Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-12
MAY START ROW
OVER TRACTORS
TO HAUL ASHES
City Officials See No Savings
in $4,000 Expenditure
for Machines.

Some city officials disagree with Du-
Gins B. Swift, president Of the board Of
sanitary commissioners, and the board
IN it's plans to substitute tractors for
mules for hauling ash and garbage col
lection trailers through the alleys. Mr..
Swift announced last week that expert
ments looking toward this end had been
In progress for ten days.
The board Of public works, which had
control OF garbage and ash collection
prior TO May IS when IL was transferred
to the sanitary board by law, discussed
the advisability Of using tractors instead
Of mules some time ago but never decided
to adopt the plan for the same reasons
that those who oppose the sanitary
boards idea now set out
The system OF garbage and ash couec-
don will be combined within q month or
two, when the sanitary board completes
the purchase Of three tractor trucks,
eighteen trailers and other motorized
collection equipment, which srs TO be
added 10 the motor ash collecting We
hicles the board of works installed with
ing the last two years. 1t isa planned 70
use most Of the equipment on garbage
Collection in the summer and ash collec-
ton IN the winter. Both kinds Of refuse
.rare 70 be gathered up from the contain
ers In alleys with single trailers hauled
plan IN the ash department since IT was
motorized. Garbage now is collected in
horse and mule-drawn wagons which go
clear to the loading station at Kentucky
avenue and DrOver street every time they
are fun.
COUPLED TO TRUCK
at CENTRAL POINT.
Three Of the trailers are hauled to
central point where they are coupled in q
= hv
train then moves 20 the ash dumps or
the garbage loading station, as the case
may be.
What the sanitary board proposes 10 do
is to lzul the single traiierS through the
alleys with tractors instead Of animals.
upon the theory that would be faster and
cheaper.
One city official. who has had an op-
portunity TO study the operation Of motor
equipment, points out that IN his opinion
it win be impossible TO work the alleys
with tractors cheaper and faster than
with animals Each team and trailer now
makes an average OF from 900 to 600
stops per day. he said, and so far no
moter ever has been made which VIII
stand up economically under such ter
rifle strain Of starts and stops.
TWELVE TRACTORS
REPLACE NINETY Mules.
NJ Swift stated in his announcement
Of the Plan that twelve tractors, costing
in the ueighborhocd Of $1,000 would re-
place the ninety animals now in usa
Those who do not believe the plan viii
be successful state that l. is not possi-
bic 10 do the work with less than twenty
r two tractors, twenty 70 be kept in service
and two to Be held in reserve 20 replace
machines which break down. They be-
heve there would be frequent breakdowns
because tractor drivers cost more than
Labor costs under the proposed plan
would be much higher than 81 present
because tractor drivers cost more thaa
mule drivers. officials sag.
II the sanitary bard desires to speed
CD the collection it night do so By elimi-
mating the long trip fIom the city barns
&c 11S4 Shelby street 70 the starting
points OF various collection routes. city
officials say. Under the plan now fol-
lowed ell Of the collection trains with the
exception OF a few animals and wagons
kept in far outlying points, start from the
barns in the morning. Thus. Il is neces-
sary for the equipment and animals
which serve far distant territory, such as
that north Of Thirty Eighth street 10
travel several miles before actual collection
can be started. Two hours per day is
lost IN the long trips to and from the
barns. officials estimate To do away
with this 1t has been suggested that the
city maintain several small barns close
70 the districts from which the several
units collect.