New-York tribune., 1902-08-18
Mr.. CANTOR ON HIS WORK.
THE BOROUGH PRESIDENTS REPORT
TO THE MAYOR.
RECOMMENDS A CITY OFFICE BUILDING
IN ERs-sT-REDUCED PRICE OF
ASPHALT WANTS TO BE ON
RAPID TRANSIT BOARD.

RAPID TRANSIT BOARD.
roro,,eb President Cantor has submitted his first
rer,o-t to Mayor Low. Mr.. Cantor faVors the
tearing down Of all the buildings in City nan
Park with the exception of the CITY ia" i'sell'
and the erection of large municipal office ouid-
ing in Chambers-st. This plan was suggested ny
Controller Grout sone time ago apd the oliihI,ls
Fund Commission recently recommended that the
old buildings be razed. Mr Cantor neleFes 'Hhl
If the Borough President were a meHloer ol 'ie
Rapid Transit Commission the disgracelui coHui
tion Of the streets along the route of the rapid
transit subway might be relieved. He calls at
tent:on to the reduction in the price or asphaiI
from g. S. a yard under the IaInnlanV duiiii'''N
tration to s. 20 a yard. The electrical bureau Vi
the Department of Water Supply. Gas and Elec-
tricity Mr. Cantor believes. might with advah-
,are he placed under the control OF the various
borough presidents The report deals with the
various branches of the Borough Presidents office
in a comprehensive and thorough manner
President Cantor says that he is considering the
proprtety of appointing commission, to be com
rosad Of leading citizens engaged in the artSuc
professions who will prepare a coInpreherSi'e
plan for beautifying the Borough or Mahha''a"
which can be followed by public ofhciais mere
after and not leave this matter to the haphazard
conditions which have heretofore existed he III
tends 70 carry out this idea tn" lines adopted
bv tho general government at Washington Where
a similar commission has been designated
He calls attention to the lack OF harmony III
he architecture, location ana otfeT i'a'"''' "a
local public improvements. and believes that the
work of such a commission would remedy these
defects and result IN greatly improved appear
ance Of the city He refers 20 the Work aireadF
done by the Municipal Art Commission IN secuF-
ing for the city an artistic 'island Of safety AT
Tventv-thIri-st. and Broadway. the result OF
connective designs provided by that commission
and eays that another OF these convenlences LOT
the safety Of pedestrians is TO be erected soon III
Frourteenth-st. Union Square All improvements
of this character he thinks. should be based upon
a comprehensive plan. which should incucc All
sections Of the city, and be determined upon ana
recommended by a commission Of architects.
ec,,Intors civil engineers and other competent
judges.
mark on Blackwelrs Island. and the removal from
Tho ,sand Of the penal and other institutions which
are now there He thinks the national govern
ment would readily co operate IN the expense o'
making this Improvement, not only by proVldlhs
for the removal of the buildings but to some eX-
t.nt for the purchase Of land and the erection
of buildings for similar purposes elsewhere Ihis
would give large park acreage for the use OF 'ie
naon,e Of the East Side OF the city. A portion of
the island could be used for drilling purposes anu
for exhibits by the Navy Department
Mr. Cantor has provided for a uniform system
of illuminated signs to be placed on the corners
of all the principal streets. including Broadway.
Madison ave. Twenty-third-st-. east ana west anu
along the Boulevard. At his request the Board OF
Estimate has authorized an eAptHu4tuic u Ti'''O0
for this purpose and 2.126 such street signs VIII
he erected most of them to be Illuminated from
within There viii be also 6S3 signs on eiec'fic
light poIes at prominent corners, ana LA" Sisls
nlaced on lampposts in equally prominent posi-
,,ore hesides about six thousand white and blue
enamelled signs attached to corner buildings. Inc
,F,,ric,naI Art Commission has approved OF the
designs and the President of the Borough expects
that before the end of the year this Important
work will be accomplished.
President Cantor strongly urges the Importance
of nrovidng permanent public baths. in addition
IN the temporary floating baths which are used
only IN the summer. He says the bureau having
charge of this matter has now In process OF con-
etruction three permanent pubic oaths 10 De slt-
mated on plots of ground so bv 100 feet. Two or
80 ,1i no on the eastern side of the city-one
in the neighborhood of One -hundred-and- -ninth-st
and the other near Chrystie-st- Inc thlfd VIII DC
op the West Side Fortieth-st. and Ninth-aVe'
Tho Rivington-st public bathhouse, which Is the
only, building of that description now maintained
and provided by the city, cannot accommodate d
fraction of the people who would like to make
use of it. To add to these accommodations MT
cantor has directed the preparation of plans for
tho erection of an immense bathhouse on prop
ertv owned by the city at Twenty-third-st and
tho East River He hopes in this way to supply
to a considerable extent the lack OF hoatng paahs,
President Cantor reports that on assuming ol.Se ne
he found many of the public buildings Of the the
borough in an unsaniiaTy +. Conui'i3n Oh Sin1na1
Co,rts RuIding especially, had been turned over
tl,a elf n
that neglected state An appropriation Of S1Wo ,ato
US made by the Board of Estimate to complete
the Construction. and the work will be attended led
70 as soon as contracts can be prepared for the
purnose F-ifty thousand dollars has been appro-
,riated for the Interior renovation of the CITY
Hail under plans approved by the Municipal Art
t|ommission. The Court House building Is being
NM in a sanitary condition, and is being modern
lied. also. ,- ..,,,os
under the direction of the Superintendent, Perez
NJ stewart Incompetent inspectors have been
discharged and more buildings have been inspected
than at any other time in the history OF me ,f 9e
partment Fire escapes are being put on all build
ings where the law requires them, and the hideouS
elSy signs so numerous in this city. have been
raSulafed as to their height, and cannot here
after be erected without permit obtained from
the bureau. -, ,.z - ~
President Cantor says the public markets OF the
borough are as a rule, in unsightly and un-
sanitary condition, and he intends to make a re-
mort earIy in the fall the Board of Estimate.
sbowtng in detail their condition. the alterations
necessary the expense involved. and which or
the larger markets be safely abandoned the
property sold. and smaller markets substituted
throu ghout the city. in convenient localitles
Especial attention has been given to the paving me
of all streets front of school houses, pupnc IN
stitutions hospitals with sheet asphalt assur-
ing ouietness and cleanliness in such localities.
In this work 100000 will be expended President