Daily Republican., 1881-09-09
City Sanitation.

AHeYltaDly De Ereat Increase III I'll
mortality list. There is great DANCE
of fevers arising from the deconposi
tion of vegetable matter, and the nt
,glect attending the removal of garbag
assists the spread of diseases. A larg
increase in the number Of deaths wa
noticed in last week s mortuarv repor
attributable no doubt, in great meas
ure, to the causes named, and we woul,
not be surprised to see still larger in
crease by the next report. If our peo
pie ould use the preventatives of dis
eases more than they have been doing
the city would be in much more
healthy condition, though when tht
truth is told the mortality rate here is
not proportionally larger than in othe,
cities OF the same standing and popula.
ton. In this respect the Board OF
Health should follow the example OF
tie Board in Philadelphia. On Wed.
nesday that body authorized the pur
chase of few barrels Of copperas to be
used in solution for flushing sewer in
lets. This is n good sanitary move
ment, but it ought to be understood
that each house holder is charged ais,
with certain duties, which if properly
understood, would be great assistance
to the city authorities. If the Board
of Health of our city would flush the
sewer inlets and the cutters under the
iron plate crossings on our principal
streets, much would be accomplished
towards bringing about complete deo
dorizing Of the city, but still much
NOR, is left for hOuseholders to do to
make the disinfection and deodorzing
complete. Every family should be
compelled to use this copper solution
about every part of either the front or
back yard, in the water closets, the
sewer traps, the garbage vessels and
every other place where is the least
danger from foul odors from any cause
whatever, and to families who are tuo
poor to use copper solution, it should
be supplied by the city under the Iii.
rections and direct charge of the Board
of Health.
Copperas is very cheap, and it is
doubtful if any of the inventions for
disintecting or deoGorizing sewage have
any more virtue. IL is so cheap that
any well to do housekeeper can afford
to use it in liberal measure. A pound
to a gallon Of water will disinfect any
service drain in short space of time
1t seems that the Philadelphia Board
of Health has about the same trouble
with the question Of garbage removal,
as exists here. 1t is dirty thankless
kind of business at the best, and bu,
few persons care about engaging in it,
while they can get something else to do
This is the main reason why the re.
moval of garbage ordinarily costs more
money than any other branch of public
service in proportion to the labor per.
formed.
1t was suggested at the Philadelphia
Board meeting that the practice OF put
ting receptacles for garbage upon the
sidewalks should be suppressed. There
are some wLo will not admit that til.
practice is a nuisance, but what are our
househclders to do" The garbage col |
lectors do not comply with the law
either as regards frequency of removal
or In making themselves known near
she premises. Some of them do not
20 cake the trouble to enter upon the
premises at ali, but apparently wait to
be hailed. If they see anybody franti-
cally gesticulating and calling for them
they step, but if nobody halls them
they pass unroncernedly on past the
very houses where perhaps their scr.
'G1res are TIE most needed.
Life is not long enough to spend halfl
of it waiting fra slop cart, and in con-
sequence some busy housekeepers put |
their pals and boxes in plain sight of |
the collector on the sidewalk. 1t is an
unsightly practice not to say anything
of the odor of the contents. But in ad |
mittlng that it is a nuisance, we do not
refrain from denOuncing the average
slopman as a nuisance. His hand is
against every clcanly disposed person
and everybody's hand on the other side
is against him. He seems to think that
he is doing the housekeeper a gratui.
tous favor, when he is only doing what
he has bound himself to do voluntarily
and for sum named by himself. There
are localities in our city from which no
garba-e has been removed for two
weeks, and whenever complaint is made
the delinquent appears and sweArs that
he has called every day, and no amount
Of evidence to the contrary can silence
him.
This brings up another thought. How
can the sy stem be improved ? We are
in terrible strait if it cannot be i'm
proved. Cutters, sewer inlets and |
water. closets can be easily disinfected
and deodorized, but not so with the
slop man, the slop cart and the garb age
receptacle. The latter is all the time
filing up with matter uDon matter,
and when full it runs over and creates
a greater nuisance than before. There
seems to us to be no other etfectual way
to remove the garbage than by paying
by the load for dc.ng so. This will