The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-17
SUPERINTENDENT COIN
SUBMITS HIS REPORT
Large Mileage of Unpavcd Streets One
Reason Of High Cost OF
Street Cleaning.
HEAD or DEPARTMENT
PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS MEN
Clean Up Week. n Fad Which Should
BE Abolished I'm Favor of Cleaning
Up Every Week-Rcport Full OF
Food for Thought.

Much interesting information Is
given in the annual report of the city
street department submitted by Su-
perintendent Henry j. Cohn to Mayor
\ Ainsiie yesterday. and also many rec
concentrations Tor the betteFment OF
the street cleaning system are sub
mitted for consideration. The report
shows that in all the branches of the
street cleaning wark during 1915
s1s6,950.99 has been expended.
inclusive or the executive force.
the report states, the department now
now has 206 men in its employ, and
shows that one man cleans streets
for every 2.565 inhabitants, collects
ashes for 1883 inha bitants, and col
lects garbage for 7.461 inhabitants.
Mr. Cohn states that the cost for
sweeping paved streets in Richmond
10 higher than the average because
there are so many unpaved streets
adjacent to the asphalt. and the mud
from the former is carried to the
latter. OF the 212 miles of streets in
the city. only about eighty miles are
paved. The cost for cleaning streets
and alleys for 1916 was 40G per
capita
Throw Refuse in Streets.
AS to the ashes ana trash that ac
cumulate about the city, the report
says there is no relief. since citizens
seem persistent in throwing refuse
into the streets difference Is made
to the unreasonable attitude taken by
citizens in allowing grass to grow on
brick sidewalks and in cutters around
their property. and the superintendent
deplore. the practice. declaring ii to
he a violation OF law.
An interesting chapter of the re
port Is given over TO dogs and other
animals that come within tho turis-
diction of the city dog pound. The
report Is as follows. in part:
The city was kept free from all
unlicensed dogs. During thee
2.7l5 dogs were impounded.
The activity of the men engaged
in this class OF work caused quite an
increase in the city treasury.
The total number OF medals sold
were S,634 amounting to Sill ,2eo.4 H..
showing q net gain Of s3.o22 50 over
1919
Fn-om table No. . will be seen a net
increase Of s2a7 over the previous
year for penalties collected al the
POUND"
\ plea is made for relief of in
capacitated help, in which Mr.. Cohn
states:
"one Of the great problems 10 be
solved is the disposition of the help
that has become incapacitated To rem
der the proper service 10 the city
We have In our department a number
% men who have rendered good SER
vice in years gone by but are unable
g render such service today as liz ex-
r~@tcd OF them for the amount OF
money paid ont. am heartily in
s4xor of seeing these nleu cared for.
.,.4 am of the opinion that II should
-. come from the pay roll of this
'rf ;,rtment
Tribute to Employees.
The following tribute TO the faith
tlucsS Of employees during the year
ts made,
III liz most pleasing 10 note that
lna employees OF this department have
neen on tho alert in the past year.
Every one In each branch OF the SER
vice in which he - employed has
: tried 10 exert every energy 20 bring
about the best results.
we can mention with pride the
fact that only four cases OF careless
ness were reported 10 the office dur
ng the year,
The tabuiated results of the depart
n,ent's work for 1915 shows that H.
37e cubic yards OF refuse was col
,ected. The repair force. which Is
now in charge OF Mr.. Cohn, was
maintained at cost OF s25.03s. 10.
that the work would have cost $50
$3.50 II given TO contract.
During the year city authorities
killed Ass dogs and 4ss cats They
,old e8e dogs and seventeen cats.
The per capita cost of various
branches Of the street cleaning de-
nartment II stated as follows
Cleaning of streets and alleys. .she;
collection OF ashes and trash, .4ss:
collection of garbage, 1855; disposal
OF garbage, esT; dog pound. .0ls,
cleaning street basins. .o32; admins
tratton Of department, .0Ss. other de-
partments. .02a. Total per capita for
all work, 3i.257,
Among other recommendations Mr..
Cotrn thinks desirable Is the abolition
OF the cleanup week" which, he
saws. Ia becoming a fad Every week
should be cleanup week. and the an
nuaI accumulation of garbage should
not be dumped on the street clean
ing department at one time. Greater
facilities for the disposal OF garbage
ara needed, he says. since no addi-
tons have been made in this particu-
lar for six years,