The times., 1897-06-02
Street sHEEP|he BIDS
Advocates Of Hand Labor Before
the Commissioners.
ADVANTAGES POINTED OUT
Employment for Idle Men and Re-
suits More satisfactory Than
Machine Work-Cost of tho Two
Methods Compared Firms Offer
Bids Considered.

The advocates or street cleaning by hand
III the District of Columbia were at the
District building ia force yesterday and
got in several good strokes in behalf of
their proposed system. Their first shot
into the camp of the adherents of the
machine cleaning method was the sub
nIltting of petition to the Commissioners
yesterday morning setting forth tnat I'VE
recommend that the Contract for street
sweeping be awarded TO the ooner ctors
who bid to do it by hand labor, in lieu ur
machines We believe this system vastly
superior 10 the machine work, and IL has
the additional advantage OF giving em-
pioyIneut to much greater number OF
workingmen. We earnestly urge ats aGop-
tion here, as it has been succes ssful liz
New York and elsew here
This petition is signed by about 1000
prominent business men of the city.
i committee appointed at the recent
mass meeting OF the workin gTnen at Grand
Army Hall, Consisting of NJ NJ Holland,
Knox Brown and Rev X. s. Laws, pre-
sented to the Commissioners the resolu-
tions adopted at that meeting in favor OF
hand labor.
The Commissi ioners at II O'Clock gave
a hearing to the various bidders for the
stTeet-cleaning contract Commissioner
Ross explained that the meeting was called
TO accommodate the bidders who had fire.
quently sought interviews OH the subject.
The bidders We're hea I'd in the ofder of
precedence on the schedule.
The fist bidder on the list was George
a. yair, OF Philadelphia. He explained
that his company operated at present in
the Quaker City. 1t used the Brooklyn s;de
sweeper in conjunction with the necessary
hand labor.
He could produce references from the
ex-mayoT and the present mayor as to
the character Of the work accomplished
by his machine, and would furnish any
bond required by the Commissioners.
Mr.. j. II Furness, representing the
Capital Street Cleaning Company, or In
dianapolis, Ind, said his company pro-
posed 10 use side sweepers, gutter ma
chimes, and automatic pickup machines
His firm was at present cleaning the m a iOr
portion Of the street surface of Indianap0-
lis and Columbus, Ohio.
In reply to question from Commissioner
Ross. Mr.. Furness said his firm had done
work at 15 cents per 10000 yards in In-
dianapoiis, which was IL Der cent cheaper
than the bid hero.
Mr. ]. E Riley, who, with Col Charles
P. Lincoln. of this city. represented TIE
Omaha Building and Construction Com
pany, was next heard from. Mr.. Riley
called attention 20 the fact that his bid
was for doing the work as it was being
done at present by machines and men
fsr- Nr
was asked by the Commissioners if his
company operated In Omaha. and admitted
that the legislature OF Nebraska had passed
q law prohibiting the use OF machines in
cleaning streets III that State.
Mr.. A. II. Doggett, the present con-
tractor, next argued In favor Of sweeping
the streets hy hand. He proposed to follow
the general system of street cleaning in
vogue in New York city. He would place
refuse boxes on the principal business
streets and would uniform his men after
the fashion OF the white wings OF New
York. He would divide the city into sec
tions and place a gang OF men In each
section, each gang 10 work exclusively
in and 10 be responsible for its section
The work would probably require the serv-
ices OF 800 additional men and forty carts
Mr.. b. j. Coyle, the next bidder. said
that the work was somewhat out of his
line, but he would furnish machines that
would do the street cleaning satisfactorily
Major L P Wright was the last bidder
TO be heard. He proposed to use the old
fashioned four-horse sweeper in use for
thirteen years in this city.
A general discussion being invited by
the Commissioners. NJ yair related his
experiences with pickup machines in Phila-
deIphia. He had purchased the machines.
costing $500 each, and they had proved
worthless.
Mr.. A A. Bmey, representing the In
dianapolis firn:. claimed for the Indianap-
oils machine every advantage over the
others.
The difference in expense between his
clients method and the hand labor pro-
posed by Mr.. Doggett, was about $40 600
Mr. Hmey held that the matter was a
business proposition and should admit of
no sentiment. If a machine could 90 the
work better and cheaper than a certain
available number OF men, the decision OF
the Commissioners should be in favor OF
the machine It was unfair, he main
tanned. to take extra money out Of the
pockets of taxpayers to maintain such a
system as that proposed by Mr. noggett
Mr.. Doggett responded by asserting that
there was not an available fund OF 81 40,-
coo for street cleaning, there Icing, in
fact, but about half that sum for the pUr-
pose at the disposition OF the Commissioners.
He said that he could do the work 10y hand
labor thoroughly and yet keep comfortably
within the amount at hand He had had
flo in ha l.IfS
street sweeping and had invented three
pickup machines. He had never seen a
pickup machine work in satisfactory
manner
Judge Jere Wilson, representing Mr..
Doggett, pointed out the disadvantage of
automatic pickup machines, and advo-
Gated the adoption of the hand-sweeping
system. As citizen he longed for the time
when the old. noisy machine would be
thing Of the past, and when he could sleep
Throughout the night undisturbed by the
runihling of the machines and the carts
following in their wake to haul away the
sveepings.
The fact. in his opinion. should be con-
sidered that 800 additional men would
find employment in the event of the adop-
tion of the hand-sweeping system
Mr. Milford Spohn. representing the or
ganizec labor of this city, urged the adop-
tion OF TIE hand labor plan on the groond
that it would afford many unemployed men
an opportunity to earn their daily bread
Dr. A. P. Pardon spoke against the ma
chine system, and said that he was willing
to paw an increased tax in order to secure
the sweeping OF streets by hand.
The Commissioners took the matter un-
dor ADJUSTMENT