ON BROADWAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 March 1932, Page 11

ON BROADWAY

petty racketeers. e Broadway’s ' petty rackets often lead to protests. Recently the professional “car-watchers’ —men and hoys who crowd around an automobile as it is being parked and demand the right to guard it while its occupants are absent-have drawn the tire of the New York Automobile Club, which is urging a law to curb this nuisance. It is said that some unrewarded watchers annoy those who refuse to pay. . But the car-watcher provides onH one of a number of petty annoyances. Youngsters who haunt the brightlight sector and offer “taxi attendance’’ make themselves a nuisance. When a passenger leaves a cab, a small boy may dart forward to assist him He then waits around, hoping that the “fare,” when tipping the driver, will drop a coin in his direction too. . When intermission time comes at the theatres, spectators come out to the sidewalk for a breat|i of fresh air and are presented with entertainment by a group of boys. The youngsters whirl nimble bodies in tap and buck-and-wing dancing, while one of their number goes around with a battered cap in his hand for loose change. The appearance of a policeman breaks up the dance in a hurry, and the young performers dash away, to the amusement of the gallery. Another Broadway character is tne street-hawker. He is usually seen in the middle of the day, on crowded streets. He may offer' a watch—- “ Watches for a quarter each, folks just a few more left. It’s an advertising scheme; next week dey sell for 2.50 dollars at all de leadin’ department stores.” And, though this particular workless watch has been sold on the streets for several years, it still finds buyers.