The times., 1899-12-06
CLEANING THE STREETS.
II recommendation Made - Take the
work Irnm Cnnlrnctnrs

Recommendation Made - Take the
WORK From Contractors.
The past fiscal year vas in mauy re-
spects a remarkable one for the Street
Cleaning Department. in that year a
trial was made. under t-e authorization
Of Congress, Of the relative merits and
cost Of street cleaning by hand under con
tract aud without contract under the direct
control Of the Commissioners. The con
tractor was being paid y cents Der 900
square yards for the work OF hand clean
ing. and upon the positive assurance
nf rhe Superintendent Of Street Cleaning
that the work could be done un-
Ger the direct supervision OF me
Commiss toner's for less than "a
cents per 1000 square yards. Congress
granted an appropriation Of $4,000 10 be
expended IN such manner as an experiment.
OF the Sl5.0Je appropriated. SI3.5G ST was
expended and the total area cleaned. For
Ihis amount was =. .3j6. 3S5 square Yards
making tho cost 20 the District per ] COO
square yards about is cents. "A saving of
i cents per 1'0 square yards on the con
tract price. or % other words he ,-orl,
was done Tor bu. Iittie more than oue-hgIf
of the price paid the contractor. Tho
Superintendent Of Street Cleaning paid the
men employed by him on the hand clean
ing work SI-25 Per day. while those en-
Hi9ved Dry the contractor upon the same
work received but 81 per day. with wages
ay 81 per day. the Superintendent could
easily have reduced The cost to fG cents
Ter 900 square yards, or 0ue- half the
price pa5d the contractor
Congress did not deem ii best 10 place The
work &C street cleaning under direct NUM-
cipal control, but the showing made b.
the Superintendent Of Street Cleaning made
2 profound impression upon the members
of he committees and redouuded greatly
10 the benefit Ul The District On account
o. the showing made on the experimental
work during the firsl four months OF the
year, a provision was inserted in The Dis
Jriet appropriation act for the current year
limiting the rate 10 be paid under con
Jrac 30 twenty-five cents or less per thou
sand square yards and the District was
thereby enabled by securing q contract az
twenty zone and Oue-quarter cents Der
thousand square yards 20 further enlarge
rhr daily hand-ciesuing schedule 10 cover
q daily area Ct I.2s0 GEO square yards OF
street surface. A provision was also in
serted in the act requiring the contractor
t0r The hand cleaning work 10 pav the lab
orsrs employed NOT less than Sl.25 per day
for eight hours labor. The operation CT
the hand-cleaniEg system has met with
sGCh favor from the citizens that almost
the only complaints received by the Street
Cleaning Department have been caused by
the fact that ii could not be further ex-
tended 10 cover The streets on which the
c8mpla iuaHts reside
Another result OF the Congressional Iimi-
taticu Cf twenty-five cents upon the price
10 be- paid The contractor Is the very ap-
prec.able reduction In the cost OF machine
cleaning Which was under last years cen
tract twenty-five and three-Quarter cents
per thousand square yards. while under
the present contract it 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-
-rsct. bis also being done better than f was
doHe last year, principally for the reason
that The contractors are using a much
better sweeping machine. Tt has baen i'm
possible. however. under the present ap-
preparation owing partly 10 the extension
= the hand-eleaning system. 10 sweep any
81 Ire machine swept streets more than
IH4rc q week This has caused consider
able complaint from the citizens residing
on the neglected rh0roughfares. especially
upon those which had in previous years
been swept three times per week II is to
De hoped that the appropriation may be so
increased for the next fiscal year as to en-
ssle these streets and The new ones Whiah