LONDON'S "CLEANLINESS" AND THAT OF CONTINENTAL CITIES
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TOUR journal being the most influential of its kind in this country, may I ask you why the streets of London cannot be kept at least as clean as those of a great Continental city? Born and bred in the Metropolitan area, I have .a great affection for dear, dirty old London, although Paris is. my favourite' city of residence; but it has always been a mystery to me why London should insist on remaining so filthy.
Paris is not vet as clean as in pre-war days. although matters are improving rapidly, but the streets, when compared with those of London, are infinitely cleaner. They are hosed down and scrubbed every night, whilst gutters are kept clear throughoutthe day by sweepers. whose work is assisted by suitably directed streams of water.
Dustbins arp placed on the kerb at night and cleared. invariably, every morning before 8 o'clock. Open dust carts have been unknown in Paris for more than a quarter of a century, whilst self-loaders were introduced about 17 years ago. Refuse collection in many Continental cities puts London to shame. The only relic of the "good old days" that we seem to have preserved is the dirtiness of those days.
At the moment, I happen to be living in London, W.9, on a fine, broad avenue, which, apart from its filth, might well be in the residential part of some big Continental city. Refuse bins are cleared every four or five days—there seems to be no set period. When the operation takes place, an open, horsed cart comes along and the bins, stuffed to overflowing, are emptied into it haphazard. The state of the avenue on a windy day, after the passage of this cart, can be imagined—it is just a huge midden. That` the health standard of London should remain high is a tribute to the stamina of Londoners, certainly not to those authorities Which are supposed to look after it.
In Paris, the Municipal council contracts out for street cleaning and refuse collection; but that, of course, introduces private enterprise and the profit motive. The big A35 private concern which keeps Paris so clean actually tries to make a living for itself by so doing. That,_ as we know, is very wrong indeed. Its fleet of vehicles is sadly in need of renewal, owing to the war, but that goes for the French industrial vehicle fleet in general. Nevertheless, although the lorries may be old they do their job.
+London, W.9 GRAHAM DAVIES.