Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-09
CLEAN VACANT LOTS
SpotIess Town Crusade Is
Having Results.
OFFICIALS SHOW FIGURES
Over 1,50O Spaces Rid of Refuse by
Street Department.
PRIVATE WAGONS PUT TO WORK
First of May the Limit Set by Com
missioner West for Finishing
City housekeeping.

Alleys and over 500 vacant lots in BOB
squ,.res of the city cleaned of all refuse.
That is the net result to date of the
alley s'eanng crusade, inaugurated sew
eral weeks ago by Commissioner west,
following personal inspection tours to all
parts of the city, and carried out under
the immediate supervision of James M.
Wood, superintendent of street cleaning
and the good work is TO go on for an
other month
Mr.. Wood today reported to Commits
sioner West that in the twenty days
which have lapsed since the work was be-
gun sos city squares have been visited
and that nearly 200 cubic yards OF
refuse had been removed from 100 city
lots. The material has been carted away
to the Benning dump. where several acres
have been covered
The inspectors working under Mr. Wood
have made thorough examination OF
conditions in the city and upon their re-
ports Mr.. Wood estimates that the num-
Der of woodsheds, back yards. cellars,
etc, that need cleaning aggregate 3oco.
Private Wagons in Service.
This cleaning must. of course. be done
by the householders, but in order to have
the work done Systematically and eco
nomicaily. MIR. Wood has devised
wagons for hauling old debris from pri-
waite residences shall be registered in the
street cleaning department. with an appli-
cation signed by at least four residents.
certifying that the applicant is an honest,
trustworthy and deserving man.
One hundred and twelve applications
have thus far been filed and a record is
being kept of the character of wagon used
and of the prices which will be asked for
removing old material. Drivers with
rickety wagons and who, in hauling, al
low debris TO be scattered from the
wagons to the street, will not be given
permits, and in this way it is believed
that the Objectionable conditions which
now exist can be prevented in the future
Supt- Wood asked that the householders
cooperate with the street cleaning de-
partment by allowing none but registered
teams to do their hauling, and thus avoid
overcharges and the occurrence Of petty
thefts. many of which have been reported
Applications TO the street cleaning de-
partment will result in registered driver
being sent to the residence from which
material is to be removed.
Complaints Acted Upon.
Commissioner West has been in receipt
Of numerous communications from per-
sons in all sections of the city, calling at
-tention to conditions which need remedy
Ing, particularly in the matter of stables
kept in an unclean and insanitary condi-
tons. Acting upon one of these COM
plants. one or the inspectors of the health
department recently visited every stable
and yard IN a square In a central portion
of the city, and in the report which the
health officer made to Commissioner West
1t was shown that the conditions war
ranted serving of notices upon a large
number of owners to abate nuiSanceS
which were discovered.
Commissioner West stated today that
every effort will be made to clean up the
city by the first of May, and he was par
ticularly glad steps were to be taken
toward removing waste paper and other
unsightly objects from the parking in
front of private houses Some of these
parkings are very badly Uttered with
paper, etc, but the cleanliness of the
parking must depend upon the interest of
the householder in having the streets pre-
sent a cleanly condition.