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REAL ESTATE
AND
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 21, 1916
ASH AND TRADE WASTE SHOULD BE REMOVED
BY THE CITY AUTHORITIES
TTHE question of trade waste and ash
•^ removal from office and other busi¬
ness buildings is one of the important
problems now before the real estate
community. Aside from the great incon¬
venience to which building managers and
owners are placed, the question of the
health of the community is one which
must be considered. It is claimed by
many, and with some justice, that private
individuals should not be put to the ex¬
tra expense of having this waste removed
and that it is the clear duty of the city to
do it. To be sure there is a Jaw which
gives the Commissioner power to decline
to remove this class of waste from these
structures, but he can also decline to re¬
move this waste from any building in the
city.
At the present time ashes and waste,
as well as garbage is being removed
from tenement houses and dwellings, and
this form of discrimination has aroused
a protest. It is claimed that it is per¬
fectly proper that this refuse be removed
from the residential class of buildings,
but the service should be extended so
that all classes of buildines be included,
except possibly those which derive a
direct benefit from selling heat and
power.
B. E. Martin, president of the New
York Building Managers Association,
said this week:
"Commissioner Fetherston's article in
the Record and Guide of October 14, is
indeed a full report, and undoubtedly
covers the matter thorou.ghly. How¬
ever, I disagree with him in a few
points and would like to offer son-.e few
suggestions, which matters I will take
up in turn as paragraphed in his state¬
ment:
Paragraph 1: Discrimination: "I ad¬
mit that the law does not require the
department to remove ashes and waste,
but believe that it should for reasons as
stated many times:
"First—As a protection to public
health.
"Second—As a unit of service which
serves all. This to apply to buildings
excepting public service corporations
and certain factories that have ashes as
a residue of a large prooortion of their
profit. If the State does not believe in
the removing: of ashes waste, etc., its
funtion, then I a.gree with the Commis¬
sioner's suggestion that some plan be
devised 'whereby each person pays an
amount in proportion to the amount of
material removed,' tlius treating all
alike. I believe the carting of this ma¬
terial would be done more efficiently and
economically by outside contractors, as
the removal of same from the dumps is
handled today. The Street Cleaning
Department has ample duties to cover if
the streets of the citv are properly
cleaned. Again the equipment of the
Street Cleaning Department makes the
work costl}'.
Paragraph 2: Early History: "'Later
on the Commissioners finding that the
private cart owners were giving inade¬
quate service and charging- excessive
prices, demanded the collection of waste,
etc., by the inunicipality.' This could be
overcome as suggested, bv the city au¬
thorities making the contracts and sup¬
erintending the work, as they do with
the barges at the present time. As a
matter of fact, when referrine to cost
would state that many private individ¬
uals are unnecessarily paving twice for
the service which the citv is rendering
today. I hold no brief for the people
who are responsible for this condition.
In my opinion the one who gives is as
guilty as the one who receives. 1 ain
concerned as a taxpayer in knowing that
1 am forced to pay a share towards dis¬
criminatory work and perhaps dishonest
work.
Paragraph 3: 1,200 Permits Issued:
"Office building owners claim that the
discrimination was arbitrary until very
recently, as some office buildings re¬
ceived this service as against others.
We also believe the discrimination be¬
tween office buildings and apartment
liouses is rather arbitrary for the rea¬
son that ashes is a residue of the same
unit in both cases. First-heating; sec¬
ond-elevating. We admit that botli
services are rendered at a profit, but do
not admit the fairness of the line drawn.
Paragraph 4: Bearine on the Problem:
" 'Shall the city collect and dispose of
all classes of waste on the ground that
tlie payment of this service comes from
general taxation?' As to ashes only, we
say yes, with the exception of removing
same from public service corporations,
and certain factory buildings.
