The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-09-08
THE SEWERAGE PROBLEM.

The city council undertook to Wrestle
with the sewerage problem again on Tues
day night. The skirmish was short, sharp
and. of course, indecisive. The matter
went over for week, when we presume
there may be another brief tussle, to be
followed by more delay.
There is no more serious problem pre-
senting itself to inc people of this
city for solution than that relating to the
sewerage. A few years ago there was a
howl for this improvement. and it is only
fair to say that people of ali classes and
conditions joined in the demand that asys-
servative citizens did not protest against
sewerage, but they asked that the matter
be delayed until such time as q thorough
investigation could be made, and the best
plan ascertsined. These conservatives
thought of the future, and wanted to build
with that thought in view. They knew
that sewerage meant the expenditure of
vast sums of money, and they also knew
there was danger of making sewerage a
great evil. They wanted the proper sys-
tenn adopted, when 1t could be elabo-
rated and perfected as the years came
and the psople were able to meet the cost
OF the Improvement However, their coun-
sells were not needed. The conservatives
were called "mossbacKs" and ''back num-
bers.n They were forced into the back
ground by the progressive" element, sew
erage was ordered, g portion of the city
has enjoyed the Improvement two or three
years, and now everybody begins to under
stand something of the mistake that was
made. The prospect is that more will be
learned OF that mistake in the near future
The fact is. the work was begun before the
magnitude Of the undertaking was fully
comprehenGed, and the result was tenn
porary makeshift to pacify the hasty and
inconsiderste We shall be greatly and
sgreeably disappointed If that undue haste
does not cost the people lot of money be-
fore the blunder has been recti6ed.
OF one thing all who are in anywise
that 10, that the present arrangement is
fsilure-is, in short, what some plain
spoken people would denominate q rank
failure. The sewage from the small sec
ton of the city within the boundaries OF
the system, cannot be disposed Of accord
ing to tue plan devised, and is permitted TO
flow into the Jordan river, which stream in
the course of brief time will necessarily be-
bone grievous nuisance. q menace to the
health OF the people, and source Of evil
generally. But suppose 1t were possible to
carry out the original plan and run the
sewage across the river a mile or two
how much would that lessen the evila And
even If this could be done, it would be per-
mitted for short time only, az the country
adjacent to the sewage canali' is too valu-
able to be given up to cesspools.
1t is indeed serious problem that faces
the council, and in behalf of the people. in
the interest of health and economy, and
with view to the future, we ask the mu-
nicipal fathers to proceed cautiously. Let
Us have no more mistakes to be charged to
haste and lack of proper consideration. A
vast amount OF money Is involved, and the
people have no cash to throw away. They
want the worth of their money. The health
OF the community is ct stake. The very
reputation Of the city is involved. Hence
the necessity Of proceeding wisely, eau
tiously and Understandings, at the same
time moving with all the rapidity consist
emit with safety
Everybody realizes that we must have
sewerage and must pay for II, and there
will be no objection to the proper expendi-
ture Of the cash; but nobody wants to pay
for sewerage system which is worse
evil than no sewerage