THE PROBLEM OF MUNICIPAL NUISANCES. 589 



Gotel states that things are much better managed in Lyons and 

 Bordeaux in this resjsect very much smaller cities, be it noted. 



So it appears that the problem of the expeditious and inoffensive 

 removal of household refuse has not yet been solved in Paris, the 

 opinion of amateur sanitarians in this country to the contrary notwith- 

 standing. 



Last December there were two heavy snow-falls in Paris, only four 

 days apart. The first storm crippled the street-cleaning department, 

 and after the second the authorities were almost in despair, being 

 hampered, as ours are, by the lack of funds, and, while their hands 

 were tied, being harassed, howled at, and snapped at by the journal- 

 istic jackals. Almost a complete history of this episode can be gath- 

 ered from the following comments of the press : _ 



" As regards locomotion, the streets are gradually becoming more 

 practicable for both riding and walking, thanks to the army of sweep- 

 ers that the municipal authorities have at length set to work. It is 

 remarked, however, that on the occasion of the last heavy fall of snow 

 in Paris, some five or six years ago, the public thoroughfares were 

 cleared much more rapidly than this time, owing to the military hav- 

 ing been engaged in the task, and some surprise is expressed that they 

 were not made use of this year. Certain it is that the public have had 

 to suffer much loss and inconvenience, which they might have been 

 spared by more prompt and energetic measures on the part of the author- 

 ities," (London "Standard" Paris correspondent, Decembers, 1879.) 



''In some of the public gardens the snow is untouched, and they 

 have ceased to be thoroughfares ; but in the streets it is slowly being 

 carted away, the traffic being carried on under great difficulties. Most 

 of the tramways have stopped working." (London "Times" Paris 

 correspondent, December 10, 1879.) 



The depth of snow that fell in these storms was estimated to be 

 fifty centimetres (twenty inches). The chief of the Department of 

 Public Works, M. Alphand, being called upon to explain why he did 

 not immediately remove it all, stated that there had fallen altogether 

 about 7,000,000 cubic metres of snow, and that it cost three francs a 

 cubic metre to remove it, or 21,000,000 francs for the whole (about 

 84,000,000). The Municipal Council did not feel authorized to expend 

 this vast sum, but they did generously vote 500,000 francs ($100,000), 

 in addition to the regular appropriation for street-cleaning, and M. Al- 

 phand was thus enabled to put an immense force at work upon the 

 streets. 



It is worthy of notice how differently this public officer was treated 

 from our own. In the spring of 1879 our Police Commissioners were 

 summoned before the Mayor, and two of them removed from office 

 because they had not kept the streets clean during the winter. No 

 extra appropriation for them nothing but disgrace ! A comparison 

 of the condition of the streets in both cities may be instructive. In 



