Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-28
FACTS ABOUT STREET CLEANING

To the Editor Of the EUcning Ledger:
Sir--The street-cleaning bureau admits
that it is handicapped in not being provided
with proper inspection system.
Until the work is done by the city alone
and the contract system is abolished as in
other first class cities it seems likely that
only by voluntary, organized, massed pub
lie opinion and energy directed to an in
spection and record of delinquencies, for
protest to the authorities, will some real
gain be made.
Let one credit be given to the proper
city officials for the advancing standards
in framing the specifications of street clean
ing for 1917. In the first place, i'm the sched-
ule of estimated amount of street cleaning
required, prominently to be mentioned Is
an increase over 1915 of a million ana
half Yards of surface to be cleaned every
day (Class A work. about 100000 yardage
to be cleaned four times week that vas
not specified last year, and one-quarter mill
lion more yardage in 1917 to be cleaned
every two days (C.ass b. At the same
time there is a diminution of the Class c,
or ry-three-days cleaning, to the extent
of one and a half million of yardage.
Obviously from the standpoint of higher
efficiency, the yardage Of daily cleaning is
the criterion. The most marked increase
in this improved class of work was in the
Germantown district, where about five times
as much is to be done in 1917 as was speci-
ned Tor 1910, whereas Ill tle "Cot
delphia Central and North Philadelphia
districts only about twice as much daily
cleaning is to be performed, while in the
Kensington district about one-thrd less is
to be done, although 127,4O0 yardage of
four -times-a week cleaning is to be inau-
gurated, as well as a million more yardage
of the every-two-day cleaning than last
year.
Under the heading of Equipment it is
expected that the squeegee machines, the
| machine brooms and the hand brooms shall
| be provided with spiral fins and bamboo
| bristes Dirt wagons must have metal
bodies tightly constructed so as to prevent
| leaking of their contents. They must be
| kept partly covered while loading. and when
| loaded they must be covered and the covers
| made fast so as to prevent their contents
| from escaping
| II is unfortunate that the bulk of i'm
| portant street cleaning is not dore at night
The nightwork to be done, however, Is
| limited between the hours of $3.50 p. m. and
A. M, hnd all accumu ated street dirt
| must be collected before a. m.
Concerning cleaning by machines the pub
! lie can and should pay some attention tc
| the provisions required In this method. The
| squeegees are to be operated in batteries
| preceded by a sprinkler, each machine fol-
| lowing closely behind the one in front, but
| sufficiently to one side just to catch the
windrow of dirt and water from the ma
chine ahead. The remaining machine worl
shall be done with machine brooms i'm
| mediately preceded by spr:nKIers The ma
chine brooms, iushers and squeegees mus
be accompanied by sufficient number o.
men to sweep Immediately the wndrows O
dirt into piles and carts to remove the dir
from the street Immediately tnot one hou
afterward, as in 1870.
Another item: "Bockmen must be SUP
piled, with sprinking cans to be uset
wherever necessary" The containers use,
by these white wings must be remove,
from the streets by p IN. The work o
flushing the streets is to be materially In
creased by extra gangs for this purpose
Sunday and holiday work, is provided 70
between the hours of aAi IL a. m. to re
move the excess of paper and refuse throw,
| on the streets. tt+
The contractor in each district Is reouire
to use horse sprinklers on streets designate
and with the frequency required by tn
engineer. The sprinkling Is to- be exciusiv
OF that done In connection with the regula
cleaning work, These sprinklers should 3
ready for service earlier than June i. Sa
the specifications provide. Some of In
! = WORT q ne dpstys windy .daxe sse - Is