Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-17
DAGGETT'SCONTRACT
Street Sweeping Specifications Must
Be Complied With.
COMMISSIONER ROSS TAKES ACTION
He Issues Positive Instructions to
the Superintendent.
som e EXPL \ n \ I Q y )

Roth Commissioner Ross and Superln-
k.ndeut McKinzie, the latter of the street
and alley cleaning department, expressed
themselves today to a Star reporter as not
other than pleased al The Stars investiga-
tion of the manner in which the forces OF
the street-sweeping contractor performed
their duties Friday night last.
II was glad to see the story, said Mr..
Ross. 1T is good thing to look into these
matters, and the Commissioners have no
time at their disposal to personally oversee
every phase of the work done under con-
tract with the District
The views of Superintendent Mckinzie
did not vary from those Of Commissioner
Ross. Furthermore. az result of The
Stars publication descriptive of the work
of the street sweepers, the work hereafter
will be performed, except, perhaps, In some
special cases. between the hours stipulated
In tine contract-lO pm and am instead
of appearing on the streets before Z 30 p. M,
and making the evenings disagreeable to
householders and residents of the city gen.
orally at a time when folks are usually oc-
cupying their front doorsteps and yards,
the sweHpers Will not attempt to operate
until 10 pm. for Commissioner Ross today
personally directed Superintendent Nc
Kinzie to to it that the terms OF the
contract are strictly adhered to.
Are the Commissioners aware that the
terms of the contract with the street
sweeping contractor IN regard to the time
limit IN which the cleaning should be done
are being violated?" Commissioner Ross
was asked by Star reporter today.
Il for one was not cognizant Of the fact,
but see by a morning paper that the con-
tractor admits that such is the case" re-
piled Commissioner Ross. Il will send for
Ia riy end ayf aud hat ho
to say.
Allowed Because of No Complaint.
After a conference with Superintendent
McKinzie, Commissioner Ross stated that
the former permitted the sweeping outside
the hours mentioned beca use no complaint
against such a course had been received.
and for the reason that he believed he was
authorized IN allowing such to be done un-
der a paragraph in the contract, which
provides: The daily sweeping must be
done between the hours OF 10 pm. and u
am. in the summer and 10 pm. and I'm.
IN the winter. The sweepings must be re-
moved from the streets within two hours
from the time of sweeping. In special
cases the Commissioners may direct such
variation from these hours as in their
Judgment snail be advisa ble''
Sometimes during the winter" explain
Ell Commissioner Ross. the sweeping is
coE2nenced in the middle of the day, for
the reason that at night the water from
the sprinkling carts freezes as soon as 1t
reaches the asphalt So long as no COM
Paint was made the superintendent felt
Justified. under the paragraph cited, III
allowing the sweeping to be done early in
the evening"
Contract Antedntes the EiGht-Hour
Law.
is not the working of the employees of
tie contractor from Z to o'clock in the
evening until after o'clock the following
morning Il violation of the eight-hour
law" the Commissioner was asked
Not in this instance" he replied. 1.-The
eisht-hour law was approved August l.
ls'2. while the contract with Mr.. Daggett
was entered into June o. 1892. The law
provided tnat contracts then in force would
Lot be affected by its passage"
Ihat the work of the street-sweepins
contractor has not been what 1t should
Is demonstrated by the official reports of
the inspectors The daily reports since Au-
gust l show that an average of between
onH-third and one-half of the sweepiuz
dcne has been cut off," that is that much
OF the work has been disallowed and will
not be paid for, mainly because. in the
opinion of the inspectors, the streets were
badly swept"