The Detroit times., 1911-06-28
Frank \. HOvey is Real
Crusader for Clean City



Is going to be clean. am going "a
continue this campaign until every
body gets into the bandwagon for a
clean Detroit.
1T Is costing me, at conservative
estimate, $50 a day TO look after the
alleys. Men have called me up In
connection With business deals and
have told them those matters would
have to wait until | am through with
this work In my tours OF the alleys
| am covering from 25 TO 30 miles a
day. / have used up three tires and
only today the fourth was punctured
as was driving through an alley. but
those little things don't count when
we are working in the cause OF hui
manity.
my plans are working out we'll.
am surprised myself at the way the
citizens are supporting me. A keen
rivalry has sprung up between the
east and the west sides, in the down
town district, to see which can keep
its alleys the cleaner. Before | get
through with this, am going TO have
captain in every block In the city
To look after the alleys in his block
and see that they are kept in good
condition. am having a model gar
bage receptacle and ash receptacle
built In the rear of my premises, on
Longfellow-ave., and when they are
finished, want every citizen to come
and look at them The ash receptacle
will be so arranged that papers and
other rubbish can be burned In IL.
Thus there will be nothing to carry
away but ashes and garbage, which
will simplify the work OF the depart
ment Of public works. II possible,
am going to get some manufacturing
concern TO manufacture these re-
ceptacles and put them on the mar
ket at price that will be within the
reach OF the poorest citizen. 1t will
rot be commercial proposition with
me, for | would have nothing to do
with the manufacture.
Then am going to encourage
everybody to plant shrubbery in their
back yards and climbing roses on
both sides Of the alley fence so that
the vines will form an arch right over
the fence and hide the receptacles
from view. | want them to go even
further and plant trees in the back
yard. What chance will the germ
spreading fly have in the alleys under
those conditions
If we have got to have dirt, say
1t is better that the streets 60 dirty
than the alleys. When we are on the
street. we're busy. and we don't mind
the dirt. When We are home we are
| nf L.
back yards, and if our back yards
and alleys are not clean, our lives are
endangered.
How did ! come to start this cam
paign?" Mr.. Hovey repeated after his
visitor. THAT is a rather long story,
but I'll start by telling you the last
chapter first. To look back 1t seems
almost like fairy tale.
Il sat here in my Office one night,
thinking about conditions In Detroit.
There was considerable discussion GO
ing on just then about housing condi-
tios, etc. | went all over the situa-
ton In my mind. said to myself. We
have a department of public works, a
health board, police department and
courts, why is 1t that these conditions
exist? There is a screw loose some
where. Someone Is being deceived 1t
occurred to me that, II such were the
case, the condition ought to be cor
rected. II struck me that something
ought to be done and that ought to
turn In and help.
Il reasoned that all this discussion
about pure milk and pure food was of
small Importance compared with the
awful results OF dizziness In the al
leys. Right here | saw an opportunity
to do something for my city. The
more I thought about 1t the more II
seemed to me as though II were just
as much my duty, II 1t were in my
power, to make Detroit a clean city
as 1t was Mr.. Carnegie's duty to give
his millions for educational purposes
"Up to about year and half ago
had been in very poor health for sew.