Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-14
TAe CnLLECTlON OF WASTE
STATEMENT TEsARDrss THE COM
PLANTS aF sSusnHoLDERs.
Lack of Money Obi Ire. work to BE
Conhned to Rest ences In Dense
~ PopulatN Sections.


Speaking tods3 q Ahe complaints which
now and thenS are blade TO the District
Commissioners Of the alleged failure OF the
contractor to cNect Aehes and other waste
and refuse, MfsWa&1er Stutler. superin-
tendent Of the lstreett cleaning department.
stated that tho gre majority of such
complaints have beent discovered, upon in
vestigation, to be not'well founded. Very
often. he added. the householders them
selves are responsible for. the failure to
have their ashes and like refuse promptly
removed.
THE total amount appropriated by Con-
gress for collecting and disposing Of garb-
age and other municipal waste and refuse
during the present fiscal year" stated Mr..
Stutler. was $4,000.
The lowest bid received for collecting and
disposing of garbage and dead animals was
$ol.tOO; for collecting and disposing OF
night SELL which. by the way, the people OF
the District have heretofore paid for out Of
their own pockets. the lowest bid was SIT.
600; that for collecting and disposing OF
miscellaneous refuse and waste, $S,OOO. ana
that for collecting and disposing Of ashes
$29,979 a total Of $1O6579. This left us
with less than $1,000 for salaries and gen.
eral administrative expenses We accepted
these bids FOR the reason that we could not
obtain lower ones. and while we asked for
and would have been much pleased to have
obtained from Congress more money for
doing this work. especially for collecting
and disposing Of ashes, we were compelled
to take what was given us and to do the
best we could with the funds on hand.
ihe appropriation for collecting and dis
posing OF ashes should have been at least
double the sum we are paying for the
work. We could not get it. however, and
1t Is because OF the limited resources Of the
department that we are forced to restrict
the collection OF ashes to residences only
YDonr dot n1vyv rNft
city and suburban territories. Those peo-
pie who complain that the service Is not as
complete, not as far-reaching, as 1t should
be, should remember that out Of the $780,
ETC., for the collection and disposal of all
municipal waste and refuse, more than one
half of that amount, $54.979, is being ex-
pended by the District authorities for the
collection OF night soil, miscellaneous waste
and ashes, waste and refuse. which here
tofore the people Of the District have paid
for directly out of their own pockets. They
should also remember that Congress sell
dom appropriates for any municipal work
the amount asked for by the District Com
missioners. notwithstanding the fact that
the Commissioners are invariably careful
enough to ask for only what they have rea-
son to believe Is absolutely necessary.
Lack of Appropriation.
'The Commissioners and the street clean
Ing department would. for instance. be only
houses in the District, whether private res
licences or business places, but until Con-
gress provides more money for the purpose
the collections OF ashes and miscellaneous
waste and refuse must necessarily be con-
fined to residences iR the city and more
densely populated suburban sections. 1 am
sure neither the Commissioners nor the
contractor. certainly not the street clean
Ing department, desire to impose upon the
people of the District in any manner what
soever, and all that is asked of the people
is that they facilitate the collections by
placing the receptacies where they can
easily and conveniently be reached by the
contractors collectors In a number of
cases it has been the people themselves who
have done the imposing, locking up their
gates or houses. and then complaining be-
cause the collectors could not secure re-
Spouse to their, calls effect an entrance
to the promises. ss..
while we cannot be pleased by the re-
ceptiOn of complaints, yet we will be at all
times very glad and no less prompt in cor
recting any failure of the contractors or Of
their men to perform their duty. When Con-
gress meets we hope the people will give
us assistance in securing larger appropria-
lions for the work. Meantime we must do
the best we possibly can with what We
have" - 2. - 800