^ - ' * ^ Jr? 
 
 %waan-^ 
 
 <3, -^ 
 %BAflJt& 
 
 slOS-ANCEtfj^. 
 
 ^l-UBRARYOc 
 
 -^UIBRARYQ^ ^E-UNIVERS/A v>;lOS-ANCEl% 
 
 '<* ffi ir-il ^.^P^ f>v^l 
 
 %1DNV-S01^ %a3AINH3\\^ 
 
 ^\\EUNIVER/A 
 
 <^v ^^ O Q; 
 
 Sl^5 | 
 
 ^lOS!ltf> 
 
 ^ ^ ^ 
 
 \OJI7VD-JO^ ^X^IJON^ ^3AINn3\\V^ ^OjilVD-JO^ %OdlWDJO v> 
 
 clOSANCElfT> 
 ^ 
 
 ^OF-CAl!FO% .^OF-CAIIFO/?^ 
 
 ^ "X ^ x^^s. T*
 
 REPORT 
 
 ON THE 
 
 STREET CLEANING PROBLEM 
 IN SAN FRANCISCO
 
 ofay 
 
 snort/-/? 
 
 Z7AT7T 
 
 D/3T. 
 
 ^ /ys /y. (S& MJ ifwgg/ 
 
 \N* 
 
 A/s Loac/s 
 
 Ci/6/c 
 
 Ces. 
 
 ^ CosSjOes-Af. <Sr. >6<t 
 
 /-f /.A/ G 
 
 X & 
 
 (Svper'efence 
 
 Office 
 
 /\Ss 
 
 /V* 
 
 Tofe/ Co*/ 
 
 /fem-f fo Oe 
 
 Worts "co/t 
 
 etr> a f/f-s : -
 
 34 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Introductory: 
 
 Su^m-si.ed Form of Cost Reports for Street Cleaning and Sprinkling'. .Page 
 
 Prefatory 
 
 Letter of Transminal 
 
 aning and Sprinkling by Contract in 1901 1902 
 
 Street Clrauinn in (ieneval. 
 
 Foreword 
 
 Origin and Character of Dirt 
 
 \\"hat is Prevent a Me 
 
 Harm done 
 
 Responsibility of Public ' 
 
 The Problem " 1 " 
 
 Methods: Hand Patrol 11 
 
 Sweeping Machines: Broom ' 11 
 
 "Pick-up" Machines 
 
 Kindling Machines 1 - 
 
 Ptetnarks 
 
 Flushing- 
 
 Hose 
 
 Fl ushers ' 
 
 Disposal -' 
 
 Sn-cet Sprinkling ' 
 
 Street ('leaning in San Francisco. 
 
 Hoard of Works " 
 
 Bureau of Streets 
 
 Staff of Street Cleaning Depart men i 
 
 Raie of Wages " 
 
 Local Conditions 
 
 Dry Season 
 
 Amount of Paved Streets Cleaned 
 
 How Cleaned 
 
 Streets in Bad Order " 
 
 Topography 
 
 Disposal of Sweepings 
 
 Dumping at. Sea 
 
 Bunkers 
 
 Districts ' 
 
 Schedule Maintained by Department " 
 
 Schedule Too Ambitious 
 
 Sprinkling Schedule 
 
 Schedule Should Be Changed ' 
 
 337165
 
 The Chloride Process . . . '. Page 20 
 
 Criticism ' 21 
 
 Discipline and Reforms 
 
 Market Street ' --' 
 
 Produce District " 22 
 
 Montgomery Avenue 
 
 Kearny Street " 22 
 
 Dupont " 22 
 
 South of Market " 22 
 
 Kentucky 
 
 The Mission " 23 
 
 Nob Hill " 23 
 
 Van Ness " 23 
 
 Western Addition " 24 
 
 Sunset and Richmond " 24 
 
 Remarks ' 2 ~> 
 
 Schedule Proposed " 25 
 
 Reorganization of Department " 2". 
 
 Reduction of Wages " '27-, 
 
 Superintendent's Report " 2(1 
 
 Proposed Form of Report " 20 
 
 Present Cost of Street Cleaning " 2<; 
 
 Hand Work " 2G 
 
 Machine Sweeping " 27 
 
 Flushing 27 
 
 Sprinkling 27 
 
 Cost of Hauling " 27 
 
 Summary and Recommendations. . " 2S-''9
 
 THE MERCHANTS' ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 1909 
 Officers 
 
 1st Vice-President 
 C. K. Mclntosh 
 
 Treasurer 
 Byron Mauzy 
 
 President 
 Andrew M. Davis 
 
 Secretary 
 L. M. King 
 
 Directors 
 
 2nd Vice-President 
 R. H. Swayne 
 
 Attorneys 
 Wright & Wright 
 
 R. S. Atkins Robert S. Atkins 
 
 Eugene J. Bates Hulse, Bradford & Co. 
 
 George C. Boardman, Jr Boardman Bros. & Co. 
 
 Gustave Brenner Gore Investment Co. 
 
 Andrew M. Davis The Emporium 
 
 W. D. Fennimore California Optical Co. 
 
 Hartland Law The Viavi Co. 
 
 Byron Mauzy Byron Mauzy Piano Co. 
 
 C. K. Mclntosh San Francisco National Bank 
 
 H. W. Postlethwaite The Holmes Lime Co. 
 
 M. H. Robbins, Jr Otis Elevator Co. 
 
 A. W. Scott, Jr Scott & Magner 
 
 R. H. Swayne Swayne, Hoyt & Co. 
 
 I . O. Upham Isaac Upham Co. 
 
 Committee on Street Improvement 
 
 A. W. Scott, Jr., Chairman 
 C. J. Wood H. H. Allen
 
 PREFATORY 
 
 Some time ago the Merchants' Association began a general study 
 of the street cleaning and sprinkling conditions in San Francisco and 
 the methods by which such work is being performed. This was not 
 done for the purpose of criticising the present Board of I'ublic Works 
 or the Street Cleaning Department, for some streets are well cleaned 
 and the others are in a fair condition, but it was felt that more and 
 better results ought to be secured with the amount of money spent 
 even ".hough the appropriation is not as much as it should be to secure 
 thoroughly clean streets over the whole city of San Francisco. 
 
 The Association from its own experience knows that the best of 
 intentions will not secure thoroughly clean, well-sprinkled streets 
 unless the work is very systematically handled. It was, therefore, 
 decided to make a general study of the whole street cleaning situation 
 in order that it might be determined what improvements or changes 
 could be made that would enable the Board of Public Works to secure 
 more and better results with the appropriation available. 
 
