Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-03
STREET BOXES FOR PAPER.
The Experiment in Brooklyn a Sue
cess.

The Experiment. in Brooklyn a Sue
From the New York Tribune.
Several months ago the Brooklyn depart
ment of city works, at the instigation of
the Women's Health Protective Associa-
ton, had a number of boxes placed In the
streets for the reception of waste papers
and other rubbish Of like nature The boxes
were made of wood and painted green.
About l25 were made, and they were put
at points where 1t was believed they would
be most useful. In the early part of last
week people going about Brooklyn saw
that there had been a change, and that in
place of the wooden boxes along Fulton
street metal receptacles had been supplied.
The natural Inference from this was that
the experiment with waste-paper boxes had
been successful, and that the wooden boxes
had proved too frail and unsubStantial to
answer the purpose for any length Of time.
Such an Inference would have been partly
right and partly wrong, as any one might
have found had he taken the pains to make
inquiries at the offices of the city works
department.
He would have been told, on going there,
that the boxes had proved useful SO much
So that it had been thought wise to go to
the expense of providing hundred new
wood. The wooden boxes. however, are
not to be split up into kndling wood. They
are to be placed on private streets, while
the metal boxes are to be used on the more
travelled thoroughfareS. The latter are
strongly made and ought to last a good
while. They are oval in shape, with a
hood half covering the top; in dimensions
the new receptacles are about the same as
the old ones They are painted green and
bear the name of the department on both
front and back, and the words For
Waste Paper" on the hood. The new boxes
cost s. each, more than twice the cost OF
those made of wood. The collectors OF
ashes are required to empty these boxes
on their regular rounds, and II they see
one filled when they are not gathering
ashes in the district where 1t stands. they
are bound either to take It's contents at the
time or to send a wagon after 1t specially
as soon as possible.
City Works Commissioner White Is pleas
ed with the result Of the effort to educate
the people of Brooklyn in habits Of cleanli-
ness. The process must necessarily be q
slow one but the quantity of paper thrown
into these receptacles shows that the people
are realizing to a considerable extent the
desirability of not littering the streets.
BROOKLYN borrowed the idea of waste-pa-
per boxes from Boston and its example
has not been without good results, for an
inquiry recently reached the city works
department from New Orleans, where some
thing of the same sort Is contemplated.
One or two other places have also asked
for information regarding the system
adopted in Brooklyn. Some accidents have
happened to the wooden boxes, but there
has been no disposition on the part of
street boys and hoodlums to interfere with
or break them or even to scatter their con-
tents. Occasionally truck passing
close to the curbstone has broken q box.
but there is 10 evidence of intent to do
damage in such a case. OF the 125 wooden
boxes dozen or twenty have been brought
In for repairs. and then sent out to do
duty again. The new iron ones are so
strong that 1t will be almost impossible to
injure them seriously.