Paragraph 5: Taxes and Service:
"This, of course, covers tlie state¬
ment regarding the N. Y. Edison Co.
and the N. Y. Steam Co. and similar
power plants. As the Commissioner
states, undoubtedly all those who sell
steam or electric power, figure the cost
of ash disposal, etc., in the price charged
the consumer, therefore, I do not be¬
lieve it fair to ask the authorities to re¬
move such ashes. The same applies to
department stores, etc., regarding their
waste collection, such as boxes, packing
cases, barrels, etc. The Commissioner
speaks of the possibility of the Depart¬
ment being called on to remove con¬
structions waste, cellar excavations,
condemned buildings, etc. This possibly
has been done through favors granted
by the driver or captains in the district
who we know have been granting all
kinds of special favors at the expense
of the tax budget and undoubtedly to
their profit.
"The preservation of the health of the
community requires that all waste
materials which directly or indirectly
affect health shall be removed from the
streets at public expense." Garbage and
rubbish from households may contain
bacteria dangerous to heallli, this I
agree to. I believe there is more
fjactcria and danger to health caused liy
wliat is known as trimming at the
dumps, where all debris which the con¬
tractor desires to select (usually filthy
rags, bottles, etc., notwithstanding
their sources) are selected and returned
to places in New York City for clean¬
ing. Of all evils I believe this is one of
the most glaring and sliould be pro-
hiliited by the Board of Health at once,
mucli disease results from this source.
Commissioner Fetherston states that
steam ashes, etc., are frequently a
source of revenue, if this is true I
wonder what consideration the con¬
tractors give the city in return for
ashes.
"I am. advised that the only steam
ashes that can be used for sidewalk
concrete and building construction are
absolutely clean ashes which are usually
delivered direct from factory to barge
by Public Service Corporations, such as
the N. Y. Edison Co., Gas Co., Steam
Co., or from other large manufacturers
along the river front. This supply, I be¬
lieve, is more than ample for the pur¬
pose mentioned. Supposing the people
should dump their refuse in the street
It would be interesting to know if the
Board of Health would compel the
authorities or the owners of adjacent
property to remove same. In accordance
with my understanding the authorities
are compelled by the Board of Health
to maintain sanitary streets. It would
seem that recently instead of relieving
the situation there was a move made to
aggravate same, when it was suggested
that the private contractors pay for
dumping on the city scows. This meant
that the now unjustly taxed owner
would be compelled to add to his
burden. This matter was referred by
the Board of Estimate to a special com¬
mittee which resulted in its defeat,
therefore, at the present time outside
contractors are allowed to dump ashes
free at the city dumps.
"Since January 1, 1916, a newly organ¬
ized trade waste force (four inspectors)
have been actively engaged in getting
information regarding waste removal,
etc., yet no result of their investi¬
gation is given in the report. We do not
believe the Street Cleaning Department
should increase its service for this work,
but should maintain ample service for
cleaning streets only, then perhaps we
would not have the spasmodic cry of
cleanup which occurs- so often when an
epidemic arrives. This cleaning is
usually too late to be effective.
"Tlie controversy between property
holders and the city regarding this mat¬
ter is not of recent origin but notwith¬
standing the fact tliat some hold that
it is not the citv's function to remove
ashes, I still maintain that it is one of
the most useful and beneficial units the
city could offer citizens, a vast majority
of whom I believe would support this
contention. Inconsistency is the hid¬
den motto of many of our laws, court
decisions, and department processes.
Ibis whole question should be solved on
an intelligent basis of final economy. If
the taxpayers could, through a central
department, dispose of all garbage,
ashes, rubbish and even trade waste to
lietter advantage than by handling it
through the city, such arrangement I be¬
lieve could readily be made with some
of the public contractors today thus
causing an enormous saving to the tax¬
payers and avoiding the temptation of
graft, etc.
"Undoubtedly one of the reasons for
the city's excessive cost for ash removal
is caused by lack of proper equipment
and management, much saving could be
made by using large trucks and doing less
separating of household waste material.
.\t the present time I believe three
trucks are necessary to reir.ove house-
liold waste as follows: Truck No. 1,
aslies: truck No. 2, gai;bage; truck No.
3, paper boxes, waste, etc.
"Great economy can be effected by
mixing some of this waste, for instance,
waste and garbage might possibly be
hauled by one truck, and all sent to an
incinerating plant. Some might say that
liy mixing other matter with the garb¬
age that the contractor would not allovir
tlie city any return, as a matter of facf,
all the citv has received for garbage de-
(Continued on page 559.)