New-York tribune., 1902-03-04
A WEST SIDE LAMENTATTON

| In the expressive slang of the period, 1t would
seem to be up to the residents of the upper West
| Side to Justify the obstacles which they have
put in the way of cleaning their part Of the city
| properly at a reasonable expense. Through the
| West End Association they procured the pas
| sage OF a law forbiddinG the establishment OF
| a dump on the North River between Seventy
second and thirty fourth sts.,
| and no pressure on the part of Colonel Waring
and his successors has availed to change their
determination that the Street Cleaning Depart
ment shall not be permitted to procure the facli-
ties it requires for efficient performance OF
| its work in that district They have constantly
complained that the refuse from their houses
was not regularly and promptly disposed of, and
just now they are particularly indignant; but
they show no signs of cOnsenting to q repeal of
the embarrassing prohibition which has been
the chief cause of their woes for years.
Commissioner Woodbury. has clearly ex
planned the trouble as he sees it, and If his
critics have q good answer ready they should
make 1t without delay. Owing to his inability
to install dumps where they are needed within
the forbidden territory, his carts have to make
five mile haul, at twice the expense which
would otherwise be necessary, and the city as
a whole has to pay the extra cost Of not offend
ing the delicate susceptblities OF the West Side
obstructlonists. DR.. Woodbury. is convinced that
he has a plan for n dump, officially approved
long ago, which would give no real annoyance
to the most acute senses; but, not being allowed
to build it, he is compelled TO do well as he
can and endure reproaches which at present he
sees no way of escaping. He frankly acknowl-
edges that conditions in the region so affected
are at least as bad as they are declared TO be,
but he has done what he could with the equip
ment at his command. which was mserably
run down when he got 1t and cannot be brought
up TO decent standard In a hurry. Il do not
know" he says, whether the rest OF the tax
payers of New-York are willing to pay double
''for cleaning the streets OF the West Side. They
"are doing so at the present time, and have been
doing it for seven years. The property owners
'Hn other parts of the city have exactly the same
right as the West End Association TO prevent
'the establishment of dumps, but they do not at
tempt to exercise It All parts OF the city should
"enjoy equal privileges under the law, and If
Everybody demanded the same privileges as the
West End Association we should have no
dumps at all and street cleaning would have TO
'be abandoned"
That is a plain, and, on the face Of II, n CON
elusive reply to the charges of neglect preferred
by the West Enders, who need to make a bet
ter defence of their obstinate attitude than they
have hitherto submitted In the mean time Or.
Woodbury. hopes TO give the East Side of the
city the benefit Of the model dump which the
West Side has rejected. That seems to be both
fair and sagacious, inasmuch as such test may
persuade an extremely sensitive neighborhood
that It has for years been fighting Off not
blight but boon.