Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-07
TIE GARBAGE SERVICE.
mr John II. Crane Presents Some Views on
an Interesting Subject


Tc he Editor Of The EVENING star:
In your report on the garbage contract. pub
lishej In THE sTAa of the Sd instant, you quote
Auditor Petty "a saving: Il known nothing
about the District refusing to pay Mr.. Draney
for work done durinS August / assume, how
ever. tina, the money Mr.. Draney refers 20 is
that allowed by the Commissioners for addi-
tional services. This first happened in 1888.
when the Commissioners entered into con-
trac: with Mr.. Draney. whereby he was to col
lect every dAy during the months of July and
August instead Of three times per week, as set
forth in tie original contract The contract
was continued in 1889 and 1890. but this year
the Commissioners refused TO allow any addi-
tional compensation for extra services. They
did, however, allow him an additional 5000 for
extra services during July, but as / under
stand do not propose to pay any additional
sum for the services during August.
IL entitled to SGG0 extra pay IN July, then
Mr.. Draney il just "a clearly entitled 10 StOo
extra in August. II not entitled TO extra pay
in August. then how could Mr.. Petty audit and
pass the extra $500 paid III July? Mr.. Petty Is
sworn TO audit the accounts correctly. IL IS
for that he IL paid n salary OF S3OOO- IL mat
tiers not what the Commissioners may saw
They have no legal power to compel the AUDITOR
Go audit an Illegal account The auditor. above
all Others should thoroughly understand the
meaning Of all contracts for II Is TO him we
look TO protect US from the payment of Illegal,
unjust or fraudulent claims
II the auditor will read the contract for extra
allowance once more carefully he will see that
he has not interpreted IT correctly Ihave be-
fore me a COPY Of the extra contract for 1890
which. according to the auditor. Is a continue
ton of the contracts OF 1855 and 1899. 1t says
nothing about July. but providesfOr giving the
contractor an extra allowance of S53I.oS per
month mot $500 as stated by the auditory for
collecting garbage daily during tine months Of
August. September and october, 1880. and
April. MAJ and June, lo9l. from all Restaurants
oyster houses. green grocer establishments and
boarding houses, which places axe not men
ti"aed in the original contract.
This important omission in the five years
contract may perhaps surprise. for the first
time. the auditor and Commissioners. well
~ the public for the places named aeeuniu-
late more garbage than all other places in the
oity.
This five years contract which covers not only
the unexpIred term of the Commissioners that
made IL. but the entire term of their successors
ard Two months beyond. as well as a part of the
term of President Cleveland and nearly the
entire tenn Of President Harrison. IS certainly
= curiosity. In the opinion of some of our best
lawyers II contains lOoPholes big enough for
Mr.. DraHey to drive through 1t with his thirty
siX garbage wagons
The contracting parties, after adding the
terms Of payment and sureties. might well
have stopped at the first section. The only
G:fhculty IN the way would be the interpreta-
ton that different parties might put upon the
words prompt removal of all garbage. But
they concluded TO go on through several more
pages of "foulscap "a very proper kind OF
paper or which to write such eontract).
The original contract says not one wcrd
about collecting garbage from restaurants.
oyster houses. green grocers or boarding
hOnses, except what may be inferred from the
language OF the first section As the sections
that fellow specify how often garbage shall be
collected from dwelling houses, hotels and
market houses. emitting all other places, the
inference can be fairly drawn that the contract
ing parties regarded such omitted places rs I'M
important or else forgot to put them In. The
collection OF garbage from such places hinges
upon the construction put upon the words
prompt removal" in the first section. 1t will
be observed that the original contract provides.
for the daily removal OF garbage from hotels
and markets and for its removal three times
per week from dwelling house The extra con
tract MAKES no mention OK dwelling houses.
and a. the daily removal of garbage Is pro-
vl,ied for In the original contract for hotelsand
market houses IL Is difficult to understand
what Auditor Petty means when he says 1.-The
extra contract was executed for the purpose of
causing the daily removal of garbage, unless
lie means restaurants. oyster houses. green
groceries and boarding houses, that are not
named in the original contract.
The trouble with regard to the collection of
the responsibility fo- which rests on the health
Office quite much on the eontractsr. The
contractor Is powerless to- cOEpel people TO de-
liver their garbage This part Of the business
rests with the health officer. The law and the
contract make II his duty to see TO this matter.
j have wondered as / have the poor fell
lows humping in rain at back gates, calling out
..slops' for ten or fifteen minutes. how they
nave been able to make any progress The idea
of systematiZing the work by districting the
nj ira nF.p Rgfn tam
porarily / believe first suggested by the I'M
tiersigned in letter to Col. Robert and also
verbally TO DR.. Hammett in answer to a ques-
ton BY him to the best way of promptly
causing the collection Of garbage. 1 did not
go into details. but supposed the proper course
10 pursue would sugges; Itself TO the health
officer.
/ am unable to see wherein the ten extra in
spectOrs have done any good We all know
The garbage was not collected Why pay $50
per day to ten men to walk about town and
ask citizens if their garbage is collected with
out suggesting a remedy for the evil! These
inspectors should each be provided with a
printed form for each district. stating the days
when the garbage wagon will call This GER
tiicate should require housekeepers to keep
their garbage in clean tight vessels. To be
placed outside the back gate on the morning
when the garbage wagon Is due. Ii should be
signed by the health officer and filled In with
the name of the hOusekeeper when left The
inspector, on leaving such notice, should
enter in book the name of the person, with
the name and number of the street where the
notice is left | had this very question of
garbage TO contend with twenty-three years
ago IN the old Fourth ward, and though at the
time we collected the garbage daily from
April To December l found no trouble in col
Letting il under this system.
The health officer. as reported in The STAR.
says he Is pOwerless to act. He can only look
on. trusting 10 the Commissioners and the con-
tractor To do the work. Mhy pOwerIeSSY The