Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-12
STREETS CLEAN.
SAYS DATESMAN
Director Never Saw Them
So Good at This
Season
y MAKES INSPECTION TOUR
Street Cleaning Records
Broken Since January I

The streets of Philadelphia were
never cleaner at this time Of the year
than they arc now. said Director Dates
man. of the Department Of Public Works,
this afternoon after he had completed ar
Inspection tour as "A result of city-wdc
complaint about the filthy condition of
the thoroughfares.
''If | had to apologize for my depart
ment l would resign" declared the Di-
rector who denied flatly that Mayor
Smith had delivered an ultimatum that
he clean the streets or make way for
man who would
Director Datesman, accompanied by
Chief Hicks, Of the Bureau Of Street
Cleaning, spent several hours motoring
from one section Of the city to another.
The street-cleanlng heads in a general
way covered every part of Philadelphia.
"No APOLOGIES
~ have no apologies to make for the
condition of the streets" said Director
Datesman upon his return to city Hall
'.l have been in the city's service for
long while and am familiar with this
question. never before saw at this
time of the year the streets as clean
as they are today.
I'VE now have all the men we need
for street-Ceaning work and would not
Know where to place any more. IT II
ever becomes necessary for me to apolG.
gize for the work OF my department
will resign
Director Datesman laughed at tho re-
port that the Mayor had sent an ulti-
matum.
'"The Mayor did not say to me, 'lf YOU
can't do the work | will get some one
else who can" said the Director What
he did say to me was that il the con-
tractors did not get the men to clean
the streets the city should hire men to
do the work and charge their wages
against the contractors payments
Street-cleanlng records in the history
of the city have been shattered in the
last two months.
Cost has scared to Unprecedented
figures. Hundreds of complaints against
dirty streets have been received by city
iofficials, newspapers and contractors
from individuals and civic organiza-
tions Mayor Smith has been forced to
take hand in the situation and the
new Street Cleaning Bureau Is shown
to have fallen down on IT'S first real
test.
Senator Ware bames the weather.
Chief Hicks. OF the Street Cleaning
Bureau. is silent in the face of Mayor
! Smiths order for him to do something"
his one answer being to advertise for
men and equipment to be paid for by
the city 10 do the work assigned 10 the
7 contractors
: Hicks. who for many years was the
special investigator for the Department
of Public Works, was the man chosen
by Mayor Smith to boss" the Street
Cleaning Bureau. which took the place
of the old Bureau of Highways, of which
William II. Connell was the head. At
the time of the change connell was said
TO have got In bad" because he i'm
posed heavy fines ON contractors for
failure to do their work.
The present head was appointed with
the approval OF Senator Ware and was
said to be the man satisfactory to most
Of the Ware leaders.
FINES NOT so HEAVY
One Of the first official acts of Chief
Hicks was to let down on the fines
imposed each month upon contractors
because of complaints made by tndi'
viduals and civic associations. Later
he amended the street cleaning specii'
cations, making il possible for the con
tractors TO employ fewer men on tho
streets. Only last month lie jumped th'
fines TO amounts equal 10 those i'm
posed by former Chief ConneIl in Il win
ter month.
Street cleaning and ash collecting thi!
year will cost more than $3,500,OOO, as
compared with $2,693,790 last year ano
Z s1.776,52s in 1916. Garbage collections
s viii bring the total cost of work Of this
! character to more than si,000,OO0, q
figure that few years ago would have
been considered n wildly impossible
dream.