The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-05-12
PROBLEM Of THE DIRTY
STREETS IN THE CITIES

Commissioner Humiston is much
interested in anything that pertains
to the management of the streets.
and follows what is done in other
cities. He has received an abstract
of an address given before the Min
neapolis. Publicity club recently by
William H. Edwards, commissioner
for the department of street clean
ing in New York, known among
football men as big Bill"
after the street department is
through for the day with its work it
is up to the people to see how clean
the streets are kept" said Mr.. Ed
wards. eff there are no rubbish
cans there is no place to put paper
except in the street. Rubbish cans
should be pleasing to the eye."
In brief, Mr.. Edwards said that CO.
operation of citizens with the street
cleaning department is necessary
factor to a clean city Appreciation
of the work of employees and recogni
cleaning is what the people want
it to be, he said, for as taxpayers
they have a right to demand what
they pay for, and good or poor work
characterizes the quality of the su,
pervision. ..-
Must Have Cooperation.
"A city cannot have good street
cleaning without cooperation of the
taxpayers and citizens with those
who have street cleaning in charge"
said Mr.. Edwards. Street cleaning
in one city is practically the same
as in another. If the people take
pride in a neighborhood and work
together for better conditions then
the whole city will be better.
"The street cleaning department of
any city expects criticism, and if it
is the right kind, welcomes it. Peo-
pie should study the question so as
to criticise it intelligently. The peo-
pie we want to help the most are
the hardest to help. No satisfactory
street cleaning compares to cleaning
by water, by hose or pressure ma
chimes, such as | understand you
have here. To have plenty of water
is a great help. 1t is demonstrated
that dry cleaning only raises dust
| like rotary brushes, but they are
not of great service, unless the
streets are thoroughly wet. S@-<
There Is Time for Everything.
81 believe there comes a time of
the day when the hand-scrapers
should be done away with. In New
York we scrape the cutters first
thing in the morning. II the pan
scraper is used all the day, we
don't get results in the middle OF
the forenoon and afternoon 5 as by
continuous use of the brooms. There
is certain time for successful hand
sweeping and certain time for
successful hand scraping.
eff l go along Fifth avenue at
3 p. m. and find man using pan
scraper l suspend him under. the
rule of the department that he must
sweep at that time. But we have
no water. Without the water, all that
is necessary is sweeping bag and
broom. If we could flush the streets,
all we should need would be the
hand sweepers. The best street
falls fat without super
vision If your people complain that
the sweepers at night leave wind
rows of dirt in the gutter, that is a
matter for supervision. By watching
sweeping l can tell the character
of the supervision. Every officer
some day in New York has been a
sweeper or driver, and he is ex-
perienced.
Women Have Been Great Help. J.
with us the Women's Municipal
league has been of great help. The
league takes a section of the city
and appoints salaried woman In
She keeps in touch with
the man in charge of the district.
and watches every sweeper and
every route. She picks out and sub
mits to me the name of the best
sweeper and the best driver of the
horse wagons, and then they are
rewarded with medals. 1t creates a
desire among the men to do better
work
eff people take an active interest
in the men in their neighborhood
who are trying to do good work it
makes better sweepers of them. If
the people don't get good sweeping
it is up to them to de.
mand it. which makes it more pos
sible to get what they pay for.
eff | didn't feel the streets OF
New York were better for my being
there, should not stay"
"In New York we are trying the
Emerson vacuum sweeper and the
board of estimate is considering an
offer for its use. This brushes the
1irt into a moving apparatus that
,akes it up into a BIN 49,
Tract of Land on Van Brunt Street