The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-03
CLEANER STREETS WAN TED
The Merchants Association
Sharply CriticiSeS Ash
Worth'S Work.
FILTHY HIGHWAYS THE RULE.
A Demand on the Supervisors That
the Street. Cleaning Be Done
by Contract.

1t is expected that to day the Street
Committee of the Supervisors will take
some action with reference to street clean
ing and sprinkling. The members of the
Merchants Association are fearful that
the Supervisors will tIrn the job over to
Superintendent of Streets Ashworth, who,
they charge, has been doing the work in
very unsatisfactory manner since the as
soclation's street-cleaning contract ex-
pired. 1t was the purpose of the associa-
ton to take this work out of politics, give
the public clean and well-kept streets and
furnish employment for several hundred
deserving men who were unable to do
other work. Above all, strict economy was
observed.
It was with considerable apprehension
that this work was even temporarily
turned over to the Superintendent of
Streets, and since then the merchants
worst fears have been, they say. realized.
The 200 old experienced hand sweepers
were dismissed and lot of politicians put
in their places. Machine sweepers. the
property of prominent Democratic poll
tlclan, were put to work at a good profit
to the owner, and all the time the streets
have become covered with filth.
Fearing that this deplorable state of af-
fairs NAV continue the Merchants Asso-
cation now demands that the streets shall
be kept clean and the business taken out
OF the hands of politi clans. The following
letter, which was last evening sent to each
member OF the Street Committee of the
SD pervisors, demands clean streets, and
shows how this can be accomplished in a
much more econo mical manner than if
continued in the ands of Superintendent
Ashworth
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2, 1895.
Hon. -, Member Of the Street Committee, Board
| Of Supervisors, San Frdncisco--DEAR SIR: Dur
ing the unsettled condition of the City's
finances, ana the fact that its own funds were
exhausted, this association turned the street
cleaning over to the Superintendent of Streets
last July, as ordered by you.
Our experimental contract of nearly one year
had enabled this association to prepare specifi-
cations VIII ich were accepted by you. Reason
able bids were made for new contract, and 1t
was felt that our mission had been fulfilled,
and clean, wholesome, well-sprinkled streets
were permanently secured for this City. It
was expected that your honorable board would
award the contract at once after your vace ton.
For this reason this association did not COM
plain when, during the interval, the work was
not satisfactory.
1ulS CUUtTdcL has uOl SeI Dteu dNdIueu anu
we are now informed that you are considering
the advisability of making the present arrange
ment permanent This induces us to submit
to you the present situation from the stand
point OF this association. as well as that OF the
Taxpayers OF this City.
We are satisfied that Mr.. Ashworth and those
whom he placed in charge intended and
deavored to give the City the best permitted
by the conditions under which this City's work
is now done. We have, however, observed sew
eral errors which interfered with their success.
Without disparaging the efforts OF the Superin
tendent OF Streets and his assistants, we beg to
point out these errors:
While Mr.. Ashworth retained Messrs. Steph-
enson and Carpenter, who had charge of the
work for US and proved very capable, he did
not retain the well organized and well trained
working force which 1t has taken nearly year
to get together.
Considerable time passed before commencing
work in earnest, so that at the very outset
considerable dirt accum ulated.
Mr.. Ashworth's standard for sanitary clean
streets is evidently of older date and not the
one now exacted. He stated before the Board
of Supervisors that he could keep the streets
clear for $10O, 900 year or less. He evidently
tried to make good this assertion, for he never
yet employed enough force to give III quality
or quantity the required service.
Only two-thrds OF the quantity of sweeping
that the association did has since been done.
Fully 100 cubic yards or forty wsgon-loads, or
over two carloads OF sweepings were in conse-
lence allowed to accumulate every day. This
going on now for nearly two months is begin
ming to be noticeable in most parts of the City.
Almost half of the total area swept daily by our
association was kept clean all day. Only one
fourth of Its work was done by machine, and
during the last month the entire work was
done by hand labor. Mr.. Ashworth reversed
this entirely. He had two-thirds done by ma
machine and only one-third by hand labor, and
small fraction of that only was really kept
clean all day.
That the quality of the work suffered by COM
parison naturally follows. Mr.. Ashworth criti-
cised our work severely and rejected some that
was fairly we'll done. He has not maintained
this standard, as we hoped he would, but has
since permitted work that was not as good as
that rejected from u.s. Besides, the hauling
away of sweepings has often been neglected or
poorly done.
1t may be claimed that these shortcomings
were natural in the beginning That they
could have been avoided has been shown
above. The experience and assistance of this
association were available, but were not ae-
cepted or used. It is likely that the work may
improve in time. 1t is not probable, however,
that it Will, under present conditions, come up
in quality to the proper standard. We have
not been furnished with the cost of the work
as done at present. We know what it has cost
us. and figuring the difference between that
and the price the City pays, $5 per day for
wagons and So per day for labor, all eight
hours work, we can estimate very closely what
the cost will be to do the work as we had it
done and as the new specifications require it,
We inclose tables showing the quantity of
work as well as comparative cost These
clearly prove that under no circumstances can
the new specifications be worked out under
| present arrangements. The appropriation Is
$15O,00O, OF which $4,000 is calculated for
sprinkling. The sweeping, provided in the
Specifications, would alone much more than
exhaust the entire appropriation at the rates it
would cost II done under the Superintendent of
Streets. Under the contract rate the entire
| specifications can be worked out fully for
| $3.50 900. which is estimated for sweeping.
| This will leave $4,000 for sprinEling,
enough to have the entire business portion
| kept free from dust, and relieve our merchants
| of the unequal and unjust tax for street
sprinkling, which they should otand will not
| hereafter pay.
| The Superintendent has never asked that the
| sweeping should be done by his department..
| He has surely now found that he was mistaken
in his estimate OF the cost. No doubt he will be
| glad to be relieved of the work.
The new specifications fully provide for the
| quality and quantity of the work to be done.
| 1t will Gully be necessary for the Superintend-
ent to apply his former high standard in ac-
cepting work and there need be no fear that it
will not be satisfactorily performed. The Mer-
chants Association will also see 10 1t that its
specifications are fully complied with.
1t appears, therefore, that the right and
proper thing for your committee to do is to
award the contracts without delay, for both
sweeping and sprinkling, to the lowest bid
ders.
This association undertook to solve very
difficult problem when it worked nearly year
to find the best methods to clean the streets of
this City. The merchants made great sacri-
fica ~ sr bspribinr nearly $40 600 tn h p ra "