Evening star., 1940-08-25
Noises and
Nuisonces

though often annoying
Noises and scene which long ago
kuisonres passed from the streets of
Washington:
MANY city noises these midsummer
nights and days penetrate the open win
dows and make miserable the lives of
invalds and persons who are unfortu-
nate enough to have nerves Not know
ing what else to do, the victims appeal
to the police. The itinerant musician is
the subject Of numerous complaints and
SO is the huckster, the rag -bones-and-
old-iron man, the clam man and the use
full scissors grinder. who rings a small
dinner bell to give notice of his approach.
There are police regulations to sup
press the noises made by the individuals
mentioned and by Growing roosters. cack-
ling hens and barking dogs. Some of
the regulations provide that the noises
must be proved TO be unnecessary be-
fore they can be suppressed, while others
only require that the noises complained
of disturb the party complaining. When
such complaint is made the policeman
report. An investigation of this sort
takes some time, of course.
IN the case of loud and boisterous
chickens no policeman on duty would
dare swear out a warrant, because he
would have to declare that the chickens
ANNOYED him, and that would naturally
arouse the suspicion of the sergeant and
night inspector.
so far as hucksters are concerned, 1t
has been decided that the crying of their
goods is necessary, but that such outcry
must not be loud enough to disturb the
residents of the neighborhood in which
such outcry is made.
The scissors grinder is the man who
suffers most under the police regulations.
In an endeavor to earn an honest liveli-
hood he rings his little bell and often has
to pay the S. penalty. If he has no
other means of attracting attention he
will have to do like others do and the
have to be answered much oftener than
they are now. At present most of the
men who wheel grinding apparatus about
the streets take the risk and ring their
bells. A number of them have had to
pay the penalty and one man has been
taken to court three times.
The organ grinders who make more
noise than all the others complained
against. are given permits to grind.
There is section in the police regula-
tions requiring them to have permit,
which is obtained from the chief of police
In several of the larger cities north of
us organ grinding on the public streets
is thing of the past and being forced
out of those cities, many of them seek
refuge here. For while they came in
rush. The permits are issued free of
charge and when so many strange sons
of Italy arrived it was said that they
were imposed upon by some of those
already here. According to the reports
received by the police some of those hold
ing permits became acquainted with the
new arrivals and told them that license
to play on the streets was very expensive
and in that way they managed to obtain
from the strangers 81 per day for the
use of the free permit. Others refused
to pay that amount and continued on
their journey south, where they have an
idea they can play at will and enjoy all
the proceeds of their labor.
while these grievances are being
heard, the never -tiring small boy does
not fail to come in for his share of police
attention. Just new he is stealing fruit,
where there is any to steal, and almost
every day the complaint comes from some
quarter. No one knows better than the
small boy that the cunning season is
approaching, and in the absence of guns
he is resorting to the dangerous bean
shooter to bring down the birds from
their high perches. Practice makes per-
feet and the boys, when not in the coun-
try, are in the back yards and alleys of
the city either shooting at sparrows in
the trees or mark on housetop, and
the result is that windows are broken
and If the eyes of some of the occupants
of the houses are not put out 1t Is GER
tainly no fault Of the amateur narks-
men,"