 The Report of the Association's Engineer, who made the inves- 
 tigation, is given herewith in full in the hope that it will be carefully 
 studied and that there will be a more thorough understanding by the 
 public and the City Officials of the difficulties of this work and the 
 conditions that must be overcome in order to produce clean streets: 
 and in the further hope that, as a result, the necessarv changes in the 
 system and details of the work will be made, and that there will be 
 a more hearty co-operation between the public and the City Officials 
 not only in cleaning the streets, but iu keeping them clean after thev 
 are swept. 
 
 Maps referred to in this report have not been published but are 
 on file in the office of the Merchants' Association.
 
 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 
 
 San Francisco. L'al.. July 23, 1909. 
 "To the Committee on Street Improvement, 
 
 Merchants' Association of San Francisco. 
 ( jentleinen : 
 
 In accordance with instructions from your Committee, I made 
 an examination of the manner and extent of street cleaning as per- 
 formed by the local department of Street Cleaning'. 
 
 This inspection was carried on; with many interruptions, from 
 April to July. 
 
 The members of the Hoard of Works and Mr. Wm. (VShaugh- 
 nessy, Superintendent of Street ('leaning Department, rendered very 
 material assistance that was greatly appreciated. Further assistance 
 was given by Mr. L. M. King. Secretary of the Association, whose 
 former experience in this work made his advice particularly valuable. 
 
 The following' report gives a brief outline of street cleaning 
 methods in general and as carried on here, and concludes with recom- 
 mendations for certain changes in methods and organization of the 
 1 )epartment. 
 
 Respectfully submitted. 
 
 II. A. CAMPBELL, 
 
 Engineer. The Merchants' Association.
 
 STREET CLEANING BY CONTRACT, 1901-1902. 
 
 Cost of Street Cleaning and Sprinkling as Done by Contract in 1OO1JOO2. 
 Submitted for Comparison as to Extent and Costa of Work Performed 
 Then by Contract and at Present Date. Wages of Sweepers $2.OO 
 per day. 
 
 DISTRICTS NOS. i AND 4 First Class. 
 IJlock Work. 
 
 No. square yards swept 65,642,257 
 
 Total cost of sweeping and hauling $40,231.08 
 
 Cost per 10OO sq. yds. in District No. 1 .75 
 
 Note. Cost per 1000 sq. yds. in District No. 4 was in- 
 cluded in the price bid per 1OOO sq. yds. (35c.) for 
 ordinary sweeping. 
 
 Second to Seventh Class. 
 Hand Labor Gangs and Machines. 
 
 No. square yards swept (not including Special (Yew work) 132,044,022 
 
 Total cost of sweeping and hauling $46,530.69 
 
 Cost per 1OOO sq. yds. including the few streets cleaned by "block 
 
 work" .35 
 
 Special Crews. 
 
 Total Cost of extra cleaning of gutters and removal of wash- 
 downs and other debris on streets $22,220.50 
 
 DISTRICT NO. 2 
 
 Hand Labor Gangs and Machines. 
 
 No. square yards swept (not including Special Crew work) 30,007,234 
 
 Total cost of sweeping and hauling $ 12,1 Of).! O 
 
 Cost per 1OOO sq. yds .33 
 
 DISTRICT NO. 3 
 
 Hand Labor Gangs and Machines. 
 
 No. square yards swept (not including Special Crew work) 48,188,340 
 
 Total cost of sweeping and hauling. $14,038.37 
 
 Cost per 1OOO sq. yds .31 
 
 Special Crew Work in Districts Nos. 2 and 3. 
 Total Cost $ 3,204. '24 
 
 Special Crew Work. 
 
 Special Crew work was paid for at the following rates: 
 
 For each laborer 27c. per hour 
 
 For each foreman 33c. per hour 
 
 For each team, wagon and driver OOc. per hour 
 
 Fach Special Crew consists of three laborers, one team, wagon and driver. 
 
 Sprinkling. 
 Street sprinkling with fresh water was paid for at the rate of 25c. to 20 ^e. 
 
 per 1OOO lineal ft., the cost varying for the several districts; and 53c. 
 
 per 10OO lineal ft. being paid for sprinkling macadamized blocks on 
 
 Van Ness Avenue. Total cost $15,722.03. 
 
 TOTALS 
 The totals of each kind of work were as follows: 
 
 Block Work Sweeping 05,042,257 sq. yds. $ 53,730.44 
 
 All Other Sweeping 217,83O,5O2 sq. yds. 73,578.1(5 
 
 Special Crews 27,081.15 
 
 Total 282,472,750 sq. yds. $154,5)05.75 
 
 Sweepings hauled by Market St. Ky. Co. to Golden Gate 
 
 Park 47,250 cu. yds. 
 
 Total Sprinkling 58,720,557 In. ft. 
 
 Total loads of sweepings hauled to dump 20,555 
 
 8
 
 THE STREET CLEANING PROBLEM 
 IN SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 FOREWORD: 
 
 Inauguration of modern street-cleaning methods in American 
 Municipalities is of comparatively recent date, and had its beginning 
 when the late Col. (ieo. 'Waring, Jr.. started a system in Xew York 
 that made it the model city of the United States, and as clean as any 
 city of Europe. This was in 1895. His methods are still in force in 
 that city, \vith some later day improvements, and to-day Xew ^ ork 
 is still one of the cleanest cities in this country. 
 
 ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF DIRT: 
 
 Sources of street dirt in a city are many, but principal amongst 
 them are horse droppings; the wearing" and tearing action caused by 
 vehicular traffic ; sanding of street car tracks ; snow and ice ; leaves 
 and weeds : and the contributions of a careless public in the form, 
 of store sweepings, waste paper, newspapers, theatre programs, fruit 
 peelings and the like, which totals an enormous amount. Dust and 
 dirt arising from building operations are often to be added to the 
 above. 
 
 The l/nited States Department of Agriculture tested the compo- 
 sition of street sweepings of the cities of Xew York. \Yashington, 
 Merlin and London. The percentage of moisture was found to varv 
 from 35 to 39 per cent; of organic matter, 20 to 36 per cent; and of 
 ash, 29 to 43 per cent. The above proportions varied according to the 
 season and type of pavement from which samples were taken. The 
 weight varied between 800 and 1400 Ibs. per cu. yd. for a like reason. 
 The sweepings tested contained two elements of value, namely, paper 
 and manure, but the cost of separation was held to be prohibitive. 
 Sweepings have little value as fertilizer as a very large proportion of 
 the material is inert. It has been proposed to add stable manure or 
 concentrated fertilizers to sweepings so as to make them saleable, 
 but this is impracticable since sweepings are never uniform in com- 
 position, which uniformity is an essential requisite of a good com- 
 mercial fertilizer. 
 
