The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-03-08

confided to the mayors, while ils special su-
pervision falls under the prefect OF ponce.
The sweeping Of the streets is done at tne
charge of the proprietors, or where there are
shops, no matter Of what kind, at the expense
of the owners Of these shops; the average an
nual tax for this purpose is two dollars. fhe
receipt for this money comes from the project
of police.
"Thus the citizens pay directly ior Inc
sweeping of the streets directly In front OF
their houses, but the city carries away the
sweepings. This labor Is low done oy con-
tract. The sweeping costs s3oO,oOo annnaiiy.
The contractors who carry off the rubbish. al
ter allowing it to rot certain time In pits,
sellit az manure at the rate Of three to five
francs the cubic yard, aud realize total sum
on its sale of 100000. The direct superln-
tendence Of the street sweeping ls confded to
officers responsible to the city government.
The number of scavengers employed In this
work In Paris Is twenty-five hundred, incluo-
ing both sexes. They are divided into four
legions, comprising twelve batta'ions, or thir-
ty.six companies of four sections each.
1.-THE persons found employed in this Work
are almost exclusively Alsatians and Germans,
but very many of them speak French as well.
They are not at all miserable.lookin people
as one sees employed in similar labor In other
cities, but, for the most part, young or mid
dle-aged persons in apparent robust health.
The men are paid twenty-four sous or cents
DER day; the women twenty sous, auo Tue
children Gums in accordance with Inc iaoof
thev are capable of performing, for mere
street.sweeping, like other of the menlal occu-
nations. ia elevated to the dignity OF q scl-
ence, and is learned by an apprenticeship.
The sweeps collect at given points, In COM
panies of forty to sixty, every morning before
four o'clock; they take their places 10 rank,
two BY two, men and women, and The roll is
called and the absent ones marked; at four
O'Clock they are all at work. The work is
performed by means Of long switch brooms.
"They finish at or before eight O'Clock, ac-
complIahlng the work in four hours. These
hours are fixed, and invariably at eight O'Clock
the carts carry of the rubbish mo rubbish from
the houses can be thrown into the streets
after the hour flxed for the carrying of the
street sweepings.
"At eight O'Clock in the, morning the foun
tains are opened and the cutters are filed for
an hour or more with streams of pure
running water, measure that Is repeated in
the course of the day according to the wants
of the season; and al! this Is accomplished
every morning without confusion, and with
the regularity OF clock-work-a result due en-
iirely to careful organization and efficient
superintendent.
ssThe streets of Paris are thus always as
clean as well-used brooms can make them.
There are no ordinations, mo experlments;itisa
regular system, which works from January to
January with the same daily efficiency, and is
never the cause of complaint from any source.
1t is not regarded as an extraordinary teat OF
administration, and any ineflcleDctes In It's
performance would be matter Of surprise.
Besides this, certain number of workmen,
called cantonniere, are employed all day to
work on the streets, to scrape up the accumu-
lating dirt, and to keep the cutters clean. A
certain number of carts are retained all day to
carry of the sweepings of these cantonniers.
The sweeping Of the public squares and gar
dens Is done exclusively at the charge OF the
n,t ~