The evening times., 1899-12-05
CLEANING THE STREETS.
RecOmm g ndation Made to Take the
Work From Contractors.


Work From Contractors.
The past fiscal year was in many re-
spects a remarkable one for the Street
Cleaning Department. In that year a
trial was made. under the authorization
of Congress, OF the relative merits and
cost of street cleaning by hand under con-
tract. and without contract under the direct
control of the Commissioners. The con-
tractor was being paid 80 cents per LOCO
square yards for the work of hand clean
ing; and upon the positive assurance
of the Superintendent of Street Cleaning
that the work could be done un-
der the direct supervision of the
Commissioners for less than 20
cents per Loco square yards. Congress
granted an appropriation of ST., 600 to be
expended in such manner as an experiment.
Of the $4,000 appropriated Sl356l.S7 was
expended, and the total area cleaned for
this amount was 15.356, 3S5 square yards,
making the cost to the District per 600
square yards about IS cents saving of
IA cents per 1000 square yards on the con-
tract price, or, in other words the work
was done for but little more than ona-haIf
of the price paid the contractor. The
Superintendent of Street Cleaning paid the
men employed by him on the hand clean
ing work SIPS per day, while those en-
0loyed by the contractor upon the same
work received but 81 per day. With wages
at 81 per day, the Superintendent could
easily have reduced the cost TO 15 cents
per 1000 square yards. or one-half the
price paid the contractor
Congress did net deem il best to place the
work CT street cleaning under direct NUM-
cipsl control; but the showing made by
the Superintendent of Street Cleaning made
profound impression upon the members
of the committees and redounded greatly
10 the benefit CT the District. On account
OF the Slowing made on the experimental
work during the first four months of the
year. a provision was inserted in the Dis
tIict appropriation act for the current year
limiting the rate to be paid under con-
traot &c twenty-five cents or less per thou
sand square yards, and the District was
thereby enabled. by securing contract at
twenty-one and one-quarfer cents per
thousand square yards. 10 further enlarge
the daily hand-cleaning schedule to cover
daily area OF 100000 square yards of
street surface. A provision was also in
serted in the act requiring the contractor
for the hand-ceaning work to pay the lab
orers employed not less than S1.25 per day
fer eight hours labor. The operation OF
the hand-cleaning system has met with
such favor from the citizens that almost
the only complaints received by the Street
Cleaning Department have been caused by
the fact that it could not be further eX-
tended to cover the streets on which the
complaiHants reside.
Another result OF the Congressional limi-
tation CT twenty-five cents upon the price
10 be paid the contractor is the very ap-
preciable reduction in the cost of machine
cleaning, which was under last years con-
tract twenty-five and three-quarter cents
per thousand square yards while under
the present contract 1t is nineteen cents,
a saving TO the District of six and three
quarter cents per thousand square yards.
The machine cleaning, under the new con-
tract, is also being done better than it was
done last year. principally for the reason
that the contractors are using a much
better sweeping machine. 1t has been i'm
possible. however. under the present ap-
preparation. owing partly to the extension
of the hand-cleaning system. to sweep any
of the machine swept streets more than
twice a week. This has caused consider
able complaint from the citizens residing
on the neglected thoroughfares. especially
upon those which had In previous years
been swept three times per week. It Is to
be hoped that the appropriation may be SO
increased for the next fiscal year as to en-