 9
 
 WHAT IS PREVENTABLE. 
 
 Much of the above dirt is unavoidable, but 
 of the public are inexcusable and are due solely t 
 or lack of civic pride of the individual. Traction 
 off-set the harm done by excessive sanding by clcanim 
 points where such sand is used. Dust and dirt from building opera- 
 tions is largely preventable as every large building has a ba>ement 
 in which all sand, gravel, rock, lime and cement could be stored and 
 mixed, which is actually done in a few instances, with a resultant 
 (iecrease of the dust nuisance. 
 
 These abuses do not exist in European cities, and there are local 
 laws covering these points, but these laws are seldom enforced. 
 
 HARM DONE: 
 
 It is this street dirt and dust that does great harm, when dr\ 
 and pulverized, it is blown about bv the winds to lodge in the eye> 
 ears and nose of the people, causing much of the catarrhal and lung 
 troubles so prevalent in this country, or as mud is tracked into dwell- 
 ings and places of business to do similar harm. The evil is even 
 greater where produce and food stuffs are exposed in the various 
 markets. Moreover, dust does an enormous amount of damage to 
 valuable stocks of goods in retail stores. Neither coarse dirt that is 
 not blown around freely nor moist droppings do any material harm. 
 
 RESPONSIBILITY OF PUBLIC: 
 
 The private individual too often fails to appreciate his direct per- 
 sonal responsibility for an interest in having clean streets, and it i> 
 no uncommon thing to see people throw away a newspaper or theatre 
 program, though there are always cans in which to place such waste. 
 Such actions are a violation of the law in almost every American city 
 yet arrests for this cause are almost unheard of, nor do the police 
 even take the trouble to warn offenders. This failure to enforce such 
 commandable laws results in adding a great deal to the work of the 
 street cleaning departments, and a city that might be cle 
 is allowed to go dirt}'. A street may be actual! v dirtv 
 Jrec of paper and litter it will look at least fairly clean. 
 
 THE PROBLEM: 
 
 The problem is to remove this dirt from the streets and cart it: 
 away to some distant point where it will not be a nuisance. A thror- 
 
 10
 
 "Uglily cleaned street will he free of tine impalpable du.-t as well as 
 the coarser and more readilv seen forms of dirt. The state of repair oi 
 the several kinds of pavements i.-- a factor that has much to do with 
 the cost and efficiency of cleaning, the cost being about 20 per cent 
 jreater lor a pavement in tairly good order onl\'. and 40 per cent 
 greater for a pavement in poor order. The type of pavement is also a 
 actor in the cost for it has been found that if the volume of sweepings 
 collected from sheet asphalt be 100. then the volume collected from 
 basalt block grouted with tar will be 150. and from block with sand 
 tiller about 500. There have been developed several methods of 
 'leaning- suitable to meet these varying conditions, the cost differing 
 widely for reasons as noted, and becau>e of variations in cost of labor. 
 
 METHODS HAND PATROL: 
 
 The simplest and generally cheapest wav to clean streets is bv 
 hand patrol. Men with brooms sweep the dirt into piles from which 
 il i^ promptlv shoveled into wagons and carted to the dumps. 
 \Yherc traffic is heavy and it is desired to keep the street free of dirt 
 all the time, sweepings are collected in hand-cans and then placed 
 in curb-cans to be collected later by wagons. 
 
 I land sweeping is generally carried on continuously wherever the 
 traffic is heavv, particularly in the important .shopping districts and 
 busines> centei>. It i> then called the "block svstem." Residence 
 districts arc 1 hand-swept a> often as experience shows this U> be nec- 
 essary. 
 
 luisalt or other block pavements should be swept from the center 
 oi the street towards the curb as this is along the line of continuous 
 joints and results in more efficient cleaning. 
 
 The cost of block work can be cheapened by the use of small 
 trucks for carrying curb cans, and t< be wheeled about bv the sweeper. 
 
 ll\ this means a >weeper will not find it necessarv to spend a 
 considerable portion of his time walking to and 1mm the curl) cans 
 in order to empty his hand can. When the can on the truck is tilled 
 t is placed on the curb and replaced bv another can. 
 
 SWEEPING MACHINES BROOM: 
 
 A second method of cleaning is by the use of sweeping machines, 
 the commonest tvpe of which has a rattan broom. This machine will 
 clean a strip about 5 to (> feet in width, brushing all dirt to one side. 
 and by this means sweeping the dirt to the gutters, where it is piled 
 
 II
 
 by men with brooms and then carried away. It is necessary t<> 
 sprinkle a street before machining or the dust raised will be very 
 objectionable. On the other hand it" the street is made too wet. a 
 machine will merelv smear mud over the paving and not clean effi- 
 ciently. Generally speaking- a machine will not clean as thoroughly 
 as a hand patrol, but may be cheaper where labor is high. 
 
 Machine sweeping is suitable for commission and wholesale cen- 
 ters where traffic is heavy, but where very thorough cleaning is not 
 required. However, the produce centers should be kept perfectly 
 clean in order to protect food stuffs from street dust. 
 
 "PICK-UP" MACHINES: 
 
 There are several machines on the market that sweep and at tin- 
 same time pick up the dirt. A machine such as this will work lairly 
 well on a perfectly smooth pavement such as sheet asphalt in perfect 
 order, but these ideal conditions are not to be found in practice, and 
 authorities agree, that no machine of this type works satisfactorily 
 for this reason. The hrst cost is high, which is a factor which must, 
 be considered as well. 
 
 KINDLING MACHINE: 
 
 The Kindling machine has a broom shod with rubber instead of 
 rattan, and a small water tank for sprinkling in front of the broom. 
 These machines are suitable for sweeping sheet asphalt in perfect 
 order, but fail to clean even the slightest depressions. Kurther. the 
 same area has to be re-swept while the street is still wet because the. 
 soft rubber broom fails to make a clean sweep the first time before 
 the street dirt has had an opportunity to be softened by the \\ater. 
 L nlcss this is done a sprinkler must be sent ahead of this machine. 
 otherwise it will fail to do the work. 
 
 REMARKS: 
 
 Hand and machine sweeping fail to 
 impalpable dust is still left behind, and 
 objectionable. 
 
 FLUSHING: 
 
 This failure to obtain perfect results has led to the development 
 of flushing by fire hose or rlushers, as' experience has shown that this 
 is the only method by which fine dust can be removed. Onlv -heet
 
 asphalt or block pavements laid in tar or cement sprout can be flushed 
 without injurv. It is not advisable to flush block pavements laid with 
 >and filler as there is danger of washing out the filler. Flushing is 
 done during the night so as not to interfere with traffic. 
 
