Evening star., 1901-12-03

| iHiSSioHSIS, lIdl tHOSe CHdFllieS llUW Oi-
ganized under departments of the federal
| government be transferred to the District
| government, and that appointment to men,
| bership in the board of children's guar
dians be made by the District Commission
erS.
1t recommends that in future all appro-
| prfations for District charities and refor-
matories be disbursed directly by the dis
| bursting officer of the District of Columbia,
| and all supplies purchased from such ap-
preparations be purchased under the Dis
trict supply system, which obtains in other
departments of the District government.
| This recommendation follows paragraph
showing that several institutions have their
own disbursing officers, these officials re-
ce:ving compensation at the rate OF from
800 to $500 per annum, and that SupplleS
purchased in the open market are not OBJ,
tanned at as low prices as those purchased
! under the District supply system
1t empha aSiZeS the Importance OF the
board of children's guardians and calls at
tention to the fact that the work or this
board has not yet been extended to cover
the field as proposed by the authors or
the act creating the board, for the reason
that numerous other child-caring agencies,
doing their work independently of the
board, have continued to receive support
fl iom the government, and, consequently,
set of duplicate agencies has been main
tanned. The board of charities urges bring
ing all public child-caring work under the
supervision of the board of children's guar
dams.
| new probation law. and emphasizes the
necessity of an appropriation for proba-
| tion officer to make this law effective
1t recommends reorganization OF the
cooking department at the Washington
Asylum and estimates for the service OF
competent cooks, much Of the work of this
department at present being done by con-
victs or eX-convicts from the workhouse
1t recommends an appropriation OF an ao-
| ditional hundred thousand dollars for the
| workhouse for males, for the reason that
| the building, at present under construction
will not be large enough to meet the needs
1t calls attention to the work being done
| in returning to their homes the nonresident
insane confined in St. Elizabeth and
charged to the District of Columbia.
1t calls attention to the important ex-
ecutive orders placing the supervision OF
the work of the transportation of paupers,
physicians to the poor, ambulance service
and the issuing of permits to public insti-
tutonS under that board.
1t recommends continuance of the con-
tract system with private hospitals as being
infinitely better than the subsidy system
pending the construction of the municipal
hospital.
Street Cleaning Department.
Under a contract for hand-cleaning dur
ing the fiscal year 1898 the price per thou
sand square yards was 30 cents. In the
appropriation act of 1901 the Commissioners
were required to advertise for the entire
work, and if it was ascertained that a con-
tract could not be procured at price not
exceeding 20 cents for hand work and ~
cents for machine work per thousand
square yards: then they were authorized to
have the work done under their own super
vision. No proposal was received under the
advertisement for this work and the Com
missioners, therefore, procured the neces-
sary equipment for the conduct of the serv-
ice under the supervision of the superin-
tendent of street cleaning. One million five
hundred and siXty-five thousand eight hun
dred and nine square yards were cleaned
daily, and at the close of the year it was
ascertained that the entire cost was is Clio
cents per thousand square yards.
Utilizing this reduction in the cost of the
work. the area of daily hand cleaning has
been increased from 100000 square yards in
1898 to 800 square yards daily during
the past year During the current year,
since the 1st of July, 1901. patented de-
vice has been rented, which has enabled
the Superintendent to clean one-thrd more
of area than could have been done with
hand brooms. This machine removes dust
and has permitted the enlargement of The
daily area so that the daily hand cleaning
schedule for the current year is 100000
square yards. The superintendent believes
that by the end of the current year it will
be shown that the cost per thousand
square yards TO-. hand cleaning by day
labor will not exceed the rate of 10 cents
per thousand square yards.
Cleaning by Machine.
The street cleaning by machine is being
done very satisfactorily under a contract
at the rate of IS cents per thousand square
yards, 100000 square yards of surface being
cleaned daily. The unimproved streets
cleaned by contract at the rate of s64 per
day, the contractor furnishing thrty-six
laborers twelve horses and carts with driv-
ers and all tools necessary to do the work.
The total number of square yards cleaned
during thespast fiscal year was SO. 500, ,693.
The superintendent of street cleaning re-
CARDS this contract as most advantage
Gus one to the District. The alley cleaning
and the sprinkling of unmproved streets
and avenues are also done under contracts.
The service on this work has been very good
during the past year, and few complaints
have been made.
The collection and disposal of garbage
and dead anima is carried on under a
contract with the Washington Fertilizer
Company, new company with prominent
business men principally among its organ
iZers The contract was entered into for
period of five years beginning December /,
1900, at the rate of $51 900 per annum. The
garbage is collected in removable tanks.
which are transferred from the wagon beds
to cars owned by the company, and trans
ported, via the Seaboard Air Line, to Cher
ry Hill, Va, where the large reduction
plant of the company is located. The tanks,
after having been emptied, are scalded out
with hot water and returned to the city.
The garbage is subjected to a treatment
which extracts the oil for commercial pur-
remaining product to fertilizer. While the
income from the products of the factory
may or may not be large, the District has
certainly been greatly benefited; first by
reduction in the annual cost of collection
from $57, 900 to $51,60O, and, second, by
rebate of 30 cents per ton upon all over
20, 900 tons collected per annum, which is
estimated to amount between $4,000 and
S. 900 yearly. During the fiscal year ended
June so, 1901, s626 dead animals and fowls
were collected oy the same contractors.
These animals cut into pieces, placed in
the dgesting tanks and reduced with the
garbage.
Collection of Ashes.
In accordance with the act making ap-
preparation for the collection and disposal
of city refuse, contracts were entered into
with R. B. Rusk for the collection of ashes
from private residences. at an annual cost
of $29,979; for the collection of miscella-
neous refuse, at $1,000 per annum, and for
the collection and disposal Of night soil, at
$1,000 per annum; each for period of
five years. The service of collecting the
ashes and miscellaneous refuse during the
past year, although in a measure expert