Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-18
CITY AND DISTRICT.
THE CASE PROVEN,
n Taxpayer Who Evidently Knows
Something COmmends The Star.

"A Taxpayer Who Evidently Knows
Something COmmends The Star.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
AS one of thousands interested in honest
work and clean streets, L thank you for
the work your corps of reporters did. as
evidenced by the ffve-column account of
Observations on the manner in which our
streets are swept and cleaned by the con-
tractor, published in Saturdays Star. The
District Commissioners have time and
again been reminded Of the miserable work
Eetng done. but as no tangible proof has
been given that they regarded the COM
plainants as anything but set of chronic
GROWERS entitled to no consideration at
TIER hands. 1t really began to look as il
cur streets were doomed to a continuance
of the slip-shod disgraceful methods of
cleaning that they have been subjected to-
and that the taxpayer must further submit
without murTnur- Now. however, that
ne Star IN Its weil-knoWn earnest manner
OF dealing with wrongdoers, has come to
the front and taken hold of the matter
ana. at the first bound, has demons ira ted
heyond cavii that those complaints We're
more IMAM We'll founded, and that there is q
wrong somewhere that needs righting let us
not be disappointed in the belief that IL
VII! go 10 the bottom of the whole business
ana Let the public know why such work
for it.
1t has quite frequently been charged
that the force employed by the contractor
Is not sufficiently large to do the work; he
mas contracted to do property within he
hours Specified viz: 10 pm. to q am and
hence, as a matter of necessity it has to
he sighted The account given by your
reporters would seem to make good those
charges, for in order to put on even an
appearance Of working according to the
terms OF his contract, that Is sweeping
ana cleaning certain assigned streets, as
he.
most important provision of his agreement
Friday Light by CONNIE ncing at 73U pm
ard continuing long past the hour for clos
ing In the morhing. and that, too. under
the most favorable conditions, the severe
doWnpouT of rain the previous night hav-
iEE given him exceptionally clean streets
One thing is certain; the contractor since
july i, 1871 has been sweeping additiola
mllllonS OF square yards of streets over
those he had previously swept for which
extra work he has been paid some two or
three thousand dollars per month more
than he then received. Has his wo king
force been propOrtionately increased? In
this simple problem is the milk of the
cocoanut- For one, j do not believe it has
But there need be guesswork about It,
Vouchers on which he has received lis
pay Will tell the story, and they may be
found in Auditor Petty's office In The Dis-
trlct building Allow me to re.l1sst YOU to
ascertain from them and publish, for pur-
pose OF comparison, how many square
yards OF streets We're swept and clea ned
and the amount paid for said work: how
many EIen, horses. carts, machine sweep
ers and sprinklers were employed and
how many loads of dirt were removed dur
ing the months of July, August and SEN
TENDER. 1873, 1894, 1896, and for the month
OF July just past. giving also the amounts
appropriated by Congress during each year
named for street sweeping. This informa-
ton Will make Interesting reading. ard
let no little light upon the question at
issue TAXPAYER