Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-25
NO PRIVATE COLLECTORS.
All District Carriage to Re saved for
the (OnIr Inrs


The letter recently addressed 10y the
Commissioners to Rear Admiral Terry,
commandant Of the Washington navy yard,
declining to make an exception i'm the dis
posal of the navy yard garbage in favor or
a private collector has aroused CONSIDER
able interest owing to the fact that the
application from the navy yard had sug-
gested other exceptions. 1t Is regarded,
therefore. that the letter IN effect estab-
fishes definite policy for the District gov
eminent in this respect. to the exclusion or
all private collectors of garbage and the
encouragement of the contractors for tho
garbage disposal. After acknowl, Lying
Rear Admiral Terry's request for the grant
of a permit to the navy yards chosen gar
bage collector the letter proceeds:
For many years the Commissioners were
compelled to make contracts FOR the trans
portation of garbage down the Potomac
river, where 1t was placed upon farms II
otherwise disposed of by feeding Il hogs,
etc. The contractor was frequently un4b'e
to take care of all the garbage in tn. Dis
trict, and permits were issued % private
parties from time To time to collect from
certain localities.
ION the 9th of June. 1900 the current ap-
preparation act was approved, which re-
quired that all garbage collected I'm the
District under this appropriation should
be disposed of through a reduction or c"E-
sumption process. subject to the sinital Y
inspection and approval Of the Commits
sioners. The same law required ;hat AL
contracts shall expressly provide thlt no
garbage or other vegetable matter Shall be
dumped into the Potomac river or IN any
other waters, fed to animals or exposed TO
the elements upon land.
The successful bidder for the contract
under this appropriation was company
composed of prominent Washington men.
They entered into an arrangement much
more satisfactory than. any that had here
tofore been offered, in that they collect in
steel wagon beds. which are hoisted by
machinery from the wagons upon freight
cars, and are thence transferred to Guam
tico, Va. where the garbage is manufac-
tured into a fertilizer. The cost of this
reduction plant alone was S115.oS. II
was a requirement of the contract entered
into under this appropriation act that the
contractor should have all the garbage III
the District.
The question with regard to the right
of the Commissioners to prohibit collec-
ton by private persons was made the sub
ject of an opinion by The attorney for the
District of Columbia. who held that all
such permits could he revoked. Since the
effort of the Commissioners to comply with
these terms OF the contract by notifying
parties that after the LIST OF May such per-
mits would be revoked, frequent appeals
have been made to them in behalf OF just
such worthy men the one who collects
your garbage. to make exceptions in their
behalf. Some of them feed the garbage To
hogs in Virginia and some In Maryland.
and in some cases considerable monetary
interests are involved; but, heretofore, the
Commissioners have uniformly held that
they must comply with the terms Of the
contract entered into with the Washington
Fertilizer Company, and they sincerely
trust that the officials of the general gov
eminent will give their aid to the District
government in seeking to improve the SAM
tary conditions of the city and the sur
rounding district.
IF any exception is made in this case
II will be cited in every other case where
the garbage consumer has influential
friends, and there Will be return to the
system which has so long prevailed Of haN-
ing the ill-smelling receptacles carried
through the streets Of Washington. fire.
quently spilling the contents on the streets.
and an end to the hope which We cherish
of installing a system worthy OF the ma
tional capital. The superintendent Of the
service under which this contract is being
executed, is willing to go to any lengths
to avoid any embarrassment to the Off
Gals of the navy yard; and the Commits
sioners are confident that the officers of
the Washington Fertilizer Company Will
give any guarantee which may be required
as to the hours of collection, the place Of
collection in or out Of the enclosure. or
to the character of the men who make the
collections. which may be required. in
der to obviate the objections stated by you
to the proposed system"