Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-12
Statement by Superintendent S5utle
Of Street. CLEANING Department.
SUGGESTION OF MUNICIPAL CONTROL
q II
Relative Cost Of Work by District
and by Contract
TO
ESTIMATES ON EPORTS

Superintendent Stutler of the street
sweeping department today submitted to
the Commissioners the following report
upon the subject of municipal control of
street sweeping:
I have the honor to submit herewith a
statement of the relative cost of street
sweeping by hand under contract, at the
rate now paid, ard the cost If done under
District control exclusively. The state
ment Is made in support of recommenda-
ten for action by Congress comforting
upon the Commissioners the authority to
have the work done under their own SUI
pervfsion, proposition which I greatly
favor. - -
1t Is scarcely necessary for me TO argue
in favor Of municipal control as against
the contract system, nor to say that it
will be better, more economical and more
in accordance with public sentiment that
the District shall do the work. The fig
ures submitted below show clearly that
the District will save money by doing
its own work, but independently of that,
the FREQUENT demands through the press
and by letters and petitions on file in my
office asking an extension of the hand
cleaning system indicate clearly that the
people favor municipal control and the
hand-cleaning method.
The following tables furnish a COMPARE
son of the cost of hand cleaning under con-
tract, at the rate now paid. and the cost of
the same work If done by the District, lib
eral estimates being made for the labor re-
quired.
The Aren Cleaned.
Under the present contract for hand work
We are cleaning All, 800 square yards daily,
at 80 cents per LOCO square yards, which
costs the District s133.6O per day. or $685.
IA per annum of 800 working days.
Table No. IA total of 1880 square
yards at 80 cents per 1000 square yards,
$1s3.6O; number square yards cleaned daily,
4It,ooO number men employed to clean
same, 60; average number square yards per
man, 6,62S; number horses and carts, 8.
Table No. howing cost per day-Sixty-
three men per day, 1858; eight horses
and carts, at $50 per day. $40: sixty-three
brooms, wear and tear, 5h cents per dow
cents. Actual cost per day. $s673. This
shows difference of s46S7 per day, or 3d.
1920 per annum, in favor of the District
doing the work
Ii the entire city were cleaned by hand at
the present contract rate, 80 cents per /, 900
square yards: at daily average Of 1. 100. 900
square yards, as proposed, 1t would cost
the District $544 per day, or s157,760 per an
mum of 200 days. "a
Aosavfng Possible.
The actual Cost 10 the District. If we are
doing the work following the men $1.25 per
day., would q be S41S.92 per day. or $121,-
4S6.sO per aniium,7 a saving of s126.OS per
day, or s36,273 20 per annum.
Table No. 900 square yards, at 81
cents per 1000 square yards, $751; 76O; num-
Der OF square yards daily. 100000; aver
age number of square yards per man, 662S;
number of men required, PSI.
Table No. 4. showing cost per day-257
men. at S1.25 per day, $321.25: a3 horses and
carts, at $3.50 per day. $3.50: 257 brooms,
wear and tear. 5 is cents per day, s13.17;
other tools. bag carriers; etc, 81: actual
cost per day, $41&92 making average cost
per 1000 square yards "a. 3-5 cents, as
against 30 cents. the present contract rate
In my estimate I allow % cents more per
day to the men than is paid at present, and
we could pay our labor S1JO per day. and
still save s609S per day
The foregoing estimates are based on the
daily reports OF the hand work from J,ify
l, 1897, to the present date