Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-09
AN STREETS 4
|CTION PLEDGED
oIic's Protests Bring
aincilman's Promise of
Drastic Move
(JsEN QUlzzEs HICKS
lth Chief Says Life Is
lenaced-Vare Declares
Condition Will Improve

With officials divided as to the cohI
y 6ition OF city streets. action on the
z widespread demand for "a cleanup Is
nfomised by Councilmen and by Direc-
I. for Krusen. of the Department OF Health
40 CHARITIES. The latter official admits
FIAT many streets, because of the dirt
4 ond refuse piled In them, are menare
4 ~ health.
chief Robert c. Hicks. OF the Bureau
'z0f Street Cleaning, whose official duty IS
n o. sseo that streets are Kept reasonably
dean and that cleaning contractors do
their work properly. in II statement on
the streets, declared that. never nave
seen the streets OF the city generally
In better condition, at this time OF the
year" In contrast TO this statement Is
the one by Director Krusen
The opinion among citizens generally
ID evidenced by the fact that at almost
every recent session of Councils de-
mands for u cleanup and the enforce
snent Of the street cleaning and garbage
and ash collection specifications have
: been made. SO frequent have been the
complaints that Charles A. SchwarZ Of
the Sixth Ward, chairman Of Councils
Street Cleaning Committee. has promis-
I'd call for a committee meeting for
next week to take drastic action
KRUsEN QUESTIONS HICKS
When the attention OF Director Kruseu
Was directed 70 the dirty condition Of
iuany downtown streets and 10 the rub
blsh and ash heaps. as well as the pres
ence Of decaying animal and vegetable
matter in many thoroughfares. he at
once called Chief Hicks into conference
and demanded an explanation. Hicks,
~ In all his public statements, is said
- - ~. a
the ground that they had not had time
since the recent winter weather to catch
up with their work.
When asked about the agitation over.
dirty streets, Chief Hicks declar-
1T is just dirty politics to ok out
downtown streets as samples.
why don't you look over the wide
streets In the residential parts of the
city and see what has been done there?"
Other friends of Senator Edwin u.
Ware were equally strong in their de-
Tense Of the Senator-contractor. and
said any attack on the condition Of
streets in the central and southern SEE
= tions OF the city was "for political pur-
poses only" and not because the streets
wore dirty.
A plan Is afoot to increase the salary
OF Chief Hicks, of the Bureau Of Street
Cleaning. from $4,000 to s3500, and any
agitation at this time against the manner
In which he enforces the street cleaning
specihcations will lead. It is feared. to
Opposition to the bill when 1t is finally
introduced In Councils.
80 many protests have been received
however, that those friendly to Hicks
have come to the conclusion that 1t Is
better to promise action than to fur
ther Ignore the demands of the public
\ generally for some Improvement.
Senator Ware, talking of street clean
ings frankly admitted that he could not
1 get al the men and equipment at work
4 dufing the bad weather. He has prom
ised that very noticeable improve
mont will result from the fact thar
9 he now has every available man at
work In the central and southern Sec
lions Of the city. These men. he de-
ciared. are working many hours longer
than the average working day and are
accomplishing wonders" in the narrow
streets and alleys in the southern Sec
tion OF the city.
WOMAN BLAMES MAYOR
Only new city charter providing for
n Council of seven or nine men viii
roctify conditions resulting In the filthy
streets that exist In Philadelphia, ac-
cording to Mrs. Imogene b. Oakley, cor
responding secretary of the Civic Club.
There are four places on which we
can place the blame Mayor Smith is
primarily responsible. as he should see
that he has men under him who will
INSIST that the contractors do their work
Public Works Director Datesman and
Mr.. Hicks. chief of the Street Cleaning
Bureau. are the ones directly responsibly
And the voters are to blame for having
such men In office.
AFTER that disgraceful affair I'm the
Fifth Ward last primary day. 100. 900
reputAble men wanted TO vote and could
not because they had failed to register
~ 10 spirit such as that among the
votorp that gives us so much rottenness
'iu our municipal government. The voters
should turn out and vote. They should
- TO II in time that they are registered
and qualified to vote
N ri the voters will turn out this year
and elect decent legislators to send TO
Harrisburg then there mighe be some
hope. We might then be able to gain a
neW city charter that would do away
with two unwieldy branches of Coun-
cils. 13s men in all.
URGES SMALL COUNCIL,
IT We had a small Council il would
be possible to lay responsibility where II
belongs Things would have to be dis
'russed In the open and we would all
know who is who and what is what"
!, The housewives of PHILADELPHIA are
taking the bull by the horns. or more
strictly speaking, are taking the broom
IN Tire handle. and cleaning the streets
then1selves. This plan is being followed
with especial energy in the pronounced
Yare districts in the southern part Of the
dltv
a a tour OF the city today showed that
housekeepers were paying little heed to
lbe promises of Common Councilman
CHexles Schwarz. chairman of Councils
{<ru1mittee ON Street Cleaning. who said
xould get the street cleaning bows
&>4pf some time next week. maybe"
rromise evidently sounded a little
~ to many housewives.
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