The sun., 1890-01-05

The Lnborers Keep what Goes IntO
their Pockets-How the Business Grew.
Sun readers who noticed the other day
that Giuseppe Labiols had bid t1,552 per week.
or over $4,000 per year. for the privilege OF
doing the work OF trimming" the scows OF
the Street Cleaning Department. might have
supposed that Mr. Labiolo was one OF those
patriotic citlzens whose delight in serving their
country ia sufficient reward for their labor In
keeping the machinery OF government moving.
Indeed, Mr. Labiole not only. under his con-
tract has to work himself for the city. but he
must pay hundred or SO other mon, at the rate
OF 81 per day to work for the city, too, and he
must besides have carts and horses OF his
own, It is probable that his yearly expendi-
lures upon his work for tho city are nearly
100000. or course tho fact that Mr.. Labiole
gets for himself all he chooses to pick out and
carry of OF the refuse that is dumped into the
citys street cleaning scows, looks like an ex-
PLANTATION OF his willingness to nay so high
for the office Of " "scow trimmer" but even then
1t seems absurd to suppose that what q man
can find in garbage. ashes. ahd street dirt
would be worth over $3.50 day.
But MIR. Labiole expects to make 1t pay at
that rate and as the city has been getting
s1.10O per week for tho same work. and the
contractor getting rich for a year past, 1t Is
than his figures indicate.
To hear that such a fortune should be paid
annually for the privilege Of raking over the
city's dirt and money be made out OF the Job.
brings up visions OF vast quantities OF silver
ware, jewels. coins and occasional rolls OF bills.
lost or thrown away by careless servants tum-
bled about from ash can to cart, and so on down
to the city scows and the eager fingers OF Mr..
Labiole. But as a matter Of fact, Mr..
Laboe gets mono or next to none OF this
part OF the citys waste In regard to anything
valuable and small enough to 60 into pocket,
findings Is havings" on the city scows, NO
matter II somebody is paying $50, 900 year for
the privilege OF sorting the dirt. What the
contractor depends upon to bring him back his
money Is the pick OF the ordinary refuse con-
sistng Of bones, rags and tin cans. which are
valuable In the order named The cans are
worth the lead that is in the solder, bnt bones
and rags are put to numberess uses.
Formerly the city hired three or four men to
each scow to do "trimminG;" that is to stand
below the dump and spread the dirt out level
with shovels as fast as the carts dumped
1t down from the pier. This had to be DONE of
course to prevent @ the scow from being un-
day and Kept whatever they picked UP out Of
the refuse. When Commissioner Coleman
came into office he had a bright idea. 1t oc-
CURED to him that smart man might be ablo
to make enough out OF what he could pick from
the rsfuse to e. md 1t worth his while to hire
quickly found, but he hadn't had the job long
before letters began to come In rom other men
to hs S r ss 5FsFf %
was SIS por week. and this tho Commissioner
accepted. Whenever he got higher offer he
again, and finally the price got up to 5000 nor
week. BY this time the matter had become so
important that the Commissioner concluded to
m n ke a n n
tlsed for Lids. The first yearit went to a man
who bid 500 per week; 1t struck the sl.lO9
Rear ark f e the nent 9iddnE and now the third
The fact that the city now gets $4,000 per
indicate that anybody else formerly got the
$SO.00O that now comes to the city When moth
ing was paid for il nothing was made from it.
and the increase in the price paid for the priv
ilege Is simply an indication OF improvement
in the, efficiency in the work Of raking the
might be worth even moro II the city would
accommodate itseli to the convenience OF the
one load at a time it would be easy for @ two @ or or
I hree men TO rescue every bone and rag from
he rubbish: but, Of course. all the city does Is
possible. and when twenty cart loads come
over together. or nearly SO. 1t is impossible for
the contractors men to inspect more than O
small portion OF it.
How much or how little stuff usually classed
as valuable really goes over the dumps Is q |
the dumps and see the Italian laborers at work |
say that there is a great deal of 1t. Whoever |
lnds 1t grabs it and gives no other sign than |
a quick thrust of the hand into a pocket aud |
n Grunt OF satisfaction, but 1t is known that |
silver knives and forks and such small arti-
cles are found in great numbers. while $40 |
gold pieces are occasionally picked up. Silver
coin. also. is abundant in the dirt, and some
times quito valuable Jewslry is found.
The money that the Street Cleaning Depart
nent realizes from this contract, instead OF
going. as would naturally be supposed. to help
pay the expenses of cleaning the streets. is
urned over to the COMPTROLLER and by him
added to the Sinking Fund. This is the law
yet around 1t. 1t has been endeavorng Tor
several years to have the Board OF Estimate
set this money aside for the use Of the depart
Board has already reduced the appropriation
or the department. from $250,0O0 to $4,000,
lciency by adding the $4,000 to the revenues
VI the department