The herald., 1898-09-18
WANT CLEAN STREETS
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
HEAR ARGUMENTS
MONEY FOR DOUBLE SWEEPING
Auditor Nichols, Weekly Balance.
Fire Alarm Telegraph Under
ground-City Hall Notes

street sweeping proposition yesterday
morning and listened to arguments pro and
con regarding the letting of the contract
for sweeping the streets Of this city during
the next fiscal year to Franklin & Alexar-
der the lowest bidders under the spec1ica-
lions issued by the council.
The specifications issued by the council
and the lowest bids in response thereto
are as follows: Specification A calls fer
the entire sweeping of paved streets by
machines. The bid for this work is 14li
cents per 1000 square yards. Specifications
B are for daily hand-sweeping of the entire
streets by at least twenty men in the bust
ness section. The bid for this is s. cents
per 1000 square yards. Specifications are
for machine sweeping of all paved streets
except the hand-swept portion, and the
bid Is 1874 cents per 1000 square yards.
The Merchants and Manufacturers as
ISOLATION, through Messrs. Jevne and
Frank and their secretary, F. ]. Zeehan-
delaar, appeared before the board and pre-
scented the following communication, which
will be sent to the council at it's next meet
ing:
LOS ANGELES, CAL, Sept 16, 1898.
To the Hon. City Council of Los Angeles:
Conference.-The matter of street sweeping
has been one of earnest consideration on
and the special committee appointed to
confer with a special committee selected
by your honorable body agreed to prepare
three sets of specifications under which
the new contract for street sweeping would
be awarded.
Your honorable body has acted favorably
upon the recommendations so made and
as q result several bids are now submitted
to you for your consideration. In view OF the
great public Importance attached to the let
ting OF this contract as well as to the ma
terial improvements that will result II
contract Is entered into favorable to the
city, the special committee appointed by
this association, as well as the board OF
directors have carefully considered the
matter Of street sweeping in all Its phases,
and respectfully recommend that the city
award the contract to the lowest bidders
under specifications A. II this course is
pursued, the money Appropriated for the
next fiscal year for street sweeping will
prove more than adequate to pay for the
sweeping of the city by machine under
specifications A, and leave handsome sur
plus to be used by the city for cleaning by
hand that portion stipulated in specif1ca-
tions p.
This association believes that IL your hon.
orable body sees fit to act favorably upon
the recommendations herewith submitted
that the city will be largely benefited, that
the vexed question of unclean streets will
be easily and satisfactorily solved, and that
the city will have complete control over the
entire street sweeping matter We submit
herewith an estimate OF the expenses under
specifications A:
Twenty weeks, s345 present con-
tract ....--.........-........$ 800 no
Thirty-two weeks. 1.49, new con-
tract ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. s,O476s
$14.9i7. GO
One man. 81; one man and cart, 50;
80 per day.. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1855. 90
Cost of sweeping per fiscal year. SIG, 512. 6S
Appropriation ........................$2 3 500. 90
One man allowed health depart
ment $500
Total amount available. ........... 4.126O 90
Cost of sweeping .s................. 16,512.0O
Surplus NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $7,61400
The amount of $76l4 could be used for the
employment of men to do the sweeping by
hand In the business portion of the town,
and II is estimated that twelve men will be
sufficient to perform that labor at total
cost of $46OS, to the end Of the esent fiscal
year. On this basis surplus would be
left Of $9O06, to be applied to the purchase
of implements, uniforms for the men, and
such other things as may be required, the
total cost Of which would probably not ex-
coed $1,000.
The figures herewith submitted to your
honorable body are as nearly correct as
could be presented at the present time. and
1t Is believed that the sWeepinp of the
streets every night by machine and the
hand sweeping introduced in the day time,
this city Will be at least able to boast of as
clean and healthy streets as any city in the
country. For these reasons the matter Is
respectfully but urgently submitted for
your favorable consideration, with the
~ ho to1r
orable body as indicated in this commune
cation. Respectfully yours,
T. J. ZEEHANDELAAR
Secretary.
The gentlemen named argued In Hupport
Of their proposition, If their recommends
tions were adopted and the lowest bid ac
cepted, there would be a surplus left over
from the machine sweeping sufficient TO
employ a force of men to clean the streets
In the business portions of the city by
hand. provide them with the necessary
tools and implements, and still have sur
plus.
Contractor Franklin, representing the
lowest bidders, argued against the letting
of the contract under specification A. the
city to use the surplus of the appropriate
and hire its own men for hand sweeping.
He called attention to the fact that the
hiring OF force OF hand sweepers by the
city would open up the way to a charge of
furnishing political jobs, and, further,
that should by any chance the surplus of
the appropriation for street sweeping be
exhausted, the hand sweepers would have
to be taken off, while If the hand sweeping
was given to contractor, he would have
to continue the work under his bond, mon
ey or no money. Contractor Franklin also
argued that under contract A a great deal
of unnecessary work would have to be
performed The division of the labor be-
tween the contractors machine-sweeping
men and the city's hand sweepers would
have tendency to make the former care
less, and they would, unless very closely
watched, slight their work, with the idea
that the city,, force of hand sweepers
would have to clean up after them. This,
Mr.. Franklin said would be closely
watched, no matter how the contract was
awarded. but human nature was human
nature, and the average workman was in
c!ined to let 1.-THE other fellow do his full
share Of work, especially IL "the other fell
low was paid by the city. He said he was
willing to accept the contract under any
Of the specifications. but argued that the
hit