The evening times., 1897-05-21
STREET WORK BY DAY LABOR
The Proposition Again Before
the Commissioners.
A CHANCE FOR W0RKINGMEN
Four Different Propositions to Do
the Cleaning, But the Hand PROF.
ess Would Give Employment TO the
Greatest Number-Three Hundred
Would BE Kept Busy.

There are hundreds Of unemployed men
in tins city with wives and families to sup
port, who would be glad to work even at
street cleaning.
The problem what to do with the Unem-
ployed has been in part solvedin New York
by USING the men for this work The op-
portuniuy is now open in Washington to
dispose of a large number of our honest un-
employed laboring men in such a way.
Hand labor has been adopted exclusively
in New y York city, and from being the dirti-
est municipality it has been transformed
into one OF the cleanest.
Washington has always been called a
clean city, owing 10 the care given 1t by
the authorities stin there is a chance for
greater cleanliness, and also TO ameliorate
the impoverished condition OF the men
who toll for their daily bread.
The Commissioners advertised recently
for proposals for street cleaning, and in
Their specifications they gave bidders an
opportunity to hid on four different Meth
DDS of doing the Work-first, 10y side sweep
ing machines and hand labor to complete:
second, 10y pcked-ups and gutter machines.
third, TO do the work 10y either the picked
up or gutter machines in connection with
the side sweeTeTs, and, fourth, to do all
the workby handlabOr, without machinery,
Under the first proposition about 100
men would be employed; under the sec
ond and third from 80 to so men, and
under the fourth from 250 to 800 men
would have work.
Under the first proposition there were
three bidders, Col Wright, George A.
Ware, of Philadelphia, aud Albert Dog
gett. Wright and Ware hid % cents, and
Docgett % 3-4 cents. To DO this work
exclusively by machinery there were three
bidders, Mr.. Coyle, of Washington; an
Omaha company and an indianapolis cont-
pany.
The Indianapolis Company was tie low
est bidder. Coyle's hid was rs cents, and
the Omaha Company about % cents;
the indianapolis Company about 2n cents
The Indianapolis Company proposed to
do the work by hydraulic machines, which
are operated by steam engines and which
do away entirely with all the Ia boring men
tn use.
At the last session of Congress a bill
passed the Senate authorizing the Com
missioners to do all street work, such as
street cleaning, paving, sewer building and
ell the other work now dOue under con-
tract by day labor. This also included the
building Of School-houses and other public
buildings.
This bill failed TO pass the House, but
has been reintroduced i'm the Senate by Mr.
Mcmillan, chairman of the District Coin
mittee.
The fourth proposition was included in
the specifications, because Of the bill Ie-
feTed To, and the Commissioners have
been in favor OF this way of doing the work.
Under this proposition tiele was only one
bidder, Mr. Doggett, and his hid was 80
cents per coo square yaIds
In New York city, where hand labor is
exclusively used, the work is all done in
the daytime, without noise and without
dust, and. of course, affords employment
10 a large number of men in a class If
labor which requires no skill, and which
always has a large unemployed element
I'm every city Every iabor Organization
In the District has approved this method
OF doing this work.
There has always been much complaint
Of the dust raised by the sweeping ma
chimes, between May and October, nia',ing
disaGrecable the neighborhoods in which
people sit On their door-steps, and by the
noise made by them in the morning, which
awalsens the people and disturbs the en-
tire city. tits not question OF the lowest
price, but which plan win do the greatest
good TO greatest numbers.
When Times reporter saw Commissioner
wight today and asked him how the pro
posed plan to have the work done 10y day
labor was regarded by the Commissioners
he did not hesitate 10 indorse the position
taken by The Times in the matter
"You may say that the Commissioners