Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-17
NEW Y0Rk'S STREETS
Are Cleaner Now Than They Have
Ever Been.
COL. WARlNG as 4 REFORMER
Business Methods Bring About
Pleasing Results.
e 9TH A NJ IS SATISFIED
From City Government.

The difference liz tn. condition and an.
pearance of the streets of New York now
and two years ago is considerable ami
must be apparent even to a casual OBJ
server. That this is fact is universally
acknowledged, and that the credit for the
TACT is due principally to the efforts anG
management of Col. George r. Warning, no
che. not even those who are most unfriend-
ly toward him, doubts for an instant or
attempts to deny.
TO Col. Warning and those who assist him
in the management of the street cleaning
department of this city, cyclists, ho,serlon
and pedestrians owe much. 1t is about TWO
years since Col. Warning was placed in con-
troll Of the streets of the city. Before that
| time the thoroughfares had been in a most
deplorable condition. Despit. The fact that
each year immense sums of m prey Were.
appropriated for The carrying Oh of the
| work of the department, little was done 20
ward improving this condition. Grave hints
that the money was devoted to q purpose
| other than that for which it was appropr3-
ated We're heard on every side. Complaint. l.;
were innumerable; meetings Wcr. held to
protest against the manner in which the
departing mt was being H.ana ged, or, rather,
| mi3managed but all to little purpose
Wheeimen and ped 4strians were especially
| Indignant.
However, the residents Of the city were
| not destined to be imposed upon forever.
| A change was in the air. not only as far as
| the street cleaning department was con-
cerned. but all other departments. The
people revolted. EI cry one here knows the
result of the revolt. Every one remembers
| that famous election when almost every
man chosen for office was member of the
reform" party.
| If the citizens who were elected upon
| that memorable occasion did nothing else
| for the good of the city. they chose man
| TO fill the office of street commissioner who
| fully understood the responsibilities of the
office. a man who was homes, and who
meant to expend every dollar given i'm
| for the Improvement of the city'S streets
on them for that purpose. GeorG. r. War
| ing was that man, and what he has since
| done has proved how wise those who Sc
| lected him were.
Col. Warning had hardly taken the oath Of
| office when he began to look about him to
decide upon where to commence. And this
| decision was in no way easy TO make. ON
all sides he saw room for improvement.
Nothing, in mis- opinion. was being done as
| it should be done. Col. Warning did MOI;
| trust to his subordinates to look about for
him. He did 1T personally, and he did it
| well.
InnuRuratinE Reform.
One of the first acts toward renovating
| the department which the colonel perform
| ed was to call all the sweepers and their
| foremen before him and to examine them
] as to their intelligence. He reasoned that
| a man who was not possessed of ordinary
| learning could rot sweep properly. mas
| much as he would have little principle or
! conscience, and would, therefore, be apt to
| improperly perform the work assigned him.
| Then. too. the commissioner Is more than
ordinarily good Judge of human nature,
and by looking at and talking with the
| men he able to satisfy himself who
We're fit to be in the employ CT the depart
! ment and who We're not. The examination
| of the men necessarily long and ted-
Gus, both to the examiner and the exam
! ined but it had the best possible effect: it
was the cause of lot of fellows. who We're
| supposed to b" workmen but whose hard
| est duty consisted in walking to the offices
| of the department on salary day and draw
| ing their money. being told that their SER
vices We're no longer required.
OF course there was a lot of grumbling
| on the part of the victims and their frio nds-
| The commissioner was called lot of harsh
names. and even some newsD tpers oriti-
| cised him on the ground they alleged, that
| the man We're discharged for patty rea-
| sons. That this criticism was entirely I'M
! fair and unheServed has bean proved to
| the satisfaction of every one.
| In the places of those mer who were dis
missed other men were engaged. Days
! We're spent in selecting men to fill the low
| est positions: much was exercised
| I'm choosing sweeper in selecting
| foreman. 1t was necessary that the ap-
| plicants be of good moral character, sober
and industrious. Drinking was a crime In
| the eyes of the commissioner and would
not be excused under any circumstances
A man who was caught intoxicated was
! discharged on the instant and would not
| be leibstated. The Sweepers were forced
| to dress as neatly as their means would
allow and to be respectful and careful. 1t
was because many of the Sweapers con-
stantly had the appearance of being
| fresh from a rag bag that caused Conn
missioner Warning to decide upon a uni
form. Neatness before every hing" was
| his motto. Make the men think of their
own appearance and they would be more
| DESTROYS of improving the condition of the
| pavement upon which they We're working
| he argued. and he therefore ordered uni
! forms for his men. White was the color
decided upon because of its cleanliness
The material of which the suits were com
| posed was extremely low priced and the
men could buy them at lower rates than
| those charged for other clothing When
| the ever ready small boy dubbed them
| Nv hite Wings and such they are
| known everywhere.
| Col. Warning had another reason for
adopting a uniform for his men He was
| of the opinion that a sweeper dressed in
ordinary clothing could shirk work a great
deal easier than uniform d man. for
| the reason that he would not be SO con-
| spicuous. man wearing a white suit
would not he able to stop work and not be
| Immediately seen by his foreman
| Inc UNIFORM pan las worked admirably
and neither the men who wear it nor those
| who caused it to be adopted have any rea-
son to regret their action. When he first
| took hold of the department Col. Warning
| found that there were few improved an
planes fer Gle aiming the streets The
| wagons in use were antiquated. The
| brooms. shovels and other tools were of
| an unimproved sort.
! Good Material Used.
| The commissioner Immediately expends I'd
| some of the money intrusted to his use IN
| purchasing new and improved TOOLS Ne-v
| wagons were bought, brooms that woul l
| clean were purchased, and other imple-
| ments secured. AS result the sweepers
| were able to do many times more work
| than when they used unimproved tools
| and do it better-far better.
| The foremen who were employed by tie
| commissioner were men who were possess
| ed Of much mere than average intelli-
gence. Among the first instructions they
| received on being employed was that while
| they were to preserve discipline at any
| cost, they were to be just in all their deal
| ings with their subordinates They were
| to see that the streets were cleaned and
| cleaned thoroughly, but they were not to
| curse at the men under them nor treat
| them as slaves. The effect of this treat .