 HOSE: 
 
 * ienerally fire hose and nozzles and full hydrant pressure are used 
 but this results in using- about 1.88 gals, of water per square yard 
 flushed, which use is excessive. This manner of flushing can be 
 cheapened by using a 2-inch hose, which is lighter and more readily 
 handled, and a special nozzle that will throw a flat spray, and by 
 throttling. down the pressure at the hydrant to about 30 Ibs. per sq. 
 inch. Apparatus such as this will require about 1.44 gals, per square 
 yard flushed. 
 
 FLUSHERS: 
 
 Flushing is also done bv sprinkling wagons of special design 
 and having' an air-tight tank. Water is admitted to the tank at full 
 hvdrant pressure, which pressure is maintained by an air cushion. 
 A special valve is attached for flushing and water is applied to the 
 pavement from a round nozzle. Flushers require about 2 gals, per 
 square van! flushed, which is an excessive amount. 
 
 Flushing" bv hose costs about as much as hand or machine sweep- 
 ing', when the dirt is allowed to go into the sewers, but where care 
 is taken' to collect the dirt the cost will be about double. Flushing 
 by flusher wagons is still more expensive. 
 
 Flushing" is objected to on the ground that it washes dirt into the 
 sewers and causes deposits therein, but grounds for this objection are 
 more imaginary than real. All heavy dirt has been swept off during 
 the da}' and that which is left is fine and not liable to deposit in a 
 sewer that has a proper grade. Cloth tappoons can be used to inter- 
 cept dirt at the manholes and thus obviate this possible clanger. In 
 1'aris street dirt has been flushed into the sewers for years without 
 any harmful effect, but in this particular case street flushing" is done 
 simultaneously over a very ( large street area with the result that the 
 sewers are given a good flushing at the same time. This should still 
 be the case where street flushing is done on a more limited scale, and 
 certainly no more dirt gets into a sewer through flushing than what 
 would be swept in by a heavy rain. 
 
 13
 
 DISPOSAL: 
 
 Street sweepings, it has been .shown, have little or no value a> 
 a fertilizer and the general practice has been to find some free, dumping 
 ground in which to dispose of them. In some instances it is necessary 
 to haul by train to some distant point, or to dump at sea from barges 
 as is done at Xe\v York. The latter two methods add greatly to the 
 cost of cleaning but they have the advantage of removing absolutely 
 all sweepings from within city limits; yet debris dumped at sea will 
 frequently cause a nuisance to some sea-coast community. Dumping 
 within city limits or within populous areas is very objectionable. A 
 dump is always unsightly and frequently the cause of a serious dust 
 nuisance. Kurther, organic matter that is covered up thus decays an< ' 
 is destroved but slowly, and is likely to cause a nuisance later if ex- 
 cavated. 
 
 STREET SPRINKLING: 
 
 Streets are sprinkled with water in cities or communities of any 
 considerable si/.e in order to lay dust which becomes more or less oi 
 a nuisance during the dry season. This process is sometimes varied 
 for macadam roads which are then treated with asphalt-base oils 
 kerosene, oil emulsions, tars, salt water, deliquescent salts and the liku 
 cic. All of these bind the wearing surface and lay the dust in a far 
 more permanent manner than water alone will do. I kit of these onh 
 salt water and deliquescent salts are suitable for use on any shed 
 paving, basalt block or similar pavement as the other processes make 
 a pavement too slippery for use. Sprinkling with salt water is about 
 twice as efficient as fresh water as it takes a much longer time to 
 evaporate, and deliquescent salts are far more efficient than salt water 
 This is an important consideration, because it means that the intervals 
 between the excessive wetness and dryness are much prolonged and 
 that all dust nuisance is abated for the entire day. Deliquescent salt- 
 have also a double value due to the fact that thev lav the dust effect - 
 ivelv and at the same time do not interfere with an immediate use of 
 a street as is the case with the use of oils and tars. Xeither is theu 
 anv liability of damage to clothing or paint on vehicles. It is well 
 to add here that sprinkling is not a remedy for dirt}- pavements in 
 any sense of the word as it simply makes mud and slime out of dust 
 and a street remains as dirty as before. Theoretically it is not neces- 
 sary to sprinkle a well cleaned pavement as all dust and dirt are sup- 
 posed to have been removed, but as a rule the average street-cleaning 
 department merely strives to remove the coarse forms of dirt and 
 leaves the fine dust to be blown about and sprinkling is therefore re- 
 quired. 
 
 14
 
 STREET CLEANING IN SAN FRANCISCO. 
 
 BOARD OF WORKS: 
 
 The Hoard of Works has entire control and 'direction <>i 
 (leaning in San Francisco, and does the work out of funds pi 
 annually by the Board of Supervisors. 
 
 BUREAU OF STREETS: 
 
 'I he Iliia rd created a Uurcau of Streeets with its own Superin- 
 tendent, in i ( A>3. at the time of the adoption of the present Charter and 
 I )epartments of Street Cleaning, Street Repairing and Sewer Cleaning 
 as sub-departments. This supervision of authority has not worked 
 well and today the Street Cleaning Department, for instance, reports 
 direct to the Board. The above Bureau and its departments should 
 be abolished and their respective Superintendents made deputies to 
 ihe llurcau of Engineering, which itself is subordinate to the Board of 
 Works. P>y this manner, the several Superintendents will have the 
 advantage of competent technical advice, and authority and . responsi- 
 bility will be concentrated. The personnel of the several Department 
 heads need not be affected on making this change. 
 
 ft might be advisable to retain an official who would attend to 
 street matters that are purely administrative and who would report 
 to the Board of Works direct, but the other changes should be made 
 as the present organization has proved itself inefficient. 
 
 STAFF OF STREET CLEANING DEPARTMENT: 
 
 The Street (.leaning Department maintained approximately the 
 
 following staff for the last fiscal year. 
 
 1 Superintendent at $2.400 per year. 
 
 7 District Foremen at $120 per mo., one for each of 4 districts. 
 
 2 blockmen foremen, and i night foreman. 
 5 Dump foremen at 3.50 per da}'. 
 
 2 lUmkermen at Santa Fe bunkers at Sioo per month, 
 i Watchman at $90 per month.
 
 2O Foremen sweepers at $3.50 per day. 
 125 Sweepers at $3.00 per day. 
 
 24 2.5 cti. yd. wagons, team and driver, hired at $0.50 per day. 
 30 2.5 cu. yd. wagons, owned by city, team and driver hired at 
 
 $6.00 per day. 
 4 Teams for 3 sweepers and I sprinkler, hired at $6.00 per day. 
 
 with driver. 
 15 Teams for sprinklers, hired at $6.00 per day, with driver for 
 
 average of 200 days per year. 
 
