New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-16
Mr. C4YT0R AND THE SIGNS.

We were glad to print Mr.. Cantor's explanation
OF the street sign situation, and his vindicatOn
Of his own administration, in yesterdays Trib-
une partly because Of the justice of giving him
and his side OF the a hearing, and partly
because Of the corroboration thus afforded or
the chief contentious put forth in these col
umns The one point on which Mr.. Cantor was
able 10 contradict The Tribune was that con-
corning the expenditure non-eXpenditure OF
his entire appropriation for street signs, and 1t
will be observed that spoke of that hypo-
thetically, as a matter of report upon which we
were not fully assured. 1t will also be OBJ
served that we did not hold Mr. Cantor solely
and necessarily to blame for the whole stua-
ton, but admitted that the fault might lie in
the lack of sufficient appropriations. If we re-
member Alright, it was the Controller. and not
the Borough President, who was most insiStent
upon cutting down street sign appropriations
to the lowest figure
So far as the variety of signs IS concerned Mr.
Cantor substantially comedies our case. While
he says there are but four kinds of signs OF
general character" he himself enumerates six
kinds of specific character. These, he says,
were made necessary by existing conditions"
So much the worse, then for the general sys-
tenn which tolerated those conditions. They
were also, he says, ito some extent expert
mental" We must strongly dissent from the
necessity OF experimenting on anything like so
large a scale. 1t was we'll to put up few ex-
perimental signs here and there. but to equip
q large part of the borough with experimental
signs was surely not judicious. If it be true,
as he says that uniformity-one of the most
essential features of a sign System-must come
gradually, which we are not prepared to admit
save for the sake of argument it would GER
tainly seem that two years give ample time for
deliberate and gradual approach
Now TO show by specific example how i'll pro-
vided the city still is after these two years in
the matter of street signs. let note the con-
ditions which prevail on some hot unmportant
street corners within pistol shot of this office
and Of Mr.. Cantor's Office. At the intersection
Of Nassau and Fulton SITS. there are three
metal signs, illegible at night indicating Mas
sau-st. but none of any kind indicating Fulton
ST., although there are an electric light pole and
an old fashioned gas lamp post dismantled,
upon which signs might be placed. At Nassau
and Ann SITS. there are several metal signs indi-
eating both streets, not easily Iegible at night,
and one antiquated gas lamp fire alarm post
with the names of the streets. At Nassau and
Beekman SITS. similar conditions to those at
Ann-st, prevail with the addition that there is
a fine electric light pole upon which an ideal
sign might be placed but which remains I'M
| utilized. Finally. at Nassau and Spruce SITS.
there is no sign whatever OF any kind for either
street
We do not say it is all Mr.. Cantor's fault In
our article of Monday we gave him credit for
having done something toward the solution of
the street sign problem. What we do insist
upon is that the city is still discreditably i'll
| equipped with signs, and that it is a shame 10
| all concerned that such is the case.