New-York tribune., 1901-11-18
MAY INVESTIGATE NAGLE.
UNIONS TO ASK NEW ADMINISTRA-
CLEANING DEPARTMENT

Trouble is brewing for Street Cleaning Com
missioner Nagle if the Drivers, Hostlers' and
SWeepers' unions can accomplish it, both be-
cause of the irregularities that have been de-
scribed in The Tribune and for other grievances
which the members believe they have. The
Civic Federation. too is likely to take a hand
in making it warm for the Commissioner. al
though not until after he has gone out of office
We would like to have things changed
said Patrick J. McNulty, the business agent of
the unions yesterday. but cannot hope for
anything good until Mr.. Low gets in. Then
will make request for investigation of the
affairs of the department for the last two years.
and We believe that we have material enough
to show that such an investigation is necessary.
We want to know where all the money has gone.
and think will find out.
Just look the amount that is spent for
the final disposition of garbage. There was
time when the city received about $4,000
year for the privilege of hunting through this
garbage and disposing of it. Now the city pays
more than $500 0C0 year to get rid of it. Is
there any profit in this? 1t would not be so
bad if the work of towing the scows out to
was given to who would do it at the lowest
price but the work is given to favortess with
out regard to the cost Tugs are engaged by
the hour for this work. II is obvious that fast
tugs, under this system of payment, would do
the work cheaper than slow ones 1t is, how
ever we'll known that the tugs hired are
scarcely able to tow the scows, and they take
long time to get them out to the dumping
places In this way a large amount of the ap
preparation is wasted If this work We're let
out to people who could do the towing at
reasonable rate there would be need for Com
missioner Nage to discharge the sweepers,
The Tribune has told. just at the time when
fbayr dad II may ha all right fnr
Nagle to take on a large number of sweepers a
short time before the primary elections. 1 will
say they were not needed then: but GER
tainly it seems strange that just now, when
there is more sweeping to be done than there
was at that time, he should discharge them.
The Tribune has said that about five hundred
discharged 1 have not received the
reports from the local unions but l am certain
that not fewer than nine hundred men have lost
their places in the department. The streets
themselves are the strongest protest that can be
made against dsmissing sweepers at this time
of year Even with the force that was employed
it impossible to keep them clean, and every
body knows that sweepers have had TO put in
extra time on Sundays in order to keep them in
even half way presentable shape The people
of New-York are not to be fooled by Nagle's
excuse that there is work for the sweepers.
The fact of the matter is that the whole de-
partment is rotten. It needs cleaning out, and
everybody in II who draws a salary of $1,000
year and up should be dismissed. Only in this
way can the department he reorganized so that
Il will be run right
4 waIg through the streets on the East Side
and the West Side. both uptown and downtown.
will show anybody with eyes that they are eX-
treneIy dirty. The main arteries OF the city,
those through which the greater part OF the
traffic moves are decently although not pain
fully clean I'm those thoroughfares where the
ordinary citizen passes least frequently, there
Is no evidence that the city employs a Street
Cleaning Department Many OF them are Ill
tered from sidewalk sidewalk and even from
stoop line to stoop line. with the refuse of sew
eral DAYS and this keeps png up with rapid
ty that is dangerous to health. Naturally that
section of the city populated by the Jewish and
Polish peoples is the worst. Garbage lies IN the
streets neglected If the weather were warmer
tho stencil from this neglected aCCumulatlng nith
would be unbearab AS II is, even with the
cool weather that is here, odors that are not
those of "Araby the Blest are notlCeahle 10
even the people who live in the neighborhood
since he took office. in February of 1900. Com
missioner Maggie has collected in t1neS Stl.-o5 ~
from the uniformed force. Of this HS.Voo o. mas
been collected in Manhattan and me hronA
and S3191 6S in Brooklyn. This amount Is IN
the city treasury awaiting the disposition OF the
commissioner. 1t goes into the general tuna OF
the department and may be apphed Wherever
he finds need for it. 1t would help OUT gredty
in the Brooklyn cartinS account anu WILL per-
ps. find its way there
bor club said yesterday that sweepers in hVe
sections in The Bronx were laid of on saturday
night Some, including himself, had been sew
eral wears in the employ of the city