Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-29
CITIES URGED TODO
own STREET WORK
Philadelphia Pays Twice as
Much for Work as Chicago
Does, Bulletin Shows
ASSAIL CONTRACT SYSTEM

The cleaning of Philadelphia streets
under the contract system costs ap-
proximately double the amount re-
quired for cleaning the streets of Chi
cago, according to n bulletin of the
Bureau of Municipal Research.
There is also wide variance in the
costs here, compared with those OF
Pittsburgh and Washington, with the
difference on the wrong side of this
city's ledger.
Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington
maintain their own street cleaning
forces.
The cost in Philadelphia, according to
the bureaus bulletin, is fifty nine cents
per 1000 square yards, total cost per
year of $1,934,662, or per capita
cost annually of $1.13
The cost in Chicago is given as 300
cents per 1000 square yards, at total
yearly cost of 81 ,4O4 900. .6S, or SO cents
per capita annually
The cost per 1000 square yards in
Pittsburgh is given as 80 cents, with
the total yearly cost and the per capita
cost not available.
Figures From City Reports
In explaining how the figures were
obtained, and in commenting on street
cleaning costs, the bulletin asserts:
'"The above costs are copied directly
or computed from official city reports
for the year 1917. Per capita costs
are computed ON estimated populations
July /, 1917, United States census re-
ports. Differences Of topography and
character of paving, together with diff
ferences in the frequency of cleaning.
must be considered, but Philadelphia
pays too much for the service rendered.
''There are two systems in use for
getting streets cleaned in cities. One
is the contract system. The orher
method is to have the municipality do
its own work. Philadelphia is II con
spicuous example of the few remaining
cities using the contract system.
I'm addition to the cities mentioned
above, Buffalo, Cincinnati. Columbus,
Denver, Los Angeles, Louisville, Mil
waukee, New York, New Orleans, New
ark, Niagara Falls, st. Louis, San
Francisco, Seattle and sixteen other
cities clean their streets by municipal
forces.
Results Are What Count
while it cannot be denied that cost
figures are sometimes misleading and
frequently fail to tell the whole story.
they are, after all, the only measuring
device-the only basis of comparison
that we have. True, the work may be
'slicked over or low standard may
prevail. True, the cost per~capita is
not an absolute index. Some cities de.
mand very frequent cleaning. This
reduces the yardage cost and increases
the per capita cost.
AFTER all, the thing that counts
especially with us ordinary citizens-is
satisfaction with results.
Lets assume that the citizens of
Philadelphia are satisfied with street
cleaning conditions. Mark you, we are
merely assuming. Then, if way were
found to do the same work more cheap
ly, wouldn't it appeal to the taxpayer?
And we're all of us taxpayers.
"When a municipality does its own
cleaning it employs single force and
does the job.
when a contractor does the job the
city must employ force to supervise
the carrying out Of the contract and
the contractor must employ a like force
to see that his men don't lie down on
the job. SO the city pays for this su-
pervision twice! In addition, the con.
tractor must meet his own overhead
expense and make u profit!
''Now you know why municipal street
cleaning is cheaper than contract street
cleaning. Let's have the present job
done cheaper or have better job done,
at the same cost through municipal
street cleaning