The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-04-24
EXPERT TALKS ON
CLEAN UP WORK
No Refuse Should Be Placed on
Sidewalks Sweeping Process
Should Be Started Early

The lack of system and want of
technical training on the part of many
American officials in charge make
street cleaning unnecessarily expen-
slve, leave the streets in a bad condi-
ton and aus the cleaning to be car
rled out in a disagreeable, insanitary
way.
In foreign cities engineers special
ize on this subject. Street cleaning
has been reduced to a science, and &C.
onomy, efficiency and the comfort and
convenience of the public are consider
ed.
The purpose of street cleaning is to
remove as quickly and as cheaply az
possible all foreign matter in the
streets and thus to conduce to the
health of the public by minimizing
the circulation of germ laden dust.
The cleaning of streets should be
carried out in a systematic and
thorough n The cleaners
should proceed in crews with the nee
essary apparatus both to clean the
streets and the sidewalks as we'll, if
necessary, and the layout of the work
should be such that no member of
the crew needs to wait on the prog
ress of the other, but all proceed si-
simultaneously, and when they have
passed through the street the work
will be done. The method of piece
meal street cleaning, with the house
holder sweeping dirt into the street,
the street cleaner sweeping it into
piles and the piles being removed by
wagons, with the occasional passing
first on one side of the street and then
on the other of some piece of street
cleaning apparatus, results in a con
tinual stirring up of dust to the great
discomfort and inconvenience of all
concerned, while the street never real
.ly gets cleaned.
The number of men in the cleaning
crew depends on the kind of machin-
cry used. AS no machine is capable
of reaching all parts of the street,
a certain amount of manual sweeping
is necessary, especially when the side
walks are cleaned in conjunction with
the machine sweeping, so that, as indi-
Gated, the whole width of the street
will be cleaned at once.
Must Be Clear of Traffic.
In order that such cleaning may
proceed with efficiency and dispatch,
and consequently with economy, the
streets must be practically clear of
traffic, as the presence of vehicles,
especially those standing at the curb,
greatly delays the work of the crew.
As the operation of such a crew
also handicaps traffic and as the pub
lie prefers to see the streets clean,
rather than to see them being cleaned,
it is essential to select a suitable hour
for cleaning. German cities have
conducted numerous tests for finding
out the most favorable hour. The
city of Dresden adopted the practice
of cleaning the main streets in the
early morning hours, beginning about
4 o'clock and finishing the business
sections by 6 o'clock, some 20 to 80
per cent of the entire street area.
The cleaning of the remainder of the
streets proceeds Immediately after
the main streets are finished, and the
whole city is cleaned by 9 a. m.
The Early Morning Plan.
The advantages of the system are
that the cleaning can be carried out
by daylight and is consequently bet
ter performed than when carried out
under artificial light, that the work
men are more efficient as day work
ers than as night workers, and that
during the early morning hours the
traffic is at the minimum.
No refuse may be placed on the
sidewalk, but must be kept on the
householder's premises in such places
as will not cause annoyance to the
neighbors. As the street cleaning
crews may be expected at a fixed time
daily the householders are able to
make their arrangements accordingly,
and thus the whole proceeding is car
ried out in the most expeditions and