Arizona republican., 1906-09-23
OBSOLETE CITY LAWS.
Some Ordinances That Have No Bear
 ing on Modern Conditions.

The city ordinances of New York have for many years been in a jumbled and often contradictory form They have been revised and amended again and again, though never in a very com prehensive manner. The aldermen themselves explain the trouble as due to the fact that they have not been able to secure the expert legal advice, which they require There are still extant some ordinances which are so clearly obsolete that their tardy repeal Is advocated by a committee of the aldermen.
 Ordinance. 6S3 of the revised or dinances provides that articles of tur- niture may be exposed for sale and sold at six places only, Peck Slip, BurI- ing Slip, Old Slip, Broad street, be- tween Front and South; Vesey street. between Church and Washington, and the square in front of Greenwich Mar ket. on line with Christopher street, west of Greenwich avenue
 Ordinance 639 imposes a penalty of S10 for the sale at auction of any car riage or carriages, any animal or anil mals of any description on any public street except at the corner of Park avenue and Eighty-si sixth street. This regulation has been obsolete for fully thirty years
 Ordinance "A declares that no can non or piece of artillery shall be fired off from Castle Garden now the Aqua rium) except in the direction of and toward the westerly shore of the Hud- son river.
 The old common council adopted or dinance 723 which provides that no person shall use or have on any street of New York ''any calcium. Drummond or other light of intense brilliancy un- less by the mayors permission nor shall any person place any such light upon any house in the city so that the same shall reflect or shine upon any street or avenue. What about Broad way?
 Section 592 requires car drivers to pay $1 year to the city for that priv ilege, and the ordinance provides that every such driver while at work shall wear conspiciously upon his breast a badge having legibly engraved thereon the words Licensed Car Driver" This ordinance has for years been disre- garded on the horse car lines.
 Ordinance 663 is an old one. It de- clares that any person who shall fly a kite in any street, lane or avenue in New York south of Fourteenth street must pay fine of $5.
 Ordinance 661 is not only obsolete but absurd, for it provides a penalty of s1O for any one who shall swim or hathe in the waters of the East or Hudson river adjacent to any ferry or the Battery, though the city of New York maintains bathing pavilions at several such points
 Ordinance 71S is local in character; that is. it makes a local exemption. Here it is in full
 NO person shall fire, discharge or set off in the city of New York any rocket, cracker, torpedo, squib or bal loon or other fireworks or thing con- taining any substance in a state of combustion under penalty of S5 for each offense. This provision shall not apply to the grounds of the southeast corner of 127th street and Fifth ave nue."
 The venerable ordinances which iIIu- minate the wisdom of early city fathers are not limited to firewoOd as a fuel. but also include coal though some of them would seem to have adopted at an early period in the nations life be- fore coal was in general use. Ordi- nance 61S provides that coal "soId from any coal yard or other place snail be sold by the bushel, except anthracite coal. which may be sold by the busheI or weight as the seller and purchaser may agree. New York Sun.