The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-20
CITY !. NEWS
GOOD WORK PAIDF0R
Yet the Service at the City and
County. Building Is
+ .<sE Slovenly. t..
More Work Done at Less Expense
in the Average Office
Building.

The cost to taxpayers of maintaining
such building as the courthouse and city
hall is enormous Last year the countys
share Of this expense was $31,7S6.0l and,
although the figures for 1902 are not yet
avallabl they will not fall far below that
sum. This Is considerably more than it
costs to run the largest office building in
the city, a fair average for the mainten-
ance Of these big buildings being $4,000.
Salaries Of janitors, engineers. electric
ians and elevator attendants in the county
building will reach a total Of $16,8S996
this year land yet it is an obvious fact
that the building has never been con-
Quoted in so slovenly a manner as at the
present time. Last year the pay roll was
s16,714.9s. In 1900 it was s17,3406S.
Salaries Of similar employees in the big
gest office buildings in the city do not eX-
coed $4,000, and yet the difference is not
because the county pays higher wages
than do private employers, but because
fewer men are employed. Despite this
fact there is no comparison between the
janitOr service of such a building as the
Andrus. Guaranty or Lumber Exchange
buildings and the courthouse. The office
buildings are kept clean and in good
shape. The county building is run in
shiftless manner and work, to pay for
which, property owners are taxed is neg
lected.
Since 1900 the county building has been
without a custodian. Prior to that year
| Frank S. Lane held the position at an an
! nual salary Of $1,000. His position was
abolished under plea for economy, as
was also the position of head engineer,
but the auditors figures fail to show that
the desired result has been obtained.
Nast, Now in Charge.
The present head of the county build
! ing's force is County Commissioner NJ w.
Nash. who has assumed the duties of head
janitor and who, chairman of a COM
mittee, has charge of the purchase of all
| supplies for the building.
The county building janitors employed
are responsible to no one but Nash, and
| Nash is not hard task master. Recently
a steam radiator sprung leak and the
matter was allowed to pass without at
tention for several days. the water flowing
! over the Fourth avenue stairway in the
meantime
I With Lane at the head of affairs the
| floors were kept cean. They have never
been SO kept since his retirement. The
janitors are either incompetent or lazy,
and evidently act on the theory that pub
lie job is a private snap. They have been
: appointed for political reasons, and their
Sinking Of work proves it.
1t is difficult to institute comparisons
of the moneys expended by Nash and
Lane, owing to the fact that prior to last
year the account was not kept separate
ly; but wherever comparisons are possible
they seem to indicate that County Com
missioner Nash, though he may be an
. extraordinarily astute politician, is an
expensive luxury as head janit0r.
: office Building Comparisons.
| Office building managers accomplish
more for less money and get better ser
vice than County Commissioner Nash
with his force. The average big office
building of Minneapolis contains about
$4,000 square feet to be cleaned. The
cleaning requires the service Of sixteen
janitors, some of whom are men al S1.5(
a day and the remainder at 81 a day
This force must work at night. Each Of
flee is swept daily and the waste paper
removed; each office is scrubbed twice 6
,: week and the window cleaners are work
ing all the time. The corridor floors are
, washed every day. The pay roll includes
t also a head janitor with general over.
9 sight, who does, in addition, the CARPENTER
5 work
At least six elevator attendants are re-
& quired at $3.50 a month. The average
d office buildings have population of a
o least 1900 and the elevators carry 2.00
k a day. Eight men are required in thu
engineering. heating and lighting depart
O ment.
y Although it is difficult to put the ex
+ pense of a live office building on a basil
| Of comparison with the county building
q a few figures will give an idea of hov
. much more is done at less expense.
A ten or twelve-story office buildin,
presents a greater amount of exposur
:, with it's numerous windows and therefor
:. costs more to heat. It contains at leas
% 900 washbowls and other plumbing in pro
>. portion, which requires constant care.
Each minute 1,4OO gallons of water mus
be pumped to run the elevators. For do
y nestle service 10000 gallons a day is re
= quired. Nearly 5000 lights are used unit
- he amperage reaches q t least 1900. Thes
q lights are run late as open office hour
~ are from a. m. until II D. m. In col
~ weather a strong head Of steam is re
10 quired from the heating plant all day an
-. night.
-. Of course an office building being i
l.