Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-12
STREET CLEANING
EXTENSION URGED
Research Bureau Appeals to All
Civic Bodies to Oppose
Contract System
STRIKE NOW, IS SLOGAN

All civic agencies in Philadelphis
were urged by the Bureau of Munici.
ral Research today to create nm ire
sistible public demand for the exten
son OF municipal street cleaning over
the entire city.
The bureau based its appeal on the
bill to modify the street cleaning pro =
visions OF the City Charter. This bill
died in the. last Legislature.
Calling for "a new conservation" so
| mat the contract system may be abol- =
ished. the bureau. in its weekly bullo-
tin, continued:
Early Action Urged
1t is now for us TO dedicate our
selves to the unfinished task Of securing
municipal street cleaning In all dis.
tricts of the city and 10 settle once md
for all the problem that was supposedly
settled in the passage of the new Char
ter. SO long as any contract street
cleaning remains pressure will be used
to keep the institution alive. Accord
ingly our first step should be TO support
a movement to extend municipal work
over the entire city at the earliest op-
portunity.
The accomplishment Of this purpose
will undoubtedly require the most in.
tcnSivc efforts Of those who supported
Charter revision and Of all others who
hnvc cried aloud in the past against
filthy streets. The striking manner in
which protests were made against the
proposed change in the street cleaning
law indicates that these forces arc
aroused, and while aroused they should
strike with telling effect.
Eleven of the thirteen street clean
N listri1tr ho;,,r
der contracts expiring on December 81 ,
but tcrmineble September 80, pro
vidcd notice is given by the city TO the
contractors before July /. Presumably
special action by Council would be re-
quired 70 terminate the contracts on
September 20 and to transfer the az.
preparation in the 1921 budget for the
eleven district contracts to the city
forces. Whether municipal work IL
begun October l. 1921. or January |
1922. money must be provided for the
purchase of plant and equipment.
Mayor to Act
1T Is reported the Mayor will shortly
send message to Council which will
deal with this question and give cSti.
mates of .'eQuired initial outlay to cx-
tend municipal work. Such a report
to secure 4 full program of municipal
street cleaning.
The events of nine months ago.
when the street cleaning policy for
1921 was being formulated at the
eleventh hour. warn us that this year
the decisions should be made early in
order to afford the maximum time for
actual physical preparation. Accord
ing,y, all Of the civic elements inter-
6sted in clean streets should begin now
to mold firm public opinion in favor
Of full municipal street cleaning and
thereby create an irresistible public de-
mand that will insure full councilmanic
support Of tho measures necessary 10
accomplish this end
Once municipal street cleaning is in
operation over the entire city. we be-
liovc that the controversy OH this sub
lect viii become dead issue and thar
the Legislature will not again BE- wor-
ricd with attempts to revive the obso-
lctc and w"ll-n nigh universally nban-
IlonCd policy of contract street Clcan-
ing"