The San Francisco call., 1895-05-24
THE STREET COMMITTEE,
Dohrmann'S Interesting Report
on the Art of Sweep
ing Clean.
WRESTLES WITH AsHWORTH.
Appropriations for Paving Folsom
Street and Sweeping the
City.

President Dohrmahn of the Merchants
Association appeared before the Street
Committee of the Board of Supervisors
yesterday and gave an account of his
stewardship as an apostle and guardian of
clean streets.
Mr.. Dohrmnan reminded the com mittee
that the time was approaching when ar
rangements must be made for keeping
the streets clean for another year, and
that the merchants must not be depended
upon to pay for the work by personal
subscriptions. In other words, sufficient
provision must be made for it in the tax
levy to be made.
He explained to the committee how the
Merchants Association in an effort in be-
half of cleaner streets had undertaken to
experiment in the work of cleaning them;
how they had secured the contract by bid
ding lower than cost, relying upon fund
to be raised by them by subscription; how,
without any practical knowledge or data
they had induced the preceding board to
postpone the letting of the contract until
they had worked out their problem; how
they had prepared specifications on basis
OF square yards instead of lineal miles,
and that the streets were not only to be
cleaned but kept clean.
10 do thlS-the system III vogue in six
teen out OF eighteen cities with which they
had corresponded-hand labor had been
introduced in great measure, and the
men We're kept employed all day. AS a
result of their experience of these seven
months it was found that the cost of clean
ing the streets in this way would be about
$3.50 day.
Unfortunately, the city had been unable
to meet the obligations involved, even by
the inw hid an6 fhau ha6 boay, Oh tn
work only five days week in consequence.
They had also been compelled, upon the
Street Superintendent's advice, to neglect
certain portions of the city.
Now the time had come to report their
experience for the benefit of the board.
If the City desired to improve and perpet-
uate this system it must appropriate suffi-
cient money for the purpose.
The Merchants Association had lost
money on their bid, as they expected to,
and if it was to be let to contractor who
hoped to make anything by it not less
than $500 dav, oy $150,OOo, must be pro-
ylded 10 meet the expense.
The City had enjoyed the greatly i'm
proved condition of the streets and would
not tolerate the old order of things, but
the Merchants Association, organized
the City officials in advancing the the
interests of the City, and successful
beyond its best expectations in that line,
would nevertheless not again attempt to
subsidiZe the City to secure the contract.
The figure given of the cost of their work
was, he said, exclusive of superintendent
and the interest on capital invested-it was
simply the cost of doing the work.
He explained, further, that their expert
ence had produced some astonishing re-
suits. Their bid had been 80 cents square
yard for the less freQuented streets; double
that in Montgomery and other streets in
that district, and treble that for Market
street. They had depended in this bid on
10000 to be subscribed by citizens.
Their estimate had been so close upon
the cost-had they got all that the City
agreed to paw, which they had not-that it
would look like a fixed-up job if he named
it. But this was net result and not an
average following of the bid. For while
they had made profit on Market street,
they had lost greatly on some other
streets.
For instance, three cleanings of Ken
tucky street, at Railroad avenue. had cost
$272 80. They had removed from the
street-it had never been cleaned before
26S loads of dirt. For this work they were
allowed under the contract price SAL 81,
their loss being $3.50 63 on this one street.
A number of similar instances lwere cited.
The all-day sweeping was found to re-
duee the cost greatly, for the street once
1T clean. The corps of sweepers numbered
about 211.
1--WE have not employed the best men for
the work, either" explained Mr.. Dohr-
mann, "but rather have taken those who
seemed most to need the work. Our fore
his men with view to their capacity, he
could get better results at less cost"
Superintendent of Streets Ashworth here
began to state some views on the matter.
He thought $3.50, 900 was big sum to de-
vote to street cleaning. He thought $780,
600 was above the limit.
"It can be done for that sum as good as
you do it." he said. 81 have seen men
sweeping on the streets where it was per
fectly clean, and we have to pay for that
labor. l don't believe in this system at all.
| believe in having the streets swept by
the mile, then you know what we are get
ting. There is lot of machine work done
now and don't see that it is done bit
better than it was before; besides it will
take half a dozen deputies to go after these
sweepers under this system
"Ihe difference between the two Sys-
tens, said Mr.. Dohrmann, quietly, sis Just
the difference between the streets as you
see them to-day and the streets as they were
year ago--the difference between cleaning
40 miles and 140 miles. I have been act.
lively engaged for seven months in keeping
the streets clean. Am to be told that I
know nothing about itP We never had
clean streets before. Under our system
they have been measurably clean. You
talk about sweeping by the mile. By that
plan Market street is subjected to the same
treatment as is Minna street. If YOU can
not understand or appreciate this differ
ence or the difference between the streets
as they were and as they are, there is no
use arguing about it,
"But l have this to say, that the mer-
chants of this City and the people at large
will not stand it. Our system is that en-
| ployed in almost all the cities of the coun-
| try. We have been behind all other cities
in this matter and it is time we were catch
| ing up. You have seen in the figures that
| l, present here how much it has cost to
clean up streets that have never before
known sweeper, and you ought to know
how much these stoop-shouldered old
sweepers look like angels to the people
who live on these streets. You have said
that the City IS paying for sweeping streets
that are already clean.
That is the strongest argument in behalf
OF this system. We want such streets
We want our men, although constantly on
guard, to be practically idle in the middle
OF the day as evidence that they are really
always at work. Take the men off Market