 7 liuggies for foremen at $45.00 per month from a separate iuml. 
 With this force there is required about $10,000 for materials and 
 supplies ; $2,000 for repairs to wagons and sprinklers ; $4,000 for dump- 
 ing charges for 16,000 loads delivered at Santa Fe Bunkers and $6,000. 
 for S. V. water. The expense of keeping the above force in the field 
 continuously would amount to a greater sum than that allowed for 
 this work last year, namely, $250,000, so it is obvious that the whole 
 force was not at work continuously throughout the year. 
 
 RATE OF WAGES: 
 
 The first thing noticable in the above schedule is the abnormally 
 high wage rate paid for labor. The general rate paid in Eastern cities 
 for similar work is $1.50 per eight hour day, and in New York the 
 rate is $2.19, and is there considered extremely high. These rates are- 
 but 50 per cent and 73 per cent of the local rate, and the excessive 
 local rate demands serious consideration when it is realized that labor 
 comprises approximately 66 2-3 per cent of the total cost of cleaning. 
 There is now, and will be for a long time to come, an abundant supply 
 of labor available at 2oc. per hour; and if street sweepers were given 
 a reduced but liberal wage of $2.25 per day. sufficient saving would 
 be made to make it possible to put on about 30 to 40 more sweepers 
 and 8 to 10 more wagons, and thus give the Superintendent extra men 
 and wagons, that he claims necessary to keep the city well cleaned. 
 
 LOCAL CONDITIONS: 
 
 San Francisco has a street cleaning problem that is made particu- 
 larly difficult because of local climatological conditions. 
 
 DRY SEASON: 
 
 Seven months of the twelve are practically rainless, during which 
 time the dust nuisance is made still greater by the prevalence of the 
 summer trade winds which often blow with great force. These winds 
 
 16
 
 practically sweep bare the streets in some sections of the ciiy. but 
 dirt swept from one point is piled up in another. There are certain 
 parts of the city, notably about Fillmore, ^"ebster and thereabouts, 
 and Polk and Larkin and thereabouts, and Market below Kearney, 
 where street dirt and papers pile up in the lee of buildings, and make 
 these localities difficult to keep clean. 
 
 AMOUNT OF PAVED STREETS CLEANED: 
 
 There are within the city limits 1095.75 Blocks paved with basalt 
 block; 1404.5 blocks paved with bitumen; 205.5 Blocks paved with 
 cobbles; one block each of planking, brick and Nicholson pavement; 
 14. 5 blocks paved with asphaltum, and 12 blocks of macadam; 
 2735.25 blocks in all. Unimproved streets and macadam are not 
 cleaned, so this leaves 2722.25 blocks, or about 208 miles of city 
 streets to be cleaned. 
 
 HOW CLEANED: 
 
 Of this area of pavements, there are about 122,000.000 sq. yds. 
 cleaned by the block system 193,000.000 sq. yds cleaned by hand and 
 48,500,000 sq. yds cleaned by broom machines, or 33.6 per cent.; 53.1 
 per cent, and 13.3 per cent respectively of the total. There is also 
 about T. 000,000 sq. yds. of flushing done on certain parts of the block 
 system area. Street sprinkling is carried on for about 200 days in the 
 year and to the extent of about 125,000,000 Ifneal feet. 
 
 The last annual budget apportioned $250,000 for all the expenses 
 of the department, so it is seen from the above that the extent and 
 cost of the work is considerable, the latter being approximately 2.5 
 per cent of the total budget. 
 
 STREETS IN BAD ORDER: 
 
 ( )f the man}- miles of paved streets there is a large percentage 
 that is in very bad order, and a still larger proportion that is in but fail- 
 condition. The cost of street cleaning is probably increased by some 
 15 per cent, over what it would be if all pavements were in good repair 
 ( )i the sum expended on street cleaning for the past year, probably 
 837,500 represents what might be considered as work wasted because 
 < >f poor pavements.
 
 TOPOGRAPHY: 
 
 Munv parts pf the city arc very hilly and this has a tendency to 
 concentrate street traffic along certain lines. This concentration is 
 beneficial as it tends to facilitate and thereby cheapen the work. l.)n 
 the other hand, the hilly sections sometimes tend to increase the length 
 of the haul to the dumps, and this results in an increase in expense. 
 
 DISPOSAL OF SWEEPINGS: 
 
 f the free dumping -round,- listed 
 ,000 loads .annually at the bunkers 
 in the Santa Fc yard at China Basin at a cost of 250 per load : 
 
 [. Santa Fe Bunkers charges 250. per load, I2^c. per cu. yd. 
 
 2. ijth and Carolina will last 6 months. important location. 
 
 3. I'olrero and 25th St., large space left. 
 
 4. 8th Ave. and "I," will last two months. important: 
 
 5. 13th Ave. and Point Lobos large space left. 
 
 6. Bay and Webster Sis.. will last one year. 
 
 7. Bay and Powell Sts. 
 
 Dumps 2 and 4 are of considerable importance but will not las: 
 long. This means that new ground localities must be secured, but 
 such new sites will be further out and necessitate a longer haul with 
 resulting increase in cost. 
 
 DUMPING AT SEA. 
 
 Conditions become worse each vear and steps must be taken to 
 get a permanent solution of this matter. Dumping at sea by barges 
 is not: advisable because the lighter sweepings will be swept onto the 
 shore at points where they will create a nuisance. Moreover, the long 
 haul, to the water front will not reduce the cost of this item. 
 
 BUNKERS: 
 
 The real solution of the difficulty will be to provide bunkers at 
 about four centrally located sites that will give as nearly as possible 
 the shortest haul in each district. These bunkers must be served with 
 trackage by the local steam or street railways SO that the sweepings 
 can be taken away by car. This means a more or less long haul b\ 
 train at a cost approximating \o to ^oc per cu. yd. At present bunkers 
 are needed at some point along the northern water front, say under the 
 
 18
 
 lee of 1 elcgrah hill, and in the western addition somewhere between 
 Devi>ider<> and ist Are. Lrce dumps wherever available, and the 
 Santa l - e bnnkers at China Basin. \vill do fairly well for the balance ot 
 the cit\' l'ir the time being. 
 
