Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-24
ARE THERE MIDDLEMENs
A Letter From Mr.. John II. Crane Upon Il
Payment for Collecting Garbage.

/ - fs H. franc
Payment for Collecting Garbage.
Mr.. John H. Crane called upon the Commits
sioners today and presented letter in which
he said that he had examined tho vouchers
for the collection Of garbage from September
(the date the health officer assumed the bust
ness Of collecting garbage) to September 80, a
period Of twenty-six days. and that they showed
that the total cost Of collecting and removing
garbage during that time was %, 283. 97-con-
| siderably moro than half the amount Of Mr..
Draney's contract for n whole year.
Mr.. Crane adds: 1t amounts to S916.61 per
day, including Sundays
This amount ia divided up as follows, to wit:
d. W. Clarke, collecting garbage and dead ami
mails IS, ZIG. 75 Thomas w. Riley, collecting
garbage. %, 40; E. L. Tolson, one team nine
teen days, collecting garbage, Sl04.50; thirteen
Inspectors. 81, l70.72; pound man for transpor-
tation, $S72; total, IS, 2S3.97.
At this rate for every day in the year the cost
Of collecting and transporting garbage would
foot up to the enormous sum OF $115, 1872. 65, or
nearly eight times the amount Of Mr.. Draney' q
contract. There was an average Of about
As teams on during the 26 days, at $3.50
per day each. An inquiry among the owners
OF teams shows, he says, that the same number
OF teams could have been procured for $3.50
per day by the health officer, providing he had
advertised one day for teams and dealt directly
with the owners.
Mr.. Crane says that he learns that Mr.. Clarke
hired almost all the teams he put on from
other parties at $3.50 per day, while the health
officer paid him IS. 80 per day for them, besides
$8 per day for a dead animal wagon. giving
him an opportunity to make from $50 to $40
per day for occupying the position of middle
man. he putting little if anything into
the business, while the city by paying him once
per week furnished him with the requisite
amount Of capital to pay the owners OF the
teams he hired every Saturday, besides en-
abling him to lay away for himself or divide
with others about $500 per week."
He says that the dead animal wagon belonged
to Mr.. Mann, who could have been dealt with
directly by the health Office and who would
pay premium to be allowed to collect the dead
animals He thinks this way Of doing things
does not look much like economy and reform.
He then criticises the method of collecting the
garbage, the excessive cost and extravaganza
in dealing with middlemen.
He concludes,
II have kept a record of the days the garbage
has been removed from my residence. Some Of
the time it is removed every day. Then, again,
it is not removed for three or four days Sep
TENDER 20 it was removed twice. Three gar
bage wagons went through the alley that day.
two at one time. Such work as this, clearly
proven, % it can be, will release Mr.. Draney
extra expense incurred in the removal OF
garbage.
Il am informed by clerk in the health Office
that as many 800 complaints have come in
during single day since the new system Of
collecting garbage was instituted. which COM
plants were torn up and thrown in the waste
paper basket, without any record being
kept Of them, while during the month Of
August, when Mr.. Draney was doing the
work, record was kept Of all complaints and
the complaints sent to the District building for
your inspection. don't believe the Commits
| sioners would have justified such unfair pro-
ceedings had they known what was being done. I"