Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-06-06
LET US HOPE so.

In view Of the arrangements which
have just been completed to give the
citizens Of Chicago cleaner streets
Mayor Swift feels that he has been
treated unfairly by the citizens Of
N0rth avenue who recently hanged him
In efiigy.
''This year will see better and clean.
CO streets In Chicago than ever before.
II the people will only he patient with
o." said the Mayor. I'VE cannot do
II all ut once. though, and 1t will re-
Quire time before this promise can be
redeemed.
II have been In conference with Mr..
Rhode. superintendent Of the depart.
meut," he continued. "nnd I am con.
WINGED he will lie able to put the streets
In excellent shape In a few weeks. AZ
It In, We are doing all we can. The
contractors who are doing the work
are instructed to operate from the CEN
ter Of the city toward the limits. 1t
seems to me that IL the most natural
way to do the work.
There II now employed force Of
men and wagons sufficient to clean
1,S00 miles Of streets every month.
This exceeds the work Of last year over
1000 miles month. Chicago has
100 miles OF paved streets, and the
force We now have employed will en-
able us to go over all the streets In the
city once every twenty days. The I'D
mlnlstrntiOn adopted new plan this
year with regard to the street cleaning.
When the present administration came
Into power, over year ago. It found
that $4,000 OF the total apprOpria ton
Of $23O,OOO had been expended. With
the remaining $4,000 we did as much
work as possible during the next nine
months. This year. instead Of expend.
ing the greater portion Of our apprO-
priatlOn In cleaning the snow from the
streets, We have succeeded In saving
enough TO increase the service during
the summer months.
You will find the streets In the dOwll-
town district comparatively clean. As
fast M we can reach the other streets
they will be cleaned. Complaints come
In from the residents OF the outlying
territory every day concerning the con.
ditiOn Of the streets In their particular
lseighbOrhOod. But we cannot send a
contractor to all these places. II we
did, he would spend most Of his time
travelling 10 the places where the com.
plants come from. When | visited Mr..
Rhodes office yesterday ! found the
department In the best OF condition.
Everything Is arranged In careful
manner, and special precautions are
laing taken to guard against fraud.
] am Informed by him that at the end
Of the week he will have finished 300
miles OF macadamized streets. Squads
Of wOrkmen are moving north, south.
and west as fast as possible.
THE contracts have been let for this
year at the rate Of $3.50 per mile.
which II Il saving Of So on the figure of
last year. This enables the department
to make much greater showing with
the same amount OF money. The ap-
prOpriatiOn for this work Is entircl,
inadequate, and falls far below that OF
other cities. New York especially has
an appropriation much greater than
here.
''The money appropriated here f0l
street cleaning allows 'G cents per mil,
for the work, although II costs $3.50
The same thing is true with reference
To the garbage. as we are allowed only
II cents per ton for It's removal. We
dnnnOt do the work unless we have
money. Last year the funds We're en-
tirely exhausted, and II was necessary
10 postpone the work until the appro
priatiOn OF the following year became
Efforts have been made 10
guard against n repetition Of this dur. |
Ing the present year. The funds now in 1