Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-03
CLEANING nESTREETS
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT
sTIDHAM SUBMITTED.

The annual report of the street clean
ing department was submitted to the
Commissioners yesterday by Super,n-
tendent Harrison St.dham. Briefly the
document tells OF the resignation of War
ner Stutler, former incumbent of the Of
ffces and of his own accession on January
10, at the beginning of the last half of the
fiscal year which ended June 30, 1905. The
report covers the period between July !,
1904. and June 80. last.
During that time FIVE Inspectors of street
cleaning resigned and one was dismissed,
and IL Is stated that the morale of the serv-
Ice has improved.
The plan Of reorganization of the entire
force of the street cleaning department., as
printed In The Star at the time, superin-
tendent Stidharn submitted his annual esti-
mates, is repeated In the report and the
requisite authorization by Congress strong
ly urged.
Some of the difficulties surmounted in
clearing the streets of snow and ice in
time for the inaugural parade are also told
in the report, and the statements made the
basis of recommendation for larger ap-
ing the winters of 19O6-O7 and succeeding
years.
Cost Of Hand Work.
The statement is made that the average
cost of hand cleaning during the twelve
thousand yards, as against ia cents in
1904 and 11.9 cents In 1903
Mr. Stidham accounts for the increase in
cost by stating that higher standard OF
cleanliness is required now, and that the
work has been extended with no account
taken of the area involved) to care for the
sidewalks, alley mouths and the abutting
cutters of unimproved machine-swept
streets. 1t is believed that Misunderstanding
at present is more economically performed
In washington than in any other American
city. Each mile of street averaging 80 feet
in width requires two and one-third sweep
ers at an annual cost Of $3.50
Special attention is invited in the report
to the needs Of the District as regards
street sprinkling the statement being
made that Washington is the only city of
the first class that has no sprinkling Of
its paved streets. AS a contrast 1T is shown
that Rochester, N. Y, with a population Of
162, 900 spends $42 900 annually on sprink-
ling, while this year in Washington there
was expended only $s,429. and only por-
ton of the unpaved streets were sprinlsled
During the year a total of 36.417 tons of
garbage, and 81 176 cubic yards of ashes
were collected and disposed OF, an increase
over 1904 of 1913 per cent and 31.2 per cent,
respectively. Under the fixed contract
prices the cost of these services was LOB
per ton of garbage and 32.2 cents per
432, respectively, in 1904.
Improvements Noted.
Among the general improvements in his
department Superintendent Stidham men
lions the increased attention given to the
cleaning of unimproved streets, at lower
cost per cubic yard of debris removed; the
fight against dirt spilling from overloaded
or improperly protected wagons: the bet
ter control of street littering; more vigor
in reporting instances of dumping refuse
into public alleys and IN tracing
the offenders; the building up of the de-
partment by purchase and repair; the
keeping CT detailed shop costs; introduce
ton generally of card induces for keeping
track of complaints, correspondence, the
personnel, etc; the creation of an eligible
list from which applicants for laborers' po-
sitions are chosen in their order; trans
fers of inspectors to break up routinism;
and the starting of employees in the lowest
positions and promoting where possible