 There are about IJO.OQO cu. yds. of street sweepings collected 
 annually. Each wagon averages 4 loads per day which makes the cost 
 of disposal about <><j.5c per cu. yd., but if the haul were so shortened 
 as tii make it possible lor a wagon to make 5 loads per day, the cost. 
 !>er cu. yd. would then be 55. 5c. a saving of ]_).c. which would about pa\ 
 I''!' the train haul if bunkers were established. The citv would also 
 receive the benefits, due to the fact that it would be freed of just so 
 many unsightly and unsanitary (lumps, and to the fact that these ob- 
 jectionable wastes were disposed oi at s<>me distant |)omt. 
 
 DISTRICTS: 
 
 hit >r<1er t" > facilitate the work < if cleaning, the city has been divided 
 into four districts bounded as follows : 
 
 1. South of and not including Channel. Division and Eleventh, 
 from the Bay to Market: south along but not including Market to 
 llaighi : smith of but not including Ilaight, and including Stanyan to 
 Frederick, and south of and including Frederick and "LI" to the 
 ' ' unity line. 
 
 2. \\'est of and not including Larkin ; west of and not including 
 Market from Larkin to Haight; and north of and including' Haight. 
 
 3. Last of and including Larkin; north of and not including 
 Market from Larkin to East East St. omitted. 
 
 4. .North of and including' Eleventh, Channel and Division from 
 .Market to the Bav : east of and not including Market from Eleventh to 
 Last St.. I'.ast St. omitted. 
 
 Central All of Market and triangle included between i'owell. 
 Market and Slitter to Market done by block system. 
 
 Produce District .Area included between Market. Sansome and 
 Pacific and East done by broom machines and gang' at night. 
 
 Siime of the Central and Produce districts are included in Xo. 3 
 above, and the distinction is based on manner of cleaning and not on 
 locality. 
 
 SCHEDULE MAINTAINED BY DEPARTMENT: 
 
 With equipment as t outlined ab< >\ e and c< >nditi< >ns t< > meet as n< >ted, 
 the bureau maintains a schedule approximately as shown on Map Xo I
 
 hereto attached. The changes made lately have been in the nature of 
 a shifting of the work, much of the force being taken off Van Xess and 
 transferred to the restored retail district. 
 
 SCHEDULE TOO AMBITIOUS: 
 
 A glance at the map will show that the schedule is altogether 
 too ambitious, as the attempt is made to cover approximately two- 
 thirds of the city weekly, and the balance more frequently as shown 
 It is unnecessary to sweep a residence district weekly as a rule, be- 
 cause once in two weeks or once a month will generally suffice. 
 However, there should be a special crew and paper gang fur each dis- 
 trict whose duty would be to sweep gutters where dirt and papers 
 pile up to a marked extent. This means that all streets would get 
 at least one to two sweepings per month, and those places that re- 
 quire it would get swept weekly and that all litter would be picked 
 up by a paper gang. 
 
 The result would be uniformly cleaned districts, and not clean 
 here and dirty there, as it is now throughout most of the city. 
 
 SPRINKLING SCHEDULE: 
 
 The sprinkling schedule is likewise too ambitious, and reference 
 to Map Xo. 2 will show that by far the greater part of the area cov- 
 ered is sprinkled but twice daily. This is well nigh useless in this 
 dry and windy climate as fresh water dries out in less than an hour 
 and dust is blowing shortly thereafter. 
 
 SCHEDULE SHOULD BE CHANGED: 
 
 The work should be concentrated and not less than three sprink- 
 lings a day be given to an}' one street. This would mean the with- 
 drawal of the carts from the less important parts of the citv, prefer- 
 ably irom the outer portions south of Market, and a heavv kick 
 would be expected from the property owners affected. 
 
 THE CHLORIDE PROCESS: 
 
 The best solution of the matter would be a general use of the 
 chloride process but lately applied to the retail district where its 
 efficiency was well demonstrated on both asphalt and block paving.
 
 It is merely a solution of a deliquescent salt applied just as ordinary 
 water, the salt retaining its moisture so that the paving remains 
 moist for the day. (ienerally it is necessary to sprinkle with a 
 little water once a dav to offset evaporation, and successive applica- 
 tions of the chemical are made weekly or thereabouts. The best re- 
 sults were obtained on basalt paving- which can be made well- 
 nigh dustless. the filler between the blocks acting as a wick 
 and supplying sufficient moisture to offset evaporation, and verv 
 good results were obtained on asphalt. A second result obtained 
 which is of no inconsiderable value, is that a street is not alter- 
 nately wet and dry several times during the day. but uniformly 
 moist, which means that the dust is effectively laid and that there 
 will not be frequent tracking 1 of mud into stores and offices. Effi- 
 ciency of chloride sprinkling has been fully demonstrated, and natur- 
 al!} the cost is greater than that of water as the two are not to be 
 compared. 
 
 CRITICISM: 
 
 If one will but make a critical examination of East Street, which 
 the Harbor Commission has cleaned by contract, one will wonder 
 why the City's streets compare so unfavorably. This difference is 
 due mainly to the fact that East Street is done by contract under 
 efficient supervision!, the contractor employing a very capable super- 
 intendent. Also East Street is sprinkled with the salt water and 
 dust is very effectively laid thereby. On the other hand, the City's 
 work is done by an inefficient department, that has attempted to 
 carry out a too ambitious schedule. 
 
 DISCIPLINE AND UNIFORMS: 
 
 There is also an entire lack of discipline among the men. nor are 
 the men alert or diligent about their work. Efficient disciplining of 
 the force is made difficult by reason of the Civil Service rules which 
 are such as to make it extremely difficult to discharge any but the 
 most grosslv incompetent men. The Federal Civil Service rules are 
 better in that they make it possible to readily discharge, for proper 
 cause, an incompetent employee. Further, the men are not uniformed, 
 Avhich is a mistake. Without uniforms, the men are not conspicuous, 
 and the public does not get a correct idea as to the amount of work 
 being done and a lazy man will take the opportunity to loaf: nor do
 
 teamsters see them and the men are compelled to spend a good part 
 on their time looking out for their personal safety, which would not 
 be so much the case if uniformed. 
 
 MARKET STREET: 
 
 Market Street, to be sure, is fairly well cleaned by the block men 
 whose work is supplemented bv flushing carts. More flushing could 
 be done and by hose, as it would be cheaper, and the same amount 
 of water and money would go a longer way. 
 
 PRODUCE DISTRICT: 
 
 The .Produce District bounded by Sansome. Pacific. East and 
 Market is cleansed by broom machines followed by hand gangs, and 
 is then sprinkled twice daily. It is far from clean though it is sup- 
 posed to be gone over four times per week, as there is too much dirt 
 in between the block paying and other evidences of lack of thorough 
 cleaning. 
 
 MONTGOMERY AVENUE: 
 
 '1 he same can be said of Montgomery Avenue which is gone 
 over three times weekly and sprinkled twice daily. 
 
