Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-17
HITS JUDS0N POLICY
W. N. Potter Questions Street
Cleaning Program.
PROMISED TO REDUCE COST
Citizens Association Head Asks
"Has He Made Good?"
WANTS TAFT TO KNOW FACTS
Points Out Increase of $50, 900 in
Appropriation in Two Years.
With Poorer Results.
WANTS TAFT TO KNOW FACTS
To the Editor Of The Star.

To the Editor Of The Star:
The methods of administration in the
District of Columbia arc matters which
concern every citizen who has the inter-
ests OF the community at heart. On &C.
count OF the fact that we are living under
system OF government which deprives
US OF the right to set forth our grievances
at the polls we are forced to rely for the
maintenance OF our constitutional pre-
negatives upon such agencies as our
unique and anomalous situation permits
One OF these agencies is the public press
ana 1t Is because The Star is known to
be the friend Of tho people, and because
1t was through its columns that the Com
m1ssioners made certain statements to
which many good citizens except that I
como to 1t with this communication.
About a week ago Maj. Judson, the En-
g1neer Commissioner called at the White
Rouse for the purpose of advising the
President with respects to the needs of
the District along lines in which, it ap-
pears. he is specially interested. The next
DAY the significant statement was printed
In The Star that Commissioner Rudolph,
president of the board. had been sent for
by President Taft. who directed him to
bring to the executive office detailed
statement covering the most urgent
needs of the District AS there are sew
eral matters which, L dare say, were in
advertently CD overlooked l beg the privi-
lege of calling President Tafts attention
to them.
Warned of "Undue Economy"
In lengthy interview printed In The
Star of September Is, 1911, Commissioner
Judson, referring to the cleaning Of our
streets, said:
I'VE have now accumulated a proper
plant for street cleaning and lave been
cleaning the streets for several months
on q standard somewhat higher than that
obtaining under the contract system. The
economies already are obvious. Next year
we shall ask for nearly $4,000 less than
we received for this year and less than
received the year before having
raised the standard and diminished the
cost"
This statement was made to The Star
and was accepted in good faith. You
doubtless believed from this statement
that the appropriation asked for to carry
on the work during the ensuing year
would be at least $4,000 below the pre-
ceding allotment.
1t appears however, that. while accept
ing his figures as correct, The Star was
not inclined to indorse the majors eco
nomic ideas, for in an editorial headed
Economy and Skimping," appearing In
the issue Of September 10, it said, among
many other wise things. That there is
danger in Washington Of undue economy
in the maintenance of the municipal de-
partments," and that, touching on the
subject Of street cleaning, the citizens
have right to expect that instead OF
asking for less money for street cleaning
the Commissioners will ask for as much
as heretofore, and apply the saving to
more frequent service on the streets that
are now comparatively neglected"
80 - N CT anfC q
cleaned twice week should not be
cleaned three times week. The Star
adds:
''It cannot be commended that Washing
ton is kept clean as long as certain streets
in the city are swept so infrequently that
between visits they accumulate immense
quantities of dirt" Some further peril
nent remarks upon the subject appear in
headed Economy" which mentions
proposed saving Of $1,000 year In street
cleaning.
Asks "Has Judson Made GoodP"
Now, has Maj. Judson made good his
word? Has he reduced the cost of street
cleaning for the next fiscal year by
$4,000 and given the city a better serv-
ice? That is what he promised the people
he would do.
The appropriation for street cleaning
for the fiscal year 1910 was $25o,O0O
1t remained the same for the hscal
year 1911. For the fiscal year 1872.
which began July 1, 1911. on when
work of street cleaning. the appropria-
ton was $4,000, an increase of S1O.-
900 over each Of the two preceding
years. For the fiscal year 1913. the
Commissioners ask for s270.000 for
over the appropriation for 1912. and
SEC, 900 greater than the department
had ever heretofore received.
Has Maj. Judson kept hts word? Are
in better condition than they were in
1910? AS matter Of fact is 1t not
true that the service Is below the
standard 1t had reached as far back as
1903? Is 1t not fact that streets
which In 1910 were swept every day
times a week?
The Star was right in saying that
certain streets in the city are swept
SO infrequently that between visits
of dirt" Did 1t have occasion prior
to last January to make that COM
plant? Why does this condition Of at
fairs exist? It is because the efforts
Of the street cleaning department have
been concentrated upon tho downtown
streets and upon those in certain resi-
Dental sections. to the utter neglect
Of outlying streets. There was time
when all these thoroughfares were
kept clean without neglecting the less
important ones. To what use. then,
has the money appropriated for the
work Of street cleaning been put?
Show Difference Of $4,000.
The statement made to the subcommit-
tee Of the Senate committee on the Dis
trict of Columbia last February by Maj.
Judson was that the machines necessary
to sweep the streets of the city could be
bought for $1,000 or $1,000. and that with
the plant already owned by the District
it could carry on the work. A moment
later. in answer to a question by Senator
Gallinger. he said: we would have to
ask for $4,000. instead Of $25O,O0O be-
cause for all would spend approximately
$4,000 for all kinds Of plant:
Then we will have $4,000 left to do the
work that the contractor (meaning the
machine-sweeping contractor), gets $780,
600 for"
I suppose that Senator Gallinger and
his associates, Senators Curtis Tillman