The San Francisco call., 1896-02-22
Merchants Threaten to Let the
Streets of the City Go
Dusty.
MUST USE MUNICIPAL FUNDS.
They Will No Longer Bear the
Private Expense of a Public
Function.


unless at the public expense. Such is
practically the determination Of the mer-
chants that have for many years con-
tributed privately to have the dust settled
in the main business thoroughfares.
Partly through the efforts of the Mer
chants Association, an appropriation of
$500 was made last year for cleaning
and sprinkling the streets, but up to the
present time not cent of the amount has
been spent upon sprinkling. No contracts
have been let for the work, although the
merchants have repeatedly requested the
Board of Supervisors to take action upon
the matter. But somehow the subject has
only been revived each time and then
allowed to subside, after being mysterious
ly laid aside by the Board.
The report at the end of the first six
months of the fiscal year shows that there
remains of the $4,000 supposed to be en-
ployed in the half-year for cleaning and
sprinkling, balance of over $4,000.
From this showing the merchants argue
that there is money for sprinkling; that it
was appropriated for that purpose and
cannot be diverted to another; that the
people generally are paying extra taxes
incident to the increased street cleaning
-
except in the old and limited manner and
at the expense of the few merchants who
are thems selves subjected to an additional
burden by reason Of having to pay pri-
vately for what they pay taxes for and do
not receive.
Until recently no perceptible opposition
was offered to municipal streets prinkling.
The only objectors had been the five or
six owners of private sprinkling routes
maintained by particular merchants. 1t
was to protect these people in their occu-
pations that the Merchants Association
obtained division Of the street contracts
into the sweeping and sprinklihg depart
ments. But none of the present sprinklers
would bid for the City privilege, nor would
any of them listen to a proposition made
by the Merchants Association of employ
ing their wagons, including driver and
team, at S. day each. Otner persons Of
fered bids ranging from 25 cents down to
cents per 1000 square yards sprinkled, but
those bids have never been acted upon.
Some of the property OF the
Mission, Hayes Valley and other outlying
districts have entered a protest against
having public funds used to sprinkle any
particular part of the City. Attorney John
7. Dare represents the interests OF 750 per-
sons whose petition has already been
filed with the Supervisors, and fully that
many more whose names have been OBJ
tanned since. They object to the City
sprinkling any streets unless all the streets
can be sprinkled, and assert that the pro-
posed plan of sprinkling only the main
business districts em5odies the principle
of taxation of the many for the immedi-
ate benefit of the few.
The merchants. some Of whom have
been maintaining private sprinklers for
nearly twenty-five years, do not concede
that they are the only ones benefited.
J. Richard Freud. secretary of the Mer-
oh ootc iYn nd
for it, said:
perintendent with the driver of sprinkling-
cart furnished at our expense, to make esti-
streets included in the specifications for City
sprinkling, according to the understanding at
the time the extra $50, 900 was appropriated.
He found that the original estimate OF $40 900
per wear would be more than enough for the
prescribed area and enough tor much outside
of the district.
The point made by the Merchants Associa-
ton, and it is borne out by Supervisor TAYLOR,
is that If the original estimate for sweeping
and sprfnkling WAS 10000, why should the
merchants now be asked to contribute pracui-
cally for what is already paid for by the City
funds now in the vaults?
There is no disposition on the part of down.
town merchants to detract from the interests
of the merchants in the outlying districts. We
maintain that to sprinkle the main streets
where the greatest amount of traffic is done
and where the mos, peoI lie go constantly, is a
|
where sprinkling is so necessary as here, be-
cause of the sandy soil and the strong winds
In three days recently a man from the Mer.
chants Association got S35 OF the best and
largest business firms in the City to sign petit
ton to the Supervisors to let the bids for
sprinEling. Last August the street-sweeping
contract was let to the lowest bidder, but the
sprinklng bids offered at the same time have
not been noticed.
The residents generally come in Tor the ben
eft to be derived from sprinkled streets, be-
cause the members OF every household must
use the main thoroughfares in doing their
shopping and in going to and from the main
business centers of the City. Heretofore il has
been two or three or more of the most enter
prising and public-spirited merchants in a
| block that have had to bear all the expense oi
a benefit in which the other merchants, the
| occupants of upper stories and the public us
| ing the street have shared. They have decided
| to stop 1t.
very much more extensive than is generally
supposed and includes every business street in
! the City-Market, most of the streets branch
| ing to the north and west, and for distance
of many blocks, and all the business streets
south OF Market
President Dohrmann OF the Merchants
Association said:
| The people have paid for the sprinkling, and
why don't they set il :?
If the sprinkling is done down to San Jose
! avenue the Southern Pacific station, the ferry
and all round the business part about Market
| and north of Market, out Montgomery and
Van Ness embracing district where every
body goes, where the business and the traffic is
greatest and the most people are annoyed by
| the dust, sprinkling is a benefit to all Is the
sprink ling not in such cases done where the
greatest taxes are paid?
1t is always the storekeeper that has had to
pay nine-tenths of these voluntary taxes for
private sprinkling. l do not speak from per-
sonal motives, because fear nothing The