 KEARNY STREET: 
 
 There are two blocks on Kearnv east of Broadway that have 
 been allowed to get so dirty that the}- require the attention of the 
 Board of Health. 
 
 DUPONT: 
 
 Dupont Street in China Town is also very dirtv, though it is a 
 very important shopping center. Many people patronize the large 
 shops there, and almost every tourist visits the quarter. This alone 
 should be sufficient reason for keeping this part of the town well 
 cleaned. 
 
 SOUTH OF MARKET: 
 
 Xo substantial change need be made from the present schedule 
 for South oi Market, but Third should be given a dailv cleaning, and 
 Mission the same bv machine as far out as Sixth, and three weekly
 
 nut to Fourteenth. As a whole this section is fairly well handled, but 
 it is very dusty on a windy day as the sprinkling that most of it gets 
 but twice daily is ineffective. The use or chloride preparation through- 
 nut would solve the dust evil. 
 
 KENTUCKY: 
 
 Kentucky Street does not get enough cleaning and should be 
 uoue over once a week instead of twice per month. Chloride prepara- 
 tion should be used here as well. 
 
 THE MISSION: 
 
 That part of the Mission west of < iuerrero appears very clean and 
 neat. It is put down for a weekly cleaning, with one or two streets 
 excep 1 ed that get more, and could be kept equally clean by sweeping 
 once a month with a special crew to look after those places where 
 most dirt accumulates. But the same cannot be said of that part of 
 Mission east of (iuerrero. Valencia and Mission are blocked from 
 Twentieth to Twenty-Fourth and twice weekly north and south of 
 these points, but this latter is entirely insufficient as these two im- 
 portant streets are very dirty, excepting the four blocks noted. The 
 balance of Valencia should be swept once daily where not blocked, and 
 the same on Mission from Army to Fourteenth. East of Mission the 
 section is quite dirty, though most of the cross streets get swept 
 twice weekly and the remainder once weekly. The amount of work 
 done on the w-est side should be lessened and the men transferred to 
 the east side, and then this part of town w r ould be presentable. Mis- 
 sion and Valencia and a few of the important side streets are sprinkled 
 twice daily, but it is not efficient and the chloride preparation could 
 Ite used to advantage. 
 
 NOB HILL: 
 
 The Xob Hill section is given a sweeping monthly and appears 
 to be fairly clean. 
 
 VAN NESS: 
 
 Van Xess Avenue was blocked after the fire, but since the retail 
 -lores have moved down town, it has been sufficient to go over it 
 once daily, and this schedule can be cut down from time to time.
 
 WESTERN ADDITION: 
 
 Almost the entire \Yestern Addition is swept once a week, a 
 schedule that is almost impossible to keep up and at the same time 
 do justice to the work. Certain streets, as Golden Gate to Steiner: 
 Fillmore from Fulton to Broadway: Devisadero from Haight to Sac- 
 ramento: and certain parts of Haight. Hayes, Eddy, Ellis, 1'ost and 
 Slitter are blocked, and certain parts of ( )ak, Fell. Raker. Fulton. .Mc- 
 Allister, Steiner and streets crossing Fillmore are given sweepings 
 twice a week. The streets that are blocked or given a bi-weekly 
 cleaning should be kept on the same schedule, but almost all north 
 of and including Clay, a few streets excepted, should be swept but 
 once a month and served with a special crew, and the same holds 
 good for the hilly section east of Alamo Square, and the area adjacent 
 to the Park. That area defined approximately as lying between Devi- 
 sadero and Van Xess and Hayes and Sacramento should be covered 
 one, two and three times per week as shown on map Xo. 4. At the 
 same time there should be one or two special crews working on the 
 different places, and a paper crew as well. As it is now. the whole 
 Fillmore section is dirty and very untidy. Papers and all sorts of 
 litter blow around, pile up in many places along Larkin. Laguna. Web- 
 ster. Steiner and thereabouts. One paper crew in here would do much 
 to improve this section, but no such crew is provided at present. The 
 schedule for the entire section must be changed and work lightened 
 in one part and concentrated in the other, and then this section can 
 be made presentable, otherwise it will never be so. It is so bad now 
 that the Fillmore Street Improvement Association has to put three 
 men on the street on Sundays to sweep and pick up papers. The 
 changes recommended would add little if any, to the present cost of 
 sweeping this area as they require a concentration of work rather 
 than additional work. The area in and about Fillmore and Van Ness 
 is sprinkled twice daily without good effect, and the chloride prepara- 
 tion should be used. 
 
 SUNSET AND RICHMOND: 
 
 The Sunset and Richmond Districts comprise but a small area of 
 improved ground, but are growing rapidly. A weekly s.weeping is 
 allotted to these sections though a monthly schedule with a special 
 crew would do the work. 
 
 24
 
 REMARKS: 
 
 I'Vom the above it will be seen that the street cleaning depart- 
 ment attempts to do too much by trying to cover so much of the city 
 on a weekly schedule whereas a monthly or bi-monthly schedule would 
 do. Special gans and paper crews should be employed to clean up 
 those- certain places where street dirt and papers make those localities 
 so often dirty. The too ambitious sprinkling schedule should be modi- 
 fied as well, and the work concentrated, and the use of the chloride 
 preparation extended as far as the cost will permit. 
 
 SCHEDULE PROPOSED: 
 
 A proposed revision of the schedule is given on Map Xo. 4. It is 
 in >t considered as final but is believed to be one that will give far 
 inure uniform results than are obtained at present, as lack of uniform- 
 ity of results is one of the weak points of the present scheme. 
 
 REORGANIZATION OF DEPARTMENT: 
 
 This Department should be put directly under the City Engineer 
 and thus be given all the advantage to come from expert advice and 
 direction. It is perfectly true that this is not the common practice in 
 most cities of the country, but the reply to this is that other cities are 
 no more successful than this in handling this same matter. 
 
 REDUCTION OF WAGES: 
 
 There is no good reason why the present wage rate should be 
 maintained when other cities get the same work done for but 50 per 
 cent, to 73 per cent, of what it costs here. Xo laborer can earn $3.00 
 in eight hours cleaning streets, nor could a very alert man earn so 
 much as $2.50. and $2.25, as proposed, would be a most liberal wage. 
 A reduction in pay would be followed by considerable opposition, but 
 the saving effected is well worth while, as has been previously shown. 
 It cannot be argued that a reduction in wages will curtail the purchas- 
 ing power of the force as a whole or lessen the circulation of money, be- 
 cause it is proposed to spend about the same amount of monev annu- 
 ally. This will result in a more even and equitable distribution of a 
 given sum. and give the city greater returns for the money spent. Xor. 
 does the cost of living justify any such wage scale, and the present
 
 rate wa> made to meet certain special conditions that no longer exisl 
 t/ondiiions no\v are fairly normal and wages are lar more normal than 
 for main years past, so there is no good reason why the city shoulc 1 , 
 continue to pav an exorbitant wage. 
 
 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORTS: 
 
 The Snperinten<lent of the Street Cleaning Department make.-. 
 weekly and monthly reports to the Works Board that are published in 
 the ''Municipal Record." Until recently these reports were of no 
 value as thev gave nothing by which the cost of the work could be 
 deduced, but recently the form of report was modified so as to make 
 it possible to make a general average of the cost of sprinkling, team- 
 ing and machine work. The reports are still very unsatisfactory as 
 they make no distinction between block work and ordinary hand work, 
 except in area swept, and the work is reported for the whole city and 
 not bv districts. Such cost data as given at present show unit costs 
 of some of the work that are very low and lead to the presumption 
 that the reports are more or less incomplete a-~ to all items. 
 
 PROPOSED FORM OF REPORTS: (See Page 2) 
 
 Following is given, a proposed form ot report giving averages of 
 unit costs for block work, hand labor, machine work, hauling, flush- 
 ing and sprinkling. These reports are to be made out daily, weekly 
 and monthly, the latter including all charges for superintendence, office 
 expenses, repairs and maintenance, inspection, water, etc.. interest and 
 charges lor deterioration exccpted. 
 
 PRESENT COST OF STREET CLEANING: 
 
 There i- not sufficient data given in the reports of the Superin- 
 tendent from which accurate statements of cost of cleaning by the 
 several methods can be made, but the following are offered as being 
 rough approximations. 
 
 HAND WORK: 
 
 Sweeping once over by hand, 80.40 per i .000 ><|. yds. 
 15 y block system, continuous $1.20 per j .000 sq. yds. 
 
 26
 
 MACHINE SWEEPING: 
 
 Sweeping by machine and gang pliers. $0.30 per i.ixio sq. yds. 
 FLUSHING: 
 
 ! lusher and gang, Si.oo per i.oou sq. yds. 
 
 SPRINKLING: 
 
 Sprinkling bv wagon or tlusher. So. MI |ier i.ooo lin. ft. 
 
 COST OF HAULING: 
 
 ading and hauling t<> dumps. So. 78 per cu. vd. 
 e costs do not include office expenses, and Superintend- 
 eman f* >r hand labor gangs, inspectors, "water and rent, 
 hut include an allowance for interest and depreciation. From this it 
 is seen thai machine sweeping is cheapest, with hand work costing about 
 S,vS per cent, more and Hushing costing about three times as much. 
 ( lost of sprinkling by water is given in units of length, but where the 
 hloride process is used to its fullest extent on street paving, the 
 max be about twice that of water alone, area per acre. 
 
 That part of the retail district bounded by Mason. Sutler and 
 Market, but not including .Market, was sprinkled with chloride prepara- 
 tion during April, May and June and with excellent results, though 
 there was then a great amount of building material and dust there- 
 from on (Jean-. Post. Sutter and O'Farrell streets. This was done by 
 contract by the U. S. Dustless Roads Co.. at a cost of $1100 per month 
 which is about double that of sprinkling by water alone, but the dust 
 was effectively laid, and the protection afforded to valuable retail 
 stocks was worth the added cost. 
 
 337165
 
 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 There are several reasons why this city pays a large sum annually 
 for street cleaning and gets but an insufficient return for its money 
 These are enumerated below, and suggestions for needed improve- 
 ments are given : 
 
 First: The Street Cleaning Department is managed as a depart- 
 ment under the control of the Board of Works, with its own Superin- 
 tendent, whereas it should be a part of the Department of Engineering 
 and thereby receive the benefit of the advice and direction of the City 
 Engineer. It would still be under the Board of Works. 
 
 Second:. Steps should be taken to increase the efficiency of tin 
 force by giving the Superintendent authority to readily discharge an 
 employee for cause, the vacant place to be filled by the next available 
 applicant on the Civil Service list. Such a step as this would not be 
 radical and closely follows the Federal Civil Service rule. Also, the 
 force should be uniformed for the sake of protecting the men and allow- 
 ing them greater safety while at work: and also for the benefit of the 
 public who would then have some idea as to the extent of the work 
 and how it is performed. Men in uniform would not be inclined to 
 loaf. It is almost a universal practice to have street sweepers uni- 
 formed, and it should be done here. 
 
 Third:. There should be a reduction in wages from $3.00 to $2.25 
 This reduced rate practically gives a bonus of 80.50, as common labor 
 now commands but $0.20 per hour. The present scale of wages was 
 created to meet special conditions that no longer exist, and wages and 
 cost of living are now more nearly normal than for many years past. 
 
 Fourth: There should be a very considerable revision of the 
 cleaning and sprinkling schedule as the present schedule is altogether 
 too ambitious and not possible of proper execution with such appro- 
 priations as are available at date. Particular attention is drawn to a 
 lack of uniformity in results obtained in parts of the Western . \dditioti 
 and the Mission. The Superintendent does not provide special crews 
 whose work is to clean gutters and streets at points that become dirty 
 
 28
 
 more than at others, nor are there any paper gangs to pick up paper 
 and other forms of litter that are so unsightly. A judicial use of such 
 gangs and crews will make a good showing and tidy up the city to an 
 astonishing degree. 
 
 The sprinkling schedule is generally impracticable as a very large 
 percentage of the total area sprinkled is gone over but twice daily, and 
 this is effective on but a very few blocks. It is claimed that there is not 
 money available for a thorough use of the chloride preparation over 
 the entire area sprinkled, but it should be resumed in the retail district 
 and extended to the produce district, and part of South of Market and 
 to the remaining areas sprinkled so far as possible. 
 
 Fifth : Daily, weekly and monthly reports should be made on a 
 form outlined above, so that the Superintendent can keep close 
 watch on the cost of the several kinds of work, and so that the public 
 might be likewise informed. Reports as made at present are practi- 
 cally valueless. 
 
 If the -above proposed changes can be made, there will be a 
 marked and immediate improvement in the work done by the De- 
 partment of Street Cleaning, and without increased cost to the City. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 H. A. CAMPBELL, 
 Engineer. The Merchants' Association.
 
 "^/mAINfl-MV** 
 
 
 3DNV-SOV 
 
 s 
 
 M1BRARY0A, 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 " 
 
 a f 1 irTi 
 
 8 
 
 MOJITO
 
 L 006 850 177 4 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 001 035 482 7