The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-13

The United States Electric Lighting
Company has requested of the Commits
sioners that the requirement of a bond
for the faithful performance OF services
in connection with the lighting Of streets
be waived in view of the low rate at which
the company agrees to perform the work.
I'VE respectfully advise you writes the
vice president of the company, that the
United States Electric Lighting Company
is prepared TO enter into contract with
the District for the furnishing of all nee
essary labor, material. and appliances, and
light the electric lamps in the public
streets, roads, avenues, alleys, and high
ways in the District of Columbia during
the year ending June 80, 1901. in accord
ance with the specifications in modified
form as submitted by the Commissioners
on June 90, 1900.
THE price for the service to be per-
formed to be at the rate of S72 for each
lamp per annum, subject to ca reservation
on the part of the United States Electric
Lighting Company to apply to Congress
for such additional compensation for the
service performed as may. in the judg-
ment of that body, be consistent with JUS
which this company is satisfied to accept
at this time in order to provide the nee
essary service in the interest of harmony
and public convenience.
I'm connection with the contract which
is to be prepared upon this proposal, we
would respectfully suggest that. SO long
as the company has voluntarily undertaken
to perform the arc light service, and also
in view of the very low rate at which 1t
now agrees to perform the service. any ad-
ditional compensation being q contingent
matter. the requirement of the Commits
sioners to exact bond from the company
for the faithful performance Of the con-
tract should be waived, thus saving to the
company an expense which, in its opin-
ion, is an unnecessary one In view OF the
peculiar conditions surrounding the FUR
nishing of the public service contemplated
by this proposal
The Commissioners have taken the mat
ter under advisement and it is understood
that it will be acted upon al the next
board meeting.
Many complaints still reach the Commits
sioners and the Superintendent of Street
Cleaning with reference to the removal oil
ashes and refuse under the new arrange
ments inaugurated August l. 1900. The
chief cause of complaint is the refusal I'M
der various circumstances of the drivers
to take the ashes, paper. or other refuse
One complains that it is necessary TO set
the ash can out in front, bringing NJ
| through the house. through basement
| door, or through the areaway. In any case
the complainant says, the ashes are I'M
slightly in front of the house. where they
| sometimes have to stay half day waiting
| the pleasure OF the collector. 1t Is main
tanned by this class Of compliments that
| it.is wrong in principle to require that
| ashes or other refuse should be placed on
the sidewalk or adjacent thereto, as 1t is
| in that position an offence to people pass
| ing and serves to litter the whole front
These persons argue. with some force. tina,
the place for the ash can is in the rear
! in the alley, with the garbage and other
| waste.
A few people fnye complained of the
manner in which the system OF gathering
ashes is conducted. One requirement put
upon the householder il the purchase OF
an iron can of a certain size and shape
Unless the ashes are placed in this kind Of
a can people say, the drivers will not touch
them. The can in question costs s1.35
| When the ashes are taken up twice week
at least two of these cans are required tC
I! hold the ashes. When they are taken III
| only once a week. the average house would
require at least three OF the regulation
| cans.
A woman in writing about this phase
| of the case to the Commissioners indulg.
| ed in little mathematics. She figured il
out that she would require three cans
That would mean an original expenditure
OH her part of 81. At the old rate of re.
! moving ashes, at 10 cents barrel she
said that this money would pay for tn,
removal of forty barrels of ashes. r,
removing them from the cellar by tn,
load she asserted that she had been abb,
TO do even better than that. She express
ed the opinion that the ash cans bein;
kept out of doors would rust out in
single year and have TO be replaced
Therefore. after taking everything int
account, this woman came to the conclu
sion that she could not afford to patron
ize the new system OF collecting and re
moving ashes.
Some complaint has been raised regard
ing the collection of paper and combusti
BILE waste. This placed in barrels. 1t Il
said, is not generally taken away by tn
drivers of the municipal wagons. TIL
drivers, according to those writing witt
reference to the matter, say that they ar
unable to lift the barrels to empty then
into their wagons, and It is said that ~
iron can must be provided by the house
holder for this purpose also II he wishe
his waste paper, etc, to be removed with
out expense to himself.
AS one writer put the matter, thu
householder is obliged to have, FIRST,
large garbage can, then he must have al
outfit of ash cans. including enc OF NOR
for combustible refuse. until the bacl
yard puts on the appearance of dairy O.
an ice cream factory.
1t appears from these complaints tina
the authorities in working cut a system
of collection and removal OF waste hav
made it quite expensive for the house
holder to start with. The outfit at tn,
very best is formidable enc and mos
housekeepers, SO they say. are not abb
to supply themselves with these accou
trements without an expenditure CT a
least Sc. which would go far toward re
moving the ashes and the combustibl
waste in the old way.
There is something to be said on TIT
side of the municipality and the csntract
or. The appropriation was small-r thai
the amount asked for. and really smalle
than is needed TO develop q practica
system of waste removal. The Supar.n
tendcnt of Street Cleaning is IF the opin
ion that II ne had been provided With n
funds necessary to do the work right
many of the causes OF COMPETENT woui,
not exist. The system, he thinks. is nee
essarily defective. because with the mon
! ey in hand il could not be organized OF
large enough plan.
A Danger Signal.