The times., 1897-09-23


1897, was submitted TO the Commissioners
yesterday.
The amount appropriated for the year
1897 was S130 500 for per diem labor
and other expenses, and $4,000 for sal
aries ulakiEe a total OF S154,500. The
expenditures for the year were $3.50, II 81
for per diem labor, and $1,000 for sal
aries. leaving balance OF $2S.09 un.
I expended.
The estimates for the year 1899 are
For thedaiIy hand-eleaningof paved streets.
/ $4,000; for cleaning streets one 10 three
/ times week, $4,000, and other items,
making total OF 500 ,959, exclusive of
salaries, and for sa alaries, $25, 300, ma king
the whole estimate $265, ,939. This amount
| is Sill ,l39 in excess of the total for tie
/ year 1887, and $1O1, 939 in excess of the
appropriation for 1898 $164,000.
,ap,. Mckenzie sa IS Of this recommended
! increase:
The streets and avenues OF the city
should be cleaned more frequently than
we are now able tn do with the limited
means at our disposal. Fully one third OF
/ tie paved area can only be cleaned once
/ per week, which s too great a proper
/ tion to be left in that condition. Not
street in the city should he cleaned less
| than twice per week. The two systems
of cleaning the public streets, viz, hand
and machine, are now on trial in this
city for the first time. That Of hand
CLEANING is much superior to that done by
/ sweeping machines, in many respects, :s
most apparent, and has been quickly ap
preciated by both the press and public,
/ 50 much so, that urgent demands have
/ already been made TO have the former
| srsuem extended; 5ut this Cannot now be
/ done, in view OF the limited means at the
! disposal of this department. Among the
many advanta ges of hand cleaning may be
mentioned First-That the work being
! done during daylight can be better done
! ScCond-Is almost noseless, and creates
but little OF no dust Third That under
present system, the dirt being gathered
| in bags and carried To the dumps
/ before emptyinE, 10 dust or noise is
made in the removal from the streets.
! Fourth The stores. dwellings, aud pessers
on the streets are not inCuhyenenced ia
any way. Fifth The doors and windows
n.ay be left open, and the fresh air
enjoyed during the heated term without
danger from the clouds OF dust expert
enced when the sweeping machine pass es.
Sixth Neither are the streets flooded with
water, maSinE them slippery ana unsafe
for travel, either on foot OF by vehicle
Further and to my mind. one OF the most
important things, that should commend this
System, IL both the legislative branches,
and TO the punlic, is tha5 it necaSs arily
gives a larger number of individuals u
chance tC-secnre u means Of livelihood
That u costs more to clean streets In this
way : admitted. Suppose il does? Is it
not better to afford the deserving poor
an opportunity to earn d living for them
selves aud those dependent upon then, ia
this way, than to be called upon to care
for chen, through both public and priya5e
charity? Work makes a better class Of
citizens. It's work unat Is needed, ana not
charity. l have said that Il costs more
TO hand clean than To machine sweep:
apparently il does, when the figures aIe
compared, but in the end | am fnclin ed
% think it does not, for the reason that
pubic and private means would be called
upon to aid fewer cases of destitutiun
With work afforded, petty crime dimil.-
ishes, hence less cost 10 the public In the
detection, arrest, and punishment of Of
Tenders, so that, in my opinion, the extra
COST is eventually saved, and YOU have
a better, happier, and more cuntented
class OF citizens.
Under the appropriation for 1898, about
$4,000 was set aside for hand-cleaning
a portion OF the improved streets and
avenues. With that amount, it was esti-
mated that about 400 900 square yards
per day could be swept for 26O days,
which is not being done. For 1889, l
ask for this class of work $4,000, pro-
posing to sweep 500 900 square yards
daily for 290 days. making an aggregate
OF 232,o00,0o0 square yards for the year,
which, at contract prices-yiz, 81 cents
per 1000 square yards would cost very
| near the amount asked for.
The streets now being daily hand-cleaned
are those upon which the greatest amount
of traffic cOnvergcs, and are known as
business streets, with the single exception
Of the ones bounding the Congressional
/ Library, on Capitol Pill. There are, how
ever, other streets that should be cleaned
In this manner even now, and which,
believe, VIII have to be added to this
class very shortly, such as K street, from
Ninth street to Washington Circle; Con-
necticut avenue, from K street to Florida
avenue; Pennsylvania avenue, from Seven
teenth street TO Rock Greek Bridge; Dupont
and Scott circles; Sixteenth street, from
K street 10 Florida avenue; Seventeenth
street, from New York avenue to I street.;
E street from Fifth street TO Thirteenth
street; Eighth street, from G street to
Mount Vernon Square; Seventh street, from
Pennsylvania avenue to Mount Vernon
Square; Pennsylvania avenue, from second
street 10 Eleventh street east; East Capi-
tol street, from Second street to Eleventh
street; H street and Maryland avenue,
fTum First street east TO Fifteenth street
east, and North Capitol street, from D
street 70 NJ street. There are others
that should be added this year, but to
sweep even those cited would require the
greater portion CT the $10,o 900 additional
asked for this year, and submitted with
estimate for 1899, particularly so, when
It is now evident that this class of work
can be conducted for about 290 days
in the year, instead of 260, the average
for machine ne-sweeping.
The machine sweeping | propose to in
crease from l 100000 square yards per day
as now done, 10 1,150 600, costing at con-
tract price % "a cents per / 900 yards,
about SIC, 900, sweeping only ESQ da rs the
average doing the proposed area of
hand and machine cleaning together, gives
an aggregate of $50 600 square yards for
daily cleaning, or in round numbers, about
three-fifths OF the entire paved area Tex
cept Uoblel of the city, estimating the
total paved area to be 3,250,ouo square
yards. Total cost estimated at S15l, 900,
an n syveDr a fcliovVS. GnO n0n so,,. -, r1l,,