Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-22
hSHo1T-SlcHTEO A POLICY

p hS1ORI SIGH I'D POIICH
MAYOR MOORE gricvously disappointed
AVA his best friends and the supporters OF
the city charter when he recommended to
City Council yesterday that only two of the
thirteen street cleaning districts be cleaned
by municipal forces next year.
Piecemeal cleaning was never contemplated
by the trainers Of the charter. Their thought
clearly was that al Of the streets be cleaned
by the city or that mono of tho streets be
cleaned in that way. While the charter
provides for possible continuation Of the con-
tract system. there is not word about
piecemeal work.
Frciuecrinr md snnncial cxnerts abtly
point out that trial of tho piecemeal system
more than anything else viii supply aid and
comfort for the enemies of municipal opera
tion. One point appears obvious from the
beginning: The cost of municipal cleaning
for two isolated districts will be higher than
the cost would be for the same two districts
II the whole city were under the municipal
system. In the case Of the two districts. the
cost will be concentrated In the case of
the whole city. the cost will bc distributed.
In short, the overhead charges for the piece
meal system. when compared with the cost
under contract, will have tho effect OF put
ting the new plan in til" worst possible light.
Earnest friends Of the Mayor will be re-
luctant to believe that he is deliberately set
ting his course with the view Of wrccking
he p,ppiripnl Stra n;nv ala
petuating the contract system with all its
attendant train of political evils.
Further it seems plain that, with the two
systems attempting to function side by side.
those whose rich profits will be af-
fected will do all in thrlr power to discrcdit
municipal cleaning. a kind of political and
contractor sabotage is easily foreSeen.
The pieccmea idea cannot but be regarded
as the product Of weak policy. It would
appear to have been inspired by the soothing
yet poisonous whispcrings of those who view
municipal street cleaning as an experiment,
as something TO be tried out to see how it
will work. There is nothing new to be
learned about street cleaning except in the
minds of some officials who have not mas
tered the simple proposition that street
cannot be cleaned with the pockctbook of a
contractor as the standard of cleanliness.
The engineers who visited fifteen cities for
the purpose of investigating conditions else.
where reported as not the least significant
fact that Philadelphia was the only impor.
tant city which still clung to the contract
system. They found the officials in other
cities unit in favor of municipal cleaning.
Mayor Moore ignores this fact.
The Mayor in an attempt to Justify his
policy, says that the Board of Estimate of
New York finds that city cleaning will cost
S,o0o,0OO more for the ensuing year But
New York officials are not using that as an
argument in favor Of going back to the con-
tract system.
The Mayor would find it profitable to read
this portion OF the report made by the engi-
neers representing the city who studied
street cleaning conditions in other cities;
When asked as to tChdt course he (Com-
missioner MGcStay, Of the Nelr York
Street Cleaning Department. trouM pur.
sue under eriSting conditions in PhiIadeI
phin, he replied that he tcouH not consider
contract rcork tarordbiy for a moment, but
pomId 90 into municipal operction imme-
didteIv for street cleaning hrou0hout the
entire city, and not in one or two districts
at u time.
The Mayors policy is not what was cx-
pected. He has been badly advised. And
he may find that he has been badly advised
from political point of view. He has pro-
vided his enemies in Council with beautiful
chance to put him in hole. They may not
vote to continue the contract system in any
form.