Evening star., 1934-02-28
Battling Sn0wstorms.

Heavy snowstorms are the exception
rather than the rule in Washington,
which may explain some of the de-
ficiences in the city's preparation and
organization for snow removal. But
other storms have caught the munich
pal authorities unprepared, and other
Winters have found them responding
to criticism, rather than anticipating,
by vigorous action, the conditions that
would produce that criticism.
Part of the trouble undoubtedly lies
in the hesitancy of the municipal
officials to spend money necessary to
put men to work Immediately, for
municipal funds are hedged about
with many ifs and butts, tending to
discourage assumption of RESPONSE
bility and display of individual initi-
ative. Since 1926 there has been a
sort of 'gentlemen's agreement" be-
tween the Commissioners and Con-
gress under which it is under
stood that money spent for snow
removal will be recovered by the
municipal authorities through a de-
ficiency bill. But the experience last
year may be considered typical Of
what happens under such an agree
ment. Additional funds were spent
last Winter for snow removal, but the
passage of the deficiency bill was de-
layed in Congress until the approach
OF the end Of the fiscal year. Con-
templating this delay, municipal Of
f1cials We're fearful of incurring a
deflcit-which is forbidden-and began
laying off men in the Spring, when
they were most needed, to keep within
their appropriation. This meant hard
ship to the men, as we'll as delay in
necessary work. The passage of the
deficiency bill, toward the close of the
fiscal year, showed that the layoffs
were unnecessary. But municipal Of
f1cials could not have known that in
advance.
This year the fund for street clean
ing, snow removal and removal OF
snow from sidewalks" was cut $l25,-
600 below the fund OF last year. Had
it not been for the C. w. A. funds,
the District might still have its main
roadways blocked by snow.
An additional and complicating fac
tor in the snow-removal job results
from parked automobiles. Snow plows
may clear the center of the street,
but the work is incomplete when drifts
are piled only to the line of parked
automobiles. Within short time the
snow has been worked back into the
line of traffic by the churning wheels
Of cars, and things are about as bad
as they were before.
What the authorities could do, and
they have been criticized for failure
to do it in the storm of Sunday and
Monday, is to get the plows to work on
the main thoroughfares early and
keep them working. There are thirty
two ,1OuS ottacbaJ to tr,,cLe u>Laco
are assigned to thirty-two routes. But
there are obviously not enough OF
them, and the task is too heavy to be
spread so thinly. There are plenty
Of trucks available, and the munich
pality could we'll afford an investment
in additional plows to be attached to
these trucks, so that more territory
could be adequately covered.
Another failure, manifested to the
distress of everybody in the last storm,
resulted from lack Of policemen to
direct traffic. Traffic lights perform
a useful function, but to rely on them
in such emergencies as Monday morn
ing is nothing short of absurd. Street
cars and automobiles were involved in
tangles that required intelligent work
by traffic policemen to unravel-and
there were not enough traffic police
men. For hours on Monday morning
automobiles and street cars fought
the battle Of Thomas Circle to an even
draw, with the pretty lights blinking
merrily away and adding to the con-
fusion. and no policeman in sight.
The Commissioners would do well
to call q conference on snow removal
at the District Building and draw up
plan Of campaign in advance that
would be found workable in the
next emergency. Concerted, intelligent
planning and action were lacking
Sunday night and Monday. The city
should not be caught mapping next