The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-08

tricts Work is done each day IN parts OF districts
Many streets need cleaning ofsener than others; SOM
week The work is applied where II will do the mos
good and Is the most needed
In other words, there Is no regular system upof
which each street receives certain amount OF labo
within certain specified time. Work Is spasmodc
and applied according TO ianoied need not la accord
ance with definite rules.
Now, this system rs EaoaDly insufficient, Tor II,
this we Include not only Broadway and the iatera
avenues but the principal cross horoughares snouic
De swept once IN essry ~sp,yorr spu M
before eight A. NJ. In water and seven A. b. IN sum
smer. The whole city should be thoroughly cleaned
and purined al least once IN each week
Is such a demand unreasonabseP
CITIES
In London, with !, 4lUA miles OF pavement, every
principal street is sa ept in tweniy-Iour hours
secondary streets three times week, all others al
least twice.
In Liverpool, with 255 miles OF pavement ike regu'
iations enforced
In Manchester with 900 muos OF pavement, the
primer pal Streets roads and thoroughiaros, togetner
with the markets. ceansed every day, secondary
streets thrice week, ali others twice. oo,
In Boston. with 10 miles oil pavement ana -uo niles
Of MacAdan, the principal streets are swept every
morn eight O'Clock, all others twice week.
The MacAdam once week and all cutters hushed ana
In Philadelphia, with 600 miles OF pavement, the
principal thorougnfares are cleaned SIX tunes week.
secondary streets three times week ana the "noio
city Is thoroughly cleaned once week. 80
In New YORK with $50 miles OF pavement tue autnor'
tiles claim sweep her principal streets three times
week nd her otner streets week. IL the CLAIM
we'll founded she takes rank below every o,hcr
important city above mentioned. How Id II, then,
wnen every citizen knows that the claim IS baseiess
snd without shadow oil rightY
Is the default OWING 10 Inadequate mcansE Leu US
continue comparison.
London is divioed into thirtynine parishes, each OF
which conducts IT'S own scavenging and street clean
Ing IL would be impossible 10 give returns from
them all. Tagging the paNsh OF ST. George, Hanover
square, OF the most central and important as an
example, find that II comprises forty Two miles OF
streets The average of clean ing these and cart
Ing away the refusc-a ride OF rom three 10 1--WE
miles being sayor the years 1870 to 1870 was
Ey0sS per annum, or $500 gold. Taking the same
average Tor tho whole city-which Is GER
tainly fair. many OF the parishes are smaller
cartpg distance less, the annual cost wouid
be $l774 500 or, round numbers, 81, 2oS per mile.
Liverpool, with her 255 miles OF pavement, paid for
street cleaning in 1876 including the empying aud
cleansing OF all the prives OF The CITY, numbering
II, 72O--a work the expense OF which IS 10 New YORK
distinct and additional TO the cost of street clean
ing--the oil f65, S64 0s. Cd, or sS29,52O in gold,
equivalent to 81, 29l per mile
Manonester, win 300 miles Of pavement, paid in
1876 for street cleaning f2s4l2 or $4,000, or $3.50
per mile
street ceanng including remSya Q, ashes ana gar
net. after dedhcting $4,000 received rom sales oil
garbage
1rsI ten months OF 1877 for street cleaning, in-
including removal OF ashes and garbage, s275o to-
tai Tor the year, at the same rauo, oil s3ooooo' or
$3.50 per mile.
New York, with $50 miles Of pavement, spent
in 1877 Tor street cleaning exclusive OF removing dead
mile, and asks Tor the year 1878 Tor $l,0I1,6lO or
81. $40 per mile.
These figures need no commentary.
PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
Nor is this all IL is well known fact that, In view
OF the unsatisfactory manner in when the streets are
swept and garbage collected most OF the private cit
zens resulting IN tho area bounded by Fourteenth
street the south, Fourth or Park avenues Oh the
east. seventh avenue the west and Fifty ninth
the north, procure the streets in front OF
their residences be swept ana The ashes and garbage
10 be taken away at their own expense and this
monthly expenditure oil 81 to household
1t Is Impossible TO estimate with any degree oil ac-
curacy the total which. IN addition TO their taxes
Is h for street cleaning by private citizcns
and we do not therefore make tho attempt, but the
fact rs by the Police Commissioners universally
recognized that an immense amount Of LABOR Is thus
spared the Street Cleaning Bureau, and should rataby
dim inlsh the OF their work But In answer to
our question:
o What streets are swept by private citizens or
yei sons their employ Give full list on this pontp
. Tho Commissioners reply
A. mi department has no knowledge OF any streets
swept by private Citizens or persons IN their employ,
and Captain Gunner, the Superintendent of tue de-
parimcnt informed your committec that tho streets
IN the aforementioned are all returned by his
inspectors AS regularly swept by his department and
that Gull pay Is drawn for such service
COST OF THE WORK.
What shall be said Of system which thus ignores
q fact so universally recognized, which Is so admins
tered as 10 necesstate the interference oil citizens 10
project themselves at additional expense, from the
discomfort ana unclcanliness incident TO such sys-
TEN. and winch has the hardihood TO claim payment
Tor which tho mere TACT OF this private inter-
ference proves never to have been rendered.
aving out OF account, then, all estimates OF
paid by private parties Tor street cleaning IL
is evident, ia view o the Official figures above quoted.
that the cost OF cleaning this city is-even were the
work well done-enormously dIsproportioned to that
Incurred by sister unities home and abroad,
and at the plea OF Inadequate not be
up by The Police Commissioners as Il competent de-
fence for the condition OF the CITY. One word more
this hint Prior TO the commitment Of tho streets
the Board OF Police the cleaning thereof was done
under contract with Messrs. Brown, Devoe Knapp.
This contract called Tor thorough sweeping Of the
entire CITY once week, and for that OF Broadway and
The r prics to DO paid was $500, 600. The amount
was satisfactory TO the contractors. They never
asked "a, an increase a M both Mr.. Brown
al different times under oath that their profits
aged 500 900 per ycar, and that could they shake
themselves absolutely clear IRON all political influence
those profits would be largely Increased. The Board
Of l'oice claim to do more work than contcun-
plated by the specifications OF the Brown contract nor,
Ia the judgment OF your committee do they do better
But, say people uniformed as TO details OF this
york. extensive and costly apparatus is necessary in
cleaning large city. Have not the Police Board ex-
penued, necessarily, much oil their large appropriation
In the purchase OF SUCH apparatls' Let US sect
PURCHASE OF APPARATUS.
In May, 1876, three years otter the Board assumed
control oil street cleaning, they owned, ms working
material i've small sweeping machines Ia good ordor
aud six unit for use; tour large machines mint Tor
but Ia process oil repair four carts in good
order. lorty department carts working order and
NIFTY broken and stored away as useless
These articles acquired by purchase, but
were Inherited from Messrs Brown, Devoe Knapp,
the former contractors. In like manner number OF
their harness. both horses and harness being OF poor
quality.
Between May, 1876, aud May, 1877. the depart
ment having hired from the city ut nominal
rent the market buildings and wharf at the
loot OF East Seventeenth street, proceeded
there 10 establish shops. Utilize and repair
tue material upon their hands and to get their tools
into some order Your committee have inspected
this estab sh ment. ana eau CONNIE nd the order ana
system whtcn there prevail In May, 1871 the de-
paftment had eleven small machines IN good order,
Tour large machines In good order sixteen water
~ md eIph nil n QI
condition. But u will DO noiiced that the number of
machines has not been increased since 1876; they
have simply been repaired, ana tho increase IN the
number oil carts Is due to purchase but 10 repair
Tug and putting together old material.
In June, 1871, the department owned eighty-two
horses, with proper harness for all thestrcct sweep
ing machines ana water aud Tor lty-seven de-
partnent carts. OF these horses she great majority
had come down from tho old contractors, ana wero
generally disessed and lame. They have good care
and treatment, but hardly cue oi them DO iull
days work. For,y-two carts remained ide Tor want
of horses. and tho Commissioners stronaously
thai The existing Appropriation IS Insufficient TO