Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-28
STREETS AND ALLEYS
Operations Of the Cleaning Depart
ment the Past Year.
ANNUAL REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT
Cost of the Service Under Two
Systems Compared.
HAND AND MACHINE WORK

Mr. Warner Stutler, the superintendent
of the District street and alley cleaning
department, today submitted to the Com
missioners a report covering the operations
of the department for the fiscal year end
ed June 30. 1899.
Reference is made by Mr.. Stutler to the
experiment in hand cleaning by the de-
partment, the total area cleaned during the
year being 3S5 square yards, at a
tota! cost, including the outfit and all in
cidental expenses. of $13,5G4.S7, which is at
the rate of 10 cents Per 1000 square yards.
Mr.. Stutler makes a comparison of hand
cleaning work as done by the District and
under the contract system. showing that
until this year the contractor was paid
80 cents per 1000 square yards, or IA cents
per square yard more than it cost the Dis
trict by day labor. A result of this was
that Congress in the current District ap-
preparation act limited the price to be paid
Tor such work at % cents per 1000 square
yards, and contract was made at 2114
cents. The hand-cleaned area was there
fore enlarged to 100000 square yards a
day. To clean this area during the cur
rent year on an average of 270 working
days will cost the District, at the present
contract rate. 21A cents per thousand
square yards, s6S.SJO. To clean the same
area by day labor without contract would
cost s5S,32O, or $10.530 less than by con-
tract.
Because of the reduced price paid the
contractors Mr.. Stutler charges the con-
tractors with exercising their ingenuity in
every possible manner to cut down eX-
penSeS regardless of the efficiency of their
service, and he states that 500 was de-
Quoted in July and August for inferior
work and the contractors reprimanded by
the commissioners for neglecting it.
Machine Sweeping Schedule.
The daily machine sweeping schedule for
the current year is 100000 square yards a
reduction of 100000 yards, on account
of the further extension of the hand-clean-
ing system. The machine cleaning under
the new contract is being done much bet
ter than 1t was done last year." says
Mr.. Stutler, principally for the reason
that the contractors, different firm from
that OF last year, are using a better ma
chine. the main advantage of which is that
the broom revolves about one-third faster
than the one used in last years machine,
thereby cleaning the surface of the street
much better. Not only Is the work done
better. but the cost to the District has
been greatly reduced, and better wages are
paid to the labor employed.
THE contract rate for the current year Is
10 cents per 1000 square yards or 6a. cents
per thousand less than the rate of last
year. The saving to the District on ac-
count of the reduced rate will at the end of
tie year amount 10 SlI,SlZ.u, calculating
on 80 as the average number of working
days on this class of work.
Improved Alleys.
Speaking of cleaning the improved alleys,
Mr.. Stutler says that alleys are more nu-
merous in Washington than in any other
city in the country, and as they are made
the receptacleS for the most dangerous
kinds of rubbish and decaying matter that
may accumulate upon the premises of resi-
dents. 1t is very necessary that special at
tention should be given them. On account
of the limited appropriation the alleys were
cleaned once per week only last year; and,
with the exception of a very few, which
are cleaned twice per week. the same con-
dition prevails for the present year for the
same reason
About 1000 square yards Of newly
paved alleys added to the schedule each
year. but a proportionate increase in the
appropriation to properly care for them is
never made; and the only way we are en-
abled to take care Of the newly paved al
leys, therefore, is to reduce the number of
times in the cleaning of the other alleys.
Unimproved Street Work.
THE unimproved street work. says Mr..
Stutler, has been fairly well done, con-
sidering the limited force provided for and
the large area of streets to be kept clean.
great deal of time has been taken from
the regular work of this force to take care
of complaints caused by the failure of
property holders to comply with the law
requiring them to remove dirt washed from
their property upon the sidewalks, streets
and alleys This law requires the Commits
sioners to cause the work Of cleaning the
sidewalks to be done, and to assess the
cost thereof against the property after
failure on the part of the owner to do the
work after five days notice No appropria-
ton was made by Congress to enable the
Commissioners to comply with this require
ment; and the funds for street cleaning
had to be used in order to comply with
the requirement, thus, technically at least
forcing us to violate one law in order to
comply with another by using an appro-
priation made for one class of work for
another entirely different" Such provisions,
Mr.. Stutler thinks. should not be made
without an appropriation to make them eff
fectiVe.
UnfmprOved Alleys.
OF the unimproved alleys Mr.. Stutler says
that, Ito keep them clean and in a sani-
tary condition is difficult task and one
that requires special pains. The appro-
priation does not admit of more than one
cleaning in seven days. The alleys. being
scattered over all parts of the city and
suburbs, cause great deal of time to be
consumed in going from one to another of
them: and, furthermore, some of them are
so narrow that cart cannot be gotten
into them, so that the laborers are re-
quired to scrape the dirt and filth to the
entrance of the alley or to carry it out
to the carts in small receptacles These
alleys are not only made to receive the
refuse from the adjoining houses and back
yards. but they are frequently made the
dumping grounds for the scavenger and
the ash man.
For the current year the force employed
upon the unimproved alley work has been
increased to such an extent to enable
the department to clean them once in six
days. which, while quite appreciate
benefit to the service, is still not sufficient
to keep the alleys in proper sanitary con-
dition.'
Mention is made by Mr.. Stutler of the
work done by his department in removing
snow and ice last winter. The sum of So
600 was appropriated for the purpose, of
which all but 81. 77019 was expended.
The public dumps. states Mr.. Stutler, are
Of great convenience and benefit both to the
municipality and to citizens, but, he says,
a great many people appear to think that
they are at liberty to dump every sort of
refuse on them, which is not, of course,
true.
The sprinkling of unimproved streets and
avenues has been greatly neglected be-
cause of lack of funds, and If all Of them
could be sprinkled during dry weather more
people would. he believes, be benefited
thereby than by any other character of
work done by his department
Years Expenditures.
The amount allowed the department by
~ Co.