The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-29
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT
Business Men Complain of an Ex-
pensiVe Discrimination.
Refuse Collected by the Public Ser
vice From Residences But Must
BE Removed From Stores at the
Expense OF the Merchants-The Bad
Condition of Sixteenth Street.

One of the defects of the present sys-
TEN of collecting and disposing OF ashes
and miscellaneous refuse is that il makes
no provision for the removal of such re-
fuse from stores and business houses. In
all the factories stores, and premises 9th
er than private residences the removal of
ashes, etc, must be done at The expense of
the parties owning or OCCUPYING the prem
ises in question. There has been much
complaint at this discrimination beween
the householder and the business man in
the removal of city waste. as the average
person is unable TO draw a dividing line be-
tween ashes burned IN a kitchen range OF
the furnace of private house and similar
residue of fire in the heating apparatus of a
store, while waste paper is much the same
in all cases.
The matter was brought to the attention
of the Commissioners again recently by a
letter from T. A, Judd and by petition
from J R Bowen and others complaining
of the manner IN which they are discrim-
mated against. Mr.. JI5d says that he has
been officially informed by the Depart
ment of Street Cleaning that the refus.
from his store must be removed at his ex-
pense, while at his residence, he says il
is taken away by the collector free on
charge. He asks that the Commissioners.
urge upon Congress the necessity of max
ing an appropriation for the removal OF
such waste from business places as well as
private houses.
IN the petition of Bowen and others a
similar request is made and the petitioners
state that they are now taxed to pay fer
the collection of these materials from pri-
vate residences, and they declare them
To
storekeeper or businss man should be ex-
cluded from the service.
In reply to these letters the Comm s.
sioners wrote this morning that they
would ask Congress to make an addition
al appropriation OF S35, 600 for the coIlec-
ton and disposal of ashes and miscella-
neous waste to cover the Increased ex-
pense of taking such material from stores
| and business houses, including hotels,
restaurants and apartment houses
George W. Mercer, Acting Superintend-
ent of Street Cleaning, explained to a re-
porter of The Times this morning that
the failure of the department to take
away ashes and waste from stores and
business houses is not entirely the fault
| of the authorities. The appropriation
| made at the last session Of Congress was
not sufficient, he said, to meet the ex-
pense. He stated that a lump sum of
$4,000 was appropriated for the collec-
tion end disposal of garbage miscellana-
Gus refuse, and ashes in the city CT Wash
ington and the more densely populated
suburbs. It was also stipulated that the
| amount appropriated should cover tie
cost Of inspection. supervision, etc Mr.
Mercer explained that when the service
| was organized and the work let cut to
contractors the department agreed to
pay $40, 100 for the collection and disposal
of ashes, SS,0e0 for miscellaneous refuse,
7,000 for night soil, and S51, 600 for gar
| bage, the balance of the appropria ton
being reserved for the payment Of saIa-
ries and contingent expenses.
Mr. Mercer explained that the $50 790
was all that could be spared fer the COL
lection and disposal of ashes, and that it
was only sufficient for taking such refus
away from private residences The q ct
was recalled that IN the estima IS for the