The evening world., 1912-04-02
WAKING UP!


WAKING UP!
IN COMMENTING upon tho report of the Fifth Avenue Com.
mission that it is too late to make the famous street all it
= should have been, The Evening World said March rs:
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO HAVE DECENT PAYMENTS.
soME or THE DOWNTOWN STREETS AND MOST or
TEE CROSS STREETS BETWEEN FOURTEENTH AND FF.
Tyxlxrz SHOW STRETCHES OF PAVEMENT THAT ANY
PouRrnCLAss CITY IN GERMANY WOULD DEEM DIS
GRACEFUL. DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE NEW.
Ear AND xosT FASHIONABLE HOTELS IN FoRTYsIxTH
sTRSsT TRAFFIC BUMPS OVER A RAGGED HOLE IN THE
Asphalt. VISITORS TO NEW YORK DECLARE TnIn
youSosD AND JoLrED THRoUoH TUE CROSS sTREs7s
~ TEE AMUSEMENT DISTRICT.
wHY ARE STREETS ONLY RECENTLY LAID Low
BOON IN NIPPLES AND WAVES AND HOLES AGAIN. IS
n POSSIBLE THE CITY DOES NOT HAVE TIE pSsm
WORK. THE xosT EXPERT ADvIcEf SHALL WE ADMm
oNoD AVID FOR ALL THAT WE oN NEVER HAVE sTREETs
WHAT REASONS SHALL WE 0iVEf FOR WHOSE ADvAN.
TIOB DO we PAY HON PRICES FOR WORK THAT TURNS
oUT FAULTY
The Committee on Pavemcnts appointed by Mayor uaynof is'
October has just made its report. Summing up present condluonf'
the committee says:
- rHE CONDITION OF A cITYs PAvEMENTs rs
FAIR GAUGE or ITS CIVILIZATION. AS HAS BEEN MAIN
FAMED BY HIGH AUTHORITIES. NEW YORK. MUST KAHx
Low IN TIE SCALE. THAI ITs PAvEMESTs * nS
uNnxsrAxAsLC EVIDENCE or PR0VINOIALiSA THERE
CIV ss NO DOUBT. TIE PAYMENTS OF TIE CITY ARE
AND PROBABLY Always HAVE BEEN vSnY N - nn
WORLD. How UNNECESSARILY BAD THEY ARE AT TIE
pRgsENT TINE cN ONLY BE- fvtlf THSM wIrn TIE
CHEF CITIES or EUROPE. AND NOTABLY THOSE "
TTrR. n NO oITY ON EARTH WHICH STANDS IN
usrIrrR NEED OF GOOD PAYMENTS THAN AANHAT
TAN BOROUGH.
Thu reasons. The committee gives them franNy:
Yen Nsns knoxcdoc among " engineers OF tn op
sroveA modern methods Of oovt"0 40 cer"o I" =" S9ec'
evssds Of the UsHsd st@es.
Rsatrtcttvs spectcatto1s. cspscMNv a Te0aTds osp"o"'
sauA Asvs Srsvswtsd genuine competition" N w "a nc
Es~ss . monopoly IN the Maktn0 and repair OF asp"o' poVe
oats ~ NssAotta~.
re ~vcA license otvcx to builders In the wee Of the sFee'
n fvoas Of ~U bsAd""Sa N
rns NocssdIae o. cvwber~s Of the sreess " VA p'
este tHsevsss. No.
Ssstsa
M. that Il the master reason OF oil this4 What 10 the reason
- :. Jolt about in ratle.trap taxicabs at absurd rates while IN
- biz city in Europe people ride two miles for a quarter IN
~. smoothrunning cars that ply through the streets BY thousands:
wh.A 4. the reason our markets are pronounced obsoletef what -
-. ...on that half Of what We pay for food that comes into the
II, . to ~middlemcn who play games moving it here and there
.. .S.;r ovn profit? What is the reason our finest avenue Is all
n;...dlv tevond reclaim? What is the reason that VIC have only
~ h.eun TO see that crsmped streets and squalid bridge approaches
-. neither necessary nor ~creditable9
{ The Evening World has already stated the reason; 1t lies in
u. Aupid habit Of duly and resgnedly putting up with discom'
$50. ana Inconvenience that turn money into somebody's pocket -
!. ~. n.rrov.minded, seli-satisfed notion that nothing NEED 10
.acr.-tb,t this wonderful city cannot be improved.
without = great awakening and %enlghtenng Of public opinion,
~+4hout q stirring demand that public comforts be regulated by
public supervision, nothing CAN be done.
TNs reuort Of the Fifth Avenue Commission and the Pavement
Committee arc hopeful signs.
Iets open our eyes at last and try to be a REAL city.