New-York tribune., 1916-07-10
Announcing City Clean
Up, Mayor Asks Common
Sense Law Observance.
STREET FLUSHING
FORCE is TREBLED
Parents of Stricken Children
Urged to Send Them to Hos
pitals-Dirt Greatest Foe.


following statement outlining measures
to prevent the spread Of infantile
paralysis:
Although very little is known Of the
origin or transmission Of infantile
paralysis. am advised by the health
authorities that all scientific expert
, ence points to the fact that i is COM
muncated by direct personal contact,
and that the germs do not live apart
from the human body; in other words,
that II Is necessary for one diseased
person. or another who has been IN
contact with a diseased person, 10 come
in turn into contact with a susceptible
individual in order that the disease
may be communicated.
"The Health Department is now
bending every energy, night and day,
to prevent the spread Of the infection
through such contacts as just de-
scribed. This it is doing by segregat-
ing the cases in hospitals as rapidly
as the diagnosis can be positively
made, and by educating the people IN
J the method of preventing personal con-
tacts by personal cleanliness.
"At the same time we have called
into cooperation the National Health
service 10 aid in tracing the origin OF
this epidemic and in determining more
accurately than our present knowledge
permits the method Of transmitting the
disease.
"In the meantime. and whatever the
method Of transmiSs on may be, nave
determined that every precautionary
measure in the nature of clearing out
house refuse from halls, areas, yards
and cellars. its collection and immedl-
ate removal from the streets, shall be
taken in so far as the city government
has he power 70 enforce the action.
Cooperation Is Needed.
"Accumuations Of refuse containing
garbage in the public streets at various
points in the congested districts have
been reported during the last few days.
These are conditions that exist con
tinuously in the congested districts
and are solely the product Of violations
Of city ordinances by householderss,
who. despite repeated warnings and all
that we can do to the contrary, insist
on throwing the refuse into the streets
in place of collecting it in proper re-
ceptacles as provided by law. A real
/ citv cleanup. with the maintenance OF
/ cleanly conditions. can be effected only
B if houscholdors will cooperate by oo-
serving those ordinances forbicdlnS the
spreading Of refuse in the streets.
81 wish to make il perfectly clear
tha the Street Cleaning Department IS
not responsible for the refuse which
can be found any morning lying IN the
streets Of the congested districts, ana
that i, discharges its duty by remov-
qG
and men Of the department reach those
streets in the course of their regular
days work.
"Householders are also required by
law 20 maintain water-tight and prop
erly covered metal receptacles Tor
garbage. and to deposit rubbish Sc,
curelv tied in bundles so that 1t VIII
not spread over the streets
81 have directed the Police Depart
ment rigidly to enforce these ordi--
rances. / have specifically directed
that any householder storekceper o.
/ other person found depostng garbage
or rubbish r the streets m violation
Of n ,sc ordinances Is TO be arrested
and arraigncd before a magistrate. !
am requesting the chief city magls-
trate 10 urge all magistrates in the city
70 co0pcrate with the city authorities
/ IN enforcing the law and 70 impress rs
I importance upon volators by adequate
penalties.
~ have further directed the Tene-
mcnt House Commissioner 10 utilize
ali the resources of his department 10
compel the cleaning up of halls, area
wavs. cellars and yards throughout the
city.
Work Earlier in Day.
81 have directed the Street Cleaning
Commissioner 10 accelerate 10 the limit
Of possibility the collection Of garbage,
ashes and refuse properly deposited IN
recentacles and 10 continue TO clean
from the streets such refuse as may
no thrown there in violation OF law.
This is done by the Street Cleaning
Department every day at the present
time. but we propose 10 attempt 20
complete the work somewhat carrier
each dav than at present.
There is no more important feature
of the work of the Department or
Street Cleaning AZ the present time
than that of street flushing Ihls is
very useful way OF using water, pro
vided it be not wasted. Every possl loie
effort is made 20 Supervise the lndlVld-
ual street cleaners. so that they snail
not use the hose longer than necessary
on any one spot. though u IS untortu-
ratelv often difficult 20 control their
individual operations. In due course
II i hoped 20 rectify this condition.
Meanwhile it should be remembered
that not over | per cent of the total
amount Of water consumed daily ls
used for street cleaning. while else
whore among private consumers there
IS a preventable waste of from 10 pc.
cent 10 10 per cent of such total.
"The Department of Water supply
has been cooperating with the Depart
ment of Street Cleaning IN this matter
throughout the present administration.
I have directed It's further cooperation
in the present situation, IN order that
still more water may be available Tor
the Street Cleaning Department, 70
the end that the streets, including. side
walks. particularly in congested dis
tricts. shall be thoroughly washed
down each day.
The Street Cleaning Department
will increase its night work IN Man
haitian. so that every street will be
cleaned every night. In Brooklyn,
where the epidemic has been most Sc
we're. the number Of hose gangs en-
ployed in night flushing will be in
creased from fifteen to forty in the al
fected areas Night work will be IN
creased BY so per cent.
Force To BE Reduced.
"To do this the Street Cleaning De-
partment must reduce its forces en-
ployed in the daytime, and unless
property owners will cooperate By
avoiding the present general and wide
spread violation Of ordinance in the
matter OF littering the streets with
refuse, there will undoubtedly be ar
increase in the unsightly appearance Of
the streets during the daytime. Here
ar-iculor riv tho coODerafiOn q Z