Graffiti Problem

The article on the growing visual blight of graffiti (Jan. 8) was especially perceptive. Spray paint cans are not a necessity of life. They are a convenience item that I am willing to live without. If manufacturers and retailers cannot control these products, then perhaps legislation should either add a $1 clean-up tax on each can or else outlaw their sale and possession.

One seldom-heard suggestion for combatting graffiti is to plant creeping fig or Boston ivy on all masonry and concrete walls. In many locations these plants survive with little or no summer watering and beautify an otherwise barren wall.

DAVID R. WEAVER, Los Angeles