Evening star., 1942-09-17
Xonten Gears Collection Staff
For 4 600, 900 Pounds Of Scrap
Refuse Unit Head
To Direct Operation
OF 220 Trucks

The problem OF making the Ma
tion's Capital a clean city and keep
ing 1t clean is one which william A.
xanten. 37-year-old superintendent
of city refuse, has handled with ex-
ceptional skill since he became head
Of his department in 1896.
But Sunday he's running into q
newer-perhaps even tougher-job,
and he admits it. Mr.. Xanten's de-
partment will handle the collection
of between one and four million
pounds OF scrap metal to be deposited
on District curbs by residents living
east Of North and South Capitol
streets and east Of the Anacostia
River.
The Job will be repeated the fol-
lowing week in other areas Of the
District.
Mr.. Xanten is marshaling ITO
refuse trucks, supplementing these
with ITO volunteer trucks and staff
ing the feet of 220 vehicles with
more than 900 employees OF the Dis
trict Refuse Department.
Privately donated services include
ITO trucks and drivers.
Suspicious Of Estimates.
Sundays street cleaning will have
to be done Saturday night to release
members of this branch of the de-
partment for the scrap metal salvage
work Sunday morning at o'clock.
The garbage men, ash and trash
collectors and street cleaners should
be able to do the job in from five
to eight hours, Mr.. Xanten esti-
mates, but he guarantees none Of the
figures and on this particular job
he is suspicious of all estimates.
That's the trouble" he said to-
day, pondering Sundays first Of two
mass-movement scrap metal heaps
from District homes to District side
walks, from which points the ma
terial eventually will make its way
to American munitions plants.
II have no idea how much we're
going to get. We may pick up a
million pounds-or four million. At
q million pounds, the collectors
hardly will have enough work to do
At four million, they'll be busy all
the time"
Can Man Only 220 Trucks.
Mr.. xanten pointed out that the
total number of trucks which his
department will be able to man Is
220, and even If more trucks were
donated than the ITO being asked
for, 1t would be impossible to use
them.
Figuring three or four men to
each truck-110 drivers and about
800 laborers-is working the depart
ment's manpower potential up to
the hilt, he said.
City Refuse Department person
mel will include truck drivers, garage
mechanics, collectors, stock-pile at
tendants and other helpers. =
In addition to the more than 900
employees who are working an extra
day to help put the drive over, MIR.
Xanten Is assisted by many volun-
teers from what he calls his statu-
tory or supervising force.
Mr.. Xanten himself will devote
about 80 per cent Of his working
time until Sunday to the "blitz''
drive OF the week end. In this gi-
gantic effort he is joined by many
Of his assistants, whom he charac-
terizes as "a great stan doing q
great job"
Confers on Plans.
Many Of the details of the Sunday
collection were ironed out at a con-
ference yesterday with nine of Mr.
Xanten's advisers: j. c. Bradley
administrative assistant; w. S. Ev-
erett, superintendent of street
cleaning; James j. Kloch, assistant
superintendent of ash collections
r. c. Allnutt, superintendent Of ash
collections; John w. Wenzel, super.
intendent Of trash collections; M. M
Beck, assistant superintendent Of
trash collections; A. M. Owen. as.
sistant superintendent Of street
cleaning: H. F. Krams, sr., assistant
to Mr.. Xanten, and c. w. Snyder