Evening star., 1898-12-05
paid with promptness which was impose
sible under the previous system.
street CLEANING.

paid with n promptness which was impose
sible under the previous system.
street Cleaning.
The contract for sprinkling. sweeping ard
cleaning of the streets and avenues OF the
District will expire on June 70. ISM. This
contract was limited TO term OF two
years, the Commissioners believing that at
the end of that time they would be able 10
demonstrate to Congress the advisahllity
OF abolishing the contract system and have
the entire work Of cleaning the streets
avenues and alleys done by day labor under
their direct control. The attention OF Con-
gress has been heretofore invited to the
eninently satisfactory results attained by
the hand-cleaning system here, and the ad-
Visibility OF substituting Il I'm lieu OF the
&C htract system Throughout the District
In order that comparison might he
made of the relative costs and results of
the contract, hand cleaning and the day
labor without contract systems Congress
I'm the act making appropriations to pro-
vide for the expenses Of the government OF
the District of Columbia for the fiscal wear
ending June ~, 1S.a. included an item ap-
propriating Sl5.6p to be expended under
Sioners, and directed that the accounts
thereof be so kept as to show the COM
parative cost OF the hand sweeping 10y day
labor and under contract"
After a four months trial under this pro.
vision. beginning July I. ISIS the superin.
tendent of street cleaning reports that he
has cleaned daily :ais,a12 square yards or q
total of 29.5lsS,9 square yards OF STREE
paving. at a total cost of S56iS.6g which
is at the rate of a triie less than ~ :
cents per thousand square yards The con-
tractors price for the same kind of work
Is ~ cents per thousand square yards The
superintendent also states that during this
year. under the provision above quoted. the
District will sweep by the hand-cleaning
method. at a cost Of Sl5.O1. area equal
to that swept by the contractor ut cost
to the District of S26,242.Sl.
1t should he also stated in this connec-
tion that ne contractor pays his laborers
on the hanU cleaning work 81 per day. while
the District has paid them for the same
work ST. per day. No stronger argument
in favor of the abolition of the present sys-
tenn of contract work could he made.
The contractors price for machine clean
ing is - 81 cents per thousand square
yards; and IL will be observed that the cost
or Misunderstanding by day labor without con-
tract 09 1-3 cents Is more than q cents per
thousand square yards cheaper. Under the
Misunderstanding system the streets have been
Kept much cleaner and more presentabla
during the busy hours of day; there are no
clouds OF dust swept and thrown I'm the
faces of pedestrians. and no noisy. bolster
Gus gangs of men or rafting carts and
sweeping machines i'm the middle of the
night. At the same time, more of our wor-
thy laboring men are given employment and
at better wages, under the Misunderstanding
than under the Notwithstanding method.
Petitions and requests of representative citi-
ZenS for the extension of the Misunderstanding
results of the operation of that system
here have been SO highly satisfactory. that
the Commissioners are convinced that the
entire area of the improved streets and
avenues should he cleaned by hand labor
under direct municipal control without the
of contractor.
Some comment has been made upon the
appearance of the streets during the esrly
sl.A r1lf
of the previous night have been removed
by the street cleaning force This accumu
lation has been practically unavoidable
during the past six months, for the reason
that IL was necessary, in order To enable
the authorities to make a comparison with
the work of the contractor, to have the
Districts employees work exactly as tnosa
of the contractor. IL is believed, however.
that If the street cleaners began to work
earlier, to have the acCumuations re-
moved before business hours, the streets
of Washington would present the appear
ance which every citizen should desire.
Militia.
The Commissioners reiterate the follow
ing recommendation in their annual report
for the fiscal year 1897, relative to the pis-
trict militia:
THE existing law requires that all leases
and contracts involving expenditures on ac-
count of the militia shall be made by the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia:
and appropriations for the militia shall be
disbursed only upon vouchers duly author
lied by the Commissioners, for which they
shall be held strictly accountable.
The great responsibility hereby imposed
upon the Commissioners is without any cor
responding control over the use OF any of
the money so appropriated. All eXpendi-
lures of the District government are made
upon itemized requisitiOns carefully pre-
pared and approved by the heads of the
departments making the same. through the
property clerk or the superintendent Of
property. and the Commissioners through
these officers have direct knowledge and
control to the minutest detail of the same.
In the matter of disbursements by the mi
litta, requisition for a bulk sum is eN-
pended by the officers of the militia with
other control whatever by officers appoint
ed or responsible to the Commissioners.
The Commissioners, in view OF this fact,
and i'm consideration of the further fact
that the militia is more properly a branch
of the War Department recommend that
they be relieved of the responsibility afore-
said, and that the entire supervision and
control of the militia he vested in the Sec
retary of War"
The Commissioners are pleased to refer
TO the influence which this organization has
had upon the military history of the Dis
trict. The recent call to arms in the con-
ftict between this country and Spain found
II well prepared to provide MANY trained
volunteers of all ranks for the regiment
which the District furnished to maintain
the national honor and for other fields of
public duty. The soldierly bearing of the
Districts representatives in the army dur
ing every phase of their service i'm the
camp, on the march. in the midst of pesti-
lence and in the presence of the enemy is
a matter of national repute and of justin-
able local pride.
Civil Service.
The Commissioners renew their recom-
that the District government be
placed within the purview of the civil ser
vice laws. The reasons for such action
given in previous annual and special re-
ports, still apply. and with increased force.
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Earnest efforts have been made to fur
ther improve the condition of this depart
ment by Strengthening ii in every possible
way, so as to get the greatest advantage
az he Of o1r,