Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-21
That Garbage MIDDLE.

A very remarkable person is the District
yarbage contractor. Perhaps he is not al
.Cgether to blame for it is the kno Nn GUS
tom of contractors of all sorts to take adj
vantage of eN cry opportunity TO increase
the amount of the profits for which they
labor. IT may. therefore. be more nearly
the proper thing 10 say that it is the sys-
TEN i'll which the garbage contractor is so
prominent figure that should be referred
20 as remarkable. Recent and reliable in
formation is to the effect that the contrac-
tor requires the District of Columbia to
pay him the sum of $50 .46 for one
years work. although the contractor is
fully aware that the entire appropriation
for that period is only $4,000. and that the
amount stipulated in his contract is but
SJI,uOO. But there are two sides to this, as
to every other. question. and if any consid-
Grafton is given the equities involved it
VIII be impossible for the unprej :Idiced per-
sen to reach any other conclusion than
that the contractor has already received
very much more than the sum 10 which he
can fairly lay claim. For four months of
what was said 10 be extraordinary service
prior to the execution of the present con-
tract-the contractor received the unquas-
tionably exorbitant recompense of ST.
I6li6 That experience gave MIN a vo-
racioUs appetite for public +unIs, and it is
this appetite which he wants the public to
satisfy, although he has been giving the
people of this city, for most of the terIn
collection and disposal service not much, if
any, superior to that which was rendered
when the garbage appropriation vas only
about twenty-four thousand dollars TO
the garbage contractor and to the Dis
trict Commissioners who have encour-
aged his Cupidity and Condoned his
iLefficiency this claim for increased COM
pensatiOn may have the appearance of
being serious, but to the public generally
it is disgusting absurdity. The eNpan-
sion of the garbage appropriation from
S2i4I3 to $4,000 was for the purpose of
substituting perfect collection and innox-
ious disposal for the go-as- you-please and
extensively odorous methods which had
commonly prevailed To some extent there
has been improvement. but it has never
been worth anything like the considerable
sum of money expended under the contract
row in force Recently. and with the con-
sent of the authorities, the conUractor-who
is being paid at The, rate of So 900 d year.
and who wants nearly nine thousand dol
lars mOre-has resumed business as to part
or his service on the old ST 900 basis. In
stead of inoinerating or reducing all the
city 5 refuse, he is piling it up On the gar
hage, wharf and shipping it down the Po-
tOmac in sCows whenever he deems it con-
Eenient to do so; with some shadow of a
legal right, he Offends the 1o5trils Of those
who reside near the shores of the Potomac
in Maryland and Virginia south of the Dis
tTict line, and his scOws are unmitisated
and inexcusable nuisances to the tens of
thousands of Washingtonians and visitors
no patronize river excursions during the
heated term. The garbage system, as it at
present exists, is discreditable in every root
and branch. There has been ample orpor-
tunity to establish satisfac tory, modern
SiocTo service in return for the Districts
SfD"O appropriation. If nothing letter
than the old service is to ne rendered,
nothing more than the old appropriation
should be paid