The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-07
How Shall the Streets be Cleaned :

The system Of cleaning our streets by the
help of the Police Department having
proved the reverse Of satisfactory, various
other plans are now under discussion. One
Is TO make a contract for the work in a
lump, as was done in the days Of HACKLEY
and WHITING. Another Is to create "a
special Bureau of Street Cleaning, with
superintendent, deputy superintendent,
clerks, inspectors, and an array of other
salaricd officials, who are to employ men
and horses and clean the streets on the
city's own account Another is to divide
the city up into little districts and contract
for the cleaning Of each district separately.
And then there is the proposition to go back
to the custom of our ancestors, and compel
each citizen to sweep so much OF each street
as fronts his own promises.
The first three Of the plans we have men
toned involve reliance upon official ability
and integrity which experience shows is not
always safe. The contract system OF street
cleaning has been long ago tried and found
wanting, because the city authorities would
not keep the contractor up to his duty. The
Police Department have likewise failed to
give US clean streets, although they have
spent over 81 900 day in Intellectual efforts
to do so. There Is, cons quently, no reason
to suppose that a new Bureau Of Street
Cleaning would succeed any better We
should only have number OF additional
salaries to pay and be as badly off as ever
| Dividing the city up into districts, and
making separate contract for each, would
only multiply opportunities for fraud, and
accomplish no more than has been accom-
pished already. One draft OF a bill which
we have seen attempts to secure an honest
execution of such contracts by the following
provison
NO part Of the authority conferred nv this act shall
used promote the special interests Of any party or
individual shall the official authority or influence OF
any municipal officer In said city be used for such pur
pose any connection with the execution OF this act
the employment OF any person under said contract
Only fancy the smile with which our city
politicians would read such n clause, and
then go on and distribute the patronage
which the act gave them!
There remains still, however, the old
fashioned method Of individual effort. This
method Is, In fact, now in operation over
O considerable extent Of the city. Disguised
with the neglect Of the Police Department
and despairing OF better fate under any
other system, many Of our citizens have
made contracts on their own account FOL
cleaning the streets In front OF their owl
houses. They pay one dollar month fol
each lot to a private contractor who On
cages to sweep the street once a day wher
there is no snow and when there is snow L
level it off so that there shall be no i'm
pcdimcnt- to vehicles in approaching tho
sidewalks. Under this system each either
is his own inspector, and If the work Is moi
done as it ought to be DONE he can withhold
the pay for it. There Is thus no need fol
any superintendent deputy superintendent
or other officer. The contractor gets hi
money regularly, and chooses his mon with
out dictation from politicians, the street,
are kept clean, and everybody. is contentcd
For another dollar per month, ashes anC
: garbage are removed by another set Of men
/ who come and take II away at an early hour
and thus the cyesore Of boxes and barrels o
rubbish standing for hours on the sldewall
is avoided.
The objection 10 this system Is It's enor