El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-28

a-e--E---EAAe u LAAE L4AAAL 4AcL ina Z
New York owes upward Of ST.
SOC, 900. 900, father KnickerbocIer easily
becomes the greatest municipal depI0r
in the world Indeed, his Indebtedness
is as great as the national debt. Against
this enormous indebtedness father
knlckerbOcker has in his Golfers about
$500. 10000 which could be used to-
ward paying OF the debt, and much
interest has been taken of late of DOS
slble plans by which If such a step be-
came necessary the remaining billion
could be taken care Of Among the
most ingenious is that of bridge tolls.
NJ nat me city mas put into the spans
across the East river equals the price
paid by the United States for all The
land II has acquired by purchase west
OF the Mississippi river.
In case Of hard times OF any uneE-
pecred demand for funds the city could
exact 2 toll from the million people
who use these bridges every day. The
revenue from this source alone should
be sufficient to pay off the citys in
debtedness- Another great asset is the
real estate which the city owns its
book value at present amounting to
nearly 100000, 600. Much of this. Of
course, is In longitudinal parkWays
which total z76,OOO feet in length, or
about SO miles This great stretch OF
parEWays flauEed by fine rOadWavs
and walks If laid out along the Hud-
son would stretch from this city to
vest Point, with cost Of nearly $l2,-
UOu.0OO- So while New Horks debt may
at 1lrsr seem staggering Father knick-
erbOcker is by no means on the verge
OF bankruptcy
Smoke Question La Up.
whether OF not mere man shall be
deprived OF his precious privilege OF
smoking Oh the four rear seats OF
open street cars is the question around
which a merry war is being Waged-
The anti smokers, led by a DR.. Pease,
whose anupathy TO the weed is so keen
that he is reported to have left a ban
quet because a girl recited a poem by
James WnltcOmh Riley in which men
ton is made Of smoke wreaths. de-
maud that all smoking In or about any
railroad street car line, or ferry house
under the jurisdiction Of the public
service commission be prohibited by
law
At the first hearing, held before the
commissioner, most Of Dr. Pease's sup
pOrters were women but the opposition
came entirely from the sex which is
permitted 10 smoke in public They
used no arguments TO back them up in
their opposition, but ridicules and one
of them had the hardihOOd to try to
change the tenor Of the proceedings by
asking that the order be amended so
as to require the railroad companies to
provide more smoking accOmmo datiOns
than they do.
Humor was added to the situation by
one man who waved a bunch of cOu-
pOns, such as are given away with
cigarets and cigars and protested that
he was not allowed to smoke at home
or in his office and that the open cars
were the only available place left
since he never walked Il represent
the great coupon collectors Of New
York said he. Ny dearest wish is
10 own q yacht For years I have
been saving coupons TO get one But
If I can't sOmlle at home or in the sub I
way or at the office and If you now
prevent me smoking on the street cars, /
low can I ever get that yacht2"
sE-WgeruueF Limit Reached.
That New EOrks skyscrapers may /
have reached their limit in spite OF I
the fact that all sorts Of wild guesses |
are made as TO their height 20 years I
. from now, is indicated by the organized I
move being made by merchants whose I
places of business front on Fifth ave
nue. Practically all Of the large cities /
of the world have already taken steps |
10 restrict the height Of buildings New 4
York is the last, almost TO make regu-
latiOns to this end. Much data on the /
subject has been gathered by the Fifth /
avenue association which viii be /
placed before the newly created COM
mission to inquire into the practica- |
bility OF limiting the height of build |
made within six months. The Fifth
Avenue association has advocated !
openly the limiting Of building on that I
thOrOughfare TO not more than 125 feet. i
The question which it raises now IS
whether q law making restriction to
cover Fifth avenue alone viii be con-
stitutionaL The opinion seems to be
that a general law covering the whole
city viii have to be framed.
Father Of Apartment Houses.
The death here Of John H TrenOT
has taken from New York the father
Of its apartment houses. which now !
number far into the thousands. 1t was
in the early '4Os OF something like 40
years ago. that apartment houses pat
termed after TrenOr's experiment be
gan TO spring up in the city. 1t was
-~a7fnraT that French f11fEH thew
were then called would pave the way
for French morals, which meant that
the community was fast going to the
dogs It is not. easy TO say what et- Z
feet apartments have had on morals, Z
but they certainly have proved a bless
ing TO countless families Of moderate
means and home making instincts. In
addition 10 Delng the father Of the
apartment house idea, Mr.. TrenOr was
famous dancing master many years
ago. He taught the dIgnified square
waltz, the saOp, the mazurka and the
schOtusche, as different from the tango
and the turkey LrOt as the New York
of that day is different from the mod
ern city Of nat jewellers. Among his
people were such wei known men as
ChaunCey DepeW and W. K Vanderbilt.
When Mr. TrenOr was teaching New
Workers how TO dance the wealthy and
welltOdo lived in houses OF their own,
those in moderate circumstances in
habited boarding houses and the poor
were housed in squalid. Unsanitary
tenement houses. The apartment
houses have proved a potent influence
in lettering these conditions.
Growth Of Vaudeville Great.
How great the vaudeville class of
entertainment in this city has become
Is strikingly illustrated by the latest
report Of the city bureau Of licenses,
which shows that during the year
ending May ! commissions aggregat-
ing 100000 were paid TO employment !
agents by vaudeville performers
The report also indicates why there I
continues TO be a scarcity OF house
hold servants and incidentally brings .
out the fact that the expectation of
cattle on the hOof has entirely stopped |
so far as the port Of New York is
concerned Part Of the report deals
with conditions in theatrical employ
ment agencies Tt sets forth that the I
commissioners office approved 49,
500 contracts between managers and !
performers in u months.
Vaudeville performers have paid
100000 in commissions TO agencies
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