The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-21
SAYS He CANNOT
KEEP CITY CLEAN
Supt. COIN Declares His De-
partment Has More Than
it Can Handle
DANGEROUS REFUSE
MENACE TO HEALTH
Report Shows What Was Done
During Year, And How
Appropriations Were Ex-
Pended.

That the street cleaning force of this
city is entirely inadequate to meet the
demands made upon 1t Is the serious
statement OF Superintendent Henry j..
Gaia iss-Ais annual aFt,-St h!Gh has
Just come from the printer. it is
shown that Mr.. Cohn has used avail
able appropriation with remarkable
economy and ability and has appor-
toned the men In MS department 10
attend to the most urgent demands,
but much important work was ieIt
undone. the superintendent de- ares,
and as this work is daily increasing
II will be practically impossible Tor
the department to catch up unless
more men are employed.
1t is shown that unless the city can
Ire kept clean sanitary conditions VIA
not prevail. Disease 10 liable TO break
out from piles of refuse whlcn the
street cleaning force Is not able to
handle. Epidemics are liable to occur
from which the city may suffer fearful
loss of life
Last Year Trying One.
In speaking of the work OF 1910.
Superintendent Cohn says:
an exceedingly trying one FOR this
department. We have not the ia
cilities necessary for the proper
performance of the work allotted
TO U.S. Our force ~ entirely mad
euuate to meet the demands made
upon IL. Each day brings its bur-
den to add 10 the already heavy
Ioad-~a new house from which to
collect ashes, an extension OF
paved cutters. streets or alleys;
"A new street basin, from which
mud or other deposit must tie re-
moved.
our force consists OF one hum
dred and twenty-five men. divided
about equally in cleaning streets,
alleys and street basins on the one
hand and removing ashes. gari,-
Hge and trash on the other. sixty
men clean streets. alleys and
street basins: sixty remove ashes.
garbage and trash: one collects
trash paper and four care for the
stable.
by placing the population of
the city Of Richmond at II5, 1000,
we have one man tn sweep streets
for every 1915 Inhabitants. one
man to collect ashes for every L.,
el6 inhabitants.
1T WILDE for the CITY Couactl so
determine as 10 the amount To he
given this department; for perma-
nent improvements. We appre-
ciate the fact that great demands
are made each year on the treas
ury of the city and for that rea-
son, alone, we have not asked for
ali the needed Improvements, but
we hope To get them from time To
time. our stable space is cramp-
ed and We are sadly in need of a
cart shed. Up 20 the time when
We become short of teams some
of our stock was kept in temper
AIRY stalls fixed up under por-
ton Of the cart shed. We have
never had SUFFICIENT shelter for
the carts sweeping machines and
sprinklers most respectfully
submit that this matter should be
given early and earnest consid-
GRAFTON. as this part of our equip
ment Is greatly deprecated by
constant exposure 10 the wealth
err"
Not Idle.
The report then shows that the de-
partment has been by no means idle
during the year. More than 10000
squares Of streets were swept over
20, 900 squares OF cutters were cleaned
$4,000 squares OF alleys were cleaned
while $40 squares OF streets were moi
only cleaned but scraped
During the year 7,asi loads or gar.
bage were hauled; 500 loads of paper
were handled. and l+6.o3s loads oil
trash and ashes were moved.
The amount OF refuse destroyed b,
the new incinerator was enormous
Approximately $500 loads OF garbage
was burnt: 5000 barrels of stale
vegetables. 8, see barrels of rtecaypt
fruit: nearly 1000 barrels OF spoiiet
fish, 22s barrels and boxes Of tainted
meat, and a.T37 dead dogs, cats and
small animals.
~ to the expenditures OF the de
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