-York tribune., 1901-04-19
NO MONEY, SAYS KEARNY.
THE COMMISSIONER REGRETS THE GEN
ERAL ABSENCE OF STREET SIGNS
HAS NO FUNDS TO REPLACE BROKEN
LAMPS THAT BORE THEM AND THERE
Is NO ORDINANCE TO MAKE HOUSE
OWNERS FURNISH THEM

OWNERS FURNISH THEM.
~ i had a sufficient appropriation for the
purpose. there would be street signs at all the
corners to-day" said Henry S. Kearny. the
Commissioner Of Public Buildings. Lighting and
Supplies, yesterday, referring to the article in
The Tribune about the disappearance Of street
signs.
IT asked for an appropriation OF S50,po Tor
maintaining the street signs last year" he con-
tinued. "and il denied by the Board OF Es-
innate and Apportionment. L have nareiy
enough money run my department, without
repairing broken street lamps and street signs.
The unused tops of street lamps are oeihs
broken or stolen constantly. / have appealed to
the police and when the police have arrested
persons for stealing or breaking the lamps the
prisoners have been discharged by police magis-
trates. That is the reason why SO many signs
on street lamps have been disappearing"
Mr. Kearny exhibited letters which he had
written recently TO Magistrate Pool, protesting
against the discharge of lamp there's In one
case boys stole five ornamental street lamps
took then, to a vacant lot at One-hundred-and-
seventeenth-st and Mornineside-ave.. and broke
them TO pieces One Of the boys who was ar
rested later admitted that he received 80 al
Junk shop for brass taken from the lamps. but
TIRE how was discharged by Magistrate Pool. In
Eighth-ave with a wagon and stealing the
,auns about forty Of the bronze lamps which
wore nIaced at corners in Broadway and Fifth
ave in the administration of Mayor Strong,
have been stolen and many others have peer
taken to a storehouse by Mr. kearnys supordi-
mates because the glass In them had peen
broken and there was no money TO nave TIE
glass replaced The lettered ground glass IN
each OF the bronze lamps cost 81. Mr kearhy
Yesterday exhibited record showing that l"i'-
AGO lights in street lamps. 11G2 Boulevard
globes 100 electric light globes ana i,oV
welsbach light globes were broken in the city
,.s, year and he said that most of the damage
,ras done hv boys who were allowed by the po-
lice to throw stones at the lamps. Thousands OF
street lamps have been allowed TO go unllghted
at night because the department has no money
for lighting the lamps. Mr. kearny saio' anu
when the lamps are unlighted the boys seer" ~
think that they have a right TO throw stones at
them.
Il understand fully The annoyance Whicn the
absence Of street signs causes, Mr. hearny
said. and about a month ago asked PRESIDENT
Guseenheiner of the Council to aid IN the
massage of an ordinance by the Munlclpai AS
sembly to provide for proper street signs M
Gusgenheiner said he would try. but apparent
,v nothing has been done. My idea was the
massage of an ordinance requiring owners OF
corner houses TO place signs on the OUTSIDE Walls
Of houses a
height -
why couldn't the city place such signs on
corner buildings?
For two reasons. There is no appropriation
FOR such signs and the city has no right 10 IN
wade private property in the erection OF tle
signs But the city can compel the owner oI
every corner house erect signs in agreemen'
with an ordinance and if there was an ordl-
nance for signs on corner houses there would ne
no difficulty in enforcing it.
Mr. Kearny had in his office samples OF sishs
such as he said he thought should he placed on
corner houses. They similar to the signs aus
nlayed on the elevated railroad stations WIN
white letters on q blue BACKGROUND MI heai-
nv said they would cost only 81 apiece. as their
,,1anufactura is not controlled by any patent or
hv any particular firm. and ii would not De
hardship to compel owners of corner houses anu
corner buildings in all parts Of the city 10 eiec1
such signs. . . ~.
.Of course M. Kearny said. persons VINO
want to place more costly or more Ornamental.
signs on their buildings need not to be deferred
from doing So so long as the requirements as 10
the height and minimum size of the signs are
compiled with 1t seems to me that the pronieii,
of designating the streets VIII not pe s~olNeu ~
until there is an ordinance providing for street
signs on all corner buildings.