The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-03-20
Plans to Transfer $1,14O
Saved From Salary of AS
sistant Street Commission
er for Purchase.
STREET OILER ALSO
WILL BE PURCHASED
Members Believe Machines
Will Cut Down Expense
While Adding to Sanitation
of City.

1t is almost certain that the Rich
mond street department will be equip
ped this year with a street oiler and a
street flusher.
A 900 gallon street oiler can be pur-
chased for $36125 and the cost of
street oil would not be excessive
Every macadam and gravel street in
the city would be oiled and the actual
expense Of the work assessed against
property owners, so it would actually
cost the city for this work only the
price Of the oiler the wages of the
driver and horse hire.
Mayor Robbins and members of the
board of works have figured out that
The purchase of a street flusher, which
ran be purchased for $1,000, would be
An actual saving to the city.
Only Satisfactory System.
"The only satisfactory system for
piling streets will be for the city to
do its own oiling and assess the prop
erty owners for the work., President
Bavis, Of the board, said today.
Methods pursued in the past for oil
Ing streets have been cumbersome and
unsatisfactory. If the city assumes
responsibility for this work by doing
It itself endless red tape will be dis
pensed with and at a minimum ex-
pense to the property owners and
with but small expense to the city.
'tIt is our plan, when the annual
spring cleaning of macadam and
gravel streets is begun, to lightly oil
each street as soon as it has been
cleaned Later in the season, after
the first coating Of oil has thoroughly
soaked in. the streets would receive
heavier application Of oil. 1t will cost
the property owners little or nothing
to have this work done and I believe
the big majority of citizens will will
ingiy meet such assessments"
Provide Money.
By dispensing with the services of
an assistant street commissioner and
a timekeeper, which the new admins
tration did when it assumed control
of city affairs, LAO was saved, which
sum was provided for in the 1914
budget. The sum saved in this man
ner, plus $3.50, would pay for a uni
form pressure street flusher.
reduction Of over one-half of the
annual cost for the care of brick
streets by the use Of flusher, also
warrants it's purchase, so the board of
public works is to ask council for au-
thority to transfer from the payroll
account of the street department the
amount required to purchase a flush
er. If council consents to such action
bids on flusher will be advertised
for imm ediately. President Bavis is
confident council will approve of the
fund transfer and he said today he ex-
pected to see the flusher in operation
the first of May.
Cut Down Expense.
"At the present time the city is pay
ing $50 week for the care of the five
miles of brick streets These streets
can be more thoroughly cleaned and
sanitary conditions improved vastly
with a flusher at an expense of only
$425O per week, which includes cost
of water, drivers wages and horse
hire, saving of S47.50 a week. This
expense of $4250 is estimated on the
basis of two flushings a week, amply
sufficient to keep the brick streets
thoroughly cleansed and in a most
sanitary condition.
THE flusher will also save residents
of brick streets 35 cents a week
which they have been paying for
sprinklng.
Another benefit from the flushing
system is that the water pressure is
so great that it not only cleanses the
bricks as thoroughly as a housewives
pan, but drives the water instantly
into the cutters, so that water is not
left standing on the streets on hot
days to steam and increase